the origins of contemporary france-5-第15章

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＇78＇　〃Correspondance　de　Napoleon　I。；〃　vol。　　XXX。；　550；　558。　　　（Memoirs

dictated　by　Napoleon　at　Saint　Hélène。）　…　Miot　de　Melito；　II。；　290。　　…

D'Hausonvillc；　〃l'église　Romaine　et　le　Premier　Empire；〃　passiM。　…〃

Mémorial。〃　〃Paris　would　become　the　capital　of　the　Christian　world；　and

I　would　have　governed　the　religious　world　as　well　as　the　political

world。〃



＇79＇　De　Pradt；　23。



＇80＇　〃Mémoires　et　Mémorial。〃　〃It　was　essential　that　Paris　should

become　the　unique　capital；　not　to　be　compared　with　other　capitals。

The　masterpieces　of　science　and　of　art；　the　museums；　all　that　had

illustrated　past　centuries；　were　to　be　collected　there。　　Napoleon

regretted　that　he　could　not　transport　St。　　Peter's　to　Paris；　the

meanness　of　Notre　Dame　dissatisfied　him。〃



＇81＇　Villemain；　〃Souvenir　contemporaines；〃　I。；　175。　　　Napoleon's

statement　to　M。　de　Narbonne　early　in　March；　1812；　and　repeated　by　him

to　Villemain　an　hour　afterwards。　　　The　wording　is　at　second　hand　and

merely　a　very　good　imitation；　while　the　ideas　are　substantially

Napoleon's。　　Cf。　　his　fantasies　about　Italy　and　the　Mediterranean；

equally　exaggerated　（〃Correspondence；〃　XXX。；　548）；　and　an　admirable

improvisation　on　Spain　and　the　colonies　at　Bayonne。　　…　De　Pradt。

〃Mémoires　sur　les　revolutions　d'Espagne；〃　p。130：　〃Therefore　Napoleon

talked；　or　rather　poetised；　he　Ossianized　for　a　long　time　。　　。　　。

like　a　man　full　of　a　sentiment　which　oppressed　him；　in　an　animated；

picturesque　style；　and　with　the　impetuosity；　imagery；　and　originality

which　were　familiar　to　him；　。　　。　　。　　on　the　vast　throne　of　Mexico　and

Peru；　on　the　greatness　of　the　sovereigns　who　should　possess　them　。　　。

。　　。　　and　on　the　results　which　these　great　foundations　would　have　on

the　universe。　　I　had　often　heard　him；　but　under　no　circumstances　had　I

ever　heard　him　develop　such　a　wealth　and　compass　of　imagination。

Whether　it　was　the　richness　of　his　subject；　or　whether　his　faculties

had　become　excited　by　the　scene　he　conjured　up；　and　all　the　chords　of

the　instrument　vibrated　at　once；　he　was　sublime。〃



＇82＇　Roederer；　III。；　541　（February　2；　1809）：　〃I　love　power。　　But　I

love　it　as　an　artist。　　。　　。　　。　　　I　love　it　as　a　musician　loves　his

violin；　for　the　tones；　chords；　and　harmonies　he　can　get　out　of　it。〃









CHAPTER　II。　His　Ideas；　Passions　and　Intelligence。



I。　Intense　Passions。



Personality　and　character　during　the　Italian　Renaissance　and　during

the　present　time。　…　Intensity　of　the　passions　in　Bonaparte。　…　His

excessive　touchiness。　…　His　immediate　violence。　…　His　impatience；

rapidity；　and　need　of　talking。　…　His　temperament；　tension；　and　faults。



On　taking　a　near　view　of　the　contemporaries　of　Dante　and　Michael

Angelo；　we　find　that　they　differ　from　us　more　in　character　than　in

intellect。＇1＇　With　us；　three　hundred　years　of　police　and　of　courts　of

justice；　of　social　discipline　and　peaceful　habits；　of　hereditary

civilization；　have　diminished　the　force　and　violence　of　the　passions

natural　to　Man。　　In　Italy；　in　the　Renaissance　epoch；　they　were　still

intact；　human　emotions　at　that　time　were　keener　and　more　profound　than

at　the　present　day；　the　appetites　were　ardent　and　more　unbridled；

man's　will　was　more　impetuous　and　more　tenacious；　whatever　motive

inspired；　whether　pride；　ambition；　jealousy；　hatred；　love；　envy；　or

sensuality；　the　inward　spring　strained　with　an　energy　and　relaxed　with

a　violence　that　has　now　disappeared。　　All　these　energies　reappear　in

this　great　survivor　of　the　fifteenth　century；　in　him　the　play　of　the

nervous　machine　is　the　same　as　with　his　Italian　ancestors；　never　was

there；　even　with　the　Malatestas　and　the　Borgias；　a　more　sensitive　and

more　impulsive　intellect；　one　capable　of　such　electric　shocks　and

explosions；　in　which　the　roar　and　flashes　of　tempest　lasted　longer　and

of　which　the　effects　were　more　irresistible。　　In　his　mind　no　idea

remains　speculative　and　pure；　none　is　a　simple　transcript　of　the　real；

or　a　simple　picture　of　the　possible；　each　is　an　internal　eruption；

which　suddenly　and　spontaneously　spends　itself　in　action；　each　darts

forth　to　its　goal　and　would　reach　it　without　stopping　were　it　not　kept

back　and　restrained　by　force＇2＇　Sometimes；　the　eruption　is　so　sudden；

that　the　restraint　does　not　come　soon　enough。　　One　day；　in　Egypt；＇3＇

on　entertaining　a　number　of　French　ladies　at　dinner；　he　has　one　of

them；　who　was　very　pretty　and　whose　husband　he　had　just　sent　off　to

France；　placed　alongside　of　him；　suddenly；　as　if　accidentally；　he

overturns　a　pitcher　of　water　on　her；　and；　under　the　pretence　of

enabling　her　to　rearrange　her　wet　dress；　he　leads　her　into　another

room　where　he　remains　with　her　a　long　time；　too　long；　while　the　other

guests　seated　at　the　table　wait　quietly　and　exchange　glances。　　Another

day；　at　Paris；　toward　the　epoch　of　the　Concordat；＇4＇　he　says　to

Senator　Volney：　〃France　wants　a　religion。〃　Volney　replies　in　a　frank；

sententious　way；　〃France　wants　the　Bourbons。〃　Whereupon　he　gives

Volney　a　kick　in　the　stomach　and　he　falls　unconscious；　on　being　moved

to　a　friend's　house；　he　remains　there　ill　in　bed　for　several　days。　…

No　man　is　more　irritable；　so　soon　in　a　passion；　and　all　the　more

because　he　purposely　gives　way　to　his　irritation；　for；　doing　this　just

at　the　right　moment；　and　especially　before　witnesses；　it　strikes

terror；　it　enables　him　to　extort　concessions　and　maintain　obedience。

His　explosions　of　anger；　half…calculated；　half…involuntary；　serve　him

quite　as　much　as　they　relieve　him；　in　public　as　well　as　in　private；

with　strangers　as　with　intimates；　before　constituted　bodies；　with　the

Pope；　with　cardinals；　with　ambassadors；　with　Talleyrand；　with　Beugnot；

with　anybody　that　comes　along；＇5＇　whenever　he　wishes　to　set　an　example

or　〃keep　the　people　around　him　on　the　alert。〃　The　public　and　the　army

regard　him　as　impassible；　but；　apart　from　the　battles　in　which　he

wears　a　mask　of　bronze；　apart　from　the　official　ceremonies　in　which　he

assumes　a　necessarily　dignified　air；　impression　and　expression　with

him　are　almost　always　confounded；　the　inward　overflowing　in　the

outward；　the　action；　like　a　blow；　getting　the　better　of　him。　At　Saint

Cloud；　caught　by　Josephine　in　the　arms　of　another　woman；　he　runs　after

the　unlucky　interrupter　in　such　a　way　that　〃she　barely　has　time　to

escape〃；＇6＇　and　again；　that　evening；　keeping　up　his　fury　so　as　to　put

her　down　completely；　〃he　treats　her　in　the　most　outrageous　manner；

smashing　every　piece　of　furniture　that　comes　in　his　way。〃　A　little

before　the　Empire；　Talleyrand；　a　great　mystifier；　tells　Berthier　that

the　First　Consul　wanted　to　assume　the　title　of　king。　　Berthier；　in

eager　haste；　crosses　the　drawing…room　full　of　company；　accosts　the

master　of　the　house　and；　with　a　beaming　smile；　〃congratulates　him。〃＇7＇

At　the　word　king；　Bonaparte's　eyes　flash。　　Grasping　Berthier　by　the

throat；　he　pushes　him　back　against　the　wall；　exclaiming；　〃You　fool！

who　told　you　to　come　here　and　stir　up　my　bile　in　this　way？　Another

time　don't　come　on　such　errands。〃　…　Such　is　the　first　impulse；　the

instinctive　action；　to　pounce　on　people　and　seize　them　by　the　throat；

we　divine　under　each　sentence；　and　on　every　page　he　writes；　out…bursts

and　assaults　of　this　description；　the　physiognomy　and　intonation　of　a

man　who　rushes　forward　and　knocks　people　down。　　Accordingly；　when

dictating　in　his　cabinet；　〃he　strides　up　and　down　the　room；〃　and；　〃　if

excited；〃　which　is　often　the　case；　〃　his　language　consists　of　violent

imprecations；　and　even　of　oaths；　which　are　suppressed　in　what　is

written。〃＇8＇　But　these　are　not　always　suppressed；　for　those　who　have

seen　the　original　minutes　of　his　correspondence　on　ecclesiastical

affairs　find　dozens　of　them；　the　b。。。；　the　p。。。　　and　the　swearwords　of

the　coarsest　kind。＇9＇



Never　was　there　such　impatient　touchiness。　　〃When　dressing

himself；＇10＇　he　throws　on　the　floor　or　into　the　fire　any　part　of　his

attire　which　does　not　suit　him。　。　。　。　On　gala…days　and　on　grand

ceremonial　occasions　his　valets　are　oblig