the origins of contemporary france-5-第14章
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took to it; or have forgotten how。〃 … (On Chateaubriand; one of whose
relations had just been shot) : 〃He will write a few pathetic pages
and read them aloud in the faubourg Saint…Germain; pretty women will
shed tears; and that will console him。〃 … (On Abbé Delille) : 〃He is
wit in its dotage。〃 … (On Pasquier and Molé): 〃I make the most of one;
and made the other。〃 … Madame de Rémusat; II。; 389; 391; 394; 399;
402; III。; 67。
'65' Bourrienne; II。; 281; 342: 〃It pained me to write official
statements under his dictation; of which each was an imposture。〃 He
always answered: 〃My dear sir; you are a simpleton … you understand
nothing!〃 … Madame de Rémusat; II。; 205; 209。
'66' See especially the campaign bulletins for 1807; so insulting to
the king and queen of Prussia; but; owing to that fact; so well
calculated to excite the contemptuous laughter and jeers of the
soldiers。
'67' In 〃La Correspondance de Napoleon;〃 published in thirty…two
volumes; the letters are arranged under dates。 … In his
'〃Correspondance avec Eugène; vice…roi d'Italie;〃 they are arranged
under chapters; also with Joseph; King of Naples and afterwards King
of Spain。 It is easy to select other chapters not less instructive:
one on foreign affairs (letters to M。 de Champagny; M de Talleyrand;
and M。 de Bassano); another on the finances (letters to M。 Gaudin and
to M。 Mollien); another on the navy (letters to Admiral Decrès);
another on military administration (letters to General Clarke);
another on the affairs of the Church (letters to M。 Portalis and to M。
Bigot de Préameneu); another on the Police (letters to Fouché); etc。
… Finally; by dividing and distributing his letters according as they
relate to this or that grand enterprise; especially to this or that
military campaign; a third classification could be made。 … In this
way we can form a concept of the vastness of his positive knowledge;
also of the scope of his intellect and talents。 Cf。 especially the
following letters to Prince Eugène; June II; 1806 (on the supplies and
expenses of the Italian army); June 1st and 18th; 1806 (on the
occupation of Dalmatia; and on the military situation; offensive and
defensive)。 To Gen。 Dejean; April 28; 1806 (on the war supplies);
June 27; 1806 (on the fortifications of Peschiera) July 20; 1806 (on
the fortifications of Wesel and of Juliers)。 … 〃Mes souvenirs sur
Napoleon〃; p。 353 by the Count Chaptal: 〃One day; the Emperor said to
me that he would like to organize a military school at Fontainebleau;
he then explained to me the principal features of the establishment;
and ordered me to draw up the necessary articles and bring them to him
the next day。 I worked all night and they were ready at the appointed
hour。 He read them over and pronounced them correct; but not
complete。 He bade me take a seat and then dictated to me for two or
three hours a plan which consisted of five hundred and seventeen
articles。 Nothing more perfect; in my opinion; ever issued from a
man's brain。 … At another time; the Empress Josephine was to take the
waters at Aix…la…Chapelle; and the Emperor summoned me。 'The
Empress;' said he; 'is to leave to…morrow morning。 She is a good…
natured; easy…going woman and must have her route and behavior marked
out for her。 Write it down。' He then dictated instructions to me on
twenty…one large sheets of paper; in which everything she was to say
and to do was designated; even the questions and replies she was to
make to the authorities on the way。〃
'68' One French league equals approximately 4 km。 70;000 square
leagues then equal 1;120;000 km。2; or 400;000 square miles or 11% of
the United States but 5 times the size of Great Britain。 (SR。)
'69' Cf。 in the 〃Correspondance〃 the letters dated at Schoenbrunn
near Vienna; during August and September; 1809; and especially:
the great number of letters and orders relating to the English
expeditions to Walcheren;
the letters to chief…judge Régnier and to the arch…chancellor
Cambacérès on expropriations for public benefit (Aug。 21; Sept。 7
and 29);
the letters and orders to M。 de Champagny to treat with Austria (Aug。
19; and Sept。 10; 15; 18; 22; and 23);
the letters to Admirable Decrès; to despatch naval expeditions to the
colonies (Aug。17 and Sept。 26);
the letter to Mollien on the budget of expenditure (Aug。 8);
the letter to Clarke on the statement of guns in store throughout the
empire (Sept。 14)。
Other letters; ordering the preparation of two treatises on military
art (Oct。 1); two works on the history and encroachments of the Holy
See (Oct。 3); prohibiting conferences at Saint…Sulpice (Sept。 15);
and forbidding priests to preach outside the churches (Sept。 24)。…
From Schoenbrunn; he watches the details of public works in France and
Italy; for instance; the letters to M。 le Montalivet (Sept。30); to
send an auditor post to Parma; to have a dyke repaired at once; and
(Oct。 8) to hasten the building of several bridges and quays at
Lyons。
'70' He says himself; 〃I always transpose my theme in many ways。〃
'71' Madame de Rémusat; I。; 117; 120。 〃1 heard M。 de Talleyrand
exclaim one day; some what out of humor; 'This devil of a man misleads
you in all directions。 Even his passions escape you; for he finds
some way to counterfeit them; although they really exist。'〃 … For
example; immediately prior to the violent confrontation with Lord
Whitworth; which was to put an end to the treaty of Amiens; he was
chatting and amusing himself with the women and the infant Napoleon;
his nephew; in the gayest and most unconcerned manner: 〃He is suddenly
told that the company had assembled。 His countenance changes like
that of an actor when the scene shifts。 He seems to turn pale at will
and his features contract〃; he rises; steps up precipitately to the
English ambassador; and fulminates for two hours before two hundred
persons。 (Hansard's Parliamentary History; vol。 XXVI; dispatches of
Lord Whitworth; pp。 1798; 1302; 1310。) … 〃He often observes that the
politician should calculate every advantage that could be gained by
his defects。〃 One day; after an explosion he says to Abbé de Pradt:
〃You thought me angry! you are mistaken。 Anger with me never mounts
higher than here (pointing to his neck)。〃
'72' Roederer; III。 (The first days of Brumaire; year VIII。)
'73' Bourrienne; III。; 114。
'74' Bourrienne; II。; 228。 (Conversation with Bourrienne in the park
at Passeriano。)
'75' Ibid。; II。; 331。 (Written down by Bourrienne the same evening。)
'76' Madame de Rémusat; I。; 274。 … De Ségur; II。; 459。 (Napoleon's
own words on the eve of the battle of Austerlitz): 〃Yes; if I had
taken Acre; I would have assumed the turban; I would have put the army
in loose breeches; I would no longer have exposed it; except at the
last extremity; I would have made it my sacred battalion; my
immortals。 It is with Arabs; Greeks; and Armenians that I would have
ended the war against the Turks。 Instead of one battle in Moravia I
would have gained a battle of Issus; I would have made myself emperor
of the East; and returned to Paris by the way of Constantinople。〃 … De
Pradt; p。19 (Napoleon's own words at Mayence; September; 1804): 〃Since
two hundred years there is nothing more to do in Europe; it is only in
the East that things can be carried out on a grand scale。〃
'77' Madame de Rémusat; I。; 407。 … Miot de Melito; II。; 214 (a few
weeks after his coronation): 〃There will be no repose in Europe until
it is under one head; under an Emperor; whose officers would be kings;
who would distribute kingdoms to his lieutenants; who would make one
of them King of Italy; another King of Bavaria; here a landmann of
Switzerland; and here a stadtholder of Holland; etc。〃
'78' 〃Correspondance de Napoleon I。;〃 vol。 XXX。; 550; 558。 (Memoirs
dictated by Napoleon at Saint Hélène。) … Miot de Melito; II。; 290