The life of Napoleon Buonaparte, emperor of the French. By Sir Walter Scott.

674 LIFE OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE.
eagerness after the real state of France. Sir Niel argument, or by reasoning, or indulging them with a
Campbell informed him that all tile information he firee constitution, he could induce them to sink into a
had been able to collect ascribed great wisdom and state of peaceful industry. He insisted that the
moderation to the sovereign and government; but Duke of Wellington's presence at Paris was an
allowed that those who had lost good appointments, insult on the French nation; that very strong discord
the prisoners of war who had returned fiom abroad, prevailed in the country, and that the king had but
and great part of the army who remained embodied, few friends, either in the army or among the people.
were still attached to Napoleon. In answer, Bona- Perhaps the king might try to get rid of a part of the
parte seemed to admit the stability of the throne, army by sending them to St Domingo, beut that, hie
supported as it was by the marshals and great ofli- observed, would be soon seen through; he himself
cers; but he derided the idea of affording France had made a melancholy trial, with the loss of 30,0)0
the benefit of a free constitution. He said, the at- men, which had proved the inutility of such exlpetempt to imitate that of Great Britain -was a farce, ditions.
a caricature. It was impossible, he observed, to He then checked himself, and endeavoured to
imitate the two Houses of Parliament, for that re. show that he had no personal feeling or expectation
spectable families, like those composing' the aristo- fr'om the revolutions he foretold. "I am a deceased
cracy of England, did not now exist in France. He man," he said; "I was born a soldier; I have
talked with bitterness of the cession of Belgium, and mounted a throne; I have descended fiom it;.1 am
of France being deprived of Antwerp. He himself prepared for any fate. They may transport me to a
spoke, he observed, as a spectator, without hopes or distant shore, or they may put me to death here; I
interest, for he had none; but thus to have mortified will spread mly bosom open to the poniard. When
the French showed an ignorance oftthe national cha- merely General Bonaparte, I had property of lmy
racter. Their chief feeling was for pride and glory, own acquiring-I am now deprived of all."
and the allies need not look'forward to a state of On another occasion, he described the ferment in
satisfaction and tranquillity under such circumstances France, which he said he had learned fiom the coras France was now placed in. " The French," he respondence of his guards with their native country,
said, " were conquered only by a great superiority and so far forgot the character of a defunct person,
of number, therefore were not humiliated; and the as to say plainly, that the present disaffection would
population had not suffered to the extent alleged, for break out with all the fury of the former revolution,
he had always spared their lives, and exposed those and require his own resurrection. "For then," he
of Italians. Germans, and other foreigners." He added, "the sovereigns of Europe will soon find it
remarked that the gratitude of Louis XVIII. to necessary, for their own repose, to call on IE to tranGreat Britain was offensive to France, and that he quillize matters."
was called in derision the King of England'sViceroy. This species of conversation was perhaps the
In the latter months of 1814, Sir Niel Campbell best which could have been adopted, to conceal his
began to become sensible that Napoleon desired to secret purpose from the British commissioner. Sir
exclude him from his presence as much as lie pos- Niel Campbell, though not without entertaining
sibly could, without positive rudeness. He rather suspicions, judged it, upon the whole, unlikely that
suddenly entrenched himself within all the forms of he meditated anlything eccentric, unless a tempting
an imperial court; and without affording the British opening. should present itself on the part of France
envoy any absolute cause of complaint, or even any or Italy.
title to require explanation, he contrived, in a great Napoleon held the same species of language to
measure, to debar him from opportunities of conver- others as well as the British resident. He was af:
sation. Ilis only opportunity of obtaining access to fable, and even cordlial (in appearance), to the nulNapoleon was on his return from short absences to merous strangers whom curiosity led to visit ill
Leghorn and Florence, when his attendance on the spoke of his retirement as Dioclesian might lhave
levee was matter of etiquette. done in the gardens of Saloilica; seemed to consider
On such occasions, the tenor of Napoleon's pro- his political career as ended, and to be now chiefly
phecies was minatory of the peace of Europe. He anxious to explain such passages of his life as n:et
spoke perpetually of the hunmiliation inflicted upon the harsh construction of the world. In giving fiee
France, by taking fiom her Belgium and his favourite and easy answers to those who conversed with hini
object, Antwerp. On the 30th of October, while and especially to Englishmen of rank, Bonaparte
enlarging on these topics, lie described the irritable found a ready means of communicating to the public
feealngs of the nation, saying, every man in France such explanations concerning his past life, as were
considered the. Rhi,,e to be their natural boundary, best calculated to serve his wishes. Iii these lie
and nothing could alter this opinion. There was no palliated, instead of denying, the scheme of poiwant, he said, of a population in France, martial soning his prisoners in Syria, the massacre at Jatli,
beyond any other-nation, by natural disposition, by the murder of the Duke d'Enghien, and other enorthle consequences of the Revolution, and by the idea mities. An emperor, a conqueror, retired firom war,
of glory. Louis XIV., according to his account, and sequestered from power, must be favourably
notwithstanding all the misfortunes he had brought listened to by those who have the romantic pleasure
upon the nation, was still beloved, on account of the of hearing him plead his own cause. Milder editions
eclat of his victories, and the magnificence of his of his measures began to be circulated in Europe,
court. The battle of Rosbach had brought about and, in the curiosity to see and admire the captive
the Revolutionr. Louis XVIII. totally mistook the sovereign, men forgot the ravages which he had
character of the French in supposing,'that either by committed while at liberty.