WhatBonapartesaidthatdaygood—naturedlytohiswifeIhaveoftenheardhimdeclareseriously.Ihavebeenpresentatfiveorsixaltercationsonthesubject.Thatthereexisted，too，anenmityconnectedwiththisquestionbetweenthefamilyofBEAUHARNAISandthefamilyofBonapartecannotbedenied.
Fouche，asIhavestated，wasintheinterestofJosephine，andLucienwasthemostbitterofherenemies.OnedayRaedererinveighedwithsomuchviolenceagainstFoucheinthepresenceofMadameBonapartethatsherepliedwithextremewarmth，"TherealenemiesofBonapartearethosewhofeedhimwithnotionsofhereditarydescent，ofadynasty，ofdivorce，andofmarriage！"Josephinecouldnotcheckthisexclamation，assheknewthatRoedererencouragedthoseideas，whichhespreadabroadbyLucien’sdirection.IrecollectonedaywhenshehadbeentoseeusatourlittlehouseatRuel：asIwalkedwithheralongthehighroadtohercarriage，whichshehadsentforward，IacknowledgedtoounreservedlymyfearsonaccountoftheambitionofBonaparte，andoftheperfidiousadviceofhisbrothers."Madame，"saidI，"ifwecannotsucceedindissuadingtheGeneralfrommakinghimselfaKing，Idreadthefutureforhissake.Ifeverhere—establishesroyaltyhewillinallprobabilitylabourfortheBourbons，andenablethemonedaytore—ascendthethronewhichheshallerect.Noone，doubtless，withoutpassingforafool，canpretendtosaywithcertaintywhatseriesofchancesandeventssuchaproceedingwillproduce;butcommonsensealoneissufficienttoconvinceanyonethatunfavourablechancesmustlongbedreaded.Theancientsystembeingre—established，theoccupationofthethronewillthenbeonlyafamilyquestion，andnotaquestionofgovernmentbetweenlibertyanddespoticpower.WhyshouldnotFrance，ifitceasestobefree，prefertheraceofherancientkings？Yousurelyknowit.Youhadnotbeenmarriedtwoyearswhen，onreturningfromItaly，yourhusbandtoldmethatheaspiredtoroyalty.NowheisConsulforlife.Wouldhebutresolvetostopthere！Healreadypossesseseverythingbutanemptytitle.NosovereigninEuropehassomuchpowerashehas.Iamsorryforit，Madame，butIreallybelievethat，inspiteofyourself，youwillbemadeQueenorEmpress."
MadameBonapartehadallowedmetospeakwithoutinterruption，butwhenI
pronouncedthewordsQueenandEmpresssheexclaimed，"MyGod！
Bourrienne，suchambitionisfarfrommythoughts.ThatImayalwayscontinuethewifeoftheFirstConsulisallIdesire.Saytohimallthatyouhavesaidtome.TryandpreventhimfrommakinghimselfKing."——"Madame，"Ireplied，timesaregreatlyaltered.Thewisestmen，thestrongestminds，haveresolutelyandcourageouslyopposedhistendencytothehereditarysystem.Butadviceisnowuseless.Hewouldnotlistentome.Inalldiscussionsonthesubjectheadheresinflexiblytotheviewhehastaken.Ifhebeseriouslyopposedhisangerknowsnobounds;hislanguageisharshandabrupt，histoneimperious，andhisauthoritybearsdownallbeforehim."——"Yet，Bourrienne，hehassomuchconfidenceinyouthatofyoushouldtryoncemore！"——"Madame，Iassureyouhewillnotlistentome.Besides，whatcouldIaddtotheremarksImadeuponhisreceivingthelettersofLouisXVIII.，whenIfearlesslyrepresentedtohimthatbeingwithoutchildrenhewouldhavenoonetowhomtobequeaththethrone——that，doubtless，fromtheopinionwhichbeentertainedofhisbrothers，hecouldnotdesiretoerectitforthem？"HereJosephineagaininterruptedmebyexclaiming，"Mykindfriend，whenyouspokeofchildrendidhesayanythingtoyou？Didhetalkofadivorce？"——"Notaword，Madame，I
assureyou."——"Iftheydonoturgehimtoit，Idonotbelievehewillresolvetodosuchathing.YouknowhowhelikesEugene，andEugenebehavessowelltohim.HowdifferentisLucien.ItisthatwretchLucien，towhomBonapartelistenstoomuch，andofwhom，however，healwaysspeaksilltome."——"Idonotknow，Madame，whatLuciensaystohisbrotherexceptwhenhechoosestotellme，becauseLucienalwaysavoidshavingawitnessofhisinterviewswithyourhusband，butIcanassureyouthatfortwoyearsIhavenotheardtheword’divorce’fromtheGeneral’smouth."——"Ialwaysreckononyou，mydearBourrienne;toturnhimawayfromit;asyoudidatthattime."——"Idonotbelieveheisthinkingofit，butifitrecurstohim，consider，Madame，thatitwillbenowfromverydifferentmotives：Heisnowentirelygivenuptotheinterestsofhispolicyandhisambition，whichdominateeveryotherfeelinginhim.Therewillnotnowbeanyquestionofscandal，orofatrialbeforeacourt，butofanactofauthoritywhichcomplaisantlawswilljustifyandwhichtheChurchperhapswillsanction."——"That’strue.
Youareright.GoodGod！howunhappyIam."
——[WhenBourriennecomplainsofnotknowingwhatpassedbetweenLucienandNapoleon，wecanturntoLucien’saccountofBourrienne，apparentlyaboutthisverytime."AfterastormyinterviewwithNapoleon，"saysLucien，"IatoncewentintothecabinetwhereBourriennewasworking，andfoundthatunbearablebusybodyofasecretary，whosestarhadalreadypaledmorethanonce，whichmadehimmorepryingthanever，quiteupsetbythetimetheFirstConsulhadtakentocomeoutofhisbath.Hemust，oratleastmight，haveheardsomenoise，forenoughhadbeenmade.Seeingthathewantedtoknowthecausefromme，Itookupanewspapertoavoidbeingboredbyhisconversation"（Iung’sLucien，tomeii.p.156]——
SuchwasthenatureofoneoftheconversationsIhadwithMadameBonaparteonasubjecttowhichsheoftenrecurred.ItmaynotperhapsbeuninterestingtoendeavourtocomparewiththiswhatNapoleonsaidatSt.Helena，speakingofhisfirstwife.AccordingtotheMemorialNapoleontherestatedthatwhenJosephinewasatlastconstrainedtorenounceallhopeofhavingachild，sheoftenletfallallusionstoagreatpoliticalfraud，andatlengthopenlyproposedittohim.ImakenodoubtBonapartemadeuseofwordstothiseffect，butIdonotbelievetheassertion.IrecollectonedaythatBonaparte，onenteringourcabinet，whereIwasalreadyseated，exclaimedinatransportofjoyimpossibleformetodescribe，"Well，Bourrienne，mywifeisatlastenceinte！Isincerelycongratulatedhim，more，Iown，outofcourtesythanfromanyhopeofseeinghimmadeafatherbyJosephine，forIwellrememberedthatCorvisart，whohadgivenmedicinestoMadameBonaparte，hadneverthelessassuredmethatheexpectednoresultfromthem.
MedicinewasreallytheonlypoliticalfraudtowhichJosephinehadrecourse;andinhersituationwhatotherwomanwouldnothavedoneasmuch？Here，then，thehusbandandthewifeareincontradiction，whichisnothinguncommon.Butonwhichsideistruth？IhavenohesitationinreferringittoJosephine.Thereisindeedanimmensedifferencebetweenthestatementsofawomen——trustingherfearsandherhopestothesoleconfidantofherfamilysecrets，andthetardydeclarationofamanwho，afterseeingthevastedificeofhisambitionleveledwiththedust，isonlyanxious，inhiscompulsoryretreat，topreserveintactandspotlesstheothergreatedificeofhisglory.BonaparteshouldhaverecollectedthatCaesardidnotliketheideaofhiswifebeingevensuspected.
CHAPTERXII.
1802.
CitizenFeschcreatedCardinalFesch——Artsandindustry——ExhibitionintheLouvre——AspectofParisin1802——TheMediceanVenusandtheVelletrianPallas——Signsofgeneralprosperity——Riseofthefunds——
IrresponsibleMinisters——TheBourbons——ThemilitaryGovernment——
AnnoyingfamiliarityofLannes——Planlaidforhisdisgrace——
IndignationofLannes——HisembassytoPortugal——Thedelayeddespatch——Bonaparte’srage——Iresignmysituation——Duroc——
IbreakfastwithBonaparte——Duroc’sintercession——Temporaryreconciliation.
CitizenFesch，who，whenwewereforcedtostopatAjaccioonourreturnfromEgypt，discountedatratherahighratetheGeneral—in—Chief’sEgyptiansequins，becameagaintheAbbeFesch，assoonasBonapartebyhisConsularauthorityre—erectedthealtarswhichtheRevolutionhadoverthrown.Onthe15thofAugust1802hewasconsecratedBishop，andthefollowingyearreceivedtheCardinal’shat.ThusBonapartetookadvantageofoneofthemembersofhisfamilybeinginorderstoelevatehimtothehighestdignitiesoftheChurch.HeafterwardsgaveCardinalFeschtheArchbishopricofLyons，ofwhichplacehewaslongthetitular.
——[LikeCambacerestheCardinalwasabitofagourmet，andononeoccasionhadinvitedalargepartyofclericalmagnatestodinner.
"ByacoincidencetwoturbotsofsingularbeautyarrivedaspresentstohisEminenceontheverymorningofthefeast.Toservebothwouldhaveappearedridiculous，buttheCardinalwasmostanxioustohavethecreditofboth.Heimpartedhisembarrassmenttohischef：
’Beofgoodfaith，yourEminence，’wasthereply，’bothshallappearandenjoythereceptionsojustlytheirdue.’Thedinnerwasserved：oneoftheturbotsrelievedthesoup.Delightwasoneveryface——itwasthemomentofthe’eprouvettepositive’.The’maitrea’hotel’advances;twoattendantsraisetheturbotandcarryhimofftocuthimup;butoneofthemloseshisequilibrium：theattendantsandtheturbotrolltogetheronthefloor.AtthissadsighttheassembledCardinalsbecameaspaleasdeath，andasolemnsilencereignedinthe’conclave’——itwasthemomentofthe’eprouvettenegative’;butthe’maitrea’hotel’suddenlyturnstooneoftheattendants，Bringanotherturbot，’saidhe，withthemostperfectcoolness.Thesecondappeared，andtheeprouvettepositivewasgloriouslyrenewed."（Hayward’sArtofDining，P.65.）]——
TheFirstConsulpridedhimselfagooddealonhistriumph，atleastinappearance，overthescrupleswhichthepersonswhosurroundedhimhadmanifestedagainstthere—establishmentofworship.Hereadwithmuchself—satisfactionthereportsmadetohim，inwhichitwasstatedthatthechurcheswerewellfrequented：Indeed，throughouttheyear1802，allhisattentionwaddirectedtothereformationofmanners，whichhadbecomemoredissoluteundertheDirectorythanevenduringtheReignofTerror.
InhismarchofusurpationtheFirstConsulletslipnoopportunityofendeavouringtoobtainatthesametimetheadmirationofthemultitudeandtheapprobationofjudiciousmen.Hewasveryfondofthearts，andwassensiblethatthepromotionofindustryoughttobethepeculiarcareoftheheadoftheGovernment.Itmust，however，atthesametimebeownedthatherenderedtheinfluenceofhisprotectionnullandvoidbythecontinualviolationshecommittedonthatlibertywhichistheanimatingprincipleofallimprovement.
DuringthesupplementarydaysoftheyearX.，thatistosay，aboutthebeginningoftheautumnof1802，therewasheldattheLouvreanexhibitionoftheproductsofindustry.TheFirstConsulvisitedtheexhibition，andasevenatthatperiodhehadbeguntoattributeeverygoodresulttohimself，heseemedproudofthehighdegreeofperfectionthemanufacturingartshadattainedinFrance.Hewas，aboveall，delightedwiththeadmirationthisexhibitionexcitedamongthenumerousforeignerswhoresortedtoParisduringthepeace.
Infact，throughouttheyear1802thecapitalpresentedaninterestingandanimating—spectacle.Theappetiteforluxuryandpleasurehadinsinuateditselfintomanners——whichwerenolongerrepublican，andthevastnumberofRussiansandEnglishwhodroveabouteverywherewithbrilliantequipagescontributednotalittletothismetamorphosis.
AllParisflockedtotheCarrouselonreviewdays，andregardedwitheyesofdelighttheunusualsightofrichforeignliveriesandemblazonedcarriages.ThepartiesattheTuilerieswerebrilliantandnumerous，andnothingwaswantingbutthenameoflevees.CountMarkoff，whosucceededM.deKalitscheffasRussianambassador;theMarquisdeLucchesini，thePrussianambassador;andLordWhitworth，theMinisterfromEngland，madenumerouspresentationsoftheircountrymentotheFirstConsul，whowaswellpleasedthattheCourthewasformingshouldhaveexamplessetbyforeigncourtiers.NeversincethemeetingoftheStates—Generalhadthetheatresbeensofrequented，orfetessomagnificent;andneversincethatperiodhadParispresentedsocheeringanaspect.TheFirstConsul，onhispart，sparednoexertiontorenderthecapitalmoreandmoreworthytheadmirationofforeigners.ThestatueoftheVenusdeMedicis，whichhadbeenrobbedfromthegalleryoftheGrandDukeofTuscany，nowdecoratedthegalleryoftheLouvre，andnearitwasplacedthatoftheVelletrianPallas，amorelegitimateacquisition，sinceitwastheresultoftheresearchesofsomeFrenchengineersatVelletri.Everywhereanairofprosperitywasperceptible，andBonaparteproudlyputinhisclaimtoberegardedastheauthorofitall.Withwhatheartfeltsatisfactiondidhelikewisecasthiseyeuponwhathecalledthegrandthermometerofopinion，thepriceofthefunds！Forifhesawthemdoubledinvalueinconsequenceoftherevolutionofthe18thBrumaire，risingastheydidatthatperiodfromseventosixteenfrancs，thisvaluewasevenmorethantripledafterthevoteofConsulshipforlifeandthe’Senates—consulte’
ofthe4thofAugust，——whentheyrosetofifty—twofrancs.
WhileParispresentedsosatisfactoryanaspectthedepartmentswereinastateofperfecttranquillity;andforeignaffairshadeveryappearanceofsecurity.TheCourtoftheVatican，whichsincetheConcordatmaybesaidtohavebecomedevotedtotheFirstConsul，gave，underallcircumstances，examplesofsubmissiontothewishesofFrance.TheVaticanwasthefirstCourtwhichrecognisedtheerectionofTuscanyintotheKingdomofEtruria，andtheformationoftheHelvetic，Cisalpine，andBatavianRepublics.PrussiasoonfollowedtheexampleofthePope，whichwassuccessivelyimitatedbytheotherpowersofEurope.
Thewholeofthesenewstates，realms，orrepublicswereundertheimmediateinfluenceofFrance.TheIsleofElba，whichNapoleon’sfirstabdicationafterwardsrenderedsofamous，andPiedmont，dividedintosixdepartments，werealsounitedtoFrance，stillcalleditRepublic.
Everythingnowseemedtoconcurinsecuringhisaccessiontoabsolutepower.Wewerenowatpeacewithalltheworld，andeverycircumstancetendedtoplaceinthehandsoftheFirstConsulthatabsolutepowerwhichindeedwastheonlykindofgovernmentbewascapableofforminganyconceptionof.Indeed，oneofthecharacteristicsignsofNapoleon’sgovernment，evenundertheConsularsystem，leftnodoubtastohisrealintentions.HadhewishedtofoundafreeGovernmentitisevidentthatheworldhavemadetheMinistersresponsibletothecountry，whereashetookcarethatthereshouldbenoresponsibilitybuttohimself.Heviewedthem，infact，inthelightofinstrumentswhichhemightbreakasbepleased.IfoundthissingleindexsufficienttodiscloseallhisfuturedesignsInordertomaketheirresponsibilityofhisMinisterstothepublicperfectlyclear，hehadalltheactsofhisGovernmentsignedmerelybyM.Maret，SecretaryofState.ThustheConsulshipforlifewasnothingbutanEmpireindisguise，theusufructofwhichcouldnotlongsatisfytheFirstConsul’sambition.Hisbrothersinfluencedhim，anditwasresolvedtofoundanewdynasty.
ItwasnotintheinteriorofFrancethatdifficultieswerelikelyfirsttoariseonBonaparte’scarryinghisdesignsintoeffect，buttherewassomereasontoapprehendthatforeignpowers，afterrecognisingandtreatingwiththeConsularGovernment，mightdisplayadifferentfeeling，andentertainscrupleswithregardtoaGovernmentwhichhadresumeditsmonarchicalform.ThequestionregardingtheBourbonswasinsomemeasurekeptinthebackgroundaslongasFranceremainedaRepublic，butthere—establishmentofthethronenaturallycalledtorecollectionthefamilywhichhadoccupieditforsomanyages.Bonapartefullyfeltthedelicacyofhisposition，butheknewhowtofaceobstacles，andhadbeenaccustomedtoovercomethem：he，however，alwaysproceededcautiously，aswhenobstaclesinducedhimtodefertheperiodoftheConsulshipforlife.
BonapartelabouredtoestablishiiiFrancenotonlyanabsolutegovernment，but，whatisstillworse，amilitaryone.Heconsideredadecreesignedbyhishandpossessedofamagicvirtuecapableoftransforminghisgeneralsintoablediplomatists，andsohesentthemonembassies，asiftoshowtheSovereignstowhomtheywereaccreditedthathesoonmeanttotaketheirthronesbyassault.TheappointmentofLannestotheCourtofLisbonoriginatedfromcauseswhichprobablywillbereadwithsomeinterest，sincetheyservetoplaceBonaparte’scharacterin，itstruelight，andtopointout，atthesametime，themeanshedisdainednottoresortto，ifhewishedtobanishhismostfaithfulfriendswhentheirpresencewasnolongeragreeabletohim.
BonapartehadceasedtoaddressLannesinthesecondpersonsingular;butthatgeneralcontinuedthefamiliarityoftheeandthouinspeakingtoNapoleon.ItishardlypossibletoconceivehowmuchthisannoyedtheFirstConsul.Awareoftheunceremoniouscandourofhisoldcomrade，whosedaringspiritheknewwouldprompthimtogoasgreatlengthsincivilaffairsasonthefieldofbattle，Bonaparte，onthegreatoccasionofthe18thBrumaire，fearinghisreproaches，hadgivenhimthecommandofParisinordertoensurehisabsencefromSt.Cloud.
Afterthattime，notwithstandingthecontinuallygrowinggreatnessoftheFirstConsul，which，asitincreased，dailyexactedmoreandmoredeference，Lannesstillpreservedhisfreedomofspeech，andwastheonlyonewhodaredtotreatBonaparteasacomrade，andtellhimthetruthwithoutceremony.ThiswasenoughtodetermineNapoleontoridhimselfofthepresenceofLannes.ButunderwhatpretestwastheabsenceoftheconquerorofMontebellotobeprocured？Itwasnecessarytoconjureupanexcuse;andinthetrulydiabolicalmachinationresortedtoforthatpurpose，Bonapartebroughtintoplaythatcraftydispositionforwhichhewassoremarkable.
Lannes，whoneverlookedforwardtothemorrow，wasascarelessofhismoneyasofhisblood.Poorofficersandsoldierspartooklargelyofhisliberality.Thushehadnofortune，butplentyofdebtswhenhewantedmoney，andthiswasnotseldom，heusedtocome，asifitwereamerematterofcourse，toaskitoftheFirstConsul，who，Imustconfess，neverrefusedhim.Bonaparte，thoughhewellknewthegeneral’scircumstances，saidtohimoneday，"Myfriend，youshouldattendalittlemoretoappearances.Youmusthaveyourestablishmentsuitabletoyourrank.ThereistheHoteldeNoailles——whydon’tyoutakeit，andfurnishitinproperstyle？"Lannes，whoseowncandourpreventedhimfromsuspectingtheartfuldesignsofothers，followedtheadviceoftheFirstConsulTheHoteldeNoailleswastakenandsuperblyfittedup.
Odiotsuppliedaserviceofplatevaluedat200，000francs.
GeneralLanneshavingthusconformedtothewishesofBonapartecametohimandrequested400，000francs，theamountoftheexpenseincurred，asitwere，byhisorder."But，"saidtheFirstConsul，"Ihavenomoney."
——"Youhavenomoney！WhatthedevilamItodo，then？"
ButistherenoneintheGuard’schest？Takewhatyourequire，andwewillsettleit，hereafter."
Mistrustingnothing，LanneswenttothetreasureroftheGuards，whomadesomeobjectionsatfirsttotheadvancerequired，butwhosoonyieldedonlearningthatthedemandwasmadewiththeconsentoftheFirstConsul.
Withintwenty—fourhoursafterLanneshadobtainedthe400，000francsthetreasurerreceivedfromtheheadcommissaryanordertobalancehisaccounts.Thereceiptforthe400，000francsadvancedtoLannes，wasnotacknowledgedasavoucher.InvainthetreasurerallegedtheauthorityoftheFirstConsulforthetransaction.Napoleon’smemoryhadsuddenlyfailedhim;hehadentirelyforgottenallaboutit.Inaword，itwasincumbentonLannestorefundthe400，000francstotheGuards’chest;
and，asIhavealreadysaid，hehadnopropertyonearth，butdebtsinabundance.HerepairedtoGeneralLefebre，wholovedhimashisson，andtohimherelatedallthathadpassed."Simpleton，"saidLefebvre，"
whydidyounotcometome？Whydidyougoandgetintodebtwiththat—————？Well，herearethe400，000francs;takethemtohim，andlethimgotothedevil！"
LanneshastenedtotheFirstConsul."What！"——heexclaimed，"isitpossibleyoucanbeguiltyofsuchbasenessasthis？Totreatmeinsuchamanner！TolaysuchafoulsnareformeafterallthatIhavedoneforyou;afterallthebloodIhaveshedtopromoteyourambition！Isthistherecompenseyouhadinstoreforme？Youforgetthe13thVendemiaire，tothesuccessofwhichIcontributedmorethanyou！YouforgetMillesimo：Iwascolonelbeforeyou！ForwhomdidIfightatBassano？
YouwerewitnessofwhatIdidatLodiandatGovernolo，whereIwaswounded;andyetyouplaymesuchatrickasthis！Butforme，Pariswouldhaverevoltedonthe18thBrumaire.Butforme，youwouldhavelostthebattleofMarengo.Ialone，yes，Ialone，passedthePo，atMontebello，withmywholedivision.YougavethecreditofthattoBerthier，whowasnotthere;andthisismyreward——humiliation.Thiscannot，thisshallnotbe.Iwill————"Bonaparte，palewithanger，listenedwithoutstirring，andLanneswasonthepointofchallenginghimwhenJunot，whoheardtheuproar，hastilyentered.TheunexpectedpresenceofthisgeneralsomewhatreassuredtheFirstConsul，andatthesametimecalmed，insomedegree，thefuryofLannes."Well，"saidBonaparte，"gotoLisbon.Youwillgetmoneythere;andwhenyoureturnyouwillnotwantanyonetopayyourdebtsforyou."ThuswasBonaparte’sobjectgained.LannessetoutforLisbon，andneverafterwardsannoyedtheFirstConsulbyhisfamiliarities，foronhisreturnheceasedtoaddresshimwiththeeandthou.
HavingdescribedBonaparte’sill—treatmentofLannesImayheresubjoinastatementofthecircumstanceswhichledtoarupturebetweentheFirstConsulandme.SomanyfalsestorieshavebeencirculatedonthesubjectthatIamanxioustorelatethefactsastheyreallywere.
NinemonthshadnowpassedsinceIhadtenderedmyresignationtotheFirstConsul.Thebusinessofmyofficehadbecometoogreatforme，andmyhealthwassomuchendangeredbyover—applicationthatmyphysician，M.Corvisart，whohadforalongtimeimpresseduponmethenecessityofrelaxation，nowformallywarnedmethatIshouldnotlongholdoutunderthefatigueIunderwent.CorvisarthadnodoubtspokentothesameeffecttotheFirstConsul，forthelattersaidtomeoneday，inatonewhichbetrayedbutlittlefeeling，"Why，Corvisartsaysyouhavenotayeartolive."Thiswascertainlynoverywelcomecomplimentinthemouthofanoldcollegefriend，yetImustconfessthatthedoctorriskedlittlebytheprediction.
Ihadresolved，infact，tofollowtheadviceofCorvisart;myfamilywereurgentintheirentreatiesthatIwoulddoso，butIalwaysputoffthedecisivestep.Iwasloathtogiveupafriendshipwhichhadsubsistedsolong，andwhichhadbeenonlyoncedisturbed：onthatoccasionwhenJosephthoughtpropertoplaythespyuponmeatthetableofFouche.IrememberedalsothereceptionIhadmetwithfromtheconquerorofItaly;andIexperienced，moreover，noslightpainatthethoughtofquittingonefromwhomIhadreceivedsomanyproofsofconfidence，andtowhomIhadbeenattachedfromearlyboyhood.TheseconsiderationsconstantlytriumphedoverthedisgusttowhichIwassubjectedbyanumberofcircumstances，andbytheincreasingvexationsoccasionedbytheconflictbetweenmyprivatesentimentsandthenatureofthedutiesIhadtoperform.
Iwasthuskeptinastateofperplexity，fromwhichsomeunforeseencircumstancealonecouldextricateme.Suchacircumstanceatlengthoccurred，andthefollowingisthehistoryofmyfirstrupturewithNapoleon：
Onthe27thofFebruary1802，attenatnight，Bonapartedictatedtomeadespatchofconsiderableimportanceandurgency，forM.deTalleyrand，requestingtheMinisterforForeignAffairstocometotheTuileriesnextmorningatanappointedhour.Accordingtocustom，Iputtheletterintothehandsoftheofficemessengerthatitmightbeforwardedtoitsdestination.
ThiswasSaturday.Thefollowingday，Sunday，M.deTalleyrandcameasifforanaudienceaboutmid—day.TheFirstConsulimmediatelybegantoconferwithhimonthesubjectofthelettersentthepreviousevening，andwasastonishedtolearnthattheMinisterhadnotreceivedituntilthemorning.Heimmediatelyrangforthemessenger，andorderedmetobesentfor.Beinginavery.badhumour，hepulledthebellwithsomuchfurythathestruckhishandviolentlyagainsttheangleofthechimney—piece.Ihurriedtohispresence."Why，"hesaid，addressingmehastily，"whywasnotmyletterdeliveredyesterdayevening？"——"Idonotknow：Iputitatonceintothehandsofthepersonwhosedutyitwastoseethatitwassent."——"Goandfindthecauseofthedelay，andcomebackquickly."Havingrapidlymademyinquiries，Ireturnedtothecabinet."Well？"saidtheFirstConsul，whoseirritationseemedtohaveincreased."Well，General，itisnotthefaultofanybody，M.deTalleyrandwasnottobefound，eitherattheofficeorathisownresidence，oratthehousesofanyofhisfriendswherehewasthoughtlikelytobe."Notknowingwithwhomtobeangry，restrainedbythecoolnessofM.deTalleyrand，yetatthesametimereadytoburstwithrage，Bonaparterosefromhisseat，andproceedingtothehall，calledthemessengerandquestionedhimsharply.Theman，disconcertedbytheangeroftheFirstConsul，hesitatedinhisreplies，andgaveconfusedanswers.Bonapartereturnedtohiscabinetstillmoreirritatedthanhehadleftit.
Ihadfollowedhimtothehall，andonmywaybacktothecabinetI
attemptedtosoothehim，andIbeggedhimnottobethusdiscomposedbyacircumstancewhich，afterall，wasofnogreatmoment.Idonotknowwhetherhisangerwasincreasedbythesightofthebloodwhichflowedfromhishand，andwhichhewaseverymomentlookingat;buthoweverthatmightbe，atransportoffuriouspassion，suchasIhadneverbeforewitnessed，seizedhim;andasIwasabouttoenterthecabinetafterhimhethrewbackthedoorwithsomuchviolencethat，hadIbeentwoorthreeinchesnearerhim，itmustinfalliblyhavestruckmeintheface.
Heaccompaniedthisaction，whichwasalmostconvulsive，withanappellation，nottobeborne;heexclaimedbeforeM.deTalleyrand，"Leavemealone;youareafool."AtaninsultsoatrociousIconfessthattheangerwhichhadalreadymasteredtheFirstConsulsuddenlyseizedonme.Ithrustthedoorforwardwithasmuchimpetuosityashehadusedinthrowingitback，and，scarcelyknowingwhatIsaid，exclaimed，"YouareahundredfoldagreaterfoolthanIam！"Ithenbangedthedoorandwentupstairstomyapartment，whichwassituatedoverthecabinet.
IwasasfarfromexpectingasfromwishingsuchanoccasionofseparatingfromtheFirstConsul.Butwhatwasdonecouldnotbeundone;
andtherefore，withouttakingtimeforreflection，andstillundertheinfluenceoftheangerthathadgotthebetterofme，Ipennedthefollowingpositiveresignation：
GENERAL——Thestateofmyhealthnolongerpermitsmetocontinueinyourservice.Ithereforebegyoutoacceptmyresignation.
BOURRIENNE.
SomemomentsafterthisnotewaswrittenIsawBonaparte’ssaddle—horsesbroughtuptotheentranceofthePalace.ItwasSundaymorning，and，contrarytohisusualcustomonthatday，hewasgoingtorideout.
Durocaccompaniedhim.HewasnosoonerdonethanI，wentdownintohiscabinet，andplacedmyletteronhistable.Onreturningatfouro’clockwithDurocBonapartereadmyletter."Ah！ah！"saidhe，beforeopeningit，"aletterfromBourrienne."Andhealmostimmediatelyadded，forthenotewasspeedilyperused，"Heisinthesulks.——Accepted."IhadlefttheTuileriesatthemomenthereturned，butDurocsenttomewhereIwasdiningthefollowingbillet：
TheFirstConsuldesiresme，mydearBourrienne，toinformyouthatheacceptsyourresignation，andtorequestthatyouwillgivemethenecessaryinformationrespectingyourpapers.——Yours，DUROC.
P.S.：——Iwillcallonyoupresently.
Duroccametomeateighto’clockthesameevening.TheFirstConsulwasinhiscabinetwhenweenteredit.Iimmediatelycommencedgivingmyintendedsuccessorthenecessaryexplanationstoenablehimtoenteruponhisnewduties.PiquedatfindingthatIdidnotspeaktohim，andatthecoolnesswithwhichIinstructedDuroc，Bonapartesaidtomeinaharshtone，"Come，Ihavehadenoughofthis！Leaveme."IsteppeddownfromtheladderonwhichIhadmountedforthepurposeofpointingouttoDuroctheplacesinwhichthevariouspapersweredepositedandhastilywithdrew.Itoohadquiteenoughofit！
IremainedtwomoredaysattheTuileriesuntilIhadsuitedmyselfwithlodgings.OnMondayIwentdownintothecabinetoftheFirstConsultotakemyleaveofhim.Weconversedtogetherforalongtime，andveryamicably.HetoldmehewasverysorryIwasgoingtoleavehim，andthathewoulddoallhecouldforme.Ipointedoutseveralplacestohim;atlastImentionedtheTribunate."Thatwillnotdoforyou，"hesaid;themembersareasetofbabblersandphrasemongers，whomImeantogetridof.AllthetroublesofStatesproceedfromsuchdebatings.I
amtiredofthem."HecontinuedtotalkinastrainwhichleftmeinnodoubtastohisuneasinessabouttheTribunate，which，infact，reckonedamongitsmembersmanymenofgreattalentandexcellentcharacter.
——[In1802theFirstConsulmadeareductionoffiftymembersoftheTribunate，andsubsequentlythewholebodywassuppressed.
——Bourrienne.]——
Thefollowingday，Tuesday，theFirstConsulaskedmetobreakfastwithhim.Afterbreakfast，whilehewasconversingwithsomeotherperson，MadameBonaparteandHortensepressedmetomakeadvancestowardsobtainingare—instalmentinmyoffice，appealingtomeonthescoreofthefriendshipandkindnesstheyhadalwaysshownme.TheytoldmethatIhadbeeninthewrong，andthatIhadforgottenmyself.IansweredthatIconsideredtheevilbeyondremedy;andthat，besides，Ihadreallyneedofrepose.TheFirstConsulthencalledmetohim，andconversedaconsiderabletimewithme，renewinghisprotestationsofgoodwilltowardsme.
Atfiveo’clockIwasgoingdownstairstoquittheTuileriesforgoodwhenIwasmetbytheofficemessenger，whotoldmethattheFirstConsulwishedtoseeme.Duroc;whowasintheroomleadingtothecabinet，stoppedmeasIpassed，andsaid，"Hewishesyoutoremain.Ibegofyounottorefuse;domethisfavour.IhaveassuredhimthatIamincapableoffillingyouroffice.Itdoesnotsuitmyhabits;andbesides，totellyouthetruth，thebusinessistooirksomeforme."IproceededtothecabinetwithoutreplyingtoDuroc.TheFirstConsulcameuptomesmiling，andpullingmebytheear，ashedidwhenhewasinthebestofhumours，saidtome，"Areyoustillinthesulks？"andleadingmetomyusualseatheadded，"Come，sitdown."
OnlythosewhoknewBonapartecanjudgeofmysituationatthatmoment.
Hehadattimes，andwhenhechose，acharminhismannerswhichitwasquiteimpossibletoresist.Icouldoffernoopposition，andIresumedmyusualofficeandmyaccustomedlabours.Fiveminutesafterwardsitwasannouncedthatdinnerwasontable."Youwilldinewithme？"hesaid."Icannot;IamexpectedattheplacewhereIwasgoingwhenDuroccalledmeback.ItisanengagementthatIcannotbreak."——"Well，Ihavenothingtosay，then.Butgivemeyourwordthatyouwillbehereateighto’clock."——"Ipromiseyou."ThusIbecameagaintheprivatesecretaryoftheFirstConsul，andIbelievedinthesincerityofourreconciliation.
CHAPTERXIII.
1802—1803.
TheConcordatandtheLegionofHonour——TheCouncilofStateandtheTribunate——Discussionontheword’subjects’——Chenier——Chabotdel’Allier’spropositiontotheTribunate——Themarkedproofofnationalgratitude——Bonaparte’sduplicityandself—command——Replytothe’Senatus—consulte’——Thepeopleconsulted——Consulardecree——
Themost，ortheleast——M.deVanblanc’sspeech——Bonaparte’sreply——
TheaddressoftheTribunate——Hopesandpredictionsthwarted.
ItmaytrulybesaidthathistoryaffordsnoexampleofanempirefoundedlikethatofFrance，createdinallitspartsunderthecloakofarepublic.Withoutanyshock，andintheshortspaceoffouryears，therearoseabovetheruinsoftheshort—livedRepublicaGovernmentmoreabsolutethaneverwasLouisXIV.’s.Thisextraordinarychangeistobeassignedtomanycauses;andIhadtheopportunityofobservingtheinfluencewhichthedeterminedwillofonemanexercisedoverhisfellow—
men.
ThegreatobjectwhichBonapartehadatheartwastolegitimatehisusurpationsbyinstitutions.TheConcordathadreconciledhimwiththeCourtofRome;thenumerouserasuresfromtheemigrantlistgatheredroundhimalargebodyoftheoldnobility;andtheLegionofHonour，thoughatfirstbutbadlyreceived，soonbecameageneralobjectofambition.Peace，too，hadlentheraidinconsolidatingtheFirstConsul’spowerbyaffordinghimleisuretoengageinmeasuresofinternalprosperity.
TheCouncilofState，ofwhichBonapartehadmademeamember，butwhichmyotheroccupationsdidnotallowmetoattend，wasthesouloftheConsularGovernment.Bonapartefeltmuchinterestinthediscussionsofthatbody，becauseitwascomposedofthemosteminentmeninthedifferentbranchesofadministration;andthoughthemajorityevincedareadycompliancewithhiswishes，yetthatdispositionwasoftenfarfrombeingunanimous.IntheCouncilofStatetheprojectsoftheGovernmentwerediscussedfromthefirstwithfreedomandsincerity，andwhenonceadoptedtheyweretransmittedtotheTribunate，andtotheLegislativeBody.ThislatterbodymightbeconsideredasasupremeLegislativeTribunal，beforewhichtheTribunespleadedastheadvocatesofthepeople，andtheCouncillorsofState，whosebusinessitwastosupportthelawprojects，astheadvocatesoftheGovernment.ThiswillatonceexplainthecauseoftheFirstConsul’sanimositytowardstheTribunate，andwillshowtowhattheConstitutionwasreducedwhenthatbodywasdissolvedbyasuddenandarbitrarydecision.
DuringtheConsulatetheCouncilofStatewasnotonlyabodypoliticcollectively，buteachindividualmembermightbeinvestedwithspecialpower;as，forexample，whentheFirstConsulsentCouncillorsofStateonmissionstoeachofthemilitarydivisionswheretherewasaCourtofAppeal，theinstructionsgiventhembytheFirstConsulwereextensive，andmightbesaidtobeunlimited.Theyweredirectedtoexamineallthebranchesoftheadministration，sothattheirreportscollectedandcomparedtogetherpresentedaperfectdescriptionofthestateofFrance.
Butthismeasure，thoughexcellentinitself，provedfataltotheState.
ThereportsneverconveyedthetruthtotheFirstConsul，oratleastiftheydid，itwasinsuchadisguisedformastobescarcelyrecognisable;
fortheCouncillorswellknewthatthebestwaytopaytheircourttoBonapartewasnottodescribepublicfeelingasitreallywas，butashewishedittobe.ThusthereportsofthecouncillorsofStateonlyfurnishedfreshargumentsinfavourofhisambition.
Imust，however，observethatinthediscussionsoftheCouncilofStateBonapartewasnotatallaversetothefreeexpressionofopinion.He，indeed，oftenencouragedit;foralthoughfullyresolvedtodoonlywhathepleased，hewishedtogaininformation;indeed，itisscarcelyconceivablehow，intheshortspaceoftwoyears，Bonaparteadaptedhismindsocompletelytocivilandlegislativeaffairs.ButhecouldnotendureintheTribunatethelibertyofopinionwhichhetoleratedintheCouncil;andforthisreason——thatthesittingsoftheTribunatewerepublic，whilethoseoftheCouncilofStateweresecret，andpublicitywaswhathedreadedaboveallthings.HewasverywellpleasedwhenhehadtotransmittotheLegislativeBodyortotheTribunateanyproposedlawoftriflingimportance，andheusedthentosaythathehadthrownthemabonetognaw.
AmongthesubjectssubmittedtotheconsiderationoftheCouncilandtheTribunatewasonewhichgaverisetoasingulardiscussion，thegroundofwhichwasaparticularword，insertedinthethirdarticleofthetreatyofRussiawithFrance.ThiswordseemedtoconveyapropheticallusiontothefutureconditionoftheFrenchpeople，orratherananticipateddesignationofwhattheyafterwardsbecame.Thetreatyspokeof"thesubjectsofthetwoGovernments."Thistermappliedtothosewhostillconsideredthemselvescitizens，andwashighlyoffensivetotheTribunate.CheniermoatloudlyremonstratedagainsttheintroductionofthiswordintothedictionaryofthenewGovernment.HesaidthatthearmiesofFrancehadshedtheirbloodthattheFrenchpeoplemightbecitizensandnotsubjects.Chenier’sarguments，however，hadnoeffectonthedecisionoftheTribunate，andonlyservedtoirritatetheFirstConsul.Thetreatywasadoptedalmostunanimously，therebeingonlyfourteendissentientvoices，andtheproportionofblackballsintheLegislativeBodywasevenless.
Thoughthisdiscussionpassedoffalmostunnoticed，yetitgreatlydispleasedtheFirstConsul，whoexpressedhisdissatisfactionintheevening."Whatisit，"saidhe，"thesebabblerswant？Theywishtobecitizens——whydidtheynotknowhowtocontinueso？MygovernmentmusttreatonanequalfootingwithRussia.IshouldappearamerepuppetintheeyesofforeignCourtswereItoyieldtothestupiddemandsoftheTribunateThosefellowsteasemesothatIhaveagreatmindtoendmattersatoncewiththem."Iendeavouredtosoothehisanger，andobserved，thatoneprecipitateactmightinjurehim."Youareright，"hecontinued;"butstayalittle，theyshalllosenothingbywaiting."
TheTribunatepleasedBonapartebetterinthegreatquestionoftheConsulateforlife，becausehehadtakentheprecautionofremovingsuchmembersasweremostopposedtotheencroachmentsofhisambition.TheTribunateresolvedthatamarkedproofofthenationalgratitudeshouldbeofferedtotheFirstConsul，andtheresolutionwastransmittedtotheSenate.Notasinglevoicewasraisedagainstthisproposition，whichemanatedfromChabotdel’Allier，thePresidentoftheTribunate.WhentheFirstConsulcamebacktohiscabinetafterreceivingthedeputationoftheTribunatehewasverycheerful，andsaidtome，"Bourrienne，itisablankchequethattheTribunatehasjustofferedme;Ishallknowhowtofillitup.Thatismybusiness."
TheTribunatehavingadoptedtheindefinitepropositionofofferingtotheFirstConsulamarkedproofofthenationalgratitude，itnowonlyremainedtodeterminewhatthatproofshouldbe.Bonaparteknewwellwhathewanted，buthedidnotliketonameitinanypositiveway.
Thoughinhisfitsofimpatience，causedbythelingeringproceedingsoftheLegislativeBodyandtheindecisionofsomeofitsmembers，heoftentalkedofmountingonhorsebackanddrawinghissword，yethesofarcontrolledhimselfastoconfineviolencetohisconversationswithhisintimatefriends.Hewishedittobethoughtthathehimselfwasyieldingtocompulsion;thathewasfarfromwishingtousurppermanentpowercontrarytotheConstitution;andthatifhedeprivedFranceoflibertyitwasallforhergood，andoutofmereloveforher.Suchdeep—laidduplicitycouldneverhavebeenconceivedandmaintainedinanycommonmind;butBonaparte’swasnotamindoftheordinarycast.Itmusthaverequiredextraordinaryself—commandtohaverestrainedsolongashedidthatdaringspiritwhichwassonaturaltohim，andwhichwasrathertheresultofhistemperamentthanhischaracter.Formypart，I
confessthatIalwaysadmiredhimmoreforwhathehadthefortitudenottodothanfortheboldestexploitsheeverperformed.
Inconformitywiththeusualform，thepropositionoftheTribunatewastransmittedtotheSenate.FromthattimetheSenatorsonwhomBonapartemostreliedwerefrequentintheirvisitstotheTuileries.InthepreparatoryconferenceswhichprecededtheregulardiscussionsintheSenateithasbeenascertainedthatthemajoritywasnotwillingthatthemarkedproofofgratitudeshouldbetheConsulateforlife;itwasthereforeagreedthatthereportershouldlimithisdemandtoatemporaryprolongationofthedignityofFirstConsulinfavourofBonaparte.Thereporter，M.deLacepede，actedaccordingly，andlimitedtheprolongationtotenyears，commencingfromtheexpirationofthetenyearsgrantedbytheConstitution.IforgetwhichoftheSenatorsfirstproposedtheConsulateforlife;butIwellrecollectthatCambaceresusedallhisendeavourstoinducethosemembersoftheSenatewhomhethoughthecouldinfluencetoagreetothatproposition.WhetherfromflatteryorconvictionIknownot，buttheSecondConsulheldouttohiscolleague，orratherhismaster，thehopeofcompletesuccessBonaparteonhearinghimshookhisheadwithanairofdoubt，butafterwardssaidtome，"Theywillperhapsmakesomewryfaces，buttheymustcometoitatlast！"
ItwasproposedintheSenatethatthepropositionoftheConsulateforlifeshouldtakethepriorityofthatofthedecennialprolongation;butthiswasnotagreedto;andthelatterpropositionbeingadopted，theother，ofcourse，couldnotbediscussed.
Therewassomethingverycuriousinthe’Senatus—consulte’publishedontheoccasion.ItspokeinthenameoftheFrenchpeople，andstatedthat，"intestimonyoftheirgratitudetotheConsulsoftheRepublic，"
theConsularreignwasprolongedfortenyears;butthattheprolongationwaslimitedtotheFirstConsulonly.
Bonaparte，thoughmuchdissatisfiedwiththedecisionoftheSenate，disguisedhisdispleasureinambiguouslanguage.WhenTronchet，thenPresidentoftheSenate，readtohim，inasolemnaudience，attheheadofthedeputation，the’Senatus—consulte’determiningtheprorogation，hesaidinreplythathecouldnotbecertainoftheconfidenceofthepeopleunlesshiscontinuanceintheConsulshipweresanctionedbytheirsuffrages."Theinterestsofmygloryandhappiness，"addedhe，"wouldseemtohavemarkedthecloseofmypubliclifeatthemomentwhenthepeaceoftheworldisproclaimed.ButthegloryandthehappinessofthecitizenmustyieldtotheinterestsoftheStateandwishesofthepublic.You，Senators，conceivethatIowetothepeopleanothersacrifice.Iwillmakeitifthevoiceofthepeoplecommandswhatyoursuffrageauthorises."
Thetruemeaningofthesewordswasnotunderstoodbyeverybody，andwasonlymanifesttothosewhowereinitiatedinthesecretofBonaparte’sdesigns.HedidnotaccepttheofferoftheSenate，becausehewishedforsomethingmore.Thequestionwastoberenewedandtobedecidedbythepeopleonly;andsincethepeoplehadtherighttorefusewhattheSenateoffered，theypossessed，forthesamereason，therighttogivewhattheSenatedidnotoffer.
ThemomentnowarrivedforconsultingtheCouncilofStateastothemodetobeadoptedforinvokingandcollectingthesuffragesofthepeople.
ForthispurposeauextraordinarymeetingoftheCouncilofStatewassummonedonthe10thofMay.Bonapartewishedtokeephimselfalooffromallostensibleinfluence;buthistwocolleagueslabouredforhimmorezealouslythanhecouldhaveworkedforhimself，andtheywerewarmlysupportedbyseveralmembersoftheCouncil.AstrongmajoritywereofopinionthatBonaparteshouldnotonlybeinvestedwiththeConsulshipforlife，butthatheshouldbeempoweredtonominatehissuccessor.Buthe，stillfaithfultohisplan，affectedtoveneratethesovereigntyofthepeople，whichheheldinhorror，andhepromulgatedthefollowingdecree，whichwasthefirstexplanationofhisreplytotheSenateTheConsulsoftheRepublic，consideringthattheresolutionoftheFirstConsulisanhomagerenderedtothesovereigntyofthePeople，andthatthePeople，whenconsultedontheirdearestinterests，willnotgobeyondthelimitsofthoseinterests，decreeasfollows：—
First，thattheFrenchpeopleshallbeconsultedonthequestionwhetherNapoleonBonaparteistobemadeConsulforlife，etc.
Theotherarticlesmerelyregulatedthemodeofcollectingthevotes.
ThisdecreeshowsthepolicyoftheFirstConsulinanewpointofview，anddisplayshisartinitsfullestextent.Hehadjustrefusedthelessforthesakeofgettingthegreater;andnowhehadcontrivedtogettheofferofthegreatertoshowoffhismoderationbyacceptingonlytheless.TheCouncilofStatesanctionedthepropositionforconferringontheFirstConsultherightofnominatinghissuccessor，and，ofhisownaccord，theFirstConsuldeclinedthis.AccordinglytheSecondConsul，whenhe，thenextday，presentedthedecreetotheCouncilofState，didnotfailtoeulogisethisextrememoderation，whichbanishedeventheshadowofsuspicionofanyambitiousafter—thought.ThustheSenatefounditselfout—manoeuvred，andthedecreeoftheConsulswastransmittedatoncetotheLegislativeBodyandtotheTribunate.
IntheLegislativeBody，M.deVaublancwasdistinguishedamongallthedeputieswhoapplaudedtheconductoftheGovernment;anditwashewhodeliveredtheapologeticharangueofthedeputationoftheLegislativeBodytotheFirstConsul.AfterhavingaddressedtheGovernmentcollectivelyheendedbyaddressingtheFirstConsulindividually——asortofcomplimentwhichhadnothithertobeenputinpractice，andwhichwasfarfromdispleasinghimwhowasitsobject.AsM.deVaublanc’sspeechhadbeencommunicatedbeforehandtotheFirstConsul，thelatterpreparedareplytoitwhichsufficientlyshowedhowmuchithadgratifiedhim.
BesidestheflatteringdistinctionwhichseparatedhimfromtheGovernment，theplenitudeofpraisewasnottemperedbyanythinglikeadviceorcomment.ItwasnotsowiththeaddressoftheTribunate.
Afterthecomplimentswhichtheoccasiondemanded，aseriesofhopeswereexpressedforthefuture，whichformedacuriouscontrastwiththeeventswhichactuallyensued.TheTribunate，saidtheaddress，requirednoguarantee，becauseBonaparte’selevatedandgeneroussentimentswouldneverpermithimtodepartfromthoseprincipleswhichbroughtabouttheRevolutionandfoundedtheRepublic;——helovedrealglorytoowellevertostainthatwhichhehadacquiredbytheabuseofpower;——thenationwhichhewascalledtogovernwasfreeandgeneroushewouldrespectandconsolidateherliberty;hewoulddistinguishhisrealfriends，whospoketruthtohim，fromflattererswhomightseektodeceivehim.Inshort，Bonapartewouldsurroundhimselfwiththemenwho，havingmadetheRevolution，wereinterestedinsupportingit.
TotheseandmanyotherfinethingstheConsulreplied，"ThistestimonyoftheaffectionoftheTribunateisgratifyingtotheGovernment.TheunionofallbodiesoftheStateisaguaranteeofthestabilityandhappinessofthenation.TheeffortsoftheGovernmentwillbeconstantlydirectedtotheinterestsofthepeople，fromwhomallpowerisderived，andwhosewelfareallgoodmenhaveatheart."
Somuchfortheartificeofgovernmentsandthecredulityofsubjects！
Itiscertainthat，fromthemomentBonapartegainedhispointinsubmittingthequestionoftheConsulateforlifetothedecisionofthepeople，therewasnolongeradoubtoftheresultbeinginhisfavour.
Thiswasevident，notonlyonaccountoftheinfluentialmeanswhichagovernmentalwayshasatitscommand，andofwhichitsagentsextendtheramificationsfromthecentretotheextremities，butbecausethepropositionwasinaccordancewiththewishesofthemajority.TheRepublicanswererathershyinavowingprincipleswithwhichpeoplewerenowdisenchanted;——thepartisansofamonarchywithoutdistinctionoffamilysawtheirhopesalmostrealisedintheConsulateforlife;therecollectionoftheBourbonsstilllivedinsomeheartsfaithfultomisfortunebutthegreatmasswerefortheFirstConsul，andhisexternalactsinthenewstephehadtakentowardsthethronehadbeensocautiouslydisguisedastoinduceabeliefinhissincerity.IfIandafewotherswerewitnesstohisaccomplishedartificeandsecretambition，Francebeheldonlyhisglory，andgratefullyenjoyedtheblessingsofpeacewhichhehadobtainedforher.ThesuffragesofthepeoplespeedilyrealisedthehopesoftheFirstConsul，andthuswasfoundedtheCONSULATEFORLIFE.
CHAPTERXIV
1802—1803.
DepartureforMalmaison——UnexpectedquestionrelativetotheBourbons——Distinctionbetweentwooppositionparties——NewintriguesofLucien——CamilleJordan’spamphletseized——Vituperationagainstthelibertyofthepress——RevisaloftheConstitution——New’Senatus—
consulte——DeputationfromtheSenate——AudienceoftheDiplomaticBody——Josephine’smelancholy——Thediscontented——Secretmeetings——
Foucheandthepoliceagents——TheCodeNapoleon——Bonaparte’sregularattendanceattheCouncilofState——Hisknowledgeofmankind，andthescienceofgovernment——Napoleon’sfirstsovereignact——HisvisittotheSenate——TheConsularprocession——Politeetiquette——TheSenateandtheCouncilofState——ComplaintsagainstLucien——Thedeafanddumbassembly——Creationofsenatorships.
WhennothingwaswantingtosecuretheConsulateforlifebutthevotesofthepeople，whichtherewasnodoubtofobtaining，theFirstConsulsetofftospendafewdaysatMalmaison.
Onthedayofourarrival，assoonasdinnerwasended，Bonapartesaidtome，"Bourrienne，letusgoandtakeawalk."ItwasthemiddleofMay，sothattheeveningswerelong.Wewentintothepark：hewasverygrave，andwewalkedforseveralminuteswithouthisutteringasyllable.
Wishingtobreaksilenceinawaythatwouldbeagreeabletohim，I
alludedtothefacilitywithwhichhehadnullifiedthelast’Senatus—
consulte’.Hescarcelyseemedtohearme，socompletelywashismindabsorbedinthesubjectonwhichhewasmeditating.Atlength，suddenlyrecoveringfromhisabstraction，hesaid，"Bourrienne，doyouthinkthatthepretendertothecrownofFrancewouldrenouncehisclaimsifIweretoofferhimagoodindemnity，orevenaprovinceinItaly？"SurprisedatthisabruptquestiononasubjectwhichIwasfarfromthinkingof，IrepliedthatIdidnotthinkthepretenderwouldrelinquishhisclaims;
thatitwasveryunlikelytheBourbonswouldreturntoFranceaslongashe，Bonaparte，shouldcontinueattheheadoftheGovernment，thoughtheywouldlookforwardtotheirultimatereturnasprobable."Howso？"
inquiredhe."Foraverysimplereason，General.Doyounotseeeverydaythatyouragentsconcealthetruthfromyou，andflatteryouinyourwishes，forthepurposeofingratiatingthemselvesinyourfavour？areyounotangrywhenatlengththetruthreachesyourear？"——"Andwhatthen？"——"why，General，itmustbejustthesamewiththeagentsofLouisXVIII.inFrance.Itisinthecourseofthings，inthenatureofman，thattheyshouldfeedtheBourbonswithhopesofapossiblereturn，wereitonlytoinduceabeliefintheirowntalentandutility."——"Thatisverytrue！Youarequiteright;butIamnotafraid.However，somethingmightperhapsbedone——weshallsee."Herethesubjectdropped，andourconversationturnedontheConsulateforlife，andBonapartespokeinunusuallymildtermsofthepersonswhohadopposedtheproposition.
Iwasalittlesurprisedatthis，andcouldnothelpremindinghimofthedifferentwayinwhichhehadspokenofthosewhoopposedhisaccessiontotheConsulate."Thereisnothingextraordinaryinthat，"saidhe.
"WorthymenmaybeattachedtotheRepublicasIhavemadeit.Itisamerequestionofform.Ihavenothingtosayagainstthat;butatthetimeofmyaccessiontotheConsulateitwasverydifferent.Then，nonebutJacobins，terrorists，androguesresistedmyendeavourstorescueFrancefromtheinfamyintowhichtheDirectoryhadplungedher.ButnowIcherishnoill—willagainstthosewhohaveopposedme."
DuringtheintervalsbetweentheactsofthedifferentbodiesoftheState，andthecollectionofthevotes，Lucienrenewedhisintrigues，orratherprosecutedthemwithrenewedactivity，forthepurposeofgettingthequestionofhereditarysuccessionincludedinthevotes.ManyprefectstransmittedtoM.Chaptalanonymouscircularswhichhadbeensenttothem：allstatedtheilleffectproducedbythesecirculars，whichhadbeenaddressedtotheprincipalindividualsoftheirdepartments.Lucienwastheoriginatorofallthis，thoughIcannotpositivelysaywhetherhisbrotherconnivedwithhim，asinthecaseofthepamphlettowhichIhavealreadyalluded.Ibelieve，however，thatBonapartewasnotentirelyastrangertothebusiness;forthecircularswerewrittenbyRaedererattheinstigationofLucien，andRaedererwasatthattimeinfavourattheTuileries.IrecollectBonapartespeakingtomeonedayveryangrilyaboutapamphletwhichhadjust，beenpublishedbyCamilleJordanonthesubjectofthenationalvoteontheConsulateforlife.CamilleJordandidnotwithholdhisvote，butgaveitinfavouroftheFirstConsul;andinsteadofrequiringpreliminaryconditions，hecontentedhimself，liketheTribunate，withenumeratingalltheguaranteeswhichheexpectedthehonouroftheFirstConsulwouldgrant.Amongtheseguaranteeswerethecessationofarbitraryimprisonments，theresponsibilityoftheagentsofGovernment，andtheindependenceofthejudges.ButallthesedemandsweremerepeccadilloesincomparisonwithCamilleJordan’sgreatcrimeofdemandingthelibertyofthepress.
TheFirstConsulhadlookedthroughthefatalpamphlet，andlavishedinvectivesuponitsauthor."How！"exclaimedhe，"amInevertohavedonewiththesefirebrands？——Thesebabblers，whothinkthatpoliticsmaybeshownonaprintedpageliketheworldonamap？Truly，IknownotwhatthingswillcometoifIletthisgoon.CamilleJordan，whomI
receivedsowellatLyons，tothinkthatheshould——askforthelibertyofthepress！
WereItoaccedetothisImightaswellpackupatonceandgoandliveonafarmahundredleaguesfromParis."Bonaparte’sfirstactinfavourofthelibertyofthepresswastoordertheseizureofthepamphletinwhichCamilleJordanhadextolledtheadvantagesofthatmeasure.
Publicity，eitherbywordsorwriting，wasBonaparte’shorror.Hencehisaversiontopublicspeakersandwriters.
CamilleJordanwasnottheonlypersonwhomadeunavailingeffortstoarrestBonaparteinthefirststepsofhisambition.TherewereyetinFrancemanymenwho，thoughtheyhadhailedwithenthusiasmthedawnoftheFrenchRevolution，hadsubsequentlybeendisgustedbyitscrimes，andwhostilldreamedofthepossibilityoffoundingatrulyConstitutionalGovernmentinFrance.EvenintheSenatethereweresomemenindignantattheusualcomplianceofthatbody，andwhospokeofthenecessityofsubjectingtheConstitutiontoarevisal，inordertorenderitconformabletotheConsulateforlife.
TheprojectofrevisingtheConstitutionwasbynomeansunsatisfactorytoBonaparte.Itaffordedhimanopportunityofholdingoutfreshglimmeringsoflibertytothosewhoweretooshortsightedtoseeintothefuture.Hewasprettycertainthattherecouldbenochangebuttohisadvantage.Hadanyonetalkedtohimofthewishesofthenationhewouldhavereplied，"3，577，259citizenshavevoted.Ofthesehowmanywereforme？3，368，185.Comparethedifference！Thereisbutonevoteinforty—fiveagainstme.Imustobeythewillofthepeople！"Tothishewouldnothavefailedtoadd，"Whosearethevotesopposedtome？
Thoseofideologists，Jacobins，andpeculatorsundertheDirectory."Tosuchargumentswhatcouldhavebeenanswered？ItmustnotbesupposedthatIamputtingthesewordsintoBonaparte’smouth.Theyfellfromhimoftenerthanonce.
AssoonasthestateofthevoteswasascertainedtheSenateconceiveditselfunderthenecessityofrepairingtheonlyfaultithadcommittedintheeyesoftheFirstConsul，andsolemnlypresentedhimwithanew’Senatus—consulte’，andadecreecouchedinthefollowingterms：
ARTICLEI.TheFrenchpeoplenominateandtheSenateproclaimNapoleonBonaparteConsulforlife.
ARTICLEII.AstatuerepresentingPeace，holdinginonehandthelaurelofvictory，andintheotherthedecreeofthesenate，shallcommemoratetoposteritythegratitudeoftheNation.
ARTICLEIII.TheSenatewillconveytotheFirstConsultheexpressionoftheconfidence，thelove，andtheadmirationoftheFrenchpeople.
BonaparterepliedtothedeputationfromtheSenate，inthepresenceoftheDiplomaticBody，whoseaudiencehadbeenappointedforthatdayinorderthattheambassadorsmightbeenabledtomakeknowntotheirrespectiveCourtsthatEuropereckonedoneKingmore.Inhisreplyhedidnotfailtointroducethehigh—soundingwords"libertyandequality."
Hecommencedthus："Acitizen’slifebelongstohiscountry.TheFrenchpeoplewishthatmineshouldbeentirelydevotedtotheirservice.I
obey."
Onthedaythisceremonytookplace，besidestheaudienceoftheDiplomaticBodytherewasanextraordinaryassemblageofgeneralofficersandpublicfunctionaries.TheprincipalapartmentsoftheTuileries’spresentedtheappearanceofafete.ThisgaietyformedastrikingcontrastwiththemelancholyofJosephine，whofeltthateverystepoftheFirstConsultowardsthethroneremovedhimfartherfromher.
Shehadtoreceiveapartythatevening，andthoughgreatlydepressedinspiritsshedidthehonourswithherusualgrace.
LetaGovernmentbewhatitmay，itcanneversatisfyeveryone.AttheestablishmentoftheConsulateforlife，thosewhowereaversetothatchangeformedbutafeebleminority.Butstilltheymet，debated，corresponded，anddreamedofthepossibilityofoverthrowingtheConsularGovernment.
Duringthefirstsixmonthsoftheyear1802thereweremeetingsofthediscontented，whichFouche，whowasthenMinisterofthePolice，knewandwouldnotcondescendtonotice;but，onthecontrary，alltheinferioragentsofthepolicecontendedforapreywhichwaseasilyseized，and，withtheviewofmagnifyingtheirservices，representedthesesecretmeetingsastheeffectofavastplotagainsttheGovernment.Bonaparte，wheneverhespoketomeonthesubject，expressedhimselfwearyoftheeffortswhichweremadetogiveimportancetotrifles;andyethereceivedthereportsofthepoliceagentsasifhethoughtthemofconsequence.ThiswasbecausehethoughtFouchebadlyinformed，andhewasgladtofindhimatfault;butwhenhesentfortheMinisterofPolicethelattertoldhimthatallthereportshehadreceivedwerenotworthamoment’sattention.HetoldtheFirstConsulall，andevenagreatdealmorethanhadbeenrevealedtohim，mentioningatthesametimehowandfromwhomBonapartehadreceivedhisinformation.
ButthesepettypolicedetailsdidnotdiverttheFirstConsul’sattentionfromthegreatobjecthehadinview.SinceMarch1802hehadattendedthesittingsoftheCouncilofStatewithremarkableregularity.
EvenwhilewewereattheLuxembourghebusiedhimselfindrawingupanewcodeoflawstosupersedetheincompletecollectionofrevolutionarylaws，andtosubstituteorderforthesortofanarchywhichprevailedinthelegislation.Themanwhoweremostdistinguishedforlegalknowledgehadcooperatedinthislaborioustask，theresultofwhichwasthecodefirstdistinguishedbythenameoftheCivilCode，andafterwardscalledtheCodeNapoleon.Thelaboursofthisimportantundertakingbeingcompleted，acommitteewasappointedforthepresentationofthecode.
Thiscommittee，ofwhichCambacereswasthepresident，wascomposedofMM.Portalis，MerlindeDouai，andTronchet.Duringallthetimethediscussionswerepending，insteadofassemblingasusualthreetimesaweek，theCouncilofStateassembledeveryday，andthesittings，whichonordinaryoccasionsonlylastedtwoorthreehours，wereoftenprolongedtofiveorsix.TheFirstConsultooksuchinterestinthesediscussionsthat，tohaveanopportunityofconversinguponthemintheevening，hefrequentlyinvitedseveralmembersoftheCounciltodinewithhim.ItwasduringtheseconversationsthatImostadmiredtheinconceivableversatilityofBonaparte’sgenius，orrather，thatsuperiorinstinctwhichenabledhimtocomprehendataglance，andintheirproperpointofview，legislativequestionstowhichhemighthavebeensupposedastranger.Possessingashedid，inasupremedegree，theknowledgeofmankind，ideasimportanttothescienceofgovernmentflasheduponhismindlikesuddeninspirations.
SometimeafterhisnominationtotheConsulateforlife，anxioustoperformasovereignact，hewentforthefirsttimetopresideattheSenate.AvailingmyselfthatdayofafewleisuremomentsIwentouttoseetheConsularprocession.Itwastrulyroyal.TheFirstConsulhadgivenordersthatthemilitaryshould—berangedinthestreetsthroughwhichhehadtopass.OnhisfirstarrivalattheTuileries，NapoleonhadthesoldiersoftheGuardrangedinasinglelineintheinteriorofthecourt，buthenoworderedthatthelineshouldbedoubled，andshouldextendfromthegateoftheTuileriestothatoftheLuxembourg.
AssumingaprivilegewhicholdetiquettehadconfinedexclusivelytotheKingsofFrance，Bonapartenowforthefirsttimerodeinacarriagedrawnbyeighthorses.AconsiderablenumberofcarriagesfollowedthatoftheFirstConsul，whichwassurroundedbygeneralsandaidesdecamponhorseback.LouisXIV.goingtoholdabedofjusticeattheParliamentofParisneverdisplayedgreaterpompthandidBonaparteinthisvisittotheSenate.Heappearedinalltheparadeofroyalty;andtenSenatorscametomeethimatthefootofthestaircaseoftheLuxembourg.
TheobjectoftheFirstConsul’svisittotheSenatewasthepresentationoffiveplansof’Senatus—consultes’.TheothertwoConsulswerepresentattheceremony，whichtookplaceaboutthemiddleofAugust.
Bonapartereturnedinthesamestyleinwhichhewent，accompaniedbyM.
Lebrun，CambaceresremainingattheSenate，ofwhichhewasPresident.
Thefive’Senatus—consultes’wereadopted，butarestrictionwasmadeinthatwhichconcernedtheformsoftheSenate.ItwasproposedthatwhentheConsulsvisitedtheSenatetheyshouldbereceivedbyadeputationoftenmembersatthefootofthestaircase，astheFirstConsulhadthatdaybeenreceived;butBonaparte’sbrothersJosephandLucienopposedthis，andpreventedthepropositionfrombeingadopted，observingthattheSecondandThirdConsulsbeingmembersoftheSenatecouldnotbereceivedwithsuchhonoursbytheircolleagues.Thislittlesceneofpoliticalcourtesy，whichwasgotupbeforehand，wasverywellacted.
Bonaparte’svisittotheSenategaverisetoachangeofrankinthehierarchyofthedifferentauthoritiescomposingtheGovernment.
HithertotheCouncilofStatehadrankedhigherinpublicopinion;buttheSenate，ontheoccasionofitslatedeputationtotheTuileries，hadforthefirsttime，receivedthehonourofprecedency.ThishadgreatlydispleasedsomeoftheCouncillorsofState，butBonapartedidnotcareforthat.HeinstinctivelysawthattheSenatewoulddowhathewishedmorereadilythantheotherconstitutedbodies，andhedeterminedtoaugmentitsrightsandprerogativesevenattheexpenseoftherightsoftheLegislativeBody.Theseencroachmentsofonepoweruponanother，authorisedbytheFirstConsul，gaverisetoreportsofchangesinministerialarrangements.ItwasrumouredinParisthatthenumberoftheministerswastobereducedtothree，andthatLucien，Joseph，andM.
deTalleyrandweretodivideamongthemthedifferentportfolios.Lucienhelpedtocirculatethesereports，andthisincreasedtheFirstConsul’sdissatisfactionathisconduct.ThelettersfromMadrid，whichwerefilledwithcomplaintsagainsthim，togetherwithsomescandalousadventures，knowninParis，suchashisrunningawaywiththewifeofa’limonadier’，exceedinglyannoyedBonaparte，whofoundhisownfamilymoredifficulttogovernthanFrance.
France，indeed，yieldedwithadmirablefacilitytotheyokewhich，theFirstConsulwishedtoimposeonher.HowartfullydidheundoallthattheRevolutionhaddone，neverneglectinganymeansofattaininghisobject！HelovedtocomparetheopinionsofthosewhomhecalledtheJacobinswiththeopinionsofthemenof1789;andeventhemhefoundtooliberal.HefelttheridiculewhichwasattachedtothemutecharacteroftheLegislativeBody，whichhecalledhisdeafanddumbassembly.Butasthatridiculewasfavourabletohimhetookcaretopreservetheassemblyasitwas，andtoturnitintoridiculewheneverhespokeofit.
Ingeneral，Bonaparte’sjudgmentmustnotbeconfoundedwithhisactions.
Hisaccuratemindenabledhimtoappreciateallthatwasgood;butthenecessityofhissituationenabledhimtojudgewithequalshrewdnesswhatwasusefultohimself.
WhatIhavejustsaidoftheSenateaffordsmeanopportunityofcorrectinganerrorwhichhasfrequentlybeencirculatedinthechit—chatofParis.IthaserroneouslybeensaidofsomepersonsthattheyrefusedtobecomemembersoftheSenate，andamongthenumberhavebeenmentionedM.Ducis，M.deLaFayette，andtheMarechaldeRochambeau.Thetruthis，thatnosuchrefusalswereevermade.Thefollowingfact，however，mayhavecontributedtoraisethesereportsandgivethemcredibility.
Bonaparteusedfrequentlytosaytopersonsinhissalonandinhiscabinet;"YoushouldbeaSenator——amanlikeyoushouldbeaSenator."
Butthesecomplimentarywordsdidnotamounttoanomination.ToentertheSenatecertainlegalformsweretobeobserved.ItwasnecessarytobepresentedbytheSenate，andafterthatpresentationnooneeverrefusedtobecomeamemberofthebody，towhichBonapartegaveadditionalimportancebythecreationof"Senatoreries."——[DistrictspresidedoverbyaSenator.]——Thiscreationtookplaceinthebeginningof1803.
CHAPTERXV
1802.
Theintoxicationofgreatmen——Unluckyzeal——MM.Maret，Champagny，andSavary——M.deTalleyrand’srealservices——Postponementoftheexecutionoforders——FoucheandtheRevolution——TheRoyalistcommittee——ThecharterfirstplannedduringtheConsulate——MissiontoCoblentz——InfluenceoftheRoyalistsuponJosephine——Thestatueandthepedestal——MadamedeGenlis’romanceofMadamedelaValliere——TheLegionofHonourandthecarnations——InfluenceoftheFaubourgSt.Germain——InconsideratesteptakenbyBonaparte——LouisXVIII’sindignation——PrudentadviceoftheAbbeAndre——LetterfromLouisXVIII.toBonaparte——CouncilheldatNeuilly——Theletterdelivered——IndifferenceofBonaparte，andsatisfactionoftheRoyalists.
PerhapsoneofthehappiestideasthateverwereexpressedwasthatoftheAthenianwhosaid，"IappealfromPhilipdrunktoPhilipsober."
Thedrunkennessherealludedtoisnotofthatkindwhichdegradesamantothelevelofabrute，butthatintoxicationwhichisoccasionedbysuccess，andwhichproducesintheheadsoftheambitiousasortofcerebralcongestion.Ordinarymenarenotsubjecttothisexcitement，andcanscarcelyformanideaofit.Butitisneverthelesstruethatthefumesofgloryandambitionoccasionallyderangethestrongestheads;