the origins of contemporary france-5-第52章
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us than all Italy put together。 。 。 。 The Turkish empire is daily
tottering; the possession of these islands will enable us to support
it as long as possible; or to take our portion of it。 The time is not
remote when we shall feel that; for the real destruction of England;
we must get possession of Egypt。〃 Formerly; the Mediterranean was a
Roman lake; it must become a French lake。 (Cf。 〃Souvenirs d'un
Sexagénaire;〃 by Arnault; vol。 IV。; p。102; on his dream; in 1798; of
making Paris a colossal Rome。) … At this same date; his conception of
the State is fixed and wholly Roman。 (Conversations with Miot; June
1797; and letter to Talleyrand; Sep。 19; 1797。) 〃I do not see but one
thing in fifty years well defined; and that is the sovereignty of the
people。 。 。 。 The organization of the French nation is still only
sketched out。 。 。 。The power of the government; with the full latitude
I give to it; should be considered as really representing the nation。〃
In this government; 〃the legislative power; without rank in the
republic; deaf and blind to all around it; would not be ambitious and
would no longer inundate us with a thousand chance laws; worthless on
account of their absurdity。〃 It is evident that he describes in
anticipation his future senate and legislative corps。 … Repeatedly;
the following year; and during the expedition into Egypt; he presents
the Romans as an example to his soldiers; and views himself as a
successor to Scipio and C?sar。 … (Proclamation of June 22; 1798。): 〃Be
as tolerant to the ceremonies enjoined by the Koran as you are for the
religion of Moses and Jesus。 The Roman legions protected all
religions。〃 … (Proclamation of May 10; 1798。) 〃 The Roman legions that
you have often imitated but not yet equaled fought Carthage in turn on
this wall and in the vicinity of Zama。〃 … Carthage at this time is
England: his hatred of this community of merchants which destroys his
fleet at Aboukir; which forces him to raise the siege of Saint…Jean
d'Acre; which holds on to Malta; which robs him of his substance; his
patrimony; his Mediterranean; is that of a Roman consul against
Carthage; it leads him to conquer all western Europe against her and
to 〃resuscitate the empire of the Occident。〃 (Note to Otto; his
ambassador at London; Oct。。 23; 1802。) … Emperor of the French; king
of Italy; master of Rome; suzerain of the Pope; protector of the
confederation of the Rhine; he succeeds the German emperors; the
titularies of the Holy Roman Empire which has just ended in 1806; he
is accordingly the heir of Charlemagne and; through Charlemagne; the
heir of the ancient C?sars。 … In fact; he reproduces the work of the
ancient C?sars by analogies of imagination; situation and character;
but in a different Europe; and where this posthumous reproduction can
be only an anachronism。
'40' 〃Correspondance;〃 note for M。 Cretet; minister of the interior;
April 12; 1808。
'41' Metternich; 〃Mémoires;〃 I。; 107 (Conversations with Napoleon;;
1810): 〃I was surprised to find that this man; so wonderfully endowed;
had such completely false ideas concerning England; its vital forces
and intellectual progress。 He would not admit any ideas contrary to
his own; and sought to explain these by prejudices which he
condemned。〃 … Cf。 Forsyth; 〃History of the Captivity of Napoleon at
Saint…Helena;〃 III。; 306; (False calculations of Napoleon at Saint…
Helena based on his ignorance of the English parliamentary system;)
and Stanislas Girardin; III。; 296; (Words of the First Consul; Floreal
24; year XI; quoted above。)
'42' Cf。; amongst other documents; his letter to Jerome; King of
Westphalia; October 15; 1807; and the constitution he gives to that
kingdom on that date; and especially titles 4 to 12: 〃The welfare of
your people concerns me; not only through the influence it may
exercise on your fame and my own; but likewise from the point of view
of the general European system。 。 。 。 Individuals who have talent and
are not noble must enjoy equal consideration and employment from you。
。 。 。 Let every species of serfage and of intermediary lien between
the sovereign and the lowest class of people be abolished。 The
benefits of the code Napoleon; the publicity of proceedings; the
establishment of juries; will form so many distinctive characteristics
of your monarchy。〃 … His leading object is the suppression of
feudalism; that is to say; of the great families and old historic
authorities。 He relies for this especially on his civil code: 〃That is
the great advantage of the code; 。 。 。 it is what has induced me to
preach a civil code and made me decide on establishing it。〃 (Letter to
Joseph; King of Naples; June 5; 1806。) … 〃The code Napoleon is adopted
throughout Italy。 Florence has it; and Rome will soon have it。〃
(Letter to Joachim; King of the Two Sicilies; Nov。 27; 1808。) … 〃 My
intention is to have the Hanseatic towns adopt the code Napoleon and
be governed by it from and after the 1st of January。〃 … The same with
Dantzic: 〃Insinuate gently and not by writing to the King of Bavaria;
the Prince…primate; the grand…dukes of Hesse…Darmstadt and of Baden;
that the civil code should be established in their states by
suppressing all customary law and confining themselves wholly to the
code Napoleon。〃 (Letter to M。 de Champagny; Oct。 31; 1807。) … 〃 The
Romans gave their laws to their allies。 Why should not France have its
laws adopted in Holland? 。 。 。 It is equally essential that you should
adopt the French monetary system。〃 (Letter to Louis; King of Holland;
Nov。 13; 1807。) … To the Spaniards: 〃Your nephews will honor me as
their regenerator。〃 (Allocution addressed to Madrid Dec。 9; 1808。) …
〃Spain must be French。 The country must be French and the government
must be French。〃 (Roederer; III。; 529; 536; words of Napoleon; Feb。
11; 1809。) … In short; following the example of Rome; which had
Latinized the entire Mediterranean coast; he wanted to render all
western Europe French。 The object was; as he declared; 〃to establish
and consecrate at last the empire of reason and the full exercise; the
complete enjoyment of every human faculty。〃 (Mémorial。)
BOOK THIRD。 Object and Merits of the System。
CHAPTER I。 Recovery of Social Order。
I。 Rule as the mass want to be ruled。
How Napoleon comprehends the sovereignty of the people。 … His maxim on
the will of the majority and on the office of government。 … Two groups
of prominent and obvious desires in 1799。
HOWEVER clear and energetic his artistic convictions may be; his mind
is absorbed by the preoccupations of the ruler: It is not enough for
him that his edifice should be monumental; symmetrical; and beautiful。
As he lives in it and derives the greatest benefit from it; he wants
first of all that it should be fit to live in; habitable for Frenchmen
of the year 1800。 Consequently; he takes into account the habits and
dispositions of his tenants; the pressing and permanent wants。 But
these needs must not be theoretic and vague; but verified and defined;
for he is as accurate as he is shrewd; and deals only with positive
facts。
〃My political system;〃 says he to the Council of State;'1' 〃is to rule
men as the mass want to be ruled。 。 。 By constituting myself a
Catholic I put an end to the war in La Vendée; by turning into a
Moslem I established myself in Egypt: by turning ultramontane'2' I
gained over the priests in Italy。 Were I to govern a population of
Jews; I would restore the temple of Solomon。 I shall speak just in
this fashion about liberty in the free part of St。 Domingo; I shall
confirm slavery in the Ile…de…France and even in the slave section of
St。 Domingo; with the reservation of diminishing and limiting slavery
where I maintain it; and of restoring order and keeping up discipline
where I maintain freedom。 I think that is the way to recognize the
sovereignty of the people。〃
〃 Now; in France; at this epoch; there are two gr