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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Josephine, by John S. C. Abbott
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Josephine
+       Makers of History
+
+Author: John S. C. Abbott
+
+Release Date: April 19, 2010 [EBook #32047]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JOSEPHINE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by D Alexander and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+produced from images generously made available by The
+Internet Archive)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+ Makers of History
+
+ Josephine
+
+ BY JOHN S. C. ABBOTT
+
+ WITH ENGRAVINGS
+
+ NEW YORK AND LONDON
+ HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS
+ 1904
+
+
+
+
+ Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year one thousand
+ eight hundred and fifty-one, by
+
+ HARPER & BROTHERS,
+
+ in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern District
+ of New York.
+
+ Copyright, 1879, by SUSAN ABBOTT MEAD.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: JOSEPHINE.]
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+Maria Antoinette, Madame Roland, and Josephine are the three most
+prominent heroines of the French Revolution. The history of their lives
+necessarily records all the most interesting events of that most fearful
+tragedy which man has ever enacted. Maria Antoinette beheld the morning
+dawn of the Revolution; its lurid mid-day sun glared upon Madame Roland;
+and Josephine beheld the portentous phenomenon fade away. Each of these
+heroines displayed traits of character worthy of all imitation. No
+one can read the history of their lives without being ennobled by the
+contemplation of the fortitude and grandeur of spirit they evinced. To
+the young ladies of our land we especially commend the Heroines of the
+French Revolution.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+ Chapter                                                    Page
+
+    I. LIFE IN MARTINIQUE                                    13
+
+   II. MARRIAGE OF JOSEPHINE                                 31
+
+  III. ARREST OF M. BEAUHARNAIS AND JOSEPHINE                48
+
+   IV. SCENES IN PRISON                                      68
+
+    V. THE RELEASE FROM PRISON                               81
+
+   VI. JOSEPHINE IN ITALY                                   105
+
+  VII. JOSEPHINE AT MALMAISON                               130
+
+ VIII. JOSEPHINE THE WIFE OF THE FIRST CONSUL               149
+
+   IX. DEVELOPMENTS OF CHARACTER                            171
+
+    X. THE CORONATION                                       198
+
+   XI. JOSEPHINE AN EMPRESS                                 232
+
+  XII. THE DIVORCE AND LAST DAYS                            282
+
+
+
+
+ENGRAVINGS.
+
+
+                                                            Page
+
+ THE SIBYL                                                   24
+
+ THE WARNING                                                 58
+
+ THE PANTOMIME                                               85
+
+ ISOLA BELLA                                                109
+
+ THE INTERVIEW                                              156
+
+ THE CORONATION                                             224
+
+
+
+
+JOSEPHINE.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+LIFE IN MARTINIQUE.
+
+A.D. 1760-A.D. 1775
+
+Martinique.--Its varied beauties.--Birth of Josephine.--Her parents'
+death.--M. Renaudin.--His kind treatment of his slaves.--Gratitude
+of the slaves.--Josephine a universal favorite.--Hospitality of M.
+Renaudin.--Society at his house.--Early education of Josephine.--Her
+accomplishments.--Euphemie.--She becomes Josephine's bosom companion.
+--Popularity of Josephine.--Childhood enjoyment.--Characteristic traits.
+--The fortune-teller.--Predictions of the sibyl.--Credulity.--More
+predictions.--Their fulfillment.--Explanations of the predictions.--
+How fulfilled.--Falsity of the prediction.--Contemplated match.--
+Attachment between Josephine and William.--Their separation.--Rousseau
+throwing stones.--Josephine's superstition.--Mutual fidelity.--Deception
+of friends.
+
+The island of Martinique emerges in tropical luxuriance from the bosom
+of the Caribbean Sea. A meridian sun causes the whole land to smile in
+perennial verdure, and all the gorgeous flowers and luscious fruits
+of the torrid zone adorn upland and prairie in boundless profusion.
+Mountains, densely wooded, rear their summits sublimely to the skies,
+and valleys charm the eye with pictures more beautiful than imagination
+can create. Ocean breezes ever sweep these hills and vales, and temper
+the heat of a vertical sun. Slaves, whose dusky limbs are scarcely
+veiled by the lightest clothing, till the soil, while the white
+inhabitants, supported by the indolent labor of these unpaid menials,
+loiter away life in listless leisure and in rustic luxury. Far removed
+from the dissipating influences of European and American opulence, they
+dwell in their secluded island in a state of almost patriarchal
+simplicity.
+
+About the year 1760, a young French officer, Captain Joseph Gaspard
+Tascher, accompanied his regiment of horse to this island. While here on
+professional duty, he became attached to a young lady from France, whose
+parents, formerly opulent, in consequence of the loss of property, had
+moved to the West Indies to retrieve their fortunes. But little is known
+respecting Mademoiselle de Sanois, this young lady, who was soon married
+to M. Tascher. Josephine was the only child born of this union. In
+consequence of the early death of her mother, she was, while an infant,
+intrusted to the care of her aunt. Her father soon after died, and the
+little orphan appears never to have known a father's or a mother's love.
+
+Madame Renaudin, the kind aunt, who now, with maternal affection, took
+charge of the helpless infant, was a lady of wealth, and of great
+benevolence of character. Her husband was the owner of several estates,
+and lived surrounded by all that plain and rustic profusion which
+characterizes the abode of the wealthy planter. His large possessions,
+and his energy of character, gave him a wide influence over the island.
+He was remarkable for his humane treatment of his slaves, and for the
+successful manner with which he conducted the affairs of his
+plantations.
+
+The general condition of the slaves of Martinique at this time was very
+deplorable; but on the plantations of M. Renaudin there was as perfect
+a state of contentment and of happiness as is consistent with the
+deplorable institution of slavery. The slaves, many of them but recently
+torn from their homes in Africa, were necessarily ignorant, degraded,
+and superstitious. They knew nothing of those more elevated and refined
+enjoyments which the cultivated mind so highly appreciates, but which
+are so often also connected with the most exquisite suffering.
+Josephine, in subsequent life, gave a very vivid description of the
+wretchedness of the slaves in general, and also of the peace and harmony
+which, in striking contrast, cheered the estates of her uncle. When the
+days' tasks were done, the negroes, constitutionally light-hearted and
+merry, gathered around their cabins with songs and dances, often
+prolonged late into the hours of the night. They had never known any
+thing better than their present lot. They compared their condition with
+that of the slaves on the adjoining plantations, and exulted in view of
+their own enjoyments. M. and Madame Renaudin often visited their cabins,
+spoke words of kindness to them in their hours of sickness and sorrow,
+encouraged the formation of pure attachments and honorable marriage
+among the young, and took a lively interest in their sports. The slaves
+loved their kind master and mistress most sincerely, and manifested
+their affection in a thousand simple ways which touched the heart.
+
+Josephine imbibed from infancy the spirit of her uncle and aunt. She
+always spoke to the slaves in tones of kindness, and became a universal
+favorite with all upon the plantations. She had no playmates but the
+little negroes and she united with them freely in all their sports.
+Still, these little ebon children of bondage evidently looked up to
+Josephine as to a superior being. She was the queen around whom they
+circled in affectionate homage. The instinctive faculty, which Josephine
+displayed through life, of winning the most ardent love of all who
+met her, while, at the same time, she was protected from any undue
+familiarity, she seems to have possessed even at that early day. The
+children, who were her companions in all the sports of childhood, were
+also dutiful subjects ever ready to be obedient to her will.
+
+The social position of M. Renaudin, as one of the most opulent and
+influential gentlemen of Martinique, necessarily attracted to his
+hospitable residence much refined and cultivated society. Strangers from
+Europe visiting the island, planters of intellectual tastes, and ladies
+of polished manners, met a cordial welcome beneath the spacious roof of
+this abode, where all abundance was to be found. Madame Renaudin had
+passed her early years in Paris, and her manners were embellished with
+that elegance and refinement which have given to Parisian society such a
+world-wide celebrity. There was, at that period, much more intercourse
+between the mother country and the colonies than at the present day.
+Thus Josephine, though reared in a provincial home, was accustomed, from
+infancy, to associate with gentlemen and ladies who were familiar with
+the etiquette of the highest rank in society, and whose conversation was
+intellectual and improving.
+
+It at first view seems difficult to account for the high degree of
+mental culture which Josephine displayed, when, seated by the side of
+Napoleon, she was the Empress of France. Her remarks, her letters, her
+conversational elegance, gave indication of a mind thoroughly furnished
+with information and trained by severe discipline. And yet, from all the
+glimpses we can catch of her early education, it would seem that, with
+the exception of the accomplishments of music, dancing, and drawing, she
+was left very much to the guidance of her own instinctive tastes.
+But, like Madame Roland, she was blessed with that peculiar mental
+constitution, which led her, of her own accord, to treasure up all
+knowledge which books or conversation brought within her reach. From
+childhood until the hour of her death, she was ever improving her mind
+by careful observation and studious reading. She played upon the harp
+with great skill, and sang with a voice of exquisite melody. She also
+read with a correctness of elocution and a fervor of feeling which ever
+attracted admiration. The morning of her childhood was indeed bright and
+sunny, and her gladdened heart became so habituated to joyousness, that
+her cheerful spirit seldom failed her even in the darkest days of her
+calamity. Her passionate love for flowers had interested her deeply in
+the study of botany, and she also became very skillful in embroidery,
+that accomplishment which was once deemed an essential part of the
+education of every lady.
+
+Under such influences Josephine became a child of such grace, beauty,
+and loveliness of character as to attract the attention and the
+admiration of all who saw her. There was an affectionateness,
+simplicity, and frankness in her manners which won all hearts. Her most
+intimate companion in these early years was a young mulatto girl, the
+daughter of a slave, and report said, with how much truth it is
+impossible to know, that she was also the daughter of Captain Tascher
+before his marriage. Her name was Euphemie. She was a year or two older
+than Josephine, but she attached herself with deathless affection to her
+patroness; and, though Josephine made her a companion and a confidante,
+she gradually passed, even in these early years, into the position of a
+maid of honor, and clung devotedly to her mistress through all the
+changes of subsequent life. Josephine, at this time secluded from all
+companionship with young ladies of her own rank and age, made this
+humble but active-minded and intelligent girl her bosom companion. They
+rambled together, the youthful mistress and her maid, in perfect
+harmony. From Josephine's more highly-cultivated mind the lowly-born
+child derived intellectual stimulus, and thus each day became a more
+worthy and congenial associate. As years passed on, and Josephine
+ascended into higher regions of splendor, her humble attendant gradually
+retired into more obscure positions, though she was ever regarded by her
+true-hearted mistress with great kindness.
+
+Josephine was a universal favorite with all the little negro girls of
+the plantation. They looked up to her as to a protectress whom they
+loved, and to whom they owed entire homage. She would frequently collect
+a group of them under the shade of the luxuriant trees of that tropical
+island, and teach them the dances which she had learned, and also join
+with them as a partner. She loved to assemble them around her, and
+listen to those simple negro melodies which penetrate every heart which
+can feel the power of music. Again, all their voices, in sweet harmony,
+blended with hers as she taught them the more scientific songs of
+Europe. She would listen with unaffected interest to their tales of
+sorrow, and weep with them. Often she interposed in their behalf that
+their tasks might be lightened, or that a play-day might be allowed
+them. Thus she was as much beloved and admired in the cabin of the
+poor negro as she was in her uncle's parlor, where intelligence and
+refinement were assembled. This same character she displayed through the
+whole of her career. Josephine upon the plantation and Josephine upon
+the throne--Josephine surrounded by the sable maidens of Martinique, and
+Josephine moving in queenly splendor in the palaces of Versailles, with
+all the courtiers of Europe revolving around her, displayed the same
+traits of character, and by her unaffected kindness won the hearts alike
+of the lowly and of the exalted.
+
+About this time an occurrence took place which has attracted far more
+attention than it deserves. Josephine was one day walking under the
+shade of the trees of the plantation, when she saw a number of negro
+children gathered around an aged and withered negress, who had great
+reputation among the slaves as a fortune-teller. Curiosity induced
+Josephine to draw near the group to hear what the sorceress had to say.
+The old sibyl, with the cunning which is characteristic of her craft, as
+soon as she saw Josephine approach, whom she knew perfectly, assumed an
+air of great agitation, and, seizing her hand violently, gazed with most
+earnest attention upon the lines traced upon the palm. The little
+negresses were perfectly awe-stricken by this oracular display.
+Josephine, however, was only amused, and smiling, said,
+
+"So you discover something very extraordinary in my destiny?"
+
+"Yes!" replied the negress, with an air of great solemnity.
+
+"Is happiness or misfortune to be my lot?" Josephine inquired.
+
+The negress again gazed upon her hand, and then replied, "Misfortune;"
+but, after a moment's pause, she added, "and happiness too."
+
+"You must be careful, my good woman," Josephine rejoined, "not to commit
+yourself. Your predictions are not very intelligible."
+
+The negress, raising her eyes with an expression of deep mystery to
+heaven, rejoined, "I am not permitted to render my revelations more
+clear."
+
+In every human heart there is a vein of credulity. The pretended
+prophetess had now succeeded in fairly arousing the curiosity of
+Josephine, who eagerly inquired, "What do you read respecting me in
+futurity? Tell me exactly."
+
+[Illustration: THE SIBYL.]
+
+Again the negress, assuming an air of profound solemnity, said, "You
+will not believe me if I reveal to you your strange destiny."
+
+"Yes, indeed, I assure you that I will," Josephine thoughtlessly
+replied. "Come, good mother, do tell me what I have to hope and what to
+fear."
+
+"On your own head be it, then. Listen. You will soon be married. That
+union will not be happy. You will become a widow, and then you will be
+Queen of France. Some happy years will be yours, but afterward you will
+die in a hospital, amid civil commotions."
+
+The old woman then hurried away. Josephine talked a few moments with the
+young negroes upon the folly of this pretended fortune-telling, and
+leaving them, the affair passed from her mind. In subsequent years, when
+toiling through the vicissitudes of her most eventful life, she recalled
+the singular coincidence between her destiny and the prediction, and
+seemed to consider that the negress, with prophetic vision, had traced
+out her wonderful career.
+
+But what is there so extraordinary in this narrative? What maiden ever
+consulted a fortune-teller without receiving the agreeable announcement
+that she was to wed beauty, and wealth, and rank? It was known
+universally, and it was a constant subject of plantation gossip, that
+the guardians of Josephine were contemplating a match for her with the
+son of a neighboring planter. The negroes did not think him half worthy
+of their adored and queenly Josephine. They supposed, however, that the
+match was settled. The artful woman was therefore compelled to allow
+Josephine to marry _at first_ the undistinguished son of the planter,
+with whom she could not be happy. She, however, very considerately lets
+the unworthy husband in a short time die, and then Josephine becomes
+a queen. This is the old story, which has been repeated to half the
+maidens in Christendom. It is not very surprising that in this one case
+it should have happened to prove true.
+
+But, unfortunately, our prophetess went a little farther, and predicted
+that Josephine would die in a hospital--implying poverty and
+abandonment. This part of the prediction proved to be utterly untrue.
+Josephine, instead of dying in a hospital, died in the beautiful palace
+of Malmaison. Instead of dying in poverty, she was one of the richest
+ladies in Europe, receiving an income of some six hundred thousand
+dollars a year. The grounds around her palace were embellished with all
+the attractions, and her apartments furnished with every luxury which
+opulence could provide. Instead of dying in friendlessness and neglect,
+the Emperor Alexander of Russia stood at her bed-side; the most
+illustrious kings and nobles of Europe crowded her court and did her
+homage. And though she was separated from her husband, she still
+retained the title of Empress, and was the object of his most sincere
+affection and esteem.
+
+Thus this prediction, upon which so much stress has been laid, seems to
+vanish in the air. It surely is not a supernatural event that a young
+lady, who was told by an aged negress that she would be a queen,
+happened actually to become one.
+
+We have alluded to a contemplated match between Josephine and the son of
+a neighboring planter. An English family, who had lost property and rank
+in the convulsions of those times, had sought a retreat in the island of
+Martinique, and were cultivating an adjoining plantation. In this family
+there was a very pleasant lad, a son, of nearly the same age with
+Josephine. The plantations being near to each other, they were often
+companions and playmates. A strong attachment grew up between them. The
+parents of William, and the uncle and aunt of Josephine, approved
+cordially of this attachment; and were desirous that these youthful
+hearts should be united, as soon as the parties should arrive at mature
+age. Josephine, in the ingenuous artlessness of her nature, disguised
+not in the least her strong affection for William. And his attachment to
+her was deep and enduring. The solitude of their lives peculiarly tended
+to promote fervor of character.
+
+Matters were in this state, when the father of William received an
+intimation from England that, by returning to his own country, he might,
+perhaps, regain his lost estates. He immediately prepared to leave the
+island with his family. The separation was a severe blow to these
+youthful lovers. They wept, and vowed eternal fidelity.
+
+It is not surprising that Josephine should have been in some degree
+superstitious. The peculiarity of her life upon the plantation--her
+constant converse with the negroes, whose minds were imbued with all the
+superstitious notions which they had brought from Africa, united with
+those which they had found upon the island, tended to foster those
+feelings. Rousseau, the most popular and universally-read French writer
+of that day, in his celebrated "Confessions," records with perfect
+composure that he was one day sitting in a grove, meditating whether his
+soul would probably be saved or lost. He felt that the question was of
+the utmost importance. How could he escape from the uncertainty! A
+supernatural voice seemed to suggest an appeal to a singular kind of
+augury. "I will," said he, "throw this stone at that tree. If I hit the
+tree, it shall be a sign that my soul is to be saved. If I miss it, it
+shall indicate that I am to be lost." He selected a large tree, took the
+precaution of getting very near to it, and threw his stone plump against
+the trunk. "After that," says the philosopher, "I never again had a
+doubt respecting my salvation."
+
+Josephine resorted to the same kind of augury to ascertain if William,
+who had become a student in the University at Oxford, still remained
+faithful to her. She not unfrequently attempted to beguile a weary hour
+in throwing pebbles at the trees, that she might divine whether William
+were then thinking of her. Months, however, passed away, and she
+received no tidings from him. Though she had often written, her letters
+remained unanswered. Her feelings were the more deeply wounded, since
+there were other friends upon the island with whom he kept up a
+correspondence; but Josephine never received even a message through
+them.
+
+One day, as she was pensively rambling in a grove, where she had often
+walked with her absent lover, she found carved upon a tree the names of
+William and Josephine. She knew well by whose hand they had been cut,
+and, entirely overcome with emotion, she sat down and wept bitterly.
+With the point of a knife, and with a trembling hand, she inscribed in
+the bark these words, peculiarly characteristic of her depth of feeling,
+and of the gentleness of her spirit: "Unhappy William! thou hast
+forgotten me!"
+
+William, however, had not forgotten her. Again and again he had written
+in terms of the most ardent affection. But the friends of Josephine,
+meeting with an opportunity for a match for her which they deemed far
+more advantageous, had destroyed these communications, and also had
+prevented any of her letters from reaching the hand of William. Thus
+each, while cherishing the truest affection, deemed the other faithless.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+THE MARRIAGE OF JOSEPHINE.
+
+A.D. 1775-A.D. 1785
+
+Alexander de Beauharnais.--His character.--A new suitor.--Motives
+for the marriage.--The announcement.--Feelings of Josephine.--Zeal
+of M. Beauharnais.--The engagement.--Departure from Martinique.--
+Parting scenes.--Josephine's arrival in France.--Her interview with
+William.--Explanation of William.--Distress of Josephine.--Josephine
+retires to a convent.--She marries the Viscount Beauharnais.--
+Fashionable life.--Josephine is introduced at court.--Maria Antoinette
+and Josephine.--French philosophy.--Infidelity of Beauharnais.--Birth
+of a daughter.--Birth of a son.--An arch deceiver.--Josephine betrayed.
+--Application for a divorce.--Josephine triumphant.--Visit to
+Versailles.--Interview with Maria Antoinette.--Kindness of the
+queen.--Josephine embarks for Martinique.--Hours of despondency.--
+Josephine arrives at Martinique.--Her kind reception.
+
+
+Josephine was about fourteen years of age when she was separated from
+William. A year passed away, during which she received not a line from
+her absent friend. About this time a gentleman from France visited
+her uncle upon business of great importance. Viscount Alexander de
+Beauharnais was a fashionable and gallant young man, about thirty years
+of age, possessing much conversational ease and grace of manner, and
+accustomed to the most polished society of the French metropolis. He
+held a commission in the army, and had already signalized himself by
+several acts of bravery. His sympathies had been strongly aroused by the
+struggle of the American colonists with the mother country, and he had
+already aided the colonists both with his sword and his purse.
+
+Several large and valuable estates in Martinique, adjoining the
+plantation of M. Renaudin, had fallen by inheritance to this young
+officer and his brother, the Marquis of Beauharnais. He visited
+Martinique to secure the proof of his title to these estates. M.
+Renaudin held some of these plantations on lease. In the transaction
+of this business, Beauharnais spent much time at the mansion of M.
+Renaudin. He, of course, saw much of the beautiful Josephine, and was
+fascinated with her grace, and her mental and physical loveliness.
+
+The uncle and aunt of Josephine were delighted to perceive the interest
+which their niece had awakened in the bosom of the interesting stranger.
+His graceful figure, his accomplished person, his military celebrity,
+his social rank, and his large fortune, all conspired to dazzle their
+eyes, and to lead them to do every thing in their power to promote a
+match apparently so eligible. The ambition of M. Renaudin was moved at
+the thought of conferring upon his niece, the prospective heiress of
+his own fortune, an estate so magnificent as the united inheritance.
+Josephine, however, had not yet forgotten William, and, though
+interested in her uncle's guest, for some time allowed no emotion of
+love to flow out toward him.
+
+One morning Josephine was sitting in the library in pensive musings,
+when her uncle came into the room to open to her the subject of her
+contemplated marriage with M. Beauharnais. Josephine was thunderstruck
+at the communication, for, according to the invariable custom of the
+times, she knew that she could have but little voice in the choice of
+a partner for life. For a short time she listened in silence to his
+proposals, and then said, with tears in her eyes,
+
+"Dear uncle, I implore you to remember that my affections are fixed upon
+William. I have been solemnly promised to him."
+
+"That is utterly impossible, my child," her uncle replied.
+"Circumstances are changed. All our hopes are centered in you. You must
+obey our wishes."
+
+"And why," said she, "have you changed your intentions in reference to
+William?"
+
+Her uncle replied: "You will receive by inheritance all my estate. M.
+Beauharnais possesses the rich estates adjoining. Your union unites the
+property. M. Beauharnais is every thing which can be desired in a
+husband. Besides, William appears to have forgotten you."
+
+To this last remark Josephine could make no reply. She looked sadly upon
+the floor and was silent. It is said that her uncle had then in his
+possession several letters which William had written her, replete with
+the most earnest spirit of constancy and affection.
+
+Josephine, but fifteen years of age, could not, under these
+circumstances, resist the influences now brought to bear upon her.
+M. Beauharnais was a gentleman of fascinating accomplishments. The
+reluctance of Josephine to become his bride but stimulated his zeal to
+obtain her. In the seclusion of the plantation, and far removed from
+other society, she was necessarily with him nearly at all hours. They
+read together, rode on horseback side by side, rambled in the groves in
+pleasant companionship. They floated by moonlight upon the water,
+breathing the balmy air of that delicious clime, and uniting their
+voices in song, the measure being timed with the dipping of the oars by
+the negroes. The friends of Josephine were importunate for the match. At
+last, reluctantly she gave her consent. Having done this, she allowed
+her affections, unrestrained, to repose upon her betrothed. Though her
+heart still clung to William, she thought that he had found other
+friends in England, in whose pleasant companionship he had lost all
+remembrance of the island maiden who had won his early love.
+
+Alexander Beauharnais, soon after his engagement to Josephine, embarked
+for France. Arrangements had been made for Josephine, in the course of a
+few months, to follow him, upon a visit to a relative in Paris, and
+there the nuptials were to be consummated. Josephine was now fifteen
+years of age. She was attached to Beauharnais, but not with that fervor
+of feeling which had previously agitated her heart. She often thought of
+William and spoke of him, and at times had misgivings lest there might
+be some explanation of his silence. But months had passed on, and she
+had received no letter or message from him.
+
+At length the hour for her departure from the island arrived. With
+tearful eyes and a saddened heart she left the land of her birth, and
+the scenes endeared to her by all the recollections of childhood. Groups
+of negroes, from the tottering infant to the aged man of gray hairs,
+surrounded her with weeping and loud lamentation. Josephine hastened
+on board, the ship got under way, and soon the island of Martinique
+disappeared beneath the watery horizon. Josephine sat upon the deck in
+perfect silence, watching the dim outline of her beloved home till it
+was lost to sight. Her young heart was full of anxiety, of tenderness,
+and of regrets. Little, however, could she imagine the career of
+strange vicissitudes upon which she was about to enter.
+
+The voyage was long and tempestuous. Storms pursued them all the way. At
+one time the ship was dismasted and came near foundering. At length the
+welcome cry of "Land" was heard, and Josephine, an unknown orphan child
+of fifteen, placed her feet upon the shores of France, that country over
+which she was soon to reign the most renowned empress. She hastened to
+Fontainebleau, and was there met by Alexander Beauharnais. He received
+her with great fondness, and was assiduous in bestowing upon her the
+most flattering attentions. But Josephine had hardly arrived at
+Fontainebleau before she heard that William and his father were also
+residing at that place. Her whole frame trembled like an aspen leaf, and
+her heart sunk within her as she received the intelligence. All her
+long-cherished affection for the companion of her childhood was revived,
+and still she knew not but that William was faithless. He, however,
+immediately called, with his father, to see her. The interview was most
+embarrassing, for each loved the other intensely, and each had reason to
+believe that the other had proved untrue. The next day William called
+alone; Josephine, the betrothed bride of Beauharnais, prudently declined
+seeing him. He then wrote her a letter, which he bribed a servant to
+place in her hands, full of protestations of love, stating how he had
+written to her, and passionately inquiring why she turned so coldly from
+him.
+
+Josephine read the letter with a bursting heart. She now saw how she had
+been deceived. She now was convinced that William had proved faithful to
+her, notwithstanding he had so much reason to believe that she had been
+untrue to him. But what could she do? She was but fifteen years of age.
+She was surrounded only by those who were determined that she should
+marry Alexander Beauharnais. She was told that the friends of William
+had decided unalterably that he should marry an English heiress, and
+that the fortunes of his father's family were dependent upon that
+alliance. The servant who had been the bearer of William's epistle was
+dismissed, and the other servants were commanded not to allow him to
+enter the house.
+
+The agitation of Josephine's heart was such that for some time she was
+unable to leave her bed. She entreated her friends to allow her for a
+few months to retire to a convent, that she might, in solitary thought
+and prayer, regain composure. Her friends consented to this arrangement,
+and she took refuge in the convent at Panthemont. Here she spent a few
+months in inexpressible gloom. William made many unavailing efforts to
+obtain an interview, and at last, in despair, reluctantly received the
+wealthy bride, through whom he secured an immense inheritance, and with
+whom he passed an unloving life.
+
+The Viscount Beauharnais often called to see her, and was permitted to
+converse with her at the gate of her window. In the simplicity of her
+heart, she told her friends at the convent of her attachment for
+William; how they had been reared together, and how they had loved from
+childhood. She felt that it was a cruel fate which separated them, but a
+fate before which each must inevitably bow. At last she calmly made up
+her mind to comply with the wishes of her friends, and to surrender
+herself to the Viscount Beauharnais. There was much in the person and
+character of Beauharnais to render him very attractive, and she soon
+became sincerely, though never passionately, attached to him.
+
+Josephine was sixteen years of age when she was married. Her social
+position was in the midst of the most expensive and fashionable society
+of Paris. She was immediately involved in all the excitements of
+parties, and balls, and gorgeous entertainments. Her beauty, her grace,
+her amiability, and her peculiarly musical voice, which fell like a
+charm upon every ear, excited great admiration and not a little envy.
+It was a dangerous scene into which to introduce the artless and
+inexperienced Creole girl, and she was not a little dazzled by the
+splendor with which she was surrounded. Every thing that could minister
+to convenience, or that could gratify taste, was lavished profusely
+around her. For a time she was bewildered by the novelty of her
+situation. But soon she became weary of the heartless pageantry of
+fashionable life, and sighed for the tranquil enjoyments of her island
+home.
+
+Her husband, proud of her beauty and accomplishments, introduced her at
+court. Maria Antoinette, who had then just ascended the throne, and was
+in the brilliance of her youth, and beauty, and early popularity, was
+charmed with the West Indian bride, and received her without the
+formality of a public presentation. When these two young brides met in
+the regal palace of Versailles--the one a daughter of Maria Theresa and
+a descendant of the Cæsars, who had come from the court of Austria to
+be not only the queen, but the brightest ornament of the court of
+France--the other the child of a planter, born upon an obscure island,
+reared in the midst of negresses, as almost her only companions--little
+did they imagine that Maria Antoinette was to go down, down, down to the
+lowest state of ignominy and woe, while Josephine was to ascend to more
+and more exalted stations, until she should sit upon a throne more
+glorious than the Cæsars ever knew.
+
+French philosophy had at this time undermined the religion of Jesus
+Christ. All that is sacred in the domestic relations was withering
+beneath the blight of infidelity. Beauharnais, a man of fashion and of
+the world, had imbibed, to the full, the sentiments which disgraced the
+age. Marriage was deemed a partnership, to be formed or dissolved at
+pleasure. Fidelity to the nuptial tie was the jest of philosophers
+and witlings. Josephine had soon the mortification of seeing a
+proud, beautiful, and artful woman taking her place, and openly and
+triumphantly claiming the attentions and the affections of her husband.
+This woman, high in rank, loved to torture her poor victim. "Your dear
+Alexander," she said to Josephine, "daily lavishes upon others the
+tribute of attachment which you think he reserves solely for you." She
+could not bear to see the beautiful and virtuous Josephine happy, as the
+honored wife of her guilty lover, and she resolved, if possible, to sow
+the seeds of jealousy so effectually between them as to secure a
+separation.
+
+In the year 1780 Josephine gave birth to her daughter Hortense. This
+event seemed for a time to draw back the wandering affections of
+Beauharnais. He was really proud of his wife. He admired her beauty and
+her grace. He doted upon his infant daughter. But he was an infidel. He
+recognized no law of God, commanding purity of heart and life, and he
+contended that Josephine had no right to complain, as long as he treated
+her kindly, if he did indulge in the waywardness of passion.
+
+The path of Josephine was now, indeed, shrouded in gloom, and each day
+seemed to grow darker and darker. Hortense became her idol and her only
+comfort. Her husband lavished upon her those luxuries which his wealth
+enabled him to grant. He was kind to her in words and in all the
+ordinary courtesies of intercourse. But Josephine's heart was well-nigh
+broken. A few years of conflict passed slowly away, when she gave birth,
+in the year 1783, to her son Eugene. In the society of her children the
+unhappy mother found now her only solace.
+
+While the Viscount Beauharnais was ready to defend his own conduct, he
+was by no means willing that his wife should govern herself by the same
+principles of fashionable philosophy. The code infidel is got up for the
+especial benefit of dissolute _men_; their _wives_ must be governed
+by another code. The artful woman, who was the prime agent in these
+difficulties, affected great sympathy with Josephine in her sorrows,
+protested her own entire innocence, but assured her that M. Beauharnais
+was an ingrate, entirely unworthy of her affections. She deceived
+Josephine, hoarded up the confidence of her stricken heart, and
+conversed with her about _William_, the memory of whose faithful love
+now came with new freshness to the disconsolate wife.
+
+Josephine, lured by her, wrote a letter to her friends in Martinique,
+in which she imprudently said, "Were it not for my children, I should
+without a pang, renounce France forever. My duty requires me to forget
+William; and yet if _we_ had been united together, I should not to-day
+have been troubling you with my griefs."
+
+The woman who instigated her to write this letter was infamous enough
+to obtain it by stealth and show it to Beauharnais. His jealousy and
+indignation were immediately aroused to the highest pitch. He was led by
+this malicious deceiver to believe that Josephine had obtained secret
+interviews with William, and the notoriously unfaithful husband was
+exasperated to the highest degree at the very suspicion of the want of
+fidelity in his wife. He reproached her in language of the utmost
+severity, took Eugene from her, and resolved to endeavor, by legal
+process, to obtain an entire divorce. She implored him, for the sake of
+her children, not to proclaim their difficulties to the world. He,
+however, reckless of consequences, made application to the courts for
+the annulment of the matrimonial bond. Josephine was now compelled
+to defend her own character. She again retired with Hortense to the
+convent, and there, through dreary months of solitude, and silence, and
+dejection, awaited the result of the trial upon which her reputation as
+a virtuous woman was staked. The decree of the court was triumphantly
+in her favor, and Josephine returned to her friends to receive their
+congratulations, but impressed with the conviction that earth had no
+longer a joy in store for her. Her friends did all in their power to
+cheer her desponding spirit; but the wound she had received was too deep
+to be speedily healed. One day her friends, to divert her mind from
+brooding over irreparable sorrows, took her, almost by violence, to
+Versailles. They passed over the enchanting grounds, and through the
+gorgeously-furnished apartments of the Great and Little Trianon, the
+favorite haunts of Maria Antoinette. Here the beautiful Queen of France
+was accustomed to lay aside the pageantry of royalty, and to enjoy,
+without restraint, the society of those who were dear to her. Days of
+darkness and trouble had already begun to darken around her path. As
+Josephine was looking at some of the works of art, she was greatly
+surprised at the entrance of the queen, surrounded by several ladies
+of her court. Maria Antoinette immediately recognized Josephine, and
+with that air of affability and kindness which ever characterized her
+conduct, she approached her, and, with one of her winning smiles, said,
+"Madame Beauharnais, I am very happy to see you at the two Trianons. You
+well know how to appreciate their beauties. I should be much pleased to
+learn what objects you consider most interesting. I shall always receive
+you with pleasure."
+
+These words from the queen were an unspeakable solace to Josephine. Her
+afflicted heart needed the consolation. The queen was acquainted with
+her trials, and thus nobly assured her of her sympathy and her
+confidence. In a few days Maria Antoinette invited Josephine to a
+private interview. She addressed her in words of the utmost kindness,
+promised to watch over the interests of her son, and at the same time,
+as a mark of her especial regard, she took from her neck an antique
+ornament of precious stones, and passed it over the neck of Josephine.
+The king also himself came in at the interview, for his heart had been
+softened by sorrow, and addressed words of consolation to the injured
+and discarded wife.
+
+Josephine now received letters from Martinique earnestly entreating her
+to return, with her children, to the home of her childhood. World-weary,
+she immediately resolved to accept the invitation. But the thought of
+crossing the wide ocean, and leaving her son Eugene behind, was a
+severe pang to a mother's heart. Eugene had been taken from her and sent
+to a boarding-school. Josephine felt so deeply the pang of separation
+from her beloved child, that she obtained an interview with M.
+Beauharnais, and implored him to allow her to take Eugene with her. He
+gave a cold and positive refusal.
+
+A few days after this, Josephine, cruelly separated from her husband and
+bereaved of her son, embarked with Hortense for Martinique. She strove
+to maintain that aspect of cheerfulness and of dignity which an injured
+but innocent woman is entitled to exhibit. When dark hours of
+despondency overshadowed her, she tried to console herself with the
+beautiful thought of Plautus: "If we support adversity with courage, we
+shall have a keener relish for returning prosperity." It does not appear
+that she had any refuge in the consolations of religion. She had a vague
+and general idea of the goodness of a superintending Providence, but she
+was apparently a stranger to those warm and glowing revelations of
+Christianity which introduce us to a sympathizing Savior, a guiding and
+consoling Spirit, a loving and forgiving Father. Could she then, by
+faith, have reposed her aching head upon the bosom of her heavenly
+Father, she might have found a solace such as nothing else could confer.
+But at this time nearly every mind in France was more or less darkened
+by the glooms of infidelity.
+
+The winds soon drove her frail bark across the Atlantic, and Josephine,
+pale and sorrow-stricken, was clasped in the arms and folded to the
+hearts of those who truly loved her. The affectionate negroes gathered
+around her, with loud demonstrations of their sympathy and their joy in
+again meeting their mistress. Here, amid the quiet scenes endeared to
+her by the recollections of childhood, she found a temporary respite
+from those storms by which she had been so severely tossed upon life's
+wild and tempestuous ocean.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+ARREST OF M. BEAUHARNAIS AND JOSEPHINE.
+
+A.D. 1786-A.D. 1793
+
+Sadness of Josephine.--Dissipation of Beauharnais.--Repentance of
+Beauharnais.--Josephine returns to France.--The jewels.--Anecdote of the
+old shoes.--Hortense without shoes.--The kind old sailor.--The shoes
+made.--Eventful life of Hortense.--Marriage of Hortense.--Queen of
+Holland.--Death of Hortense.--Meeting of Josephine and Beauharnais.--
+Influential character of Beauharnais.--Jacobins and Girondists.--The
+Jacobins triumphant.--Fearful commotions.--The warning.--Alarm of
+Josephine.--Beauharnais proudly refuses to attempt an escape.--
+Entreaties of Josephine.--Arrest of Beauharnais.--Beneficence of
+Josephine.--The children deceived.--Indiscretions.--Arrest of
+Josephine.--Josephine takes leave of her sleeping children.--A mother's
+tears.--Brutality of the soldiers.--Josephine dragged to the
+Carmelites.--Forlorn condition of the children.--They find a
+protector.--Gloomy forebodings of Beauharnais and Josephine.
+
+
+Josephine remained in Martinique three years. She passed her time in
+tranquil sadness, engaged in reading, in educating Hortense, and in
+unwearied acts of kindness to those around her. Like all noble minds,
+she had a great fondness for the beauties of nature. The luxuriant
+groves of the tropics, the serene skies which overarched her head, the
+gentle zephyrs which breathed through orange groves, all were congenial
+with her pensive spirit. The thought of Eugene, her beautiful boy, so
+far from her, preyed deeply upon her heart. Often she retired alone to
+some of those lonely walks which she loved so well, and wept over her
+alienated husband and her lost child.
+
+M. Beauharnais surrendered himself for a time, without restraint, to
+every indulgence. He tried, in the society of sin and shame, to forget
+his wife and his absent daughter. He, however, soon found that no friend
+can take the place of a virtuous and an affectionate wife. The memory
+of Josephine's gentleness, and tenderness, and love came flooding back
+upon his heart. He became fully convinced of his injustice to her, and
+earnestly desired to have her restored again to him and to his home. He
+sent communications to Josephine, expressive of his deep regret for the
+past, promising amendment for the future, assuring her of his high
+appreciation of her elevated and honorable character, and imploring her
+to return with Hortense, thus to reunite the divided and sorrow-stricken
+household. It was indeed a gratification to Josephine to receive from
+her husband the acknowledgment that she had never ceased to deserve his
+confidence. The thought of again pressing Eugene to her bosom filled a
+mother's heart with rapture. Still, the griefs which had weighed upon
+her were so heavy, that she confessed to her friends that, were it not
+for the love which she bore Eugene, she would greatly prefer to spend
+the remnant of her days upon her favorite island. Her friends did every
+thing in their power to dissuade her from leaving Martinique. But a
+mother's undying love triumphed, and again she embarked for France.
+
+In subsequent years, when surrounded by all the splendors of royalty,
+she related to some of the ladies of her court, with that unaffected
+simplicity which ever marked her character, the following incident,
+which occurred during this voyage. The ladies were admiring some
+brilliant jewels which were spread out before them. Josephine said to
+them, "My young friends, believe me, splendor does not constitute
+happiness. I at one time received greater enjoyment from the gift of a
+pair of old shoes than all these diamonds have ever afforded me." The
+curiosity of her auditors was, of course, greatly excited, and they
+entreated her to explain her meaning.
+
+"Yes, young ladies," Josephine continued, "of all the presents I ever
+received, the one which gave me the greatest pleasure was _a pair of old
+shoes, and those, too, of coarse leather_. When I last returned to
+France from Martinique, having separated from my first husband, I was
+far from rich. The passage-money exhausted my resources, and it was not
+without difficulty that I obtained the indispensable requisites for our
+voyage. Hortense, obliging and lively, performing with much agility
+the dances of the negroes, and singing their songs with surprising
+correctness, greatly amused the sailors, who, from being her constant
+play-fellows, had become her favorite society. An old sailor became
+particularly attached to the child, and she doted upon the old man. What
+with running, leaping, and walking, my daughter's slight shoes were
+fairly worn out. Knowing that she had not another pair, and fearing I
+would forbid her going upon deck, should this defect in her attire be
+discovered, Hortense carefully concealed the disaster. One day I
+experienced the distress of seeing her return from the deck leaving
+every foot-mark in blood. When examining how matters stood, I found her
+shoes literally in tatters, and her feet dreadfully torn by a nail. We
+were as yet not more than half way across the ocean, and it seemed
+impossible to procure another pair of shoes. I felt quite overcome at
+the idea of the sorrow my poor Hortense would suffer, as also at the
+danger to which her health might be exposed by confinement in my
+miserable little cabin. At this moment our good friend, the old sailor,
+entered and inquired the cause of our distress. Hortense, sobbing all
+the while, eagerly informed him that she could no more go upon deck,
+for her shoes were worn out, and mamma had no others to give her.
+'Nonsense,' said the worthy seaman, 'is that all? I have an old pair
+somewhere in my chest; I will go and seek them. You, madam, can cut
+them to shape, and I will splice them up as well as need be.' Without
+waiting for a reply, away hastened the kind sailor in search of his old
+shoes; these he soon after brought to us with a triumphant air, and they
+were received by Hortense with demonstrations of the most lively joy. We
+set to work with all zeal, and before the day closed my daughter could
+resume her delightful duties of supplying their evening's diversion
+to the crew. I again repeat, never was present received with greater
+thankfulness. It has since often been matter of self-reproach that I did
+not particularly inquire into the name and history of our benefactor. It
+would have been gratifying for me to have done something for him when
+afterward means were in my power."
+
+Poor Hortense! most wonderful were the vicissitudes of her checkered
+and joyless life. We here meet her, almost an infant, in poverty and
+obscurity. The mother and child arrive in Paris on the morning of that
+Reign of Terror, the story of which has made the ear of humanity to
+tingle. Hortense is deprived of both her parents, and is left in
+friendlessness and beggary in the streets of Paris. A charitable
+neighbor cherished and fed her. Her mother is liberated, and married to
+Napoleon; and Hortense, as daughter of the emperor, is surrounded with
+dazzling splendor, such as earth has seldom witnessed. We now meet
+Hortense, radiant in youthful beauty, one of the most admired and
+courted in the midst of the glittering throng, which, like a fairy
+vision, dazzles all eyes in the gorgeous apartments of Versailles and
+St. Cloud. Her person is adorned with the most costly fabrics and the
+most brilliant gems which Europe can afford. The nobles and princes of
+the proudest courts vie with each other for the honor of her hand. She
+is led to her sumptuous bridals by Louis Bonaparte, brother of the
+emperor; becomes the spouse of a king, and takes her seat upon the
+throne of Holland. But in the midst of all this external splendor she
+is wretched at heart. Not one congenial feeling unites her with
+the companion to whom she is bound. Louis, weary of regal pomp and
+constraint, abdicates the throne, and Hortense becomes unendurably weary
+of her pensive and unambitious spouse. They agree to separate; each to
+journey along, unattended by the other, the remainder of life's
+pilgrimage. Hortense seeks a joyless refuge in a secluded castle, in
+one of the most retired valleys of Switzerland. The tornado of
+counter-revolution sweeps over Europe, and all her exalted friends and
+towering hopes are prostrated in the dust. Lingering years of
+disappointment and sadness pass over her, and old age, with its
+infirmities, places her upon a dying bed. One only child, Louis
+Napoleon, since President of the French Republic, the victim of
+corroding ambition and ceaselessly-gnawing discontent, stands at her
+bed-side to close her eyes, and to follow her, a solitary and lonely
+mourner, to the grave. The dream of life has passed. The shadow has
+vanished away. Who can fathom the mystery of the creation of such a
+drama?
+
+Josephine arrived in France. She was received most cordially by her
+husband. Sorrowful experience had taught him the value of a home, and
+the worth of a pure and a sanctified love. Josephine again folded her
+idolized Eugene in her arms, and the anguish of past years was forgotten
+in the blissful enjoyments of a reunited family. These bright and happy
+days were, however, soon again clouded. The French Revolution was now in
+full career. The king and queen were in prison. All law was prostrate.
+M. Beauharnais, at the commencement of the Revolution, had most
+cordially espoused the cause of popular liberty. He stood by the side
+of La Fayette a companion and a supporter. His commanding character
+gave him great influence. He was elected a deputy to the Constituent
+Assembly, and took an active part in its proceedings. Upon the
+dissolution of this Assembly, or States-General, as it was also called,
+as by vote none of its members were immediately re-eligible, he retired
+again to the army; but when the second or Legislative Assembly was
+dissolved and the National Convention was formed, he was returned as a
+member, and at two successive sessions was elected its president.
+
+The people, having obtained an entire victory over monarchy and
+aristocracy, beheaded the king and queen, and drove the nobles from the
+realm. France was now divided into two great parties. The Jacobins were
+so called from an old cloister in which they at first held their
+meetings. All of the lowest, most vicious, and the reckless of the
+nation belonged to this party. They seemed disposed to overthrow
+all law, human and divine. Marat, Danton, and Robespierre were the
+blood-stained leaders of this wild and furious faction. The Girondists,
+their opponents, were so called from the department of the Gironde,
+from which most of the leaders of this party came. They wished for a
+republic like that of the United States, where there should be the
+protection of life, and property, and liberty, with healthy laws
+sacredly enforced.
+
+The conflict between the two parties was long and terrible. The Jacobins
+gained the victory, and the Girondists were led to the guillotine. M.
+Beauharnais was an active member of the Girondist party, of which Madame
+Roland was the soul, and he perished with them. Many of the Girondists
+sought safety in concealment and retreat. M. Beauharnais, conscious of
+his political integrity, proudly refused to save his life by turning his
+back upon his foes.
+
+One morning Josephine was sitting in her parlor, in a state of great
+anxiety in reference to the fearful commotion of the times, when a
+servant announced that some one wished to speak to her. A young man of
+very gentle and prepossessing appearance was introduced, with a bag in
+his hand, in which were several pairs of shoes.
+
+"Citizen," said the man to Josephine, "I understand that you want socks
+of plum gray."
+
+[Illustration: THE WARNING.]
+
+Josephine looked up in surprise, hardly comprehending his meaning,
+when he approached nearer to her, and, in an under tone, whispered,
+"I have something to impart to you, madame."
+
+"Explain yourself," she eagerly replied, much alarmed; "my servant is
+faithful."
+
+"Ah!" he exclaimed, "my life is at stake in this matter."
+
+"Go, Victorine," said Josephine to her servant, "and call my husband."
+
+As soon as they were alone, the young man said, "There is not a moment
+to lose if you would save M. Beauharnais. The Revolutionary Committee
+last night passed a resolution to have him arrested, and at this very
+moment the warrant is making out."
+
+"How know you this?" she demanded, trembling violently.
+
+"I am one of the committee," was the reply, "and, being a shoemaker, I
+thought these shoes would afford me a reasonable pretext for advertising
+you, madame."
+
+At this moment M. Beauharnais entered the room, and Josephine, weeping,
+threw herself into his arms. "You see my husband," she said to the
+shoemaker.
+
+"I have the honor of knowing him," was the reply.
+
+M. Beauharnais wished to reward the young man on the spot for his
+magnanimous and perilous deed of kindness. The offer was respectfully
+but decisively declined. To the earnest entreaties of Josephine and the
+young man that he should immediately secure his safety by his flight or
+concealment, he replied,
+
+"I will never flee; with what can they charge me? I love liberty. I have
+borne arms for the Revolution."
+
+"But you are a noble," the young man rejoined, "and that, in the eye of
+the Revolutionists, is a crime--an unpardonable crime. And, moreover,
+they accuse you of having been a member of the Constitutional Assembly."
+
+"That," said M. Beauharnais, "is my most honorable title to glory. Who
+would not be proud of having proclaimed the rights of the nation, the
+fall of despotism, and the reign of laws?"
+
+"What laws!" exclaimed Josephine. "It is in blood they are written."
+
+"Madame," exclaimed the philanthropic young Jacobin, with a tone of
+severity, "when the tree of liberty is planted in an unfriendly soil,
+it must be watered with the blood of its enemies." Then, turning to M.
+Beauharnais, he said, "Within an hour it will no longer be possible to
+escape. I wished to save you, because I believe you innocent. Such was
+my duty to humanity. But if I am commanded to arrest you--pardon me--I
+shall do my duty; and you will acknowledge the patriot."
+
+The young shoemaker withdrew, and Josephine in vain entreated her
+husband to attempt his escape. "Whither shall I flee?" he answered. "Is
+there a vault, a garret, a hiding-place into which the eye of the tyrant
+Robespierre does not penetrate? We must yield. If I am condemned, how
+can I escape? If I am not condemned, I have nothing to fear."
+
+About two hours elapsed when three members of the Revolutionary
+Committee, accompanied by a band of armed men, broke into the house. The
+young shoemaker was one of this committee, and with firmness, but with
+much urbanity, he arrested M. Beauharnais. Josephine, as her husband was
+led to prison, was left in her desolated home. And she found herself
+indeed deserted and alone. No one could then manifest any sympathy with
+the proscribed without periling life. Josephine's friends, one by one,
+all abandoned her. The young shoemaker alone, who had arrested her
+husband, continued secretly to call with words of sympathy.
+
+Josephine made great exertions to obtain the release of her husband, and
+was also unwearied in her benefactions to multitudes around her who, in
+those days of lawlessness and of anguish, were deprived of property, of
+friends, and of home. The only solace she found in her own grief was in
+ministering to the consolation of others. Josephine, from the kindest of
+motives, but very injudiciously, deceived her children in reference to
+their father's arrest, and led them to suppose that he was absent from
+home in consequence of ill health. When at last she obtained permission
+to visit, with her children, her husband in prison, they detected the
+deceit. After returning from the prison after their first interview,
+Hortense remarked to her mother that she thought her father's apartment
+very small, and the patients very numerous. She appeared for a time very
+thoughtful, and then inquired of Eugene, with an anxious expression of
+countenance,
+
+"Do _you_ believe that papa is ill? If he is, it certainly is not the
+sickness which the doctors cure."
+
+"What do you mean, my dear child?" asked Josephine. "Can you suppose
+that papa and I would contrive between us to deceive you?"
+
+"Pardon me, mamma, but I do think so."
+
+"Why, sister," exclaimed Eugene, "how can you say so?"
+
+"Good parents," she replied, "are unquestionably permitted to deceive
+their children when they wish to spare them uneasiness. Is it not so,
+mamma?"
+
+Josephine was not a little embarrassed by this detection, and was
+compelled to acknowledge that which it was no longer possible to
+conceal.
+
+In the interview which M. Beauharnais held with his wife and his
+children, he spoke with some freedom to his children of the injustice of
+his imprisonment. This sealed his doom. Listeners, who were placed in an
+adjoining room to note down his words, reported the conversation, and
+magnified it into a conspiracy for the overthrow of the republic. M.
+Beauharnais was immediately placed in close confinement. Josephine
+herself was arrested and plunged into prison, and even the terrified
+children were rigidly examined by a brutal committee, who, by promises
+and by threats, did what they could to extort from them some confession
+which would lead to the conviction of their parents.
+
+Josephine, the morning of her arrest, received an anonymous letter,
+warning her of her danger. It was at an early hour, and her children
+were asleep in their beds. But how could she escape? Where could she go?
+Should she leave her children behind her--a mother abandon her children!
+Should she take them with her, and thus prevent the possibility of
+eluding arrest? Would not her attempt at flight be construed into a
+confession of guilt, and thus compromise the safety of her husband?
+While distracted with these thoughts, she heard a loud knocking and
+clamor at the outer door of the house. She understood too well the
+significance of those sounds. With a great effort to retain a tranquil
+spirit, she passed into the room where her children were sleeping. As
+she fixed her eyes upon them, so sweetly lost in slumber, and thought of
+the utter abandonment to which they were doomed, her heart throbbed with
+anguish, and tears, of such bitterness as are seldom shed upon earth,
+filled her eyes. She bent over her daughter, and imprinted a mother's
+farewell kiss upon her forehead. The affectionate child, though asleep,
+clasped her arms around her mother's neck, and, speaking the thoughts of
+the dream passing through her mind, said "Come to bed. Fear nothing.
+They shall not take you away this night. I have prayed to God for you."
+
+The tumult in the outer hall continually increasing, Josephine, fearful
+of awaking Hortense and Eugene, cast a last lingering look of love upon
+them, and, withdrawing from the chamber, closed the door and entered her
+parlor. There she found a band of armed men, headed by the brutal wretch
+who had so unfeelingly examined her children. The soldiers were hardened
+against every appeal of humanity, and performed their unfeeling office
+without any emotion, save that of hatred for one whom they deemed to be
+an aristocrat. They seized Josephine rudely, and took possession of all
+the property in the house in the name of the Republic. They dragged
+their victim to the convent of the Carmelites, and she was immured in
+that prison, where, but a few months before, more than eight thousand
+had been massacred by the mob of Paris. Even the blackest annals of
+religious fanaticism can record no outrages more horrible than those
+which rampant infidelity perpetrated in these days of its temporary
+triumphs.
+
+When Eugene and Hortense awoke, they found themselves indeed alone in
+the wide world. They were informed by a servant of the arrest and the
+imprisonment of their mother. The times had long been so troubled, and
+the children were so familiar with the recital of such scenes of
+violence, that they were prepared to meet these fearful perplexities
+with no little degree of discretion. After a few tears, they tried to
+summon resolution to act worthily of their father and mother. Hortense,
+with that energy of character which she manifested through her whole
+life, advised that they should go to the Luxembourg, where their father
+was confined, and demand admission to share his imprisonment. Eugene,
+with that caution which characterized him when one of the leaders in the
+army of Napoleon, and when viceroy of Italy, apprehensive lest thus they
+might in some way compromise the safety of their father, recalled to
+mind an aged great-aunt, who was residing in much retirement in the
+vicinity of Versailles, and suggested the propriety of seeking a refuge
+with her. An humble female friend conducted the children to Versailles,
+where they were most kindly received.
+
+When the gloom of the ensuing night darkened the city, M. Beauharnais in
+his cheerless cell, and Josephine in her prison still stained with the
+blood of massacre, wept over the desolation of their home and their
+hopes. They knew not the fate of their children, and their minds were
+oppressed with the most gloomy forebodings. On the ensuing day,
+Josephine's heart was cheered with the tidings of their safety. Such was
+the second terrific storm which Josephine encountered on life's dark
+waters.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+SCENES IN PRISON.
+
+A.D. 1794
+
+Convent of the Carmelites.--Quality of the prisoners.--Cheerfulness
+of Josephine.--Reading the daily journal.--Scenes from the prison
+windows.--Anecdote of Hortense.--Letter from Josephine to Hortense.--
+Mitigation of severity.--Josephine appeals to the Committee.--She is
+summoned to trial.--The unexpected interview.--Feeling manifested
+by Beauharnais.--Trial of M. Beauharnais and Josephine.--Hopes
+cherished.--Beauharnais's last letter to Josephine.--Brutality of
+the executioners.--Removal of the guillotine.--Execution of M.
+Beauharnais.--Josephine becomes informed thereof.--Her grief.--Her
+despair.--Preparations for the execution of Josephine.--She becomes
+cheerful.--Credulity of Josephine.--The unexpected deliverance.--A
+miraculous change.--Deliverance to the captives.
+
+
+The Convent of the Carmelites, in which Josephine was imprisoned, had
+acquired a fearful celebrity during the Reign of Terror. It was a vast
+and gloomy pile, so capacious in its halls, its chapel, its cells, and
+its subterranean dungeons, that at one time nearly ten thousand
+prisoners were immured within its frowning walls. In every part of the
+building the floors were still deeply stained with the blood of the
+recent massacres. The infuriated men and women, intoxicated with rum and
+rage, who had broken into the prison, dragged multitudes of their
+victims, many of whom were priests, into the chapel, that they might, in
+derision of religion, poniard them before the altar. About three hundred
+thousand innocent victims of the Revolution now crowded the prisons of
+France. These unhappy captives, awaiting the hour of their execution,
+were not the ignorant, the debased, the degraded, but the noblest, the
+purest, the most refined of the citizens of the republic. Josephine was
+placed in the chapel of the convent, where she found one hundred and
+sixty men and women as the sharers of her captivity.
+
+The natural buoyancy of her disposition led her to take as cheerful a
+view as possible of the calamity in which the family was involved. Being
+confident that no serious charge could be brought against her husband,
+she clung to the hope that they both would soon be liberated, and that
+happy days were again to dawn upon her reunited household. She wrote
+cheering letters to her husband and to her children. Her smiling
+countenance and words of kindness animated with new courage the
+grief-stricken and the despairing who surrounded her. She immediately
+became a universal favorite with the inmates of the prison. Her
+instinctive tact enabled her to approach all acceptably, whatever their
+rank or character. She soon became prominent in influence among the
+prisoners, and reigned there, as every where else, over the hearts of
+willing subjects. Her composure, her cheerfulness, her clear and
+melodious voice, caused her to be selected to read, each day, to the
+ladies, the journal of the preceding day. From their windows they could
+see, each morning, the carts bearing through the streets their burden
+of unhappy victims who were to perish on the scaffold. Not unfrequently
+a wife would catch a glimpse of her husband, or a mother of her son,
+borne past the grated windows in the cart of the condemned. Who can tell
+the fear and anguish with which the catalogue of the guillotined was
+read, when each trembling heart apprehended that the next word might
+announce that some loved one had perished? Not unfrequently a piercing
+shriek, and a fainting form falling lifeless upon the floor, revealed
+upon whose heart the blow had fallen.
+
+Hortense, impetuous and unreflecting, was so impatient to see her
+mother, that one morning she secretly left her aunt's house, and, in a
+market cart, traveled thirty miles to Paris. She found her mother's
+maid, Victorine, at the family mansion, where all the property was
+sealed up by the revolutionary functionaries. After making unavailing
+efforts to obtain an interview with her parents, she returned the next
+day to Fontainebleau. Josephine was informed of this imprudent act of
+ardent affection, and wrote to her child the following admirable letter:
+
+     "I should be entirely satisfied with the good heart of my
+     Hortense were I not displeased with her bad head. How is it,
+     my daughter, that, without permission from your aunt, you
+     have come to Paris? This was very wrong! But it was to see
+     me, you will say. You ought to be aware that no one can see
+     me without an order, to obtain which requires both means and
+     precautions. And, besides, you got upon M. Dorcet's cart, at
+     the risk of incommoding him and retarding the conveyance
+     of his merchandise. In all this you have been very
+     inconsiderate. My child! observe, it is not sufficient to do
+     good; you must also do good properly. At your age, the first
+     of all virtues is confidence and docility toward your
+     relations. I am therefore obliged to tell you that I prefer
+     your tranquil attachment to your misplaced warmth. This,
+     however, does not prevent me from embracing you, but less
+     tenderly than I shall do when I learn that you have returned
+     to your aunt."
+
+There was at this time, for some unknown reason, a little mitigation in
+the severity with which the prisoners were treated, and Josephine was
+very sanguine in the belief that the hour of their release was at hand.
+Emboldened by this hope, she wrote a very earnest appeal to the
+Committee of Public Safety, before whom the accusations against M.
+Beauharnais would be brought. The sincerity and frankness of the
+eloquent address so touched the feelings of the president of the
+committee, that he resolved to secure for Josephine and her husband the
+indulgence of an interview. The greatest caution was necessary in doing
+this, for he periled his own life by the manifestation of any sympathy
+for the accused.
+
+The only way in which he could accomplish his benevolent project was to
+have them both brought together for trial. Neither of them knew of this
+design. One morning Josephine, while dreaming of liberty and of her
+children, was startled by the unexpected summons to appear before the
+Revolutionary tribunal. She knew that justice had no voice which could
+be heard before that merciless and sanguinary court. She knew that the
+mockery of a trial was but the precursor of the sentence, which was
+immediately followed by the execution. From her high hopes this summons
+caused a fearful fall. Thoughts of her husband and her children rushed
+in upon her overflowing heart, and the tenderness of the woman for a few
+moments triumphed over the heroine. Soon, however, regaining in some
+degree her composure, she prepared herself, with as much calmness as
+possible, to meet her doom. She was led from her prison to the hall
+where the blood-stained tribunal held its session, and, with many
+others, was placed in an ante-room, to await her turn for an examination
+of a few minutes, upon the issues of which life or death was suspended.
+While Josephine was sitting here, in the anguish of suspense, an
+opposite door was opened, and some armed soldiers led in a group of
+victims from another prison. As Josephine's eye vacantly wandered over
+their features, she was startled by the entrance of one whose wan and
+haggard features strikingly reminded her of her husband. She looked
+again, their eyes met, and husband and wife were instantly locked in
+each other's embrace. At this interview, the stoicism of M. Beauharnais
+was entirely subdued--the thoughts of the past, of his unworthiness, of
+the faithful and generous love of Josephine, rushed in a resistless
+flood upon his soul. He leaned his aching head upon the forgiving bosom
+of Josephine, and surrendered himself to love, and penitence, and tears.
+
+This brief and painful interview was their last. They never met again.
+They were allowed but a few moments together ere the officers came and
+dragged M. Beauharnais before the judges. His examination lasted but a
+few minutes, when he was remanded back to prison. Nothing was proved
+against him. No serious accusation even was laid to his charge. But he
+was a noble. He had descended from illustrious ancestors, and therefore,
+as an aristocrat, he was doomed to die. Josephine was also conducted
+into the presence of this sanguinary tribunal. She was the wife of a
+nobleman. She was the friend of Marie Antoinette. She had even received
+distinguished attentions at court. These crimes consigned her also to
+the guillotine. Josephine was conducted back to her prison, unconscious
+of the sentence which had been pronounced against her husband and
+herself. She even cherished the sanguine hope that they would soon be
+liberated, for she could not think it possible that they could be doomed
+to death without even the accusation of crime.
+
+Each evening there was brought into the prison a list of the names of
+those who were to be led to the guillotine on the ensuing morning. A
+few days after the trial, on the evening of the 24th of July, 1794,
+M. Beauharnais found his name with the proscribed who were to be led
+to the scaffold with the light of the next day. Love for his wife and
+his children rendered life too precious to him to be surrendered
+without anguish. But sorrow had subdued his heart, and led him with
+prayerfulness to look to God for strength to meet the trial. The native
+dignity of his character also nerved him to meet his fate with
+fortitude.
+
+He sat down calmly in his cell, and wrote a long, affectionate, and
+touching letter to his wife. He assured her of his most heartfelt
+appreciation of the purity and nobleness of her character, and of her
+priceless worth as a wife and a mother. He thanked her again and again
+for the generous spirit with which she forgave his offenses, when, weary
+and contrite, he returned from his guilty wanderings, and anew sought
+her love. He implored her to cherish in the hearts of his children the
+memory of their father, that, though dead, he might still live in their
+affections. While he was writing, the executioners came in to cut off
+his long hair, that the ax might do its work unimpeded. Picking up a
+small lock from the floor, he wished to transmit it to his wife as his
+last legacy. The brutal executioners forbade him the privilege. He,
+however, succeeded in purchasing from them a few hairs, which he
+inclosed in his letter, and which she subsequently received.
+
+In the early dawn of the morning, the cart of the condemned was at the
+prison door. The Parisians were beginning to be weary of the abundant
+flow of blood, and Robespierre had therefore caused the guillotine to
+be removed from the Place de la Revolution to an obscure spot in the
+Faubourg St. Antoine. A large number of victims were doomed to die that
+morning. The carts, as they rolled along the pavements, groaned with
+their burdens, and the persons in the streets looked on in sullen
+silence. M. Beauharnais, with firmness, ascended the scaffold. The slide
+of the guillotine fell, and the brief drama of his stormy life was
+ended.
+
+While the mutilated form of M. Beauharnais was borne to an ignoble
+burial, Josephine, entirely unconscious of the calamity which had
+befallen her, was cheering her heart with the hope of a speedy union
+with her husband and her children in their own loved home. The morning
+after the execution, the daily journal, containing the names of those
+who had perished on the preceding day, was brought, as usual, to the
+prison. Some of the ladies in the prison had received the intimation
+that M. Beauharnais had fallen. They watched, therefore, the arrival of
+the journal, and, finding their fears established, they tried, for a
+time, to conceal the dreadful intelligence from the unconscious widow.
+But Josephine was eagerly inquiring for the paper, and at last obtaining
+it, she ran her eye hastily over the record of executions, and found the
+name of her husband in the fatal list. She fell senseless upon the
+floor. For a long time she remained in a swoon. When consciousness
+returned, and with it a sense of the misery into which she was plunged,
+in the delirium of her anguish she exclaimed, "Oh God! let me die! let
+me die! There is no peace for me but in the grave."
+
+Her friends gathered around her. They implored her to think of her
+children, and for their sake to prize a life she could no longer prize
+for her own. The poignancy of her grief gradually subsided into the calm
+of despair. A sleepless night lingered slowly away. The darkness and
+the gloom of a prison settled down upon her soul. The morning dawned
+drearily. A band of rough and merciless agents from the Revolutionary
+Assembly came to her with the almost welcome intelligence that in two
+days she was to be led to the Conciergerie, and from thence to her
+execution. These tidings would have been joyful to Josephine were it
+not for her children. A mother's love clung to the orphans, and it was
+with pain inexpressible that she thought of leaving them alone in this
+tempestuous world--a world made so stormy, so woeful, by man's
+inhumanity to his fellow-man.
+
+The day preceding the one assigned for her execution arrived. The
+numerous friends of Josephine in the prison hung around her with tears.
+The heartless jailer came and took away her mattress, saying, with a
+sneer, that she would need it no longer, as her head was soon to repose
+upon the soft pillow of the guillotine. It is reported that, as the hour
+of execution drew nearer, Josephine became not only perfectly calm, but
+even cheerful in spirit. She looked affectionately upon the weeping
+group gathered around her, and, recalling at the moment the prediction
+of the aged negress, gently smiling, said, "We have no cause for alarm
+my friends; I am not to be executed. It is written in the decrees of
+Fate that I am yet to be Queen of France." Some of her friends thought
+that the suppressed anguish of her heart had driven her to delirium, and
+they wept more bitterly. But one of the ladies, Madame d'Aiguillon, was
+a little irritated at pleasantry which she deemed so ill timed. With
+something like resentment, she asked, "Why, then, madame, do you not
+appoint your household?" "Ah! that is true," Josephine replied. "I had
+forgotten. Well, you, my dear, shall be my maid of honor. I promise you
+the situation." They both lived to witness the strange fulfillment of
+this promise. Josephine, however, who, from the circumstances of her
+early life, was inclined to credulity, afterward declared that at the
+time her mind reposed in the full confidence that in some way her life
+would be saved, and that the prediction of the negress would be
+virtually realized.
+
+The shades of night settled down around the gloomy convent, enveloping
+in their folds the despairing hearts which thronged this abode of woe.
+Suddenly the most exultant shout of joy burst from every lip, and echoed
+along through corridors, and dungeons, and grated cells. There was
+weeping and fainting for rapture inexpressible. The prisoners leaped
+into each other's arms, and, frantic with happiness, clung together in
+that long and heartfelt embrace which none can appreciate but those who
+have been companions in woe. Into the blackness of their midnight there
+had suddenly burst the blaze of noonday. What caused this apparently
+miraculous change? The iron-hearted jailer had passed along, announcing,
+in coarsest phrase, THAT ROBESPIERRE WAS GUILLOTINED. There had been a
+new revolution. The tyrant had fallen. The prisons which he had filled
+with victims were to be emptied of their captives.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+THE RELEASE FROM PRISON.
+
+A.D. 1794-A.D. 1795
+
+Robespierre.--M. Tallien.--Madame de Fontenay.--A lover's device.--
+Execution of Robespierre decreed.--He is guillotined.--Singular mode
+of conveying information.--Pantomimic representation of Robespierre's
+fall.--Universal joy caused by the death of the tyrant.--Josephine
+released from captivity.--Gloomy prospect.--Heartlessness of Marat.
+--Eugene apprenticed to an artisan.--Kindness of Josephine's
+friends.--She recovers her property.--A domestic scene.--A new order
+of knighthood.--The Order of _Filial Love_.--Inauguration.--Decorations
+of the room.--The oath.--New organisation of social society.--The
+"Ball of the Victims."--Fashionable style of hair-dressing.--A new
+insurrection.--The little Corsican.--Napoleon's authority established.
+--The Tuilleries fortified.--Advance of the insurgents.--Napoleon
+opens his batteries.--Defeat of the insurgents.--Rising fame of
+Napoleon.--His first interview with Josephine.--His "seal."--Napoleon
+disarms the populace.--The sword of Beauharnais.--Napoleon regards
+Josephine with interest.--Her opinion of him.--Letter to a friend.--
+Foresight of Napoleon.--His confidence.--His ambition unbounded.--His
+moral principles.--Napoleon's estimate of the female sex.--Strength
+of his attachment.
+
+
+The overthrow of Robespierre, and the consequent escape of Josephine
+from the doom impending over her, was in the following manner most
+strangely accomplished. The tyranny of Robespierre had become nearly
+insupportable. Conspiracies were beginning to be formed to attempt his
+overthrow. A lady of great beauty and celebrity, Madame de Fontenay, was
+imprisoned with Josephine. M. Tallien, a man of much influence with a
+new party then rising into power, had conceived a strong attachment for
+this lady, and, though he could not safely indulge himself in interviews
+with her in prison, he was in the habit of coming daily to the Convent
+of the Carmelites that he might have the satisfaction of catching a
+glimpse of the one he loved through her grated window.
+
+Madame de Fontenay had received secret intelligence that she was soon
+to be led before the Convention for trial. This she knew to be but the
+prelude of her execution. That evening M. Tallien appeared as usual
+before the guarded casement of the Carmelites. Madame de Fontenay and
+Josephine, arm in arm, leaned against the bars of the window, as if to
+breathe the fresh evening air, and made a sign to arrest M. Tallien's
+particular attention. They then dropped from the window a piece of
+cabbage-leaf, in which Madame de Fontenay had inclosed the following
+note:
+
+     "My trial is decreed--the result is certain. If you love me
+     as you say, urge every means to save France and me."
+
+With intense interest, they watched the motions of M. Tallien until they
+saw him take the cabbage-leaf from the ground. Roused by the billet to
+the consciousness of the necessity of immediate action, he proceeded to
+the Convention, and, with the impassioned energy which love for Madame
+de Fontenay and hatred of Robespierre inspired, made an energetic and
+fearless assault upon the tyrant. Robespierre, pale and trembling, saw
+that his hour had come. A decree of accusation was preferred against
+him, and the head of the merciless despot fell upon that guillotine
+where he had already caused so many thousands to perish. The day before
+Josephine was to have been executed, he was led, mangled and bleeding,
+to the scaffold. He had attempted to commit suicide. The ball missed its
+aim, but shattered his jaw. The wretched man ascended the ladder, and
+stood upon the platform of the guillotine. The executioners tore the
+bandage from his mangled face, that the linen might not impede the blow
+of the ax. Their rude treatment of the inflamed wound extorted a cry of
+agony, which thrilled upon the ear of the assembled crowd, and produced
+a silence as of the grave. The next moment the slide fell, and the
+mutilated head was severed from the body. Then the very heavens seemed
+rent by one long, loud, exulting shout, which proclaimed that
+Robespierre was no more!
+
+The death of Robespierre arrested the ax which was just about to fall
+upon the head of Josephine. The first intimation of his overthrow was
+communicated to her in the following singular manner. Madame d'Aiguillon
+was weeping bitterly, and sinking down with faintness in view of the
+bloody death to which her friend was to be led on the morrow. Josephine,
+whose fortitude had not forsaken her, drew her almost senseless
+companion to the window, that she might be revived by the fresh air.
+Her attention was arrested by a woman of the lower orders in the street,
+who was continually looking up to the window, beckoning to Josephine,
+and making many very singular gestures. She seemed to desire to call
+her attention particularly to the _robe_ which she wore, holding it
+up, and pointing to it again and again. Josephine, through the iron
+grating, cried out _Robe_. The woman eagerly gave signs of assent, and
+immediately took up a stone, which in French is _Pierre_. Josephine
+again cried out _pierre_. The woman appeared overjoyed on perceiving
+that her pantomime began to be understood. She then put the two
+together, pointing alternately to the one and to the other. Josephine
+cried out _Robespierre_. The woman then began to dance and shout with
+delight, and made signs of cutting off a head.
+
+[Illustration: THE PANTOMIME.]
+
+This pantomime excited emotions in the bosom of Josephine which cannot
+be described. She hardly dared to believe that the tyrant had actually
+fallen, and yet she knew not how else to account for the singular
+conduct of the woman. But a few moments elapsed before a great noise
+was heard in the corridor of the prison. The turnkey, in loud and
+fearless tones, cried out to his dog, "Get out, you cursed brute of
+a Robespierre!" This emphatic phraseology convinced them that the
+sanguinary monster before whom all France had trembled was no longer to
+be feared. In a few moments the glad tidings were resounding through the
+prison, and many were in an instant raised from the abyss of despair to
+almost a delirium of bliss. Josephine's bed was restored to her, and she
+placed her head upon her pillow that night, and sank down to the most
+calm and delightful repose.
+
+No language can describe the transports excited throughout all France by
+the tidings of the fall of Robespierre. Three hundred thousand captives
+were then lingering in the prisons of Paris awaiting death. As the
+glittering steel severed the head of the tyrant from his body, their
+prison doors burst open, and France was filled with hearts throbbing
+with ecstasy, and with eyes overflowing with tears of rapture. Five
+hundred thousand fugitives were trembling in their retreats,
+apprehensive of arrest. They issued from their hiding-places frantic
+with joy, and every village witnessed their tears and embraces.
+
+The new party which now came into power with Tallien at its head,
+immediately liberated those who had been condemned by their opponents,
+and the prison doors of Josephine were thrown open to her. But from the
+gloom of her cell she returned to a world still dark and clouded. Her
+husband had been beheaded, and all his property confiscated. She found
+herself a widow and penniless. Nearly all of her friends had perished in
+the storms which had swept over France. The Reign of Terror had passed
+away, but gaunt famine was staring the nation in the face. They were
+moments of ecstasy when Josephine, again free, pressed Eugene and
+Hortense to her heart. But the most serious embarrassments immediately
+crowded upon her. Poverty, stern and apparently remediless, was her lot.
+She had no friends upon whom she had any right to call for aid. There
+was no employment open before her by which she could obtain her
+subsistence; and it appeared that she and her children were to be
+reduced to absolute beggary. These were among the darkest hours of her
+earthly career. It was from this abyss of obscurity and want that she
+was to be raised to a position of splendor and of power such as the
+wildest dreams of earthly ambition could hardly have conceived.
+
+Though Robespierre was dead, the strife of rancorous parties raged with
+unabated violence, and blood flowed freely. The reign of the mob still
+continued, and it was a mark of patriotism demanded by the clamors of
+haggard want and degradation to persecute all of noble blood. Young
+girls from the boarding-schools, and boys just emerging from the period
+of childhood, were beheaded by the guillotine. "We must exterminate,"
+said Marat, "all the _whelps_ of aristocracy." Josephine trembled for
+her children. Poverty, and the desire of concealing Eugene among
+the mass of the people, induced her to apprentice her son to a
+house-carpenter. For several months Eugene cheerfully and laboriously
+toiled in this humble occupation. But the sentiments he had imbibed
+from both father and mother ennobled him, and every day produced new
+developments of a lofty character, which no circumstances could long
+depress.
+
+Let such a woman as Josephine, with her cheerful, magnanimous,
+self-sacrificing, and generous spirit, be left destitute in any place
+where human beings are congregated, and she will soon inevitably meet
+with those who will feel honored in securing her friendship and in
+offering her a home. Every fireside has a welcome for a noble heart.
+Madame Dumoulin, a lady of great elevation of character, whose large
+fortune had by some chance escaped the general wreck, invited Josephine
+to her house, and freely supplied her wants. Madame Fontenay, also,
+who was a woman of great beauty and accomplishments, soon after her
+liberation was married to M. Tallien, to whom she had tossed the note,
+inclosed in a cabbage-leaf, from her prison window. It was this note
+which had so suddenly secured the overthrow of the tyrant, and had
+rescued so many from the guillotine. They both became the firm friends
+of Josephine. Others, also, soon became strongly attracted to her by the
+loveliness of her character, and were ambitious to supply all her wants.
+
+Through M. Tallien, she urged her claim upon the National Convention for
+the restoration of her confiscated property. After a long and tedious
+process, she succeeded in regaining such a portion of her estate as to
+provide her amply with all the comforts of life. Again she had her own
+peaceful home, with Eugene and Hortense by her side. Her natural
+buoyancy of spirits rose superior to the storms which had swept so
+mercilessly over her, and in the love of her idolized children, and
+surrounded by the sympathies of appreciative friends, days of serenity,
+and even of joy, began to shine upon her.
+
+A domestic scene occurred in the dwelling of Josephine on the
+anniversary of the death of M. Beauharnais peculiarly characteristic of
+the times and of the French people. Josephine called Eugene to her room,
+and presented to him a portrait of his father. "Carry it to your
+chamber, my son," she said, "and often let it be the object of your
+contemplations. Above all, let him whose image it presents be your
+constant model. He was the most amiable of men; he would have been the
+best of fathers."
+
+Eugene was a young man of that enthusiastic genius which is the almost
+invariable accompaniment of a noble character. His emotions were deeply
+excited. With the characteristic ardor of his countrymen, he covered the
+portrait with kisses, and wept freely. Josephine folded her noble boy in
+her embrace, and they mingled their tears together.
+
+In the evening, as Josephine was sitting alone in her parlor, her son
+entered, accompanied by six young men, his companions, each decorated
+with a copy of the portrait of M. Beauharnais suspended from the neck by
+a black and white ribbon. "You see," said Eugene to his mother, "the
+founders of a new order of knighthood. Behold our tutelary saint,"
+pointing to the portrait of his father. "And these are the first
+members." He then introduced his youthful companions to his mother.
+
+"Ours," he continued, "is named the Order of _Filial Love_; and, if you
+would witness the first inauguration, pass with these gentlemen into the
+small drawing-room."
+
+Josephine entered the drawing-room with the youthful group, and found it
+very tastefully ornamented with garlands of ivy, roses, and laurels.
+Inscriptions, taken from the printed discourses or remarkable sayings of
+M. Beauharnais, were suspended upon the walls. Girandoles, with lighted
+tapers, brilliantly illuminated the room. An altar was erected, hung
+with festoons of flowers, and upon this altar was placed the full-length
+portrait of M. Beauharnais. Three crowns of white and red roses were
+suspended from the picture-frame, and in front were placed two vases
+with perfumes.
+
+The young gentlemen ranged themselves about the altar in perfect
+silence, and, at a concerted signal, eagerly unsheathed the swords
+which they wore at their sides, and, clasping hands, solemnly took the
+oath, "_To love their parents, succor each other, and to defend their
+country_." At this moment, Eugene, unfurling and waving a small banner,
+with its folds shaded the head of his father. "We then embraced each
+other," says Josephine, "mingling tears with smiles, and the most
+amiable disorder succeeded to the ceremonial of inauguration."
+
+The fascination of Josephine's person and address drew multitudes of
+friends around her, and her society was ever coveted. As time softened
+the poignancy of her past sorrows, she mingled more and more in the
+social circles of that metropolis where pleasure and gayety ever reign.
+The terrible convulsions of the times had thrown the whole fabric of
+society into confusion. Great efforts were now made to revive the
+festivities of former days. Two centers of society were naturally
+established. The first included that in which Josephine moved. It was
+composed of the remains of the ancient nobility, who had returned to
+Paris with the fragments of their families and their shattered fortunes.
+Rigid economy was necessary to keep up any appearance of elegance.
+But that polish of manners which almost invariably descends from an
+illustrious ancestry marked all their intercourse. The humiliations
+through which the nobles had passed had not diminished the exclusiveness
+of their tastes. The other circle was composed of merchants and bankers
+who had acquired opulence in the midst of the confiscations and storms
+of revolution. The passion for display was prominent in all their
+assemblies, as is necessarily the case with those whose passport to
+distinction is wealth.
+
+At the theaters and all the places of public festivity, there were
+presented studied memorials of the scenes of horror through which
+all had recently passed. One of the most fashionable and brilliant
+assemblies then known in Paris was called _The Ball of the Victims_. No
+one was admitted to this assembly who had not lost some near relative by
+the guillotine. The most fashionable style of dressing the hair was
+jocosely called "à la guillotine." The hair was arranged in the manner
+in which it had been adjusted by the executioner for the unimpeded
+operation of the ax. And thus, with songs, and dances, and
+laughter-moving jokes, they commemorated the bloody death of their
+friends.
+
+A new insurrection by the populace of Paris was at this time planned
+against the Convention. The exasperated people were again to march upon
+the Tuilleries. The members were in extreme consternation. The mob could
+bring tens of thousands against them, well armed with muskets and heavy
+artillery. There were but five hundred regular troops with which to
+resist the onset. Menou, the officer in command, acknowledged his
+inability to meet the crisis, and surrendered his power to Barras. This
+general immediately, as by a sudden thought, exclaimed, "I know the man
+who can defend us! He is a little Corsican, who dares do any thing, and
+is perfectly reckless of consequences!"
+
+The little Corsican, Napoleon Bonaparte, the day-star of whose fame was
+just beginning to rise over the smouldering ruins of Toulon, was invited
+to meet the Convention. His fragile form was almost feminine in its
+proportions, but an eagle eye calmly reposed in his pallid and emaciate
+countenance. He had been severely sick, and the Convention looked with
+amazement and incredulity upon this feeble youth, as the one presented
+to rescue them from their impending peril.
+
+The president fixed his eye upon him doubtingly, and said, "Are you
+willing to undertake our defense?"
+
+"Yes!" was the calm, laconic, and almost indifferent reply.
+
+"But are you aware of the magnitude of the undertaking?"
+
+"Fully!" said Napoleon, fixing his piercing eye upon the president; "and
+I am in the habit of accomplishing that which I undertake."
+
+From that moment his authority was established. Every member of the
+Convention felt the mysterious fascination of his master mind. Barras
+surrendered the whole command into his hands. He instantly called into
+the city all the national forces which were around Paris, and disposed
+fifty pieces of heavy artillery, under the command of Murat, so as to
+rake all the avenues to the Convention. His calm and almost superhuman
+energy sought no repose that night. The delay of but a few moments would
+have placed this very park of artillery, which secured his victory, in
+the hands of the insurgents. When the morning dawned, the Tuilleries, as
+if by magic, had assumed the aspect of a fortified camp. The little
+Corsican was silently and calmly awaiting the onset, as secure of
+triumph as if the victory were already achieved.
+
+But in every quarter of Paris, during the night, the insurgents had
+been mustering their forces, and the mutterings of the approaching storm
+were dismally echoed through the streets of the metropolis. Above thirty
+thousand men, all well armed with musketry and artillery, in regular
+military array, and under experienced generals, came pouring down upon
+the feeble band which surrounded the Convention.
+
+Will the little Corsican dare to fire upon the people? Will this pale
+and slender youth, who had hardly yet entered upon the period of
+manhood, dare to deluge the pavements of Paris with the blood of her own
+citizens? Will he venture upon a conflict so unequal, when failure is
+his certain death?
+
+Napoleon, with his colorless cheek, his flashing eye, and his air of
+mysterious melancholy, stood in silence, as the gathering thousands
+crowded down upon him. He offered no parley; he uttered not a word of
+warning; he condescended to no threats. The insurgents, believing that
+he would not dare to fire upon them, advanced within fifty yards of
+his masked battery, when he opened his columns, and, in the roar of
+artillery shotted to the muzzle, the voice of Napoleon was for the first
+time heard in the streets of Paris. The thunder of his tones was
+preceded by the lightning's bolt. The merciless storm of grape-shot,
+sweeping the streets, covered the ground with the dead and the dying. No
+mortal could withstand such a conflict. The advancing foe wavered for an
+instant, and then, in the utmost consternation, took to flight. Napoleon
+commanded immediately the most rapid discharge of blank cartridges. Peal
+upon peal, their loud reverberations deafened the city, and added wings
+to the flight of the terror-stricken crowd. But a few moments elapsed
+ere not even a straggler could be seen in the deserted streets. The
+little Corsican, pale and calm, stood, with folded arms, as unperturbed
+as if no event of any moment had occurred. During the whole day,
+however, the conflict continued in different parts of the city, but
+before nightfall the insurgents were every where entirely discomfited.
+
+Paris was now filled with the name of Napoleon. Some regarded him as
+a savior, protecting the Convention; others considered him a demon,
+deluging the capital with blood. One evening, Josephine was visiting at
+the house of a friend, and sitting by a window examining some beautiful
+violets, when _Bonaparte_ was announced. Josephine had never yet met
+him, though, of course, she had heard much of one whose rising fame
+filled the metropolis.
+
+She says that she trembled violently at the announcement of his name.
+His entrance seemed to excite general interest, and all eyes were turned
+toward him, though most of the company regarded him in silence. He
+approached Josephine, and the subject of the recent conflict in the
+streets of Paris was introduced.
+
+"It seems to me," said Josephine, "that it is only with regret that we
+should think of the consternation you have spread through the capital.
+It is a frightful service you have performed."
+
+"It is very possible," he replied. "The military are only automata, to
+which the government gives such motions as it pleases. They have no duty
+but to obey. Besides, I wished to teach the Parisians a little lesson.
+_This is my seal which I have set upon France._"
+
+This he said in such calm, quiet, imperturbable tones, so expressive of
+his perfect confidence in himself, and of his indifference to the
+opinions of others, that Josephine was quite piqued, and replied
+politely, but yet in a manner which indicated her displeasure.
+
+"These light skirmishes," the young general rejoined, "are but the
+first coruscations of my glory."
+
+"If you are to acquire glory at such a price," Josephine answered, "I
+would much rather count you among the victims."
+
+Such was the first interview between Josephine and Napoleon. It was
+merely a casual meeting in an evening party between a widow, graceful
+and beautiful, and a young man of boundless ambition. Though Josephine
+was not pleased with Napoleon, he produced a very profound impression
+upon her mind. Napoleon, being now in command of the troops in Paris, by
+order of the Convention, executed the very unpopular office of disarming
+the populace. In the performance of this order, the sword of M.
+Beauharnais was taken. The next day, Eugene, who was then a boy twelve
+years of age, of exceedingly prepossessing appearance, presented himself
+before Napoleon, and implored the return of the sword which had belonged
+to his father. Napoleon was deeply interested in the frankness and the
+fervor of emotion manifested by the lad, and immediately complied with
+his request. Josephine called upon him the next day to thank him for his
+kindness to her son. He was at this interview as deeply impressed by
+the fascinations of the mother as he had previously been struck by
+the noble bearing of the child. After this they frequently met, and
+Josephine could not be blind to the interest with which she was regarded
+by Napoleon. Situated as he then was, it was social elevation to him to
+be united with Madame de Beauharnais, and her rank, and influence, and
+troops of friends would greatly aid him in his ambitious plans. It is
+also unquestionably true that Napoleon formed a very strong attachment
+for Josephine. Indeed, she was the only person whom he ever truly loved.
+That he did love her at times most passionately there can be no doubt.
+
+Josephine, however, had many misgivings respecting the expediency of the
+union. She stated to her friends that he was the most fascinating man
+that she had ever met; that she admired his courage, the quickness of
+his judgment, the extent of his information. She, however, confessed
+that she did not really love him--that she stood in awe of him. "His
+searching glance," she says, "mysterious and inexplicable, imposes even
+upon our Directors--judge if it may not intimidate a woman."
+
+     "Being now past the heyday of youth," she writes in a letter
+     to a friend, "can I hope long to preserve that ardor of
+     attachment which, in the general, resembles a fit of
+     delirium? If, after our union, he should cease to love me,
+     will he not reproach me with what he will have sacrificed
+     for my sake? Will he not regret a more brilliant marriage
+     which he might have contracted? What shall I then reply?
+     What shall I do? I shall weep. Excellent resource! you will
+     say. Alas! I know that all this can serve no end; but it has
+     ever been thus; tears are the only resource left me when
+     this poor heart, so easily chilled, has suffered. Write
+     quickly, and do not fear to scold me, should you judge that
+     I am wrong. You know that whatever comes from your pen will
+     be taken in good part.
+
+     "Barras gives assurance that if I marry the general, he will
+     so contrive as to have him appointed to the command of the
+     army of Italy. Yesterday, Bonaparte, speaking of this favor,
+     which already excites murmuring among his fellow-soldiers,
+     though it be as yet only a promise, said to me, 'Think they,
+     then, I have need of their protection to arrive at power?
+     Egregious mistake! They will all be but too happy one day
+     should I grant them mine. My sword is by my side, and with
+     it I will go far.'
+
+     "What say you to this security of success? Is it not a proof
+     of confidence springing from an excess of vanity? A general
+     of brigade protect the heads of government! that, truly, is
+     an event highly probable! I know not how it is, but
+     sometimes this waywardness gains upon me to such a degree
+     that almost I believe possible whatever this singular man
+     may take it in his head to attempt; and, with his
+     imagination, who can calculate what he will not undertake?"
+
+It was now winter. The storm of Revolution had partially subsided. The
+times were, however, full of agitation and peril. Europe was in arms
+against France. There was no stable government and no respected laws.
+The ambitious young general consecrated his days with sleepless energy
+to his public duties, but each evening he devoted to Josephine. Napoleon
+never manifested any taste for those dissipating pleasures which attract
+and ruin so many young men. He had no moral principles which pronounced
+such indulgences wrong, but the grandeur of his ambition absorbed all
+his energies. He was, even at that time, a hard student. He was never
+more happy than when alone with Josephine, engaged in conversation or
+reading. His attachment for Josephine became very ardent and passionate.
+The female character at this time, in France, was far from high.
+Napoleon had but little respect for ladies in general. The circumstances
+of his life had led him to form a low estimate of the sex. He often said
+that all the rest of the sex were nothing compared with Josephine. He
+frequently gave public breakfasts to his friends, at which Josephine
+universally presided, though other ladies were invited.
+
+In the pleasant mansion of Josephine, Napoleon was in the habit of
+meeting a small circle of select friends, who were strongly attached to
+Josephine, and who were able, and for her sake were willing to promote
+his interests. Napoleon was a man of strong affections, but of stronger
+ambition. Josephine was entirely satisfied with the singleness and the
+ardor of his love. She sometimes trembled in view of its violence.
+She often remarked to her friends that he was incomparably the most
+fascinating man she had ever met. All have equally attested Napoleon's
+unrivaled powers of pleasing, whenever it suited his purpose to make the
+effort. The winter thus rapidly and pleasantly passed away.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+JOSEPHINE IN ITALY.
+
+A.D. 1796-A.D. 1797
+
+Marriage of Josephine and Napoleon.--The army of Italy.--Proclamation
+of Napoleon.--He is called an ignoramus.--Josephine at Montebello.--
+Her popularity.--Pleasure excursions.--Isola Bella.--Anecdote.--Ambition
+of Napoleon.--His achievements.--Fears of the Directory.--Description of
+Napoleon.--His reserve.--Remark of Josephine.--Secret plans of Napoleon.
+--Napoleon's love for Josephine.--Her influence over him.--A young
+aid-de-camp.--Affection of the Italians for Napoleon.--Josephine an
+ally.--She is at home in every situation.--Unembarrassed air of
+Josephine.--She becomes the queen of etiquette.--Josephine an object
+of homage.--Her powers of fascination.--Popular enthusiasm.--Affected
+seclusion of Napoleon.--He becomes studious.--His laudable emulation.--
+His noble ambition.--Napoleon the idol of the army.--Napoleon mounts
+guard.--The "Little Corporal."--Triumphal fête.--Song of the soldiers.
+--Speech of Barras.--Remarkable contrast.--Josephine the center of
+attraction.--Josephine the "Star of Napoleon."--She is a ministering
+angel.--Jealousy of Napoleon.--Arts of her enemies to encourage it.--The
+"pear" not yet ripe.--Napoleon resolves to go to Egypt.--Magnificence of
+his plans.
+
+
+On the 9th of March, 1796, Josephine was married to Napoleon. The
+Revolution had swept away every thing that was sacred in human and
+divine institutions, and the attempt had been made to degrade marriage
+into a mere partnership, which any persons might contract or dissolve at
+pleasure. According to the Revolutionary form, Josephine and Napoleon
+presented themselves before a magistrate, and simply announced their
+union. A few friends attended as witnesses of the ceremony.
+
+Napoleon had, in the mean time, been appointed commander of the French
+forces in Italy. In twelve days after his nuptials, he left his bride
+and hastened to the army, then in the lowest state of poverty and
+suffering. The veteran generals, when they first saw the pale-faced
+youth who was placed over them all, were disposed to treat him with
+contempt. Hardly an hour elapsed after his arrival ere they felt and
+admitted that he was their master. He seemed insensible to mental
+exhaustion, or fatigue, or hunger, or want of sleep. He was upon
+horseback night and day. Almost supernatural activity was infused into
+the army. It fell like an avalanche upon the Austrians. In fifteen days
+after he took command, he proclaimed to his exulting and victorious
+troops,
+
+"Soldiers! you have gained in fifteen days six victories, taken
+one-and-twenty standards, fifty-five pieces of cannon, many strong
+places, and conquered the richest part of Piedmont; you have made
+fifteen thousand prisoners, and killed or wounded ten thousand men."
+
+Paris was perfectly intoxicated with the announcement, day after day, of
+these brilliant achievements. The name of Napoleon was upon every lip,
+and all France resounded with his praises. "This young commander," said
+one of the discomfited veteran generals of the Austrian army, "knows
+nothing whatever about the art of war. He is a perfect ignoramus. He
+sets at defiance all the established rules of military tactics. There is
+no doing any thing with him."
+
+Napoleon, after a series of terrible conflicts and most signal triumphs,
+drove the Austrians out of Italy, pursued them into their own country,
+and at Leoben, almost within sight of the steeples of Vienna, dictated
+a peace, which crowned him, in the estimation of his countrymen, with
+the highest glory. Josephine now went from Paris to Italy to meet her
+triumphant husband. They took up their residence at the Castle of
+Montebello, a most delightful country seat in the vicinity of Milan.
+
+And here Josephine passed a few months of almost unalloyed happiness.
+The dark and tempestuous days through which she had recently been led,
+had prepared her to enjoy most exquisitely the calm which ensued. She
+had been in the deepest penury. She was now in the enjoyment of all that
+wealth could confer. She had been widowed and homeless. She was now the
+wife of a victorious general whose fame was reverberating through
+Europe, and her home combined almost every conceivable attraction. She
+had been a prisoner doomed to die, and her very jailer feared to speak
+to her in tones of kindness. Now she was caressed by nobles and princes;
+all the splendors of a court surrounded her, and every heart did her
+homage. Josephine presided at all her receptions and entertainments with
+an elegance of manner so winning as perfectly to fascinate the Milanese.
+"I conquer provinces," said Napoleon of her at that time, "but
+Josephine wins hearts." The vicinity of Montebello combines perhaps as
+much of the beautiful and the sublime in scenery as can be found at any
+other spot on the surface of the globe. Napoleon sympathized most
+cordially with Josephine in her appreciation of the beautiful and the
+romantic; and though he devoted the energies of his mind, with
+unsleeping diligence, to the ambitious plans which engrossed him, he
+found time for many delightful excursions with his fascinating bride.
+There is not, perhaps, in Italy a more lovely drive than that from
+Milan, along the crystal waters of Lake Como to Lake Maggiore. This
+romantic lake, embosomed among the mountains, with its densely wooded
+islands and picturesque shores, was a favorite resort for excursions of
+pleasure. Here, in gay parties, they floated in boats, with well-trained
+rowers, and silken awnings, and streaming pennants, and ravishing music.
+The island of Isola Bella, or _Beautiful Island_, with its arcades, its
+hanging gardens, and its palace of monkish gloom, was Napoleon's
+favorite landing-place. Here they often partook of refreshments, and
+engaged with all vivacity in rural festivities. It is stated that, while
+enjoying one of these excursions, Josephine, with one or two other
+ladies, was standing under a beautiful orange-tree, loaded with fruit,
+with the attention of the party all absorbed in admiring the beauties of
+the distant landscape. Napoleon, unperceived, crept up the tree, and by
+a sudden shake brought down quite a shower of the golden fruit upon the
+ladies. The companions of Josephine screamed with affright and ran from
+the tree. She, however, accustomed to such pleasantries, suspected the
+source, and remained unmoved. "Why, Josephine!" exclaimed Napoleon, "you
+stand fire like one of my veterans." "And why should I not?" she
+promptly replied, "am I not the wife of their commander?"
+
+[Illustration: ISOLA BELLA.]
+
+Napoleon, during these scenes of apparent relaxation, had but one
+thought--ambition. His capacious mind was ever restless, ever excited,
+not exactly with the desire of personal aggrandizement, but of mighty
+enterprise, of magnificent achievement. Josephine, with her boundless
+popularity and her arts of persuasion, though she often trembled in view
+of the limitless aspirations of her husband, was extremely influential
+in winning to him the powerful friends by whom they were surrounded.
+
+The achievements which Napoleon accomplished during the short Italian
+campaign are perhaps unparalleled in ancient or modern warfare.
+
+With a number of men under his command ever inferior to the forces of
+the Austrians, he maneuvered always to secure, at any one point, an
+array superior to that of his antagonists. He cut up four several armies
+which were sent from Austria to oppose him, took one hundred and fifteen
+thousand prisoners, one hundred and seventy standards, eleven hundred
+and forty pieces of battering cannon and field artillery, and drove the
+Austrians from the frontiers of France to the walls of Vienna. He was
+every where hailed as the liberator of Italy; and, encircled with the
+pomp and the power of a monarch, he received such adulation as monarchs
+rarely enjoy.
+
+The Directory in Paris began to tremble in view of the gigantic strides
+which this ambitious general was making. They surrounded him with spies
+to garner up his words, to watch his actions, and, if possible, to
+detect his plans. But the marble face of this incomprehensible youth
+told no secrets. Even to Josephine he revealed not his intentions; and
+no mortal scrutiny could explore the thoughts fermenting in his deep and
+capacious mind. His personal appearance at this time is thus described
+by an observer of his triumphal entrance into Milan:
+
+     "I beheld with deep interest and extreme attention that
+     extraordinary man who has performed such great deeds, and
+     about whom there is something which seems to indicate that
+     his career is not yet terminated. I found him very like his
+     portrait, small in stature, thin, pale, with the air of
+     fatigue, but not in ill health. He appeared to me to listen
+     with more abstraction than interest, as if occupied rather
+     with what he was thinking of than with what was said to him.
+     There is great intelligence in his countenance, along with
+     an expression of habitual meditation, which reveals nothing
+     of what is passing within. In that thinking head, in that
+     daring mind, it is impossible not to suppose that some
+     designs are engendering which shall have their influence
+     upon the destinies of Europe."
+
+Napoleon was fully confident of the jealousy he had aroused, and of
+the vigilance with which he was watched. His caution often wounded
+Josephine, as he was as impenetrable to her in reference to all his
+political plans as to any one else. While she at times loved him almost
+to adoration, she ever felt in awe of the unexplored recesses of his
+mind. He appeared frequently lost in thought, and, perfectly regardless
+of the pomp and the pageantry with which he was surrounded, he gave
+unmistakable indications that he regarded the achievements he had
+already accomplished as very trivial--merely the commencement of his
+career. She once remarked to a friend, "During the many years we have
+now passed together, I never once beheld Bonaparte for a moment at
+ease--not even with myself. He is constantly on the alert. If at any
+time he appears to show a little confidence, it is merely a feint to
+throw the person with whom he is conversing off his guard, and to draw
+forth his real sentiments, but never does he himself disclose his own
+thoughts."
+
+Napoleon now deemed it expedient to visit Paris; for he despised the
+weakness and the inefficiency of those who, amid the surges of the
+Revolution, had been elevated there to the supreme power, and already he
+secretly contemplated the overthrow of the government, as soon as an
+opportunity promising success should be presented. Josephine, with her
+children, remained in Milan, that she might continue to dazzle the eyes
+of the Milanese with the splendor of the establishment of the Liberator
+of Italy, and that she might watch over the interests of her
+illustrious spouse.
+
+She gave splendid entertainments. Her saloons were ever thronged with
+courtiers, and the inimitable grace she possessed enabled her, with ease
+and self-enjoyment, to preside with queenly dignity over every scene of
+gayety. She was often weary of this incessant grandeur and display, but
+the wishes of her husband and her peculiar position seemed to afford her
+no choice. Napoleon unquestionably loved Josephine as ardently as he
+was capable of loving any one. He kept up a constant, almost a daily
+correspondence with her. Near the close of his life, he declared that he
+was indebted to her for every moment of happiness he had known on earth.
+Ambition was, however, with Napoleon a far more powerful passion than
+love. He was fully conscious that he needed the assistance of his most
+accomplished wife to raise him to that elevation he was resolved to
+attain. Self-reliant as he was, regardless as he ever appeared to be of
+the opinions or the advice of others, the counsel of Josephine had more
+influence over him than perhaps that of all other persons combined. Her
+expostulations not unfrequently modified his plans, though his high
+spirit could not brook the acknowledgment. Hortense and Eugene were
+with Josephine at Milan. Eugene, though but seventeen years of age, had
+joined Napoleon in the field as one of his aids, and had signalized
+himself by many acts of bravery.
+
+In this arrangement we see an indication of the plans of boundless
+ambition which were already maturing in the mind of Bonaparte. The
+Italians hated their proud and domineering masters, the Austrians. They
+almost adored Napoleon as their deliverer. He had established the
+Cisalpine Republic, and conferred upon them a degree of liberty which
+for ages they had not enjoyed. Napoleon had but to unfurl his banner,
+and the Italians, in countless thousands, were ready to rally around it.
+The army in Italy regarded the Little Corporal with sentiments of
+veneration and affection, for which we may search history in vain for a
+parallel. Italy consequently became the base of Napoleon's operations.
+There he was strongly intrenched. In case of failure in any of his
+operations in Paris, he could retire behind the Alps, and bid defiance
+to his foes.
+
+Josephine was exactly the partner he needed to protect these
+all-important interests during his absence. Her strong and active
+intelligence, her sincerity, her unrivaled powers of fascinating all who
+approached her, and her entire devotion to Napoleon, rendered her an
+ally of exceeding efficiency. Powerful as was the arm of Napoleon, he
+never could have risen to the greatness he attained without the aid of
+Josephine. She, at Milan, kept up the splendor of a royal court. The
+pleasure-loving Italians ever thronged her saloons. The most illustrious
+nobles were emulous to win her favor, that they might obtain eminence in
+the service of her renowned spouse. At the fêtes and entertainments she
+gave to the rejoicing Milanese she obtained access to almost every mind
+it was desirable to influence. No one could approach Josephine without
+becoming her friend, and a friend once gained was never lost. A weak
+woman, under these circumstances, which so severely tested the
+character, would have been often extremely embarrassed, and would
+have made many mistakes. It was remarkable in Josephine, that,
+notwithstanding the seclusion of her childhood and early youth, she ever
+appeared self-possessed, graceful, and at home in every situation in
+which she was placed. She moved through the dazzling scenes of her court
+at Milan, scenes of unaccustomed brilliance which had so suddenly burst
+upon her, with an air as entirely natural and unembarrassed as if her
+whole life had been passed in the saloons of monarchs. She conversed
+with the most distinguished generals of armies, with nobles of the
+highest rank, with statesmen and scholars of wide-spread renown, with a
+fluency, an appropriateness, and an inimitable tact which would seem to
+indicate that she had been cradled in the lap of princes, and nurtured
+in the society of courts. It seemed never to be necessary for her to
+study the rules of etiquette. She was never accustomed to look to
+others to ascertain what conduct was proper under any circumstances.
+Instinctive delicacy was her unerring teacher, and from her bearing
+others compiled their code of politeness. She became the queen of
+etiquette, not the subject.
+
+Thus, while Napoleon, in Paris, was cautiously scrutinizing the state of
+public affairs, and endeavoring to gain a position there, Josephine,
+with the entire concentration of all her energies to his interests,
+was gaining for him in Milan vast accessions of power. She had no
+conception, indeed, of the greatness he was destined to attain. But she
+loved her husband. She was proud of his rising renown, and it was her
+sole ambition to increase, in every way in her power, the luster of his
+name. Aristocracy circled around her in delighted homage, while poverty,
+charmed by her sympathy and her beneficence, ever greeted her with
+acclamations. The exploits of Napoleon dazzled the world, and the
+unthinking world has attributed his greatness to his own unaided arm.
+But the gentleness of Josephine was one of the essential elements in the
+promotion of his greatness. In co-operation with her, he rose. As soon
+as he abandoned her, he fell.
+
+Josephine soon rejoined her husband in Paris, where she very essentially
+aided, by her fascinating powers of persuasion, in disarming the
+hostility of those who were jealous of his rising fame, and in attaching
+to him such adherents as could promote his interests. In the saloons of
+Josephine, many of the most heroic youths of France were led to ally
+their fortunes with those of the young general, whose fame had so
+suddenly burst upon the world. She had the rare faculty of diffusing
+animation and cheerfulness wherever she appeared. "It is," she once
+beautifully remarked, "a necessity of my heart to love others, and to be
+loved by them in return." "There is only one occasion," she again said,
+"in which I would voluntarily use the words _I will_, namely, when I
+would say, '_I will_ that all around me be happy.'"
+
+Napoleon singularly displayed his knowledge of human nature in the
+course he pursued upon his return to Paris. He assumed none of the pride
+of a conqueror. He studiously avoided every thing like ostentatious
+display. Day after day his lieutenants arrived, bringing the standards
+taken from the Austrians. Pictures, and statues, and other works of art
+extorted from the conquered, were daily making their appearance, keeping
+the metropolis in a state of the most intense excitement. The Parisians
+were never weary of reading and re-reading those extraordinary
+proclamations of Napoleon, which, in such glowing language, described
+his almost miraculous victories. The enthusiasm of the people was thus
+raised to the highest pitch. The anxiety of the public to see this young
+and mysterious victor was intense beyond description. But he knew enough
+of the human heart to be conscious that, by avoiding the gratification
+of these wishes, he did but enhance their intensity. Modestly retiring
+to an unostentatious mansion in the Rue Chantereine, which, in
+compliment to him, had received the name of Rue de la Victoire, he
+secluded himself from the public gaze. He devoted his time most
+assiduously to study, and to conversation with learned men. He laid
+aside his military garb, and assumed the plain dress of a member of the
+Institute. When he walked the streets, he was seldom recognized by the
+people. Though his society was courted in the highest circles of Paris,
+his ambition was too lofty to be gratified with shining among the stars
+of fashion. Though he had as yet reached but the twenty-sixth year of
+his age, he had already gained the reputation of being the first of
+generals. He was emulous not only of appearing to be, but also of
+actually being, an accomplished scholar. "I well knew," said he, "that
+the lowest drummer in the army would respect me more for being a scholar
+as well as a soldier."
+
+Napoleon might have enriched himself beyond all bounds in his Italian
+campaign had he been disposed to do so. Josephine, at times,
+remonstrated against his personal habits of economy, while he was
+conferring millions added to millions upon France. But the ambition of
+her husband, inordinate as it was, was as sublime an ambition as any one
+could feel in view of merely worldly interests. He wished to acquire
+the renown of benefiting mankind by the performance of the noblest
+exploits. His ultimate end was his own fame. But he knew that the
+durability of that fame could only be secured by the accomplishment of
+noble ends.
+
+The effeminate figure of Napoleon in these early days had caused the
+soldiers to blend with their amazed admiration of his military genius a
+kind of fondness of affection for which no parallel can be found in
+ancient or modern story. The soldiers were ever rehearsing to one
+another, by their night-fires and in their long marches, anecdotes of
+his perfect fearlessness, his brilliant sayings, his imperious bearing,
+by which he overawed the haughtiness of aristocratic power, and his
+magnanimous acts toward the poor and the lowly.
+
+One night, when the army in Italy was in great peril, worn out with the
+fatigue of sleeplessness and of battle, and surrounded by Austrians,
+Napoleon was taking the round of his posts in disguise, to ascertain
+the vigilance of his sentinels. He found one poor soldier, in perfect
+exhaustion, asleep at his post. Napoleon shouldered his musket, and
+stood sentry for him for half an hour. When the man awoke and
+recognized the countenance of his general, he sank back upon the ground
+in terror and despair. He knew that death was the doom for such a crime.
+"Here, comrade," said Napoleon, kindly, "here is your musket. You have
+fought hard and marched long, and your sleep is excusable. But a
+moment's inattention might at present ruin the army. I happened to be
+awake, and have guarded your post for you. You will be more careful
+another time."
+
+At the "terrible passage of the bridge of Lodi," Napoleon stood at one
+of the guns, in the very hottest of the fire, directing it with his own
+hand. The soldiers, delighted at this very unusual exhibition of the
+readiness of their general to share all the toils and perils of the
+humblest private in the ranks, gave him the honorary and affectionate
+nickname of "The Little Corporal." By this appellation he was afterward
+universally known in the army. The enthusiasm of the soldiers invested
+him with supernatural endowments, and every one was ready at any moment
+to peril life for the Little Corporal.
+
+The government at Paris, rapidly waning in popularity, notwithstanding
+their extreme jealousy of the wide-spreading influence of this
+victorious general, was compelled, by the spontaneous acclamations of
+the people, to give him a public triumph, when the famous treaty which
+Napoleon had effected in Italy was to be formally presented to the
+Directory. The magnificent court of the Luxembourg was embellished with
+the flags of the armies which he had conquered, and the youthful hero of
+Lodi, of Arcola, and of Rivoli made his first triumphant appearance in
+the streets of Paris. The enthusiasm of the vast concourse of excitable
+Parisians overleaped all bounds. The soldiers of the proud army of Italy
+sang at their encampments, in enthusiastic chorus, a song in which they
+declared that it was high time to eject the lawyers from the government,
+and make the Little Corporal the ruler of France. Barras, the friend of
+Josephine, who had selected Napoleon to quell the insurrection in Paris,
+and who had secured to him the command of the army of Italy, declared in
+a eulogistic speech on this occasion that "Nature had exhausted all her
+powers in the creation of a Bonaparte." This sentiment was received with
+the most deafening peals of applause.
+
+But how like the phantasmagoria of magic has this change burst upon the
+bewildered Josephine. But a few months before, her husband, wan and
+wasted with imprisonment and woe, had been led from the subterranean
+dungeons of this very palace, with the execrations of the populace
+torturing his ear, to bleed upon the scaffold. She, also, was then
+herself a prisoner, without even a pillow for her weary head, awaiting
+the dawn of the morning which was to conduct her steps to a frightful
+death. Her children, Hortense and Eugene, had been rescued from
+homelessness, friendlessness, and beggary only by the hand of charity,
+and were dependent upon that charity for shelter and for daily bread.
+Now the weeds of widowhood have given place to the robes of the
+rejoicing bride, and that palace is gorgeously decorated in honor of the
+world-renowned companion upon whose arm she proudly leans. The
+acclamations resounding to his praise reverberate over mountain and
+valley, through every city and village of France. Princes, embassadors,
+and courtiers obsequiously crowd the saloons of Josephine. Eugene, an
+officer in the army, high in rank and honor, is lured along life's
+perilous pathway by the most brilliant prospects. Hortense in dazzling
+beauty, and surrounded by admirers, is intoxicated with the splendor,
+which, like Oriental enchantment, has burst upon her view.
+
+Josephine, so beautifully called "the Star of Napoleon," was more than
+the harbinger of his rising. She gave additional luster to his
+brilliance, and was as the gentle zephyr, which sweeps away the mists
+and vapors, and presents a transparent sky through which the undimmed
+luminary may shine. Her persuasive influence was unweariedly and most
+successfully exerted in winning friends and in disarming adversaries.
+The admiration which was excited for the stern warrior in his solitary,
+silent, unapproachable grandeur, whose garments had been dyed in blood,
+whose fearful path had been signalized by conflagrations, and shrieks,
+and the wailings of the dying, was humanized and softened by the gentle
+loveliness of his companion, who was ever a ministering angel, breathing
+words of kindness, and diffusing around her the spirit of harmony and
+love. Napoleon ever freely acknowledged his indebtedness to Josephine
+for her aid in these morning hours of his greatness.
+
+But unalloyed happiness is never allotted to mortals. Josephine's very
+loveliness of person and of character was to her the occasion of many
+hours of heaviness. No one could be insensible to the power of her
+attractions. The music of her voice, the sweetness of her smile, the
+grace of her manners, excited so much admiration, invested her with a
+popularity so universal and enthusiastic, that Napoleon was, at times,
+not a little disturbed by jealousy. Her appearance was ever the signal
+for crowds to gather around her. The most distinguished and the most
+gallant men in France vied with each other in doing her homage. Some of
+the relatives of Napoleon, envious of the influence she exerted over her
+illustrious spouse, and anxious, by undermining her power, to subserve
+their own interests, were untiring in their endeavors to foster all
+these jealousies. Josephine was exceedingly pained by the occasional
+indications of her husband's distrust. A word from his lips, a glance
+from his eye, often sent her to her chamber with weeping eyes and an
+aching heart. An interview with her husband, however, invariably removed
+his suspicions, and he gave her renewed assurances of his confidence and
+his love.
+
+The plans of Napoleon in reference to his future operations were still
+in a state of great uncertainty. His restless spirit could not brook
+inactivity. He saw clearly that the time had not yet come in which he
+could, with the prospect of success, undertake to overthrow the
+Revolutionary government and grasp the reins of power himself. To use
+his own expressive language, "The pear was not yet ripe." To one of his
+intimate friends he remarked, "They do not long preserve at Paris the
+remembrance of any thing. If I remain any length of time unemployed, I
+am undone. The renown of one, in this great Babylon, speedily supplants
+that of another. If I am seen three times at the opera, I shall no
+longer be an object of curiosity. You need not talk of the desire of the
+citizens to see me. Crowds, at least as great, would go to see me led
+out to the scaffold. I am determined not to remain in Paris. There is
+nothing here to be done. Every thing here passes away. My glory is
+already declining. This little corner of Europe is too small to supply
+it. We must go to the East. All the great men of the world have there
+acquired their celebrity. We will go to Egypt."
+
+Such was the grandeur of the dreams of a young man who had not yet
+passed his twenty-sixth year. And these were not the musings of a wild
+and visionary brain, but the deeply laid and cautiously guarded plans
+of a mind which had meditated profoundly upon all probable emergencies,
+and which had carefully weighed all the means which could be furnished
+for the accomplishment of an enterprise so arduous and so majestic.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+JOSEPHINE AT MALMAISON.
+
+A.D. 1796-A.D. 1799
+
+Contemplated invasion of England.--Expedition to Egypt.--Hopes of the
+Directory.--Napoleon's dislike of the Revolution.--Napoleon a Royalist.
+--Sailing of the expedition.--A corps of _savants_.--Josephine in
+Toulon.--Plan of Napoleon.--No obstacle insurmountable.--Loneliness
+of Josephine.--Residence at Plombières.--Josephine sends for her
+daughter.--Letter to Madame Campan.--Napoleon sends a frigate for
+Josephine.--Serious accident.--Capture of the Pomona frigate.--Purchase
+of Malmaison.--Josephine removes thither.--Espionage of Napoleon.--
+Playfulness of Hortense.--Carrat.--The apparition.--Hortense a
+tormentor.--A shower-bath in embryo.--Fruits of loving darkness rather
+than light.--Murder! fire!--Josephine's seal for her husband.--Letter
+to an emigrant.--Remarks of Barras.--Good advice offered.--
+Correspondence intercepted.--False charges against Josephine.--
+Napoleon's confidence impaired.--Employments of Josephine.--She visits
+the poor.--She comforts the afflicted.--Benevolence of Josephine's
+heart.
+
+
+The Directory in Paris became daily more and more alarmed, in view of
+the vast and ever-increasing popularity of the conqueror of Italy. A
+plan had been formed for the invasion of England, and this was deemed a
+good opportunity for sending from France their dangerous rival. Napoleon
+was appointed commander-in-chief of the army of England. He visited the
+coast, and devoted ten days and nights, with his extraordinary rapidity
+of apprehension, in investigating the prospects of success. He returned
+to Paris, saying, "It is too doubtful a chance. I will not hazard on
+such a throw the fate of France." All his energies were then turned to
+his Egyptian expedition. He hoped to gain reputation and power in Egypt,
+pass through into India, raise an army of natives, headed by European
+officers and energized by an infusion of European soldiers, and thus
+drive the English out of India. It was a bold plan. The very grandeur of
+the enterprise roused the enthusiasm of France. The Directory, secretly
+rejoicing at the prospect of sending Napoleon so far away, and hoping
+that he would perish on the sands of Africa, without much reluctance
+agreed to his proposal.
+
+Napoleon never loved the Revolution, and he most thoroughly detested the
+infamous and sanguinary despotism which had risen upon the ruins of the
+altar and the throne. He chanced to be in Paris when the drunken and
+ragged mob, like an inundation, broke into the Tuilleries, and heaped
+upon the humiliated Louis XVI. and Maria Antoinette the most infamous
+outrages. He saw the monarch standing at the window of his palace, with
+the dirty red cap of Jacobinism thrust upon that brow which had worn the
+crown of Charlemagne. At the sight, the blood boiled in the veins of the
+youthful Napoleon. He could not endure the spectacle. Turning upon his
+heel, he indignantly exclaimed, "The wretches! had they mown down four
+or five hundred with grape-shot, the rest would speedily have taken to
+flight."
+
+He often expressed his dislike of the violent revolutionary course which
+the Directory were pursuing, and stated freely to his friends, "For my
+part, I declare, that if I had only the option between royalty and the
+system of these gentlemen, I would not hesitate for one moment to
+declare for a king." Just before Napoleon embarked for the East,
+Bourrienne asked him if he was really determined to risk his fate on the
+perilous expedition to Egypt. "Yes!" he replied. "If I should remain
+here, it would be necessary to overturn this miserable government, and
+make myself king. But we must not think of that yet. The nobles will not
+consent to it. I have sounded, but I find the time for that has not yet
+arrived. I must first dazzle these gentlemen by my exploits."
+
+On the morning of the 19th of May, 1798, the fleet set sail from the
+harbor of Toulon. It was a morning of surpassing loveliness, and seldom,
+if ever, has the unclouded sun shone upon a more brilliant scene. The
+magnificent armament extended over a semicircle of not less than
+eighteen miles. The fleet consisted of thirteen ships of the line,
+fourteen frigates, and four hundred transports. They carried forty
+thousand picked soldiers, and officers of the highest celebrity. For the
+first time in the world, a corps of scientific gentlemen was attached to
+a military expedition. One hundred eminent artists and connoisseurs
+Napoleon had collected to gather the antiquarian treasures of Egypt,
+and to extend the boundaries of science by the observation of the
+phenomena of nature. They formed a part of the staff of the invading
+army.
+
+Josephine accompanied her husband to Toulon, and remained with him until
+his embarkation. She was extremely anxious to go with him to Egypt, and
+with tears plead that he would allow her to share his hardships and his
+perils. Napoleon, however, deemed the hazards to which they would be
+exposed, and the fatigues and sufferings they must necessarily endure,
+as quite too formidable for Josephine to encounter. But in the anguish
+of their parting, which is described as most tender, she wrung from him
+a promise to allow her to follow as soon as affairs in the East should
+render it prudent for her to do so. It can hardly be possible, however,
+that Napoleon ever expected to see her in Egypt. He himself has thus
+described the objects he had in view in this vast enterprise: "1. To
+establish on the banks of the Nile a French colony, which could exist
+without slaves, and supply the place of Saint Domingo. 2. To open a
+market for the manufactures of France in Africa, Arabia, and Syria, and
+to obtain for the productions of his countrymen the productions of those
+countries. 3. To set out from Egypt, with an army of sixty thousand men,
+for the Indus, rouse the Mahrattas to a revolt, and excite against the
+English the population of those vast countries. Sixty thousand men, half
+Europeans, half natives, transported on fifty thousand camels and ten
+thousand horses, carrying with them provisions for fifty days, water for
+six, with one hundred and fifty pieces of cannon and double ammunition,
+would arrive in four months in India. The ocean ceased to be an obstacle
+when vessels were constructed. The desert becomes passable the moment
+you have camels and dromedaries in abundance."
+
+As the fleet got under way, Josephine stood upon a balcony, with tearful
+eyes, gazing upon the scene, so imposing, and yet so sorrowful to her.
+The Orient, a ship of enormous magnitude, contained her husband and her
+son. They were going into the midst of dangers from whence it was
+doubtful whether they would ever return. She fixed her eyes upon the
+ship as its lessening sails grew fainter and fainter in the distance,
+until the hardly discernible speck disappeared beneath the horizon,
+which the blue waves of the Mediterranean outlined. She retired to her
+room with those feelings of loneliness and desolation which the
+circumstances were so peculiarly calculated to inspire.
+
+It was arranged that Josephine should take up her residence,
+until Napoleon should send for her, at Plombières, a celebrated
+watering-place, whose medicinal springs were supposed to be very
+efficacious in restoring maternity. She sent for Hortense, at that time
+fifteen years of age, and who was then in the boarding-school of the
+distinguished Madame Campan. Josephine wished for her daughter to be her
+companion during the weary hours of her absence from her husband. She
+was expecting that, as soon as a landing should be effected in Egypt, a
+frigate would be dispatched to convey her to the banks of the Nile. She
+found solace during the lingering weeks of expectation in devoting
+herself to the instruction of her daughter. Her comprehensive and
+excellent views on the subject of education are developed in a letter
+which she at this time wrote to Madame Campan, to accompany a niece who
+was to return to her school:
+
+     "MY DEAR MADAME CAMPAN,--With my niece, whom I return to
+     your charge, receive also my thanks and my reproof. The
+     former are due for the great care and brilliant education
+     which you have bestowed upon the child; the latter, for the
+     faults which your sagacity must have discovered, but which
+     your indulgence has tolerated. The girl is gentle, but shy;
+     well informed, but haughty; talented, but thoughtless. She
+     does not please, and takes no pains to render herself
+     agreeable. She conceives that the reputation of her uncle
+     and the bravery of her father are every thing. Teach her,
+     and that by the most effectual means, how absolutely
+     unavailing are those qualities which are not personal. We
+     live in an age where each is the author of his own fortunes;
+     and if those who serve the state in the first ranks ought to
+     have some advantages and enjoy some privileges, they should,
+     on that account, strive only to render themselves more
+     beloved and more useful. It is solely by acting thus that
+     they can have some chance of excusing their good fortune in
+     the eyes of envy. Of these things, my dear Madame Campan,
+     you must not allow my niece to remain ignorant; and such are
+     the instructions which, in my name, you should repeat to her
+     constantly. It is my pleasure that she treat as equals every
+     one of her companions, most of whom are better or as good
+     as herself, their only inferiority consisting in not having
+     relations so able or so fortunate."
+
+Notwithstanding Napoleon's strong disinclination to have Josephine join
+him in Egypt, and though in every letter he strongly urged her to
+relinquish the plan, she was so importunate in her solicitations that he
+sent the Pomona frigate to convey her across the Mediterranean. She was
+prevented from embarking by an accident, which she must have deemed a
+very serious calamity, but which probably saved her from years of
+captivity. She was one morning sitting in her saloon, busy with her
+needle, and conversing with several ladies who were her companions and
+intimate friends, when a lady who was standing in the balcony called the
+attention of the party to a very beautiful dog which was passing in the
+street. All the ladies rushed upon the balcony, when, with a fearful
+crash, it broke down, and precipitated them upon the pavement. Though no
+lives were lost, several of the party were dreadfully injured. Josephine
+was so severely bruised as to be utterly helpless, and for some time
+she was fed like an infant. It was several months before she was
+sufficiently recovered to be able to leave her house. This grievous
+disappointment, however, probably saved her from another, which would
+have been far more severely felt. The frigate in which she was to have
+embarked, had it not been for this accident, was captured by one of the
+English cruisers and taken to London.
+
+Napoleon went to Egypt because he thought it the shortest route to the
+vacant throne of the Bourbons. He despised the rulers who were degrading
+France, and placing a stigma upon popular liberty by their ignorance and
+their violence, and he resolved upon their overthrow. Consequently,
+while guiding the movements of his army upon the banks of the Nile, his
+attention was continually directed to Paris. He wrote to Josephine that
+he intended ere long to return, and directed her to purchase a pleasant
+country seat somewhere in the vicinity of Paris.
+
+About ten miles from the metropolis and five miles from Versailles there
+was a beautiful chateau, most charmingly situated, called Malmaison.
+This estate Josephine purchased, greatly enlarging the grounds, at an
+expense of about one hundred thousand dollars. This lovely retreat
+possessed unfailing rural attraction for a mind formed, like that of
+Josephine, for the rich appreciation of all that is lovely in the
+aspects of nature. Napoleon was delighted with the purchase, and
+expended subsequently incredible sums in repairs and enlargements, and
+in embellishments of statues, paintings, and furniture. This was ever
+the favorite residence of Napoleon and Josephine.
+
+As the leaves of autumn began to fall, Josephine, who had been slowly
+recovering from the effects of the accident, left Plombières and took up
+her residence at Malmaison. Napoleon was absent in Egypt about eighteen
+months. During the winter and the ensuing summer, Josephine remained
+with Hortense, and several other ladies, who composed her most agreeable
+household, in this beautiful retreat. The celebrity of Napoleon
+surrounded them with friends, and that elegant mansion was the resort of
+the most illustrious in rank and intellect. Napoleon, who had ever a
+spice of jealousy in his nature, had every thing reported to him which
+occurred at Malmaison. He was informed respecting all the guests who
+visited the chateau, and of the conversation which passed in every
+interview.
+
+Hortense was a lively girl of fifteen, and the time hung rather heavily
+upon her hands. She amused herself in playing all manner of pranks upon
+a very singular valet de chambre, by the name of Carrat, whom her mother
+had brought from Italy. This man was very timid and eccentric, but, with
+most enthusiastic devotion, attached to the service of Josephine.
+
+One evening Carrat received orders to attend Madame Bonaparte and
+several ladies who were with her in their twilight walk through the
+magnificent park belonging to the estate. Carrat, ever delighted with
+an opportunity to display his attachment to his kind mistress, obeyed
+with great alacrity. No ladies in peril could desire a more valiant
+knight-errant than the vaunting little Italian assumed to be. They
+had not advanced far into the somber shadows of the grove when they
+saw, solemnly emerging from the obscurity, a tall specter in its
+winding-sheet. The fearful apparition approached the party, when the
+valet, terrified beyond all power of self-control, and uttering the most
+fearful shrieks, abandoned the ladies to the tender mercies of the
+ghost, and fled. The phantom, with its white drapery fluttering in
+the wind, pursued him. Soon the steps of the affrighted valet began
+to falter, and he dropped upon the ground, insensible, in a fit.
+Hortense, who had been perfectly convulsed with laughter in view of the
+triumphant success of her experiment, was now correspondingly alarmed.
+The ghost was a fellow-servant of Carrat, who had been dressed out under
+the superintendence of the mischievous Hortense.
+
+As the poor man recovered without any serious injury and without the
+slightest diminution of his excessive vanity, the fun-loving Hortense
+could not repress her propensity still to make him the butt of her
+practical jokes. It was a defect in her character that she could find
+pleasure in this mischievous kind of torment. It is not improbable that
+this trait of character, which appears so excusable in a mirthful girl
+of fifteen, was the cause of that incessant train of sorrows which
+subsequently embittered her whole life. Carrat was perfectly devoted to
+Josephine; Hortense was his torment.
+
+The unlucky valet occupied a sleeping-room separated from another only
+by a thin deal partition. A hole was made through this, and a pail of
+water so suspended in equilibrium over the pillow of the victim, that by
+drawing a cord the whole contents would be emptied upon his head. The
+supports of the bedstead had also been removed, so that the whole fabric
+would fall as soon as any weight was placed upon it. Carrat, among his
+other eccentricities, was ever in the habit of going to bed without a
+light. Matters being thus prepared, Hortense, who had employed an
+attendant to aid her in her plans, stood in an adjoining room to enjoy
+the catastrophe.
+
+The poor man entered his room, and threw himself upon his pallet. Down
+it came with a crash, and his shriek of fright was for a moment drowned
+in the inundation of water. Hortense, knowing the almost delirious fear
+which the puerile valet had of reptiles, cried, "Poor man! poor man!
+what will he do. The water was full of toads." Carrat, in utter
+darkness, drenched with cold water, and overwhelmed in the ruins of
+his bed and bedding, shrieked, "Murder! help! fire! drowning!" while
+Hortense and her accomplices enjoyed his ludicrous terror. She afterward
+made him a handsome present as a compensation. Hortense was not a
+malicious girl, but, like many others who are mirthful and thoughtless,
+she found a strange pleasure in teasing. Josephine's only happiness was
+in making others happy. "It is a necessity of my heart," she said, "to
+love those around me, and to be loved by them in return." How much more
+noble such a spirit!
+
+Though Josephine was not fully informed respecting the ultimate designs
+of Napoleon, and though Napoleon at this time probably had no very
+definite plans respecting his future actions, his interests manifestly
+required that she should exert all her powers to strengthen the ties of
+those who were already his friends, and to gain others to his rising
+name. Josephine acquired great influence over many members of the
+Directory, and this influence she was continually exerting for the
+relief of those who were in distress. Many of the proscribed emigrants
+were indebted to her for liberty and the restoration of their forfeited
+estates. The following letter from Josephine to an emigrant, whose
+fortune, and perhaps life, she had saved, exhibits her intellectual
+elevation as well as the amiability of her heart.
+
+     "SIR,--Your petition, which reached Malmaison on the 12th,
+     was presented the same evening, and by myself, to Citizen
+     Barras. I have the pleasure to announce to you that the
+     decision is favorable, and that now, erased from the fatal
+     list, you are restored to all the rights of a French
+     citizen. But in transmitting a communication not less
+     agreeable to me than to yourself, permit me to enhance its
+     value by repeating to you the exact words with which it was
+     accompanied by the Director. 'I have usually little to deny
+     you, madame,' said he, presenting me with a sealed inclosure
+     containing the act of restoration, 'and certainly, when
+     humanity is concerned, I can have far less objection. But
+     pity for misfortune does not exclude justice, and justice is
+     inseparable from the love of truth. As unfortunate, M. de
+     Sansal merits commiseration. As an emigrant, he has right to
+     none. I will say more; had I been disposed to be severe,
+     there existed a cause for stern reprisals on the part of a
+     government to whose kindness he replies by insults. Although
+     I despise those of such a man, I appreciate them. They prove
+     an ungrateful heart and a narrow mind. Let him be careful
+     about expressing his hatred. All my colleagues are not
+     equally indulgent.'
+
+     "Blame only yourself, sir, for the small share of amenity in
+     these counsels. They are harsh, perhaps, but useful; and you
+     will do well to render them effective. Regard, also, the
+     faithfulness with which I transcribe them as a proof of the
+     deep interest I take in your welfare, and of my anxiety that
+     the interference of your friends may be justified by your
+     future conduct."
+
+For some time a very constant correspondence was kept up between
+Napoleon and Josephine, but after the destruction of the French fleet by
+Lord Nelson in the Bay of Aboukir, and when the Mediterranean had become
+completely blocked up by English cruisers, almost every letter was
+intercepted.
+
+For political purposes, there were many who wished to destroy the
+influence which Josephine had acquired over the mind of her illustrious
+husband. In the accomplishment of this plan, they endeavored, in every
+way in their power, to excite the jealousy of Napoleon. The very efforts
+which Josephine was making to attract the most influential men in Paris
+to her saloon were represented to him as indications of levity of
+character, and of a spirit of unpardonable coquetry. The enemies of
+Josephine had their influential agents in the camp of Napoleon, and with
+malice, never weary, they whispered these suspicions into his ear.
+The jealousy of his impassioned nature was strongly aroused. In his
+indignation, he wrote to Josephine in terms of great severity, accusing
+her of "playing the coquette with all the world." She was very deeply
+wounded by these unjust suspicions, and wrote to him a letter in reply,
+which, for tenderness and delicacy of sentiment, and the expression of
+conscious innocence, is hardly surpassed by any thing which has ever
+been written. Her letter was intercepted, and Napoleon never saw it. For
+many months nearly all communication with the army of Egypt was cut off
+by the vigilance of the English. There were flying reports ever reaching
+the ear of Josephine of disaster to the army, and even of the death of
+Napoleon. Josephine was at times in great distress. She knew not the
+fate of her husband or her son. She knew that, by the grossest
+deception, her husband's confidence in her had been greatly impaired,
+and she feared that, should he return, she might never be able to regain
+his affections. Still, she devoted herself with unwearied diligence in
+watching over all his interests, and though her heart was often
+oppressed with anguish, she did every thing in her power to retain the
+aspect of cheerfulness and of sanguine hope. One of her favorite
+amusements--the favorite amusement of almost every refined mind--was
+found in the cultivation of flowers. She passed a portion of every
+pleasant day with Hortense among the flower-beds, with the hoe, and the
+watering-pot, and the pruning-knife. Hortense, though she loved the
+society of her mother, was not fond of these employments, and in
+subsequent life she never turned to them for a solace. With Josephine,
+however, this taste remained unchanged through life. She was also very
+fond of leaving the aristocratic walks of Malmaison, and sauntering
+through the lanes and the rural roads, where she could enter the
+cottages of the peasants, and listen to their simple tales of joy and
+grief. To many of these dwellings her visit was as the mission of an
+angel. Her purse was never closed against the wants of penury. But that
+which rendered her still more a ministering spirit to the poor was that
+her heart was ever open, with its full flood of sympathy, to share the
+grief of their bereavements, and to rejoice in their joy. When she sat
+upon the throne of France, and even long after she sank into the repose
+of the grave, the region around Malmaison was full of recitals of her
+benevolence. Aristocratic pride at times affected to look down with
+contempt upon the elevated enjoyments of a noble heart.
+
+Thus occupied in pleading with those in power for those of illustrious
+birth who had, by emigration, forfeited both property and life; in
+visiting the sick and the sorrowing in the humble cottages around her;
+in presiding with queenly dignity over the brilliant soirées in her own
+saloons, where talent and rank were ever assembled, and in diffusing the
+sunlight of her own cheerful heart throughout the whole household at
+Malmaison, Josephine, through weary months, awaited tidings from her
+absent husband.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+JOSEPHINE THE WIFE OF THE FIRST CONSUL.
+
+A.D. 1799-A.D. 1800
+
+Deplorable condition of France.--The "pear" now ripe.--Evening
+party.--Landing of Napoleon at Frejus.--Josephine hastens to meet
+him.--They cross each other's path.--Josephine's enemies succeed in
+rousing the anger of Napoleon.--Meeting of Josephine and Eugene.--She
+is repulsed by Napoleon.--Josephine's prompt obedience.--Napoleon
+relents.--The reconciliation.--Napoleon vanquished.--Reception of
+Napoleon on his return to France.--He overthrows the Directory.--He
+is sustained by the people.--Painful suspense of Josephine.--Napoleon
+relieves it.--His usurping ambition.--Remark of the Abbé Siêyes.--
+Josephine secures friends to Napoleon.--Residence at the Luxembourg.
+--Marriage of Murat and Caroline.--The Tuilleries refurnished.--Napoleon
+and Josephine take up their residence in the Tuilleries.--Apartments
+of Josephine.--Her dress.--Her social triumph.--Josephine the Queen of
+Hearts.--Her varied accomplishments.--Symmetry of her form.--
+Attractiveness of her conversation.--Sweetness of Josephine's voice.--
+Attractions of Malmaison.--The dangers of greatness.--Josephine's
+anxiety and care.--Remark of Napoleon to Bourrienne.
+
+
+The winter of 1799 opened upon France in the deepest gloom. The French
+were weary of the horrors of the Revolution. All business was at a
+stand. The poor had neither employment nor bread. Starvation reigned in
+the capital. The Austrians had again entered Italy, and beaten the
+French at almost every point. No tidings were received from Bonaparte
+and the army in Egypt. Rumors of the death of Napoleon and of a
+disastrous state of the enterprise filled the city. The government at
+Paris, composed of men who had emerged from obscurity in the storms of
+revolution, was imbecile and tyrannical in the extreme. The nation was
+weary beyond endurance of the strife of contending factions, and
+ardently desired some strong arm to be extended for the restoration
+of order, and for the establishment of an efficient and reputable
+government. "The pear was ripe."
+
+On the evening of the 9th of November, a large and very brilliant party
+was assembled in Paris at the house of M. Gohier, president of the
+Directory. The company included all the most distinguished persons then
+resident in the metropolis. Josephine, being in Paris at that time, was
+one of the guests. About midnight, the gentlemen and ladies were
+gathering around a supper table very sumptuously spread, when they were
+startled by a telegraphic announcement, communicated to their host, that
+Bonaparte had landed that morning at Frejus, a small town upon the
+Mediterranean shore. The announcement created the most profound
+sensation. All knew that Napoleon had not returned at that critical
+moment without an object. Many were pale with apprehension, conscious
+that his popularity with the army would enable him to wrest from them
+their ill-gotten power. Others were elated with hope. Yet universal
+embarrassment prevailed. None dared to express their thoughts. No
+efforts could revive the conviviality of the evening, and the party soon
+dispersed.
+
+Josephine, with the deepest emotion, hastened home, immediately summoned
+her carriage, and, taking with her Hortense and Louis Bonaparte, set
+out, without allowing an hour for repose, to meet her husband. She was
+very anxious to have an interview with him before her enemies should
+have an opportunity to fill his mind with new accusations against her.
+The most direct route from Paris to Frejus passes through the city of
+Lyons. There is another and more retired route, not frequently traveled,
+but which Napoleon, for some unknown reason, took. It was a long journey
+of weary, weary leagues, over hills and plains. Josephine alighted not
+for refreshment or slumber, but with fresh relays of horses, night and
+day, pressed on to meet her spouse. When she arrived at Lyons, to her
+utter consternation, she heard that Napoleon had taken the other route,
+and, some forty-eight hours before, had passed her on the way to Paris.
+No words can describe the anguish which these tidings caused her. Her
+husband would arrive in Paris and find her absent. He would immediately
+be surrounded by those who would try to feed his jealousy. Two or three
+days must elapse ere she could possibly retrace her steps. Napoleon
+arrived in Paris the 10th of November. It was not until nearly midnight
+of the 13th that Josephine returned. Worn out with the fatigues of
+traveling, of anxiety, and of watching, she drove with a heavy heart to
+their house in the Rue Chantereine.
+
+The enemies whom Josephine had most to fear were the brothers and the
+sisters-in-law of Napoleon. They were entirely dependent upon their
+illustrious brother for their own advancement in life, and were
+exceedingly jealous of the influence which Josephine had exerted over
+his mind. They feared that she would gain an exclusive empire where they
+wished also to reign. Taking advantage of Josephine's absence, they had
+succeeded in rousing Napoleon's indignation to the highest pitch. They
+accused her of levity, of extravagance, of forgetfulness of him, and of
+ever playing the coquette with all the debauchees of Paris. Napoleon,
+stimulated by that pride which led the Roman emperor to say, "Cæsar's
+wife must not be suspected," threatened loudly "divorce--open and public
+divorce." Said one maliciously to him, "She will appear before you with
+all her fascinations, explain matters; you will forgive all, and
+tranquillity will be restored." "Never! never!" exclaimed the irritated
+general, striding to and fro through the room. "I forgive! never! You
+know me. Were I not sure of my resolution, I would pluck out this heart
+and cast it into the fire."
+
+Such was the mood of mind in which Napoleon was prepared to receive
+Josephine, after an absence of eighteen months. Josephine and Hortense
+alighted in the court-yard, and were immediately enfolded in the
+embraces of Eugene, who was anxiously awaiting their arrival. With
+trembling steps and a throbbing heart, Josephine, accompanied by her son
+and daughter, ascended the stairs to a small circular family room where
+they expected to find Napoleon. He was there with his brother Joseph. As
+his wife and her children entered the room, Napoleon glanced sternly at
+them, and instantly said to Josephine, in a severe and commanding tone,
+almost before she had crossed the threshold,
+
+"Madame! it is my wish that you retire immediately to Malmaison."
+
+Josephine came near falling lifeless upon the floor. She was caught in
+the arms of Eugene, who, in the most profound grief, had kept near the
+side of his revered and beloved mother. He supported her fainting
+steps, as, sobbing with anguish, she silently retired to her apartment.
+Napoleon, greatly agitated, traversed the room with hasty strides. The
+sight of Josephine had rekindled all his love, and he was struggling
+with desperate efforts to cherish his sense of wrong, and to fortify
+himself against any return of clemency.
+
+[Illustration: THE INTERVIEW.]
+
+In a few moments, Josephine and Hortense, with Eugene, were heard
+descending the stairs to leave the house. It was midnight. For a week
+Josephine had lived in her carriage almost without food or sleep.
+Nothing but intensity of excitement had prevented her from sinking down
+in utter weariness and exhaustion. It was a drive of thirty miles to
+Malmaison. Napoleon was not prepared for such prompt obedience. Even his
+stern heart could not resist its instinctive pleadings for his wife and
+her daughter. He hastened from his room, and, though his pride would not
+allow him directly to urge _Josephine_ to remain, he insisted upon
+Eugene's returning, and urged it in such a way that he came back,
+leading with him his mother and his sister. Napoleon, however, addressed
+not a word to either of them. Josephine threw herself upon a couch in
+her apartment, and Napoleon, in gloomy silence, entered his cabinet.
+Two days of wretchedness passed away, during which no intercourse took
+place between the estranged parties. But the anger of the husband was
+gradually subsiding. Love for Josephine was slowly gaining strength in
+his heart. On the third day, his pride and passion were sufficiently
+subdued to allow him to enter the apartment where Josephine and Hortense
+had kept themselves secluded, awaiting his pleasure. Josephine was
+seated at a toilet table, with her face buried in her hands, and
+absorbed in the profoundest grief. On the table were exposed the letters
+which she had received from Napoleon during his absence, and which she
+had evidently been reading. Hortense was standing silently and pensively
+in an alcove by the window, half concealed by the curtain. Napoleon
+advanced with an irresolute step, hesitated for a moment, and then said,
+"Josephine!" She started up at the sound of that well-known voice, and,
+her beautiful countenance all suffused with tears, mournfully exclaimed,
+"_Mon ami_," in that peculiar tone, so pathetic, so musical, which
+ever thrilled upon the heart of Napoleon. "My friend" was the term of
+endearment with which she invariably addressed her husband. Napoleon
+was vanquished. He extended his hand to his deeply-wronged wife. She
+threw herself into his arms, pillowed her aching head upon his bosom,
+and in the fullness of blended joy and anguish wept convulsively. An
+explanation of several hours ensued. Every shade of suspicion was
+obliterated from his mind. He received Josephine again to his entire
+confidence, and this confidence was never again interrupted.
+
+When Napoleon landed at Frejus, he was received with the most
+enthusiastic demonstration of delight. There was a universal impression
+that the hero of Italy, the conqueror of Egypt, had returned thus
+unexpectedly to France for the accomplishment of some magnificent
+enterprise; yet no one knew what to anticipate. The moment the frigate
+dropped anchor in the bay, and it was announced that Napoleon was on
+board, thousands surrounded the vessel in boats, and the air was filled
+with enthusiastic acclamations. His journey to Paris was one continued
+scene of triumph. Crowds gathered around him at every stopping-place,
+intoxicated with joy. The bells rang their merriest peals; the booming
+of cannon echoed along the hill sides, and brilliant bonfires by night
+blazed upon every eminence. Upon his arrival in Paris, the soldiers,
+recognizing their leader in so many brilliant victories, greeted him
+with indescribable enthusiasm, and cries of "Vive Bonaparte!" resounded
+through the metropolis. His saloon, ever thronged with generals and
+statesmen, and all who were most illustrious in intellect and rank,
+resembled the court of a monarch. Even the most prominent men in the
+Directory, disgusted with the progress of measures which they could not
+control, urged him to grasp the reins of power, assuring him that there
+was no hope for France but in his strong arm. In less than four weeks
+from his arrival in Paris, the execrated government was overturned.
+Napoleon, Siêyes, and Ducos were appointed consuls, and twenty-five
+members were appointed from each of the councils to unite with the
+consuls in forming a new Constitution. One unanimous voice of approval
+rose from all parts of France in view of this change. No political
+movement could take place more strongly confirmed by the popular will.
+Napoleon hastened from the scenes of peril and agitation through which
+he had passed in the accomplishment of this change, that he might be the
+first to announce to Josephine the political victory he had achieved.
+
+During the perilous day, when, in the midst of outcries, daggers, and
+drawn swords, he had been contending with the Council of the Five
+Hundred, he could find not even one moment to dispatch a note from St.
+Cloud to his wife. The previous day he had kept her constantly informed
+of the progress of events. Josephine remained throughout the whole of
+the 19th of November, from morning until evening, without sight or
+tidings of her husband. She knew that, in the fierce strife of parties
+in France, there was no safety for life; and when the darkness of night
+settled down around her, and still no word from her Napoleon, her
+anxiety amounted almost to distraction. The rumbling of every carriage
+upon the pavement--every noise in the streets aroused her hopes or her
+fears. Worn out with anxiety, at midnight she threw herself upon her
+bed, but not to sleep. Several weary hours of suspense lingered slowly
+along, when, at four o'clock in the morning, she heard the well-known
+footsteps of her husband upon the stairs.
+
+She sprang to meet him. He fondly clasped her in his arms, and assured
+her that he had not spoken to a single individual since he had taken the
+oaths of office, that the voice of his Josephine might be the first to
+congratulate him upon his virtual accession to the empire of France. An
+animated conversation ensued, and then Napoleon, throwing himself upon
+his couch for a few moments' repose, gayly said, "Good night, my
+Josephine! to-morrow we sleep in the Luxembourg."
+
+The next day the three consuls met in Paris. His colleagues, however,
+immediately perceived that the towering ambition of Napoleon would brook
+no rival. He showed them the absurdity of their plans, and compelled
+them to assent to the superior wisdom of his own. The untiring vigor of
+his mind, the boldness and energy of his thoughts, and his intuitive and
+almost miraculous familiarity with every branch of political science,
+overawed his associates, and the whole power passed, with hardly the
+slightest resistance, into his own hands. Immediately after their first
+interview, the Abbé Siêyes, who combined great weakness with extensive
+knowledge, remarked to Talleyrand and others, "Gentlemen, I perceive
+that we have got a master. Bonaparte can do and will do every thing
+himself. But," he continued, after a pause, "it is better to submit than
+to protract dissensions forever."
+
+In this most astonishing revolution, thus suddenly accomplished, and
+without the shedding of a drop of blood, Napoleon was much indebted
+to the influence which his wife had exerted in his behalf during his
+absence in Egypt. The dinners she had given, the guests she had
+entertained in her saloons evening after evening, consisting of the most
+distinguished scholars, and statesmen, and generals in the metropolis,
+had contributed greatly to the popularity of her husband, and had
+surrounded him with devoted friends. Napoleon ever acknowledged his
+obligations to Josephine for the essential service she had thus rendered
+him.
+
+The next morning Napoleon and Josephine removed from their elegant yet
+comparatively plebeian residence in the Rue Chantereine to the palace
+of the Luxembourg. This, however, was but the stepping-stone to the
+Tuilleries, the world-renowned abode of the monarchs of France. They
+remained for two months at the Luxembourg. The energies of Napoleon were
+employed every moment in promoting changes in the internal affairs of
+France, which even his bitterest enemies admit were marked with the most
+eminent wisdom and benevolence. During the two months of their residence
+at the Luxembourg, no domestic event of importance occurred, except the
+marriage of Murat with Caroline, the sister of Napoleon. Caroline was
+exceedingly beautiful. Murat was one of the favorite aids of Bonaparte.
+Their nuptials were celebrated with great splendor, and the gay
+Parisians began again to be amused with something like the glitter of
+royalty.
+
+Each day Napoleon became more popular and his power more firmly
+established. Soon all France was prepared to see the first consul take
+up his residence in the ancient apartments of the kings of France. The
+Tuilleries had been sacked again and again by the mob. The gorgeous
+furniture, the rich paintings, and all the voluptuous elegance which the
+wealth of Louis XIV. could create, had been thrown into the court-yard
+and consumed by the infuriated populace. Royalty itself had been pursued
+and insulted in its most sacred retreats.
+
+By slow and cautious advances, Napoleon refurnished these magnificent
+saloons. The emblems of Jacobin misrule were silently effaced. Statues
+of Brutus and Washington, of Demosthenes, and of others renowned for
+illustrious deeds, were placed in the vacant niches, and the Tuilleries
+again appeared resplendent as in the days of pristine pride and power.
+
+On the morning of the 19th of February, 1800, all Paris was in commotion
+to witness the transfer of the embryo court of the first consul and his
+colleagues from the Luxembourg to the Tuilleries. Already the colleagues
+of Napoleon had become so entirely eclipsed by the superior brilliance
+of their imperious associate that their names were almost forgotten. The
+royal apartments were prepared for Napoleon, while those in the Pavilion
+of Flora were assigned to the two other consuls. The three consuls
+entered a magnificent carriage, drawn by six white horses. A gorgeous
+train of officers, with six thousand picked troops in the richest
+uniform, surrounded the cortège. Many of the long-abolished usages of
+royalty were renewed upon that day. Twenty thousand soldiers, in most
+imposing military array, were drawn up before the palace. The moment the
+carriage appeared, the very heavens seemed rent with their cries, "Vive
+le premier consul!" The two associate consuls were ciphers. They sat at
+his side as pages to embellish his triumph. This day placed Napoleon in
+reality upon the throne of France, and Josephine that evening moved, a
+queen, in the apartments hallowed by the beauty and the sufferings of
+Maria Antoinette.
+
+The suite of rooms appropriated to the wife of the first consul
+consisted of two magnificent saloons, with private apartments adjoining.
+No French monarch ever sauntered through a more dazzling scene than
+that which graced the drawing-rooms of Josephine on this occasion.
+Embassadors from nearly all the courts of Europe were present. The army
+contributed its utmost display of rank and military pomp to embellish
+the triumph of its most successful general. And the metropolis
+contributed all that it still retained of brilliance in ancestral renown
+or in intellectual achievement.
+
+When Josephine entered the gorgeously-illuminated apartments of the
+palace, leaning upon the arm of Talleyrand, and dressed in the elegance
+of the most perfect simplicity, a murmur of admiration arose from the
+whole assembly. She was attired in a robe of white muslin. Her hair
+fell in graceful ringlets upon her neck and shoulders. A necklace of
+pearls of great value completed her costume. The queenly elegance of
+her figure, the inimitable grace of her movements, the peculiar
+conversational tact she possessed, and the melody of a voice which, once
+heard, never was forgotten, gave to Josephine, on this eventful evening,
+a social triumph corresponding with that which Napoleon had received
+during the day. She entered the rooms to welcome her guests before her
+husband. As she made the tour of the apartments, supported by the
+minister, whose commanding figure towered above all the rest, she was
+first introduced to the foreign embassadors, and then to others of
+distinguished name and note. "Napoleon wins battles, but Josephine wins
+hearts." This was the all-appropriate theater for the triumph of
+Josephine. Here she was entirely at home. Instinct taught her every
+thing that was graceful and pleasing. Etiquette, that stern tyrant so
+necessary for the control of common minds, was compelled to bow in
+subjection to Josephine, for her actions became a higher law. In the
+exuberance of benevolent joy, she floated through this brilliant scene,
+wherever she appeared exciting admiration, though she sought only to
+diffuse enjoyment.
+
+Josephine was now about thirty-three years of age, and while in
+personal charms she retained all the fascination of more youthful
+years, her mind, elevated and ennobled by reverses and sufferings most
+magnanimously borne, and cultivated by the daily exercise of its rich
+endowments, enabled her to pass from the circles of fashion to the
+circles of science, from those who thought only of the accomplishments
+of the person to those who dwelt in the loftiest regions of the
+intellect, and to be equally admired by both.
+
+Her figure appears to have been molded into the absolute perfection of
+the female frame, neither too large for the utmost delicacy of feminine
+beauty, nor too small for queenly dignity. The exquisite symmetry of her
+form and the elasticity of her step gave an etherial aspect to her
+movements. Her features, of Grecian outline, were finely modeled, and
+through them all the varying emotions of the soul were unceasingly
+beaming. No one probably ever possessed in a higher degree this
+resistless charm of feminine loveliness. Her eyes were of a deep blue,
+and possessed a winning tenderness of expression when reposing upon
+those she loved which could not be resisted. Napoleon, even when most
+agitated by the conflicts of his stormy life, was speedily subdued by
+the tranquilizing power of her looks of love. But the tone and
+modulations of her voice in conversation constituted the most remarkable
+attraction of this most attractive woman. No one could listen to her
+sparkling, flowing, musical words without feeling the fascination of
+their strange melody. "The first applauses of the French people," says
+Napoleon, "fell upon my ear sweet as the voice of Josephine."
+
+The rural charms of Malmaison, however, exerted a more powerful sway
+over both the first consul and his companion than the more splendid
+attractions of the Tuilleries. The Revolutionary government had
+abolished the Sabbath, and appointed every tenth day for rest and
+recreation. Napoleon and Josephine habitually spent this day at
+Malmaison. There, in the retirement of green fields and luxuriant
+groves, surrounded by those scenes of nature which had peculiar charms
+for them both, they found that quiet happiness which is in vain sought
+amid the turmoil of the camp or the splendor of the court. Josephine, in
+particular, here found her most serene and joyous hours. She regretted
+the high ambition of her husband, while, at the same time, she felt a
+wife's pride and gratification in view of the honors which were so
+profusely heaped upon him. It delighted her to see him here lay aside
+the cares of state, and enjoy with her the unostentatious pleasures of
+the flower-garden and the farm-yard. And when the hour came for them to
+return from their rural villa to their city palace, Napoleon often
+said, with a sigh, "Now it is necessary for us to go and put on again
+the yoke of misery."
+
+The dangers of greatness soon began to hover around the path of the
+first consul. Josephine was continually alarmed with rumors of
+conspiracies and plots of assassination. The utter indifference
+of Napoleon to all such perils, and his entire disregard of all
+precautionary measures, only increased the anxiety of his wife. The road
+leading from Paris to Malmaison wound through a wild district, then but
+thinly inhabited, and which presented many facilities for deeds of
+violence. Whenever Napoleon was about to traverse this road, Josephine
+sent the servants of their private establishment to scrutinize all its
+lurking-places where any foes might be concealed. Napoleon, though
+gratified by this kind care, often amused and good-naturedly teased
+Josephine with most ludicrous accounts of the perils and hair-breadth
+escapes which he had encountered. She also had large and powerful dogs
+trained to guard the grounds of Malmaison from any intrusion by night.
+
+On the evening of the day when Napoleon made his entry into the
+Tuilleries, he remarked to Bourrienne, "It is not enough to be in
+the Tuilleries, we must take measures to remain there. Who has not
+inhabited this palace? It has been the abode of robbers--of the
+Convention. There is your brother's house, from which, eight years ago,
+we saw the good Louis XVI. besieged in the Tuilleries and carried off
+into captivity. But you need not fear a repetition of the scene. _Let
+them attempt it with me if they dare._" To all the cautions of his
+anxious wife respecting assassination, he ever quietly replied, "My dear
+Josephine, they dare not do it."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+DEVELOPMENTS OF CHARACTER.
+
+A.D. 1800-A.D. 1801
+
+Second Italian campaign.--Its brilliant results.--Napoleon's desire to
+leave a name.--A faithful correspondent.--Delicate attentions of
+Napoleon to Josephine.--Her pastimes.--Retirement at Malmaison.--Private
+theatricals.--The game of "Prisoners."--The mode of playing it.--
+Napoleon's favorite amusement.--He is no misanthrope.--Josephine's
+expansive benevolence.--Josephine's unwearied exertions in behalf of
+the emigrants.--The Marquis of Decrest.--Accidental death of his
+son.--Josephine arrests the grief of Decrest.--Her tenderness.--The
+Infernal Machine.--Its power.--Hortense wounded.--Napoleon proceeds
+to the opera.--Narrow escape of Josephine.--Treachery of the
+Royalists.--Fouché.--Josephine's letter to the Minister of Police.--She
+pleads for lenity in behalf of the guilty.--Character of Louis
+Napoleon.--He is disappointed in love.--Napoleon tries to heal the
+wound.--Character of Hortense.--She is married to Louis.--An
+uncongenial union.--Marriage of Duroc.--Letter from Josephine to
+Hortense.--She advises Hortense to be more kind to Louis.--Unhappy
+disposition of Louis.--Errors of Hortense.--Happiness to which she
+might have attained.--The spirit of Josephine.--Character of
+Hortense.--Calumnies against Napoleon.--They fail in their effect.--
+Unjust remarks of Hortense.--Josephine's reply.--The love of glory
+Napoleon's ruling passion.
+
+
+During Napoleon's absence in Egypt the Austrians had again invaded
+Italy. The French troops had been beaten in many battles, and driven
+from vast extents of territory, over which Napoleon had caused the flag
+of the Republic to float in triumph. The first consul having, with
+almost superhuman energy, arranged the internal affairs of his
+government, now turned his thoughts toward the defeated armies of
+France, which had been driven back into the fastnesses of the Alps. "I
+must go," said he, "my dear Josephine. But I will not forget you, and I
+will not be absent long." He bade adieu to his wife at the Tuilleries on
+the 7th of May, 1800. At midnight of the 2d of July he returned, having
+been absent less than two months. In that brief period he drove the
+Austrians from all their strongholds, regained Italy, and by a campaign
+more brilliant than any other which history has ever recorded, added
+immeasurably to his own moral power. These astonishing victories excited
+the Parisians to a delirium of joy. Night after night the streets were
+illuminated, and whenever Napoleon appeared, crowds thronged him,
+filling the air with their acclamations. These triumphs, however,
+instead of satisfying Napoleon, did but add fuel to his all-absorbing
+ambition. "A few more great events," said he, "like those of this
+campaign, and I may really descend to posterity. But still it is little
+enough. I have conquered, it is true, in less than two years, Cairo,
+Paris, Milan. But, were I to die to-morrow, half a page of general
+history would, after ten centuries, be all that would be devoted to my
+exploits."
+
+During his absence Josephine passed her time at Malmaison. And it surely
+is indicative not only of the depth of Napoleon's love for Josephine,
+but also of his appreciation of those delicate attentions which could
+touch the heart of a loving wife, that in this busiest of campaigns, in
+which, by day and by night, he was upon the horse's back, with hardly
+one moment allowed for refreshment or repose, rarely did a single day
+pass in which he did not transmit some token of affection to Malmaison.
+Josephine daily watched, with the most intense interest the arrival of
+the courier with the brief and almost illegible note from her husband.
+Sometimes the blurred and blotted lines were hastily written upon
+horseback, with the pommel of his saddle for his writing-desk. Sometimes
+they were written, at his dictation, by his secretary, upon a drum-head,
+on the field of carnage, when the mangled bodies of the dying and the
+dead were strewed all around him, and the thunders of the retreating
+battle were still echoing over the plains. These delicate attentions to
+his wife exhibit a noble trait in the character of Napoleon. And she
+must have been indeed a noble woman who could have inspired such a mind
+with esteem and tenderness so profound.
+
+Josephine employed much of her time in superintending those improvements
+which she thought would please her husband on his return; creating for
+him pleasant little surprises, as she should guide his steps to the
+picturesque walk newly opened, to the rustic bridge spanning the stream,
+to the rural pavilion, where, in the evening twilight, they could
+commune. She often rode on horseback with Hortense, who was peculiarly
+fond of all those pleasures which had the concomitants of graceful
+display.
+
+After Napoleon's triumphant return from Italy, the visits to Malmaison
+were more frequent than ever before. Napoleon and Josephine often spent
+several days there; and in after years they frequently spoke of these
+hours as the pleasantest they had passed in life. The agreeable
+retirement of Malmaison was, however, changed into enjoyment more public
+and social by the crowds of visitors with which its saloons and parks
+were filled. Josephine received her guests with republican simplicity,
+united with the utmost elegance. Her reception-room was continually
+thronged with the most distinguished officers of the government,
+renowned generals, and all the men most illustrious for birth and talent
+the metropolis contained.
+
+The circle assembled here was, indeed, a happy one. A peculiar bond of
+union existed throughout the whole household, for Napoleon, as well as
+Josephine, secured the most devoted attachment of all the servants. One
+of their favorite amusements was family theatricals. Eugene and Hortense
+took an active part in these performances, in which both had talents to
+excel.
+
+But the favorite and most characteristic amusement at Malmaison was the
+game of "Prisoners," a common game among the school-boys of France,
+though comparatively little known in this country. The company is
+divided into two parties. Those who are appointed leaders choose each
+their respective sides. Bounds are assigned to each party, and a
+particular point as a fortress. If any one is caught away from the
+fortress by one who left his own station after the captive left the
+hostile fort, he is a prisoner, and must remain at the appointed
+prison until rescued. For instance, Hortense leaves her fortress, and
+cautiously invades the territory of the enemy. Josephine darts after
+her, and eagerly pursues her over the greensward. Eugene, who remains at
+his fortress until after Josephine left hers, bounds after his mother.
+It is now her turn to flee. But others of her party, who have remained
+under the protection of their fortress, rush to her rescue. Eugene,
+however, succeeds in touching his mother before they reach him, and
+leads her off in triumph a prisoner. A tree, perhaps, at a little
+distance, is her prison. Here she must remain until rescued by a touch
+from one of her own party. But if the one who is rushing to her rescue
+is touched by one of the other party who left his fortress an instant
+later, another captive is taken to stand by her side.
+
+In this mimicry of war Napoleon always delighted to engage. After
+dinner, upon the lawn at Malmaison, the most distinguished gentlemen and
+ladies, not of France only, but of all Europe, were often actively and
+most mirthfully engaged in this sport. Kings, and queens, and princes of
+the blood royal were often seen upon the lawn at Malmaison pursuing and
+pursued. Napoleon and Josephine, and most of the friends who surrounded
+them, were in the vigor of athletic youth, and, in entire abandonment to
+the frolic of the hour, the air resounded with their shouts. It was
+observed that Napoleon was ever anxious to choose Josephine as the first
+on his side, and he seemed nervously excited, if she was taken prisoner,
+until she was rescued. He was a poor runner, and often fell, rolling
+over headlong upon the grass, while he and all his associates were
+convulsed with laughter. When there was no special engagement demanding
+attention, this sport often continued for hours. Napoleon was often
+taken captive. But when Josephine was imprisoned, he was incessantly
+clapping his hands, and shouting, "A rescue! a rescue!" till she was
+released. A gloomy misanthrope, wrapped in self, could not have enjoyed
+these scenes of innocent hilarity.
+
+But the life of Josephine was not devoted to amusement. While she
+entered with warmth into these sports, being the soul of every festive
+party, her heart was consecrated to the promotion of happiness in every
+way in her power. When a child, playing with the little negresses of
+Martinique, she was adored as their queen. When in penury, crossing the
+Atlantic, by kind sympathy manifested for the sick and the sorrowful,
+she won the hearts of the seamen. When a prisoner, under sentence of
+death, by her cheerfulness, her forgetfulness of self, and her hourly
+deeds of delicate attention to others, she became an object of universal
+love in those cells of despair. When prosperity again dawned upon her,
+and she was in the enjoyment of an ample competence, every cottage in
+the vicinity of Malmaison testified to her benevolence. And now, when
+placed in a position of power, all her influence was exerted to relieve
+the misfortunes of those illustrious men whom the storms of revolution
+had driven from their homes and from France. She never forgot the
+unfortunate, but devoted a considerable portion of her income to the
+relief of the emigrants. She was at times accused of extravagance. Her
+nature was generous in the extreme, and the profusion of her
+expenditures was an index of her expansive benevolence.
+
+Napoleon, soon after he became first consul, published a decree,
+inviting the emigrants to return, and did what he could to restore to
+them their confiscated estates. There were, however, necessarily
+exceptions from the general act of amnesty. Cases were continually
+arising of peculiar perplexity and hardship, where widows and orphans,
+reduced from opulence to penury, sought lost property, which, during the
+tumult of the times, had become involved in inextricable embarrassments.
+All such persons made application to Josephine. She ever found time to
+listen to their tales of sorrow, to speak words of sympathy, and, with
+great soundness of judgment, to render them all the aid in her power.
+"Josephine," said Napoleon, in reference to these her applications for
+the unfortunate, "will not take a refusal. But, it must be confessed,
+she rarely undertakes a case which has not propriety, at least, on its
+side." The Jacobin laws had fallen with fearful severity upon all the
+members of the ancient aristocracy and all the friends of royalty. The
+cause of these victims of anarchy Josephine was ever ready to espouse.
+
+A noble family by the name of Decrest had been indebted to the
+interposition of the wife of the first consul for their permission to
+return to France. As nearly all their property had disappeared during
+their exile, Josephine continued to befriend them with her influence
+and her purse. On the evening of a festival day, a grand display
+of fire-works was exhibited on the banks of the Seine. A rocket,
+misdirected, struck a son of the marquis on the breast, and instantly
+killed him. The young man, who was on the eve of his marriage to the
+daughter of an ancient friend, was an officer of great promise, and the
+hope of the declining family. His death was a terrible calamity, as well
+as a most afflictive bereavement. The father abandoned himself to all
+the delirium of inconsolable grief, and was so utterly lost in the
+depths of despair, that it was feared his mind would never again recover
+its tone. The Duke of Orleans was grand-uncle of the young man who was
+killed, and Madame Montesson, the mother of Louis Philippe, sent for her
+distressed relatives that she might administer to their consolation. All
+her endeavors, however, were entirely unavailing.
+
+In the midst of this afflictive scene, Josephine entered the saloon of
+Madame Montesson. Her own heart taught her that in such a grief as this
+words were valueless. Silently she took by the hand the eldest daughter,
+a beautiful girl, whose loveliness plead loudly for a father's care, and
+in the other arm she took their infant child of fifteen months, and,
+with her own cheeks bathed in tears, she kneeled before the stricken
+mourner. He raised his eyes and saw Josephine, the wife of the first
+consul, kneeling before him, and imploringly presenting his two
+children. He was at first astonished at the sight. Then, bursting into
+tears, he exclaimed, "Yes! I have much for which I am yet bound to live.
+These children have claims upon me, and I must no longer yield to
+despair." A lady who was present on this occasion says, "I witnessed
+this scene, and shall never forget it. The wife of the first consul
+expressed, in language which I will not attempt to imitate, all that
+tenderness which the maternal bosom alone knows. She was the very image
+of a ministering angel, for the touching charm of her voice and look
+pertained more to heaven than to earth." Josephine had herself seen days
+as dark as could lower over a mortal's path. Love for her children was
+then the only tie which bound her to life. In those days of anguish she
+learned the only appeal which, under these circumstances, could touch a
+despairing father's heart.
+
+Several conspiracies were formed about this time against the life of
+the first consul. That of the Infernal Machine was one of the most
+desperate, reckless, and atrocious which history has recorded. On the
+evening of December 24, 1800, Napoleon was going to the opera. Three
+gentlemen were with him in his carriage. Josephine, with Hortense and
+one or two others, followed in another carriage. In passing from the
+Tuilleries to the theater, it was necessary to pass through the narrow
+street St. Nicaire. A cart, apparently by accident overturned,
+obstructed the passage. The coachman, however, who was driving his
+horses very rapidly, crowded his way by. He had barely passed the cart
+when a terrific explosion took place, which was heard all over Paris.
+Eight persons were instantly killed and more than sixty wounded. Some of
+the houses in the vicinity were nearly blown down. The windows of both
+the carriages were shattered, and Hortense was slightly wounded by the
+broken glass. Napoleon drove on to the opera, where he found the
+audience in the utmost consternation, for the explosion had shaken the
+whole city. He entered with a countenance as perfectly calm and
+untroubled as if nothing unusual had occurred. Every eye was fixed upon
+him. As soon as it was perceived that his person was safe, thunders of
+applause shook the walls of the theater. On every side Napoleon was
+greeted with the most devoted expressions of attachment. Soon Josephine
+came in, pale and trembling, and, after remaining half an hour, they
+both retired to the Tuilleries. Napoleon found the palace crowded with
+all the public functionaries of Paris, who had assembled to congratulate
+him upon his escape.
+
+The life of Josephine was saved on this occasion by apparently the
+merest accident. She had recently received a magnificent shawl, a
+present from Constantinople, and was preparing to wear it that evening
+for the first time. Napoleon, however, in playful criticism, condemned
+the shawl, remarking upon its pattern and its color, and commending
+one which he deemed far more beautiful. "You are a bold man," said
+Josephine, smiling, "in venturing to criticise my toilette. I shall take
+my revenge in giving you a lesson how to attack a redoubt. However," she
+continued, turning to one of her attendants, "bring me the general's
+favorite. I will wear that." A delay of a few moments was caused in
+exchanging the shawls. In the mean time, Napoleon, with his friends,
+entered his carriage and drove on. Josephine soon followed. She had but
+just entered the street when the explosion took place. Had she followed,
+as usual, directly behind Napoleon, her death would have been almost
+inevitable.
+
+It was subsequently ascertained, greatly to the surprise of Napoleon and
+of all Europe, that the Royalists were the agents in this conspiracy.
+Napoleon had been their benefactor, and while he knew it to be
+impossible to replace the Bourbons upon the throne of France, he did
+every thing in his power to mitigate the misfortunes which Jacobin
+violence had inflicted upon their friends. The first consul made no
+disguise of his utter detestation of the Jacobins, and of their reign of
+merciless tyranny. He consequently supposed that they were the authors
+of the atrocious crime. The real authors of the conspiracy were however,
+soon discovered. Fouché, whom Bonaparte disliked exceedingly for his
+inhuman deeds during the Revolution, was the Minister of Police. Upon
+him mainly devolved the trial and the punishment of the accused.
+Josephine immediately wrote a letter to Fouché, most strikingly
+indicative of the benevolence of her noble heart, and of that strength
+of mind which could understand that the claims of justice must not pass
+unheeded.
+
+     "CITIZEN-MINISTER,--While I yet tremble at the frightful
+     event which has just occurred, I am disquieted and
+     distressed through fear of the punishment necessarily to be
+     inflicted on the guilty, who belong, it is said, to families
+     with whom I once lived in habits of intercourse. I shall be
+     solicited by mothers, sisters, and disconsolate wives; and
+     my heart will be broken through my inability to obtain all
+     the mercy for which I would plead.
+
+     "I know that the clemency of the first consul is great, his
+     attachment to me extreme; but the crime is too dreadful that
+     terrible examples should not be necessary. The chief of
+     the government has not been alone exposed; and it is that
+     which will render him severe--inflexible. I conjure you,
+     therefore, to do all in your power to prevent inquiries
+     being pushed too far. Do not detect all those persons who
+     may have been accomplices in these odious transactions. Let
+     not France, so long overwhelmed in consternation by public
+     executions, groan anew beneath such inflictions. It is even
+     better to endeavor to soothe the public mind than to
+     exasperate men by fresh terrors. In short, when the
+     ring-leaders of this nefarious attempt shall have been
+     secured, let severity give place to pity for inferior
+     agents, seduced as they may have been by dangerous
+     falsehoods or exaggerated opinions.
+
+     "When just invested with supreme power, the first consul,
+     as seems to me, ought rather to gain hearts than to be
+     exhibited as ruling slaves. Soften by your counsels whatever
+     may be too violent in his just resentment. Punish--alas!
+     that you must certainly do--but pardon still more. Be also
+     the support of those unfortunate men who, by frank avowal or
+     repentance, shall expiate a portion of their crime.
+
+     "Having myself narrowly escaped perishing in the Revolution,
+     you must regard as quite natural my interference on behalf
+     of those who can be saved without involving in new danger
+     the life of my husband, precious to me and to France. On
+     this account, do, I entreat you, make a wide distinction
+     between the authors of the crime and those who, through
+     weakness or fear, have consented to take a part therein.
+     As a woman, a wife, and a mother, I must feel the
+     heart-rendings of those who will apply to me. Act, citizen
+     minister, in such a manner that the number of these may be
+     lessened. This will spare me much grief. Never will I turn
+     away from the supplications of misfortune. But in the
+     present instance you can do infinitely more than I, and you
+     will, on this account, excuse my importunity. Rely on my
+     gratitude and esteem."
+
+Hortense was now eighteen years of age. Louis Napoleon, brother of
+the first consul, was twenty-four. The plan was formed by Napoleon
+and Josephine of uniting them in marriage. Louis was a studious,
+imaginative, pensive man, with no taste for the glitter and pomp of
+fashion, and with a decided aversion to earth's noisy ambition. He loved
+communing with his own thoughts, the falling leaf, the sighing wind--the
+fireside with its books, its solitude, its sacred society of one or two
+congenial friends. He belonged to that class of men, always imbued with
+deep feeling, whose happiness is only found in those hallowed affections
+which bind kindred hearts in congenial pursuits and joys. As Napoleon
+was riding triumphantly upon his war-horse over the Austrian squadrons
+in Italy, achieving those brilliant victories which paved his way to the
+throne of France, Louis, then a young man but nineteen years of age, met
+in Paris a young lady, the daughter of an emigrant noble, for whom he
+formed a strong attachment, and his whole soul became absorbed in the
+passion of love. Napoleon was informed of this attachment, and,
+apprehensive that the alliance of his brother with one of the old
+Royalist families might endanger his own ambitious projects, he sent him
+away on a military commission, and with his inflexible will and strong
+arm broke off the connection. The young lady was soon afterward married
+to another gentleman, and poor Louis was plunged into depths of
+disappointment and melancholy, from whence he never emerged. Life was
+ever after to him but a cloudy day, till, with a grief-worn spirit, he
+sank into the grave.
+
+Napoleon, conscious of the wound he had inflicted upon his sensitive
+brother, endeavored, in various ways, to make amends. There was very
+much in his gentle, affectionate, and fervent spirit to attract the
+tender regard of Napoleon, and he ever after manifested toward him a
+disposition of peculiar kindness. It was long before Louis would listen
+to the proposition of his marriage with Hortense. His affections still
+clung, though hopelessly, yet so tenaciously to the lost object of his
+idolatry, that he could not think, without pain, of his union with
+another. More uncongenial nuptials could hardly have been imagined.
+Hortense was a beautiful, merry, thoughtless girl--amiable, but very
+fond of excitement and display. In the ball-room, the theater, and other
+places of brilliant entertainment, she found her chief pleasures. In
+addition to this incongruity, she was already in love with the handsome
+Duroc, the favorite aid of Napoleon. It is not strange that such a
+young lady should have seen as little to fancy in the disappointed and
+melancholy Louis as he could see attractive in one who lived but for the
+pageantry of the passing hour. Thus both parties were equally averse to
+the match. The tact of Josephine, however, and the power of Napoleon
+combined, soon overcame all obstacles, and the mirth-loving maiden and
+the pensive scholar were led to their untoward nuptials. Hortense became
+more easily reconciled to the match, as her powerful father promised, in
+consequence of this alliance, to introduce her to seats of grandeur
+where all her desires should be gratified. Louis, resigning himself to
+any lot in a world which had no further joy in store for him, suffered
+himself to be conducted submissively to the altar.
+
+At the fête given in honor of this marriage, the splendors of ancient
+royalty seemed to be revived. But every eye could see the sadness of the
+newly-married bride beneath the profusion of diamonds and flowers with
+which she was adorned. Louis Napoleon, the present President of the
+French Republic, is the only surviving offspring of this uncongenial
+union.
+
+The gay and handsome Duroc, who had been the accepted lover of Hortense,
+was soon after married to an heiress, who brought him, with an immense
+fortune, a haughty spirit and an irritable temper, which embittered all
+his days. The subsequent life of Hortense presents one of the most
+memorable illustrations of the insufficiency of human grandeur to
+promote happiness. Josephine witnessed with intense solicitude the utter
+want of congeniality existing between them, and her heart often bled as
+she saw alienation growing stronger and stronger, until it resulted in
+an entire separation. Hortense might easily have won and retained the
+affections of the pensive but warm-hearted Louis, had she followed the
+counsels of her noble mother. Josephine, herself the almost perfect
+model of a wife, was well qualified to give advice in such a case. The
+following letter, written to Hortense some time before her separation
+from Louis, exhibits in a most amiable light the character of
+Josephine.
+
+          _To Queen Hortense._
+
+     "What I learned eight days ago gave me the greatest pain.
+     What I observe to-day confirms and augments my sorrow. Why
+     show to Louis this repugnance? Instead of rendering him more
+     ungracious still by caprice, by inequality of character,
+     why do you not rather make efforts to surmount your
+     indifference? But you will say, he is not amiable! All that
+     is relative. If not in your eyes amiable, he may appear so
+     to others, and all women do not view him through the medium
+     of dislike. As for myself, who am here altogether
+     disinterested, I imagine that I behold him as he is, more
+     _loving_, doubtless, than _lovable_, but this is a great and
+     rare quality. He is generous, beneficent, feeling, and,
+     above all, an excellent father. If you so willed, he would
+     prove a good husband. His melancholy, his love of study and
+     retirement, injure him in your estimation. For these, I ask
+     you, is he to blame? Is he obliged to conform his nature to
+     circumstances? Who could have predicted to him his fortune?
+     But, according to you, he has not even the _courage_ to
+     bear that fortune. This, I believe, is an error; but
+     he certainly wants the _strength_. With his ascetic
+     inclinations, his invincible desire of retirement and study,
+     he finds himself misplaced in the elevated rank to which he
+     has attained. You desire that he should imitate his brother.
+     Give him, first of all, the same temperament. You have not
+     failed to remark that almost our entire existence depends
+     upon our health, and that upon our digestion. Let poor Louis
+     digest better, and you would find him more amiable. But,
+     such as he is, there can be no reason for abandoning him, or
+     making him feel the unbecoming sentiments with which he
+     inspires you. Do you, whom I have seen so kind, continue to
+     be so at the moment when it is precisely more than ever
+     necessary. Take pity on a man who has to lament that he
+     possesses what would constitute another's happiness; and,
+     before condemning him, think of others who, like him, have
+     groaned beneath the burden of their greatness, and bathed
+     with their tears that diadem which they believed had never
+     been destined for their brow."
+
+This, surely, was admirable counsel, and, had Hortense followed it, she
+would have saved herself many a long year of loneliness and anguish. But
+the impetuous and thoughtless bride could not repress the repugnance
+with which she regarded the cold exterior and the exacting love of her
+husband. Louis demanded from her a singleness and devotedness of
+affection which was unreasonable. He wished to engross all her faculties
+of loving. He desired that every passion of her soul should be centered
+in him, and was jealous of any happiness she found excepting that which
+he could give. He was even troubled by the tender regard with which she
+cherished her mother and her brother, considering all the love she gave
+to them as so much withheld from him. Hortense was passionately fond of
+music and of painting. Louis almost forbade her the enjoyment of those
+delightful accomplishments, thinking that she pursued them with a
+heartfelt devotion inconsistent with that supreme love with which she
+ought to regard her husband. Hortense, proud and high-spirited, would
+not submit to such tyranny. She resisted and retaliated. She became,
+consequently, wretched, and her husband wretched, and discord withered
+all the joys of home. At last, the union of such discordant spirits
+became utterly insupportable. They separated. The story of their
+domestic quarrels vibrated upon the ear of Europe. Louis wandered here
+and there, joyless and sad, till, weary of a miserable life, alone and
+friendless, he died. Hortense retired, with a restless and suffering
+heart, to the mountains of Switzerland, where, in a secluded castle, she
+lingered out the remaining years of her sorrowful pilgrimage. It was an
+unfortunate match. Having been made, the only possible remedy was in
+pursuing the course which Josephine so earnestly recommended. Had
+Josephine been married to Louis, she would have followed the course she
+counseled her daughter to pursue. She would have leaned fondly upon his
+arm in his morning and evening walks. She would have cultivated a lively
+interest in his reading, his studies, and all his quiet domestic
+pleasures. She would, as far as possible, have relinquished every
+pursuit which could by any possibility have caused him pain. Thus she
+would have won his love and his admiration. Every day her power over him
+would have been increasing. Gradually her influence would have molded
+his character to a better model. He would have become proud of his wife.
+He would have leaned upon her arm. He would have been supported by her
+affection and her intellectual strength. He would have become more
+cheerful in character and resolute in purpose. Days of tranquillity and
+happiness would have embellished their dwelling. The spirit of
+Josephine! It is _noble_ as well as _lovely_. It accomplishes the most
+exalted achievements, and diffuses the most ennobling happiness. There
+are thousands of unions as uncongenial as that of Hortense and Louis.
+From the woes such unions would naturally engender there is but one
+refuge, and Josephine has most beautifully shown what that refuge is.
+Hortense, proud and high-spirited, resolved that she would not submit to
+the exacting demands of her husband. In her sad fate we read the warning
+not to imitate her example.
+
+Hortense is invariably described as an unusually fascinating woman. She
+had great vivacity of mind, and displayed much brilliance of
+conversational powers. Her person was finely formed, and she inherited
+much of that graceful demeanor which so signally characterized her
+mother. She was naturally amiable, and was richly endowed with all those
+accomplishments which enable one to excel in the art of pleasing. Louis,
+more than any other of the brothers, most strongly resembled Napoleon.
+He was a very handsome man, and possessed far more than ordinary
+abilities. Under less untoward circumstances he might have been
+eminently happy. Few persons, however, have journeyed along the path of
+life under a darker cloud than that which ever shed its gloom upon the
+footsteps of Louis and Hortense.
+
+Among the various attempts which had been made to produce alienation
+between Napoleon and Josephine, one of the most atrocious was the
+whispered insinuation that the strong affection which the first consul
+manifested for Hortense was a guilty passion. Napoleon exhibited in
+the most amiable manner his qualities as a father, in the frequent
+correspondence he carried on with the two children of Josephine, in the
+interest he took in their studies, and in the solicitude he manifested
+to promote their best welfare. He loved Hortense as if she had been his
+own child. Josephine was entirely impregnable against any jealousy to be
+introduced from that quarter, and a peaceful smile was her only reply
+to all such insinuations. Hortense had also heard, and had utterly
+disregarded, these rumors. The marriage of Hortense to a brother of
+Napoleon had entirely silenced the calumny, and it was soon forgotten.
+
+Subsequently, when Hortense had become entirely alienated from her
+husband, and was resolved upon a separation, Josephine did every thing
+in her power to dissuade her from an act so rash, so disgraceful, so
+ruinous to her happiness. She wrote to her in terms of the most earnest
+entreaty. The self-willed queen, annoyed by these remonstrances, and
+unable to reply to them, ventured to intimate to her mother that perhaps
+she was not entirely disinterested in her opposition. In most guarded
+terms she suggested that her mother had heard the groundless accusation
+of Napoleon's undue fondness, and that it was possible that her strong
+opposition to the separation of Hortense from her husband might
+originate in the fear that Hortense might become, in some degree, her
+rival in the affections of Napoleon. Josephine very promptly and
+energetically replied,
+
+     "You have misunderstood me entirely, my child. There is
+     nothing equivocal in my words, as there can not exist an
+     uncandid sentiment in my heart. How could you imagine that
+     I could participate in opinions so ridiculous and so
+     malicious? No, Hortense, you do not think that I believe you
+     to be my rival. We do, indeed, both reign in the same heart,
+     though by very different, yet by equally sacred rights. And
+     they who, in the affection which my husband manifests for
+     you, have pretended to discover other sentiments than those
+     of a parent and a friend, know not _his_ soul. His mind is
+     too elevated above that of the vulgar to be ever accessible
+     to unworthy passions. The passion of glory, if you will,
+     engrosses him too entirely for our repose; but glory, at
+     least, inspires nothing which is vile. Such is my profession
+     of faith respecting Napoleon. I make this confession to you
+     in all sincerity, that I may allay your inquietudes. When I
+     recommended you to love, or, at least, not to repulse Louis,
+     I spoke to you in my character of an experienced wife, an
+     attentive mother, and a tender friend, and in this threefold
+     relation do I now embrace you."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+THE CORONATION.
+
+A.D. 1800-A.D. 1804
+
+Josephine and Napoleon visit Lyons.--Josephine makes new friends.--
+Return to Malmaison.--Anecdote of the writing-master.--Tour of the
+northern provinces.--Enthusiasm of the people.--Josephine ever
+solicitous in behalf of the comfort of others.--Benevolence of
+Josephine's heart.--The palace of St. Cloud.--Napoleon's views of
+Christianity.--Striking remarks.--Influence of Josephine in the
+re-establishment of Christianity.--Religious ceremony at Nôtre
+Dame.--Proclamation of Napoleon.--Christian charity recommended.--
+Triumph of Christianity.--Madame Tallien disliked by Napoleon.--
+Dissipation in Paris.--Incident at a masked ball.--Josephine and
+Madame Tallien.--The stolen interview.--Eugene interrupts it.--
+Ouvrard.--Rumors.--Apprehensions of Josephine.--Anecdote.--Introduction
+of regal state.--Napoleon and Josephine occupy separate apartments.--
+Josephine advocates the cause of the Bourbons.--A present.--Napoleon
+takes to the whip.--Accident resulting from his unskillfulness.--
+Napoleon's views of death.--Subsequent change of opinion.--Remonstrances
+of Josephine.--Titled Englishmen in Paris.--Josephine invites them to
+Malmaison.--Their reception.--Dissipation in Paris.--Napoleon declared
+emperor.--Josephine's fears.--Grand levée.--Josephine's elevated
+position.--Preparations for the coronation.--Dress of Josephine.--Dress
+of Napoleon.--The imperial carriage.--A splendid pageant.--The throne.
+--Napoleon crowns himself and Josephine.--A touching scene.--Pious
+emotions of Josephine.--Impatience of Napoleon.--Josephine's forebodings
+fulfilled.--Desires to forget her title.--Josephine's regrets.--
+Corruption of the court of France.--Napoleon scrupulous in forming his
+court.--The Duchess d'Aiguillon.--Letter from Josephine to the Duchess
+d'Aiguillon.--Josephine not her own mistress.
+
+
+Early in the year 1802 Josephine accompanied Napoleon in various
+excursions to distant parts of the empire. She went with him to Lyons to
+meet the Italian deputies, who had assembled there to confer upon him
+the dignity of President of the Cisalpine Republic. The entertainments
+in Lyons upon this occasion were arranged with regal magnificence.
+Josephine, by her grace and affability, secured universal admiration,
+and every tongue was eloquent in her praises. Each succeeding month
+seemed now to bring some new honor to Josephine. Her position as wife of
+the first consul, her known influence over her husband, and the almost
+boundless popularity he had acquired over the minds of his countrymen,
+who were ever conducting him by rapid strides to new accessions of
+power, surrounded her with multitudes striving in every way to
+ingratiate themselves into her favor.
+
+From Lyons they returned to their beloved retreat at Malmaison, where
+they passed several weeks. But place and power had already deprived them
+of retirement. Napoleon was entirely engrossed with his vast projects
+of ambition. The avenue to their rural mansion was unceasingly thronged
+with carriages, and the saloon of Josephine was ever filled with the
+most illustrious guests.
+
+One day Josephine happened to be in the cabinet with her husband
+alone. A man, whose coat was much the worse for wear, and whose whole
+appearance presented many indications of the struggle with poverty, was
+ushered into the room. He appeared greatly embarrassed, and at length,
+with much confusion, introduced himself as the writing-master at Brienne
+who had taught the first consul hand-writing. "And a fine penman you
+made of me!" exclaimed Napoleon, in affected anger. "Ask my wife there
+what she thinks of my writing." The poor man stood trembling in
+trepidation, when Josephine looked up with one of her sweetest smiles,
+and said, "I assure you, sir, his letters are perfectly delightful."
+Napoleon laughed at the well-timed compliment, and settled upon the
+writing-master a small annuity for life. It was a noble trait in the
+character of the first consul that in his days of power he was ever
+mindful of those who were the friends of his early years. All the
+instructors of the school he attended at Brienne were thus remembered
+by him.
+
+Napoleon and Josephine now made the tour of the northern provinces of
+France. They were every where received with unbounded enthusiasm. The
+first consul had, indeed, conferred the greatest blessings on his
+country. He had effectually curbed the Revolutionary fury. He had
+established the reign of law. Thousands of exiles he had restored to
+their homes rejoicing. The discomfited armies of France he had led to
+new and brilliant victories. Under his administration every branch of
+business had revived. From every part of the empire Napoleon received
+the most enthusiastic expressions of gratitude and attachment. He now
+began more seriously to contemplate ascending the throne of France.
+Conscious of his own power, and ambitious of the glory of elevating his
+country to the highest pinnacle of earthly greatness, and witnessing the
+enthusiasm of admiration which his deeds had excited in the public mind,
+he no longer doubted that his countrymen would soon be ready to place
+the scepter of empire in his hands. He thought that the pear was now
+ripe.
+
+Josephine ever enjoyed most highly accompanying her husband on these
+tours, and she, on such occasions, manifested, in the most attractive
+manner, her readiness to sacrifice her own personal comfort to promote
+the happiness of others. Napoleon was in the habit of moving with such
+rapidity, and of setting out so unexpectedly upon these journeys, and he
+was so peremptory in his injunctions as to the places where he intended
+to halt, that often no suitable accommodations could be provided for
+Josephine and her attendant ladies. No complaint, however, was ever
+heard from her lips. No matter how great the embarrassment she
+encountered, she ever exhibited the same imperturbable cheerfulness and
+good humor. She always manifested much more solicitude in reference to
+the accommodation of her attendants than for her own comfort. She would
+herself visit their apartments, and issue personal directions to promote
+their convenience. One night, just as she was about to retire to rest,
+she observed that her waiting-woman had but a single mattress, spread
+upon the floor, for her repose. She immediately, with her own hands,
+took from the bed destined for herself another mattress, and supplied
+the deficiency, that her waiting-woman might sleep more comfortably.
+Whenever any of her household were sick, Josephine promptly visited
+their bed-side, and with her own hands ministered to their wants. She
+would remember them at her own table, and from the luxurious viands
+spread out before her, would select delicacies which might excite a
+failing appetite. It often happened, in these sudden and hasty journeys,
+that, from want of accommodation, some of the party were compelled to
+remain in the carriages while Napoleon and Josephine dined. In such
+cases they were never forgotten. This was not policy and artifice on the
+part of Josephine, but the instinctive dictates of a heart overflowing
+with benevolence.
+
+On Napoleon's return from this tour he took possession of the palace of
+St. Cloud. This was another step toward the throne of the Bourbons.
+This magnificent abode of ancient grandeur had been repaired and most
+gorgeously furnished. The versatile French, weary of Republican
+simplicity, witnessed with joy the indications of a return of regal
+magnificence. A decree also granted to Josephine "four ladies, to assist
+her in doing the honors of the palace." No occupant of these splendid
+saloons ever embellished them more richly by the display of queenly
+graces than did Josephine; and Napoleon, now constituted first consul
+for life, reigned with pomp and power which none of his predecessors
+had ever surpassed. The few remaining forms of the Republic rapidly
+disappeared. Josephine exerted much influence over her husband's mind in
+inducing him to re-establish the institutions of the Christian religion.
+Napoleon at that time did not profess to have any faith in the divine
+origin of Christianity. Infidelity had swept resistlessly over France,
+and nearly every man of any note in the camp and in the court was an
+unbeliever. He was, consequently, very bitterly opposed in all his
+endeavors to reinstate Christianity. One evening he was walking upon the
+terrace of his garden at Malmaison, most earnestly conversing with some
+influential members of the government upon this subject.
+
+"Religion," said he, "is something which can not be eradicated from the
+heart of man. He _must_ believe in a superior being. Who made all that?"
+he continued, pointing to the stars brilliantly shining in the evening
+sky. "Last Sunday evening I was walking here alone, when the church
+bells of the village of Ruel rang at sunset. I was strongly moved, so
+vividly did the image of early days come back with that sound. If it be
+thus with me, what must it be with others? Let your philosophers answer
+that, if they can. It is absolutely indispensable to have a religion for
+the people. In re-establishing Christianity, I consult the wishes of a
+great majority of the French nation."
+
+Josephine probably had very little religious knowledge. She regarded
+Christianity as a sentiment rather than a principle. She felt the poetic
+beauty of its revelations and its ordinances. She knew how holy were its
+charities, how pure its precepts, how ennobling its influences, even
+when encumbered with the grossest superstitions. She had seen, and
+dreadfully had she felt, what France was without religion--with marriage
+a mockery, conscience a phantom, and death proclaimed to all an eternal
+sleep. She therefore most warmly seconded her husband in all endeavors
+to restore again to desolated France the religion of Jesus Christ.
+
+The next morning after the issuing of the proclamation announcing the
+re-establishment of public worship, a grand religious ceremony took
+place in honor of the occasion in the church of Nôtre Dame. Napoleon, to
+produce a deep impression upon the public mind, invested the occasion
+with all possible pomp. As he was preparing to go to the Cathedral, one
+of his colleagues, Cambacèrés, entered the room.
+
+"Well," said the first consul, rubbing his hands in fine spirits, "we go
+to church this morning; what say they to that in Paris?"
+
+"Many people," replied Cambacèrés, "propose to attend the first
+representation in order to hiss the piece, should they not find it
+amusing."
+
+"If any one takes it into his head to hiss, I shall put him out of the
+door by the grenadiers of the consular guard."
+
+"But what if the grenadiers themselves take to hissing like the rest?"
+
+"As to that, I have no fear. My old mustaches will go here to Nôtre Dame
+just as at Cairo they would have gone to the mosque. They will remark
+how I do, and, seeing their general grave and decent, they will be so
+too, passing the watchword to each other, _Decency_!"
+
+In the noble proclamation which the first consul issued upon this great
+event, he says, "An insane policy has sought, during the Revolution, to
+smother religious dissensions under the ruins of the altar, under the
+ashes of religion itself. At its voice all those pious solemnities
+ceased in which the citizens called each other by the endearing name of
+brothers, and acknowledged their common equality in the sight of Heaven.
+The dying, left alone in his agonies, no longer heard that consoling
+voice which calls the Christian to a better world. God himself seemed
+exiled from the face of nature. Ministers of the religion of peace! let
+a complete oblivion veil over your dissensions, your misfortunes, your
+faults. Let the religion which unites you bind you by indissoluble cords
+to the interests of your country. Citizens of the Protestant faith! the
+law has equally extended its solicitude to your interests. Let the
+morality, so pure, so holy, so brotherly, which you profess, unite you
+all in love to your country and respect for its laws; and, above all,
+never permit disputes on doctrinal points to weaken that universal
+charity which religion at once inculcates and commands."
+
+This, surely, is a great triumph of Christianity. A man like Napoleon,
+even though not at the time a believer in its divine origin, was so
+perfectly satisfied of its beneficial influence upon mankind, that, as a
+matter of state policy, he felt compelled to reinstate its observances.
+
+Josephine cherished emotions of the deepest gratitude toward all those
+who had proved friendly to her in the days of her adversity. Napoleon,
+with his strong prejudices, often took a dislike to those whom Josephine
+loved. Madame Tallien, the companion of Josephine in her captivity
+and her benefactor after her release, was, for some unknown reason,
+peculiarly obnoxious to Napoleon. She was extremely beautiful and very
+ambitious, and her exclusion from the splendors of the new court, now
+daily becoming more brilliant, mortified her exceedingly. Josephine also
+was greatly troubled. She could not disregard the will of her husband,
+and her heart recoiled from the thought of ingratitude toward one who
+had been her friend in adversity. At this time, in Paris, pleasure
+seemed to be the universal object of pursuit. All the restraints of
+religion had been swept away, and masked balls, gambling, and every
+species of dissipation attracted to the metropolis the wealthy and the
+dissolute from all parts of Europe. Napoleon never made his appearance
+in any of these reckless scenes of revelry. He ever was an inveterate
+enemy to gambling in all its forms, and had no relish for luxurious
+indulgence. Josephine, however, accompanied by Eugene, occasionally
+looked in upon the dancers at the masked balls. On one of these
+occasions a noble lady witnessed an incident which she has recorded in
+the following words:
+
+     "Chance rendered me witness of a singular scene at one of
+     these balls. It was near two o'clock in the morning, the
+     crowd immense, and the heat overpowering. I had ascended for
+     a few moments to the apartments above, and, refreshed by the
+     cool air, was about to descend, when the sound of voices in
+     the adjoining room, in earnest conversation, caught my
+     attention. Applying my ear to the partition, the name of
+     Bonaparte, and the discovery that Josephine and Madame
+     Tallien were the speakers, excited a real curiosity. 'I
+     assure you, my dear Theresina,' said Josephine, 'that I
+     have done all that friendship could dictate, but in vain. No
+     later than this morning I made a new effort. Bonaparte would
+     hear of nothing. I can not comprehend what can have
+     prejudiced him so strongly against you. You are the only
+     woman whose name he has effaced from the list of my
+     particular friends; and from fear lest he should manifest
+     his displeasure directly against us have I now come hither
+     alone with my son. At this moment they believe me sound
+     asleep in my bed at the Tuilleries; but I determined on
+     coming to see, to warn, and to console you and, above all,
+     to justify myself.'
+
+     "'My dear Josephine,' Madame Tallien replied, 'I have never
+     doubted either the goodness of your heart or the sincerity
+     of your affection. Heaven is my witness that the loss of
+     your friendship would be to me much more painful than any
+     dread of Bonaparte. In these difficult times, I have
+     maintained a conduct that might, perhaps, render my visits
+     an honor, but I will never importune you to receive me
+     without his consent. He was not consul when Tallien followed
+     him into Egypt, when I received you both into my house, when
+     I shared with you--' Here she burst into tears, and her
+     voice became inaudible.
+
+     "'Calm yourself, my dear Theresina,' Josephine rejoined; 'be
+     calm, and let the storm pass. I am paving the way for a
+     reconciliation, but we must not irritate him more. You know
+     that he does not love Ouvrard, and it is said that he often
+     sees you.'
+
+     "'What, then,' Madame Tallien replied, 'because he governs
+     France, does he expect to tyrannize over our hearts? Must we
+     sacrifice to him our private friendships?'
+
+     "At that moment some one knocked at the door, and Eugene
+     Beauharnais entered. 'Madame,' said he to his mother, 'you
+     have been now more than an hour absent. The council of
+     ministers is perhaps over. What will the first consul say,
+     should he not find you on his return?' The two ladies then,
+     arm in arm, descended the stairs, conversing in earnest
+     whispers, followed by Eugene."
+
+This Ouvrard, to whom allusion is made above, was a famous banker in
+Paris, of enormous wealth, and engaged in the most wild and extravagant
+speculations.
+
+It now began to be rumored that Napoleon would soon be crowned as king.
+Very many of the nation desired it, and though there was as yet no
+public declaration, vague hints and floating rumors filled the air.
+Josephine was greatly disquieted. It seemed more and more important that
+Napoleon should have an heir. There was now no prospect that Josephine
+would ever become again a mother. She heard, with irrepressible anguish,
+that it had been urged upon her husband that the interests of France
+required that he should obtain a divorce and marry again; that alliance
+with one of the ancient royal families of Europe, and the birth of a
+son, to whom he could transmit his crown, would place his power upon an
+impregnable foundation. Josephine could not but perceive the _apparent_
+policy of the great wrong. And though she knew that Napoleon truly and
+tenderly loved her, she also feared that there was no sacrifice which
+he was not ready to make in obedience to the claims of his towering
+ambition.
+
+One day she softly entered the cabinet without being announced.
+Bonaparte and Bourrienne were conversing together. The day before, an
+article appeared in the Moniteur, evidently preparing the way for the
+throne. Josephine gently approached her husband, sat down upon his knee,
+affectionately passed her hand through his hair and over his face, and,
+with moistened eyes and a burst of tenderness, exclaimed, "I entreat
+you, mon ami, do not make yourself a king. It is Lucien who urges you
+to it. Do not even listen to him."
+
+Bonaparte, smiling very pleasantly, replied, "Why, my dear Josephine,
+you are crazy. You must not listen to these tales of the old dowagers.
+But you interrupt us now. I am very busy."
+
+During the earlier period of Napoleon's consulship, like the humblest
+citizen, he occupied the same bed-chamber with his spouse. But now that
+more of regal ceremony and state was being introduced to the consular
+establishment, their domestic intercourse, to the great grief of
+Josephine, assumed more of cold formality. Separate apartments were
+assigned to Josephine at a considerable distance from those occupied by
+her husband, and it was necessary to traverse a long corridor to pass
+from one to the other. The chambers of the principal ladies of the court
+opened upon this corridor from the right and the left. The splendor with
+which Josephine's rooms were furnished was no compensation to her for
+the absence of that affectionate familiarity for which her heart ever
+yearned. She also suspected, with anguish, that this separation was
+but the prelude of the divorce she so fearfully apprehended. Whenever
+Napoleon passed the night in the apartment of Josephine, it was known to
+the whole household. Josephine, at such times, always appeared at a
+later hour in the morning than usual, for they generally passed half the
+night in conversation.
+
+"I think I see her still," writes one of the ladies of her household,
+"coming in to breakfast, looking quite cheerful, rubbing her little
+hands, as she was accustomed to do when peculiarly happy, and
+apologizing for having risen so late. On such occasions she was, if
+possible, more gracious than usual, refused nobody, and we were sure
+of obtaining every thing we asked, as I have myself many times
+experienced."
+
+The Bourbons had been for some time in correspondence with Napoleon,
+hoping, through his agency, to regain the throne. He assured them that
+their restoration could not possibly be accomplished, even by the
+sacrifice of the lives of a million of Frenchmen. Josephine, who had
+suffered so much from anarchy, was a decided Royalist, and she exerted
+all her powers to induce Napoleon to make the attempt to reinstate the
+Bourbons. When her friends congratulated her upon the probability that
+she would soon be Empress of France, with heartfelt sincerity she
+replied, "To be the wife of the first consul fulfills my highest
+ambition. Let me remain so." The Bourbons expressed much gratitude at
+the time in view of Josephine's known intercessions in their behalf.
+
+About this time a serious accident happened to the first consul, which
+also exposed Josephine to much danger. The inhabitants of Antwerp had
+made Napoleon a present of six magnificent bay horses. With four of
+these spirited steeds harnessed to the carriage, Napoleon was one day
+taking an airing, with Josephine and Cambacèrés, the second consul, in
+the park. Napoleon, taking a fancy to drive four in hand, mounted the
+coach-box, and Cæsar, his favorite coachman, was stationed behind. The
+horses soon discovered that they had a new and inexperienced driver, and
+started off at the top of their speed. Napoleon lost all control over
+them, and the frightened animals, perfectly ungovernable, dashed along
+the road at a fearful rate. Cæsar kept shouting to Napoleon, "Keep in
+the middle!" Cambacèrés, pale with fright, thrust his head out of the
+window, and shouted "Whoa! whoa!" Josephine, greatly alarmed, sank back
+in her seat, and in silent resignation awaited the issue. As they
+approached the avenue to St. Cloud, the imperial driver had not
+sufficient skill to guide them safely through the gateway. The coach
+struck against one of the pillars, and was overturned with a terrible
+crash. Josephine and Cambacèrés were considerably bruised. Napoleon was
+thrown from his seat to the distance of eight or ten paces, and was
+taken up insensible. He, however, soon recovered. On retiring at night,
+they amused themselves in talking over the misadventure. "Mon ami," said
+Josephine, laughing, "you must render unto Cæsar the things that be
+Cæsar's. Let him keep his whip. Each to his vocation." The conversation
+was continued for some time in a tone of pleasantry. Gradually Napoleon
+became more serious. He seemed to be reflecting deeply, and said that he
+never before came so near to death. "Indeed," said he, "I was for some
+moments virtually dead. But what is death? what is death? It is merely a
+sleep without dreams."
+
+Such were probably, at this time, the views of Napoleon upon
+immortality. He subsequently professed himself a sincere believer in the
+divine origin of Christianity, and wished to die within the pale of the
+Christian Church. That mind which can contemplate death with levity must
+be either exceedingly weak or hopelessly deranged.
+
+While nearly all who surrounded the first consul were contemplating with
+the utmost satisfaction his approaching elevation to the throne, the
+subject awakened in the bosom of Josephine the most agitating emotions.
+She saw in the splendor of the throne peril to her husband, and the risk
+of entire downfall to herself. "The real enemies of Bonaparte," said she
+to Roederer, "are those who put into his head ideas of hereditary
+succession, dynasty, divorce, and marriage." Again she is represented
+as saying, "I do not approve the projects of Napoleon. I have often told
+him so. He hears me with attention, but I can plainly see that I make no
+impression. The flatterers who surround him soon obliterate all that I
+have said. The new honors which he will acquire will augment the number
+of his enemies. The generals will exclaim that they have not fought so
+long merely to substitute the family of the Bonapartes for that of the
+Bourbons."
+
+The peace ratified by the treaty of Amiens in 1802 threw open the
+Continent to travelers from England. There were thousands in that
+country who were great admirers of Napoleon. The Tuilleries, St. Cloud,
+and Malmaison were consequently ever thronged with illustrious strangers
+from the island with which France had so long been engaged in war. The
+celebrated statesman, Mr. Fox, with Lord and Lady Holland, Lord Erskine,
+and several others of the most distinguished of the English nobility,
+were visiting Paris, and one morning were at a breakfast party at Madame
+Recamier's. Breakfast was nearly concluded, when the sounds of a
+horseman galloping into the court-yard were heard. Eugene Beauharnais
+was immediately after announced. After a few words of regret expressed
+to the lady of the house for having arrived so late, he turned to Mr.
+Fox and said, "I hope, sir, soon to indemnify myself for the loss of
+your society which I have this morning sustained. I am commissioned by
+my mother to attend you to Malmaison. The carriages will be here in a
+few moments which are for the accommodation of you and your friends,
+when you can resolve on leaving so many charms as must detain you here.
+I shall, with much pleasure, act as your guide."
+
+The carriages of the first consul soon arrived, and the whole party
+proceeded to Malmaison. Josephine received her guests with that courtesy
+and refined cordiality in which she was unrivaled. Bonaparte, knowing
+the powerful influence of the illustrious English statesman, was very
+desirous that he should receive a favorable impression from his visit.
+It required but little effort on the part of Josephine to excel in the
+art of pleasing. She banished all parade, and received her guests as
+family friends. The day was spent at Malmaison, and Mr. Fox afterward
+stated that he retired from the visit enchanted with the elegance and
+grace of all that he saw and heard.
+
+Ten years had passed, during which France had been in a state of
+constant warfare. The short peace which succeeded the treaty of
+Amiens filled Paris with the best society of Europe. Extravagance
+and dissipation reigned in the metropolis. But in those scenes of
+dissipation neither Napoleon nor Josephine ever made their appearance.
+His mind was ever engrossed with the magnificent plans he was forming
+and the deeds he was achieving. Josephine was equally engaged in
+watching over the interests of her husband, and in gaining and
+confirming friends to his cause.
+
+On the 18th of May, 1804, by a decree of the senate, Napoleon was
+declared Emperor of France. The decree was sent out to the various
+departments for the action of the people. The result was, that 3,572,329
+voted in the affirmative, while but 2569 were in the negative. A more
+unanimous expression of a nation's will history never has recorded. The
+day after his elevation to the imperial throne, the emperor held a grand
+levée at the Tuilleries, and Josephine, with many fears darkening this
+hour of exultation, made her first appearance as the Empress of France.
+The decree announcing Napoleon Bonaparte to be the emperor of France
+also declared that the imperial dignity should be _hereditary_ in his
+family. The empress struggled against her fears, but her heart was
+heavy, and she found but little joy upon this high pinnacle of power.
+She also plainly foresaw that the throne of her husband, apparently so
+gorgeous and massive, was erected upon a very frail foundation.
+
+At the grand levée held upon this occasion, the assembly was the most
+brilliant and numerous that had ever yet been witnessed in Paris. The
+renown of Napoleon now filled the world, and noted men from every land
+thronged his saloons. Josephine found herself elevated to the position
+of the most illustrious of the queens of Europe. The power of her
+husband was superior to that of any of the surrounding monarchs, and she
+received the homage of all as occupying an elevation such as no queen
+had ever attained before.
+
+The second of December, 1804, was appointed for the ceremony of
+coronation. The pageant was to take place in the church of Nôtre Dame.
+The pope came from Rome to place the crown upon this lofty, though
+plebeian brow. For ten centuries such an honor had not been conferred
+upon any monarch. The day was clear and brilliant, but intensely cold.
+The venerable walls of Nôtre Dame had never before witnessed such luxury
+and such magnificence as was now displayed. Carriages glittering with
+gold and purple trappings; horses proudly caparisoned; officers in the
+richest uniforms, and in court dresses sumptuously embroidered; servants
+in most gorgeous liveries; and a waving sea of ostrich plumes,
+bewildered the multitude with the unwonted splendor.
+
+The empress appeared in a robe of white satin, embroidered with gold,
+and profusely ornamented with diamonds. A mantle of crimson velvet,
+lined with white satin and ermine, floated over her shoulders, and
+golden bees were clustered over the dress. The coronation jewels
+consisted of a crown, a diadem, and a girdle. The coronation crown
+consisted of eight golden branches, four in imitation of palm, and four
+of myrtle leaves. The dew-drops glittering upon this foliage were
+brilliant diamonds. A golden-corded band surrounded the crown,
+embellished with eight very large emeralds. The bandeau inclosing the
+head glittered resplendent with amethysts. This was the coronation
+crown, which was used only upon state occasions. The diadem, which was
+for more ordinary service, was composed of four rows of pearls
+interlaced with diamonds. In front were several very large brilliants,
+one of which weighed one hundred and forty-nine grains. The ceinture or
+girdle was of pure gold, so pure as to be quite elastic, embellished
+with thirty-nine rose-colored diamonds.
+
+Napoleon wore a close dress of white velvet, embroidered in gold, with
+diamond buttons. His stockings were of white silk. The robe and mantle
+were of crimson velvet, richly embroidered in gold and embellished with
+diamonds. Napoleon seemed to regret the vast expense attending this
+display, while at the same time he was conscious of its importance to
+impress the minds of the Parisians. The emperor was profuse in
+expenditure to promote the grandeur and glory of the nation, but very
+frugal in his personal expenses.
+
+The imperial carriage, constructed expressly for the occasion, was the
+most exquisite piece of workmanship Parisian ingenuity could devise. It
+was drawn by eight bay horses. The paneling was entirely of glass. As
+the emperor and empress entered the carriage, they both, by mistake, sat
+down with their backs toward the horses. Josephine, immediately
+perceiving the error, lightly changed her seat, at the same time saying
+smilingly to her husband, as she pointed to the rich cushion at her
+side, "Mon ami! unless you prefer riding vis-à-vis, this is your seat."
+Napoleon laughed heartily at the blunder, and changed his seat. Double
+files of infantry lined the route of more than a mile and a half,
+extending from the Tuilleries to Nôtre Dame. Ten thousand horsemen, in
+most gorgeous uniforms, attended the carriages. Half a million of
+spectators thronged the way, crowding the windows and balconies,
+clustered upon the house-tops, and filling up every space from whence
+any view of the cortège could be gained. The air was filled with the
+martial strains of a thousand bands, with the thunders of innumerable
+pieces of artillery, and with the enthusiastic acclamations of the vast
+multitude. A pageant more sublime this world perhaps has never
+witnessed.
+
+[Illustration: THE CORONATION.]
+
+The throne, which was hung with crimson velvet, was overarched with a
+canopy of the same rich material. It was ascended by twenty-two circular
+steps, which were covered with blue cloth, studded with golden bees.
+The most illustrious officers of the empire crowded the stairs. Napoleon
+and Josephine sat, side by side, upon the throne. The religious
+ceremony occupied nearly four hours. It was interspersed with the most
+soul-stirring music from martial bands and from more than three hundred
+vocal performers. When the pope was about to place the crown upon the
+brow of the emperor, Napoleon took it from him, and placed it, with his
+own hands, upon his head. He then took it off and crowned the empress,
+also with his own hands, fixing his eye proudly, yet most tenderly, upon
+her. The heavy crown was soon after laid upon a cushion, while a smaller
+diadem was placed upon the head of Josephine. She kneeled before her
+illustrious consort as he placed the crown of France upon her brow.
+After remaining for a moment in silence in the posture of prayer, with
+her hands folded over her bosom, she then gracefully rose, her eyes
+swimming in tears, and turned to her husband with a look of gratitude
+and of love which the emperor feelingly recognized. It was a touching
+scene, and in that moment were clustered the memories of years.
+
+But the day was not without its moments of anguish for Josephine. In the
+brief speech which the emperor made upon the occasion, he said, "_My
+descendants will long sit upon this throne._" These words were as a
+dagger to the heart of the empress. She knew Napoleon's intense desire
+for an heir. She knew how strong the desire in France was that he should
+have a son to whom to transmit his throne. She knew how much had been
+said respecting the necessity of a divorce. The most infamous proposals
+had been urged upon her by pretended friends, even by one of the
+brothers of Napoleon, that she might, by unfaithfulness to him, obviate
+the necessity of Napoleon's seeking another bride. This sentiment,
+uttered upon the day of coronation, filled her heart with fear and
+anguish.
+
+The shades of evening had fallen upon the swarming city, and all the
+streets of the metropolis and the broad façade of the Tuilleries were
+glittering with illuminations when the emperor and empress returned to
+the palace. Josephine, overcome with the conflicting emotions which the
+day had excited, retired to her apartment, and, falling upon her knees,
+with tears implored the guidance of the King of kings. Napoleon hastened
+to his room, exclaiming impatiently to an attendant as he entered, "Off,
+off with these confounded trappings!" He threw the mantle into one
+corner of the room, and the gorgeous robe into another, and, thus
+violently disencumbering himself, declared that hours of such mortal
+tediousness he had never encountered before.
+
+Josephine, in her remonstrances with Napoleon against assuming the
+crown, predicted, with almost prophetic accuracy, the consequences which
+would ensue. "Will not your power," she wrote to him, "opposed, as to
+a certainty it must be, by the neighboring states, draw you into a
+war with them? This will probably end in their ruin. Will not their
+neighbors, beholding these effects, combine for your destruction? While
+abroad such is the state of things, at home how numerous the envious and
+discontented! How many plots to disconcert, and how many conspiracies to
+punish."
+
+Soon after the coronation, Josephine was one morning in her garden, when
+an intimate friend called to see her. She saluted the empress by the
+title of Your Majesty. "Ah!" she exclaimed, in tones deeply pathetic, "I
+entreat that you will suffer me, at least here, to forget that I am an
+empress." It is the unvarying testimony of her friends, that, while she
+was receiving with surpassing gracefulness the congratulations of France
+and of Europe, her heart was heavy. She clearly foresaw the peril of
+their position, and trembled in view of an approaching downfall. The
+many formal ceremonies which her station required, and upon which
+Napoleon laid great stress, were exceedingly irksome to one whose warm
+heart rejoiced in the familiarity of unrestrained friendship. She thus
+described her feelings: "The nearer my husband approached the summit of
+earthly greatness, the more dim became my last gleams of happiness. It
+is true that I enjoyed a magnificent existence. My court was composed
+of gentlemen and ladies the most illustrious in rank, all of whom were
+emulous of the honor of being presented to me. But my time was no longer
+at my command. The emperor was receiving from every part of France
+congratulations upon his accession to the throne, while I myself sighed
+in contemplating the immense power he had acquired. The more I saw him
+loaded with the gifts of Fortune, the more I feared his fall."
+
+The court of France had for ages been the scene of the most voluptuous
+and unblushing vice. The whole nation had been corrupted by its
+influence. Dissipation had been rendered attractive by the grace with
+which it had been robed. The dissolute manners which had prevailed at
+Versailles, the Tuilleries, and St. Cloud no pen can describe. Napoleon
+determined that, at all hazards, his court should be reputable at least
+in outward morality. He was more scrupulous upon this point even than
+Josephine herself. Believing that the downfall of the Bourbons was
+caused, in no inconsiderable degree, by the dissolute lives of the
+nobles and the courtiers, he would give no one an appointment among the
+royal retinue whose character was not, in his judgment, above reproach.
+
+The Duchess d'Aiguillon had been a fellow-captive of Josephine, and,
+after their liberation from prison, had greatly befriended her. During
+the license of those times, in which all the restraints of Christian
+morality had been swept away, her character had not remained perfectly
+spotless. She and her husband had availed themselves of the facile
+liberty of divorce which the laws had encouraged, and had formed other
+unions. Josephine felt grateful for the many favors she had received
+from the duchess, and wished to testify this gratitude by receiving her
+at court. Napoleon peremptorily refused. Josephine wrote to her in the
+following terms:
+
+     "MY DEAR FRIEND,--I am deeply afflicted. My former friends,
+     supposing that I am able to obtain the fulfillment of all
+     my wishes, must suppose that I have forgotten the past.
+     Alas! it is not so. I remember it too well, and my thoughts
+     dwell upon it more than I would have them. The more I think
+     of what my friends did for me, the greater is my sorrow at
+     being unable to do now what my heart dictates. The Empress
+     of France is but the first slave in the empire, and can not
+     pay the debts of Madame de Beauharnais. This constitutes the
+     torture of my life, and will explain why you do not occupy a
+     place near me. The emperor, indignant at the total disregard
+     of morality, and alarmed at the progress it might still
+     make, is resolved that the example of a life of regularity
+     and of religion shall be presented in the palace where he
+     reigns. Desirous of strengthening more and more the Church
+     re-established by himself, and unable to change the laws
+     appointed by her observances, his intention is, at least, to
+     keep at a distance from his court all who may have availed
+     themselves of the opportunity for a divorce. Hence the cause
+     of his refusing the favor I asked of having you with me. The
+     refusal has occasioned me unspeakable regret, but he is too
+     absolute to leave even the hope of seeing him retract. I am
+     thus constrained to renounce the pleasure I had promised
+     myself of being constantly with you, studying to make you
+     forget the sovereign in the friend. Pity my lot in being too
+     public a personage to follow my own inclination, and cherish
+     for me a friendship, the remembrance of which gives me now
+     as much pleasure as its reality afforded consolation in
+     prison. Often do I regret that small, dark, and dismal
+     chamber which we shared together, for there, at least, I
+     could pour out my whole heart, and was sincerely beloved in
+     return."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+JOSEPHINE AN EMPRESS.
+
+A.D. 1805
+
+Coronation fêtes.--Ascent of a balloon.--The Italians petition Napoleon
+to be their king.--Crossing the Alps.--Happiness of Josephine.--Views
+from the Alps.--Splendid fête on the field of Marengo.--A sublime
+spectacle.--Triumphal entry into Milan.--The coronation.--Napoleon again
+crowns himself and Josephine.--Entertainments at Milan.--Anecdote.--
+Reception at Genoa.--A floating garden.--A gorgeous spectacle.--
+Josephine's obedience to Napoleon.--Difficult road through the forest
+of Ardennes.--Josephine receives a lecture.--Her mind well stored.--Her
+kindness to her attendants.--Visits the baths at Aix.--Josephine and
+her ladies proceed on foot to visit the model of Paris.--Enthusiasm
+of the people.--The party return on foot.--Josephine's candor.--Fond
+of breakfasting in the open air.--The presentation.--Josephine's
+maternal sensitiveness.--An expensive compliment.--A delightful
+excursion.--Personal habits of Napoleon.--He sleeps on the field
+of battle.--Napoleon's wonderful mental activity.--Retirement at
+Malmaison.--Anecdote.--Instructions to a lady respecting etiquette.
+--The court at Cologne.--_En pirouette._--An amusing misunderstanding.
+--Josephine accused of extravagance.--Josephine is charged by Napoleon
+with indiscretion.--The explanation.--Marriage of Eugene.--Happiness of
+Josephine.--Josephine universally beloved.--Her habit of journalizing.
+--Beautiful extract from one of her journals.--Ferdinand of Spain.--A
+picturesque scene.--Routine of life.--Account thereof by a valet de
+chambre.--Morning occupations.--Literary enjoyments.--Confidential
+interviews.--The drive.--Dressing for dinner.--Recreations of
+Napoleon.--The dinner hour.--Dining in state.--Evening parties.--
+Josephine's love of solitude.--Hunting parties.--The protected stag.--
+Letter from Josephine to Caroline.--Josephine's desire to accompany
+Napoleon.--Anecdote.--Visit to Spain.--Napoleon's star.--Energy of
+Napoleon.--The Spanish campaign.--Josephine left at St. Cloud.--
+Enthusiastic greeting of Napoleon.--Wonderful success of Napoleon.--
+Alliance against him.--His indignation roused.--Austria violates the
+treaty.--Promptness of Josephine.--Kindness of Napoleon.--Their route.
+--Effects of the conscription.--Napoleon encourages marriages.--The
+battle at Ulm.--Napoleon's advice to the Emperor of Austria.--His
+march down the Danube.--Anxiety of Josephine.--Arrival of a courier.
+--His utter exhaustion.--Battle of Austerlitz.--Moustache the Mameluke.
+--Sensitiveness of Napoleon.--His unreasonable anger.--Arrival of
+Josephine.--Napoleon's confession.--The reconciliation.--Napoleon's
+taste for dress.--The young sailor.--His fearlessness.--Napoleon's
+magnanimity.
+
+
+During the whole month succeeding the coronation, Paris was surrendered
+to fêtes, illuminations, and all manner of public rejoicing. One morning
+the empress found in her apartment, as a present from the municipality
+of the capital, a toilet service, with table, ewer, and basin of massive
+gold, wrought with most exquisite workmanship. An enormous balloon, in
+the form of the imperial crown, brilliantly illuminated, was launched,
+the evening of the coronation, from Paris. The vast structure, weighing
+five hundred pounds, floated most majestically over the city, for a time
+the object of the gaze of a million of eyes, till, borne away by the
+wind toward the south, it disappeared. The next evening it fell near the
+city of Rome, nine hundred miles from Paris. "Sire," said a courtier,
+announcing the fact to Napoleon, "your imperial crown has appeared in
+the two great capitals of the world within the space of twenty-four
+hours."
+
+As soon as Napoleon was crowned Emperor of France, the senators of the
+Italian Republic, over which he had been elected president, sent an
+earnest petition that he would be crowned their king at Milan. Napoleon
+had rescued them from the hated dominion of the Austrians, and they
+regarded him as their greatest benefactor. The emperor was in the habit
+of setting out on his various tours without any warning. One evening,
+when the festivities of the baptism of the second son of Hortense had
+been kept up until midnight, Napoleon said quietly, upon retiring,
+"Horses at six for Italy." Josephine accompanied her husband upon this
+tour. The road bridging the Alps, which Napoleon subsequently
+constructed, was then but contemplated. It was only by a rugged and
+dangerous foot-path that the ascent of these awful barriers of nature
+could be surmounted. Two beautiful sedans had been constructed in Turin
+for the emperor and empress. The one for Napoleon was lined with crimson
+silk, richly ornamented with gold. Josephine's was trimmed with blue
+satin, similarly ornamented with silver. The sedans were, however, but
+little used, except in places where walking was dangerous, as the
+empress very much preferred leaning upon the arm of her husband, and,
+in conversation with him, gazing upon the wild sublimities with which
+they were surrounded. This must have been to Josephine, independently of
+those inward anxieties which weighed so heavily upon her heart, as
+delightful a journey as a mortal can enjoy. All Europe was bowing in
+homage before her illustrious husband. He was in the possession of power
+such as the proudest of the Cæsars might have envied. Illuminations, and
+triumphal arches, and enthusiastic acclamations met them every step of
+their way. Josephine was in the possession of every possible acquisition
+earth could give to make her happy, save only one--her husband was not a
+father. But Josephine forgot her solicitudes in the exultant hours when
+her husband, from the pinnacles of the Alps, pointed out to her the
+glories of sunny Italy--the scenes of past perils, and conflict, and
+renown--the fields in which he had led the armies of France to the most
+brilliant victories. Napoleon was in fine spirits, and in these gilded
+hours he looked lovingly upon her, and they both were truly happy. It is
+difficult for the imagination to conceive any thing more attractive for
+a warm-hearted and an enthusiastic woman than to pass over these most
+sublime of the barriers of nature, with Napoleon for a guide and a
+confiding friend. Pope Pius VII., who had formed a very strong
+friendship for Josephine, accompanied them as far as Turin. When
+parting, the empress made him a present of a beautiful vase of Sèvres
+china, embellished with exquisite paintings of the coronation.
+
+From Turin Napoleon took Josephine to the field of Marengo. He had
+assembled upon that great battle plain, which his victory has
+immortalized, thirty thousand troops, that Josephine might behold, in
+the mimicry of war, the dreadful scenes which had deluged those fields
+in blood. It was the fifth of May, and a bright Italian sun shone down
+upon the magnificent pageant. A vast elevation was constructed in the
+middle of the plain, from which, seated upon a lofty throne, the emperor
+and empress overlooked the whole field. Napoleon decorated himself upon
+the occasion with the same war-worn garments--the battered hat, the
+tempest-torn cloak, the coat of faded blue, and the long cavalry saber
+which he had worn amid the carnage and the terror of that awful day.
+Many of the veterans who had been engaged in the action were present.
+Napoleon and Josephine came upon the ground in a magnificent chariot,
+drawn by eight horses. The moment he appeared upon the plain, one
+general shout of acclamation from thirty thousand adoring voices rent
+the sky. After the mimic battle was ended, the soldiers defiled before
+the emperor and empress, while he conferred, upon those who had
+signalized themselves in the day of Marengo, the decorations of the
+Legion of Honor. The gorgeous uniform of the men, the rich caparisons
+and proud bearing of the horses, the clangor of innumerable trumpets and
+martial bands, the glitter of gold and steel, the deafening thunders of
+artillery and musketry, filling the air with one incessant and terrific
+war; the dense volumes of sulphurous smoke rolling heavily over the
+plain, shutting out the rays of an unclouded sun, all combined to
+produce an effect upon the spectators never to be effaced.
+
+On the eighth of May, 1805, they made their triumphal entry into the
+city of Milan. While the whole city was absorbed in those fêtes and
+rejoicings which preceded the coronation, the inexhaustible mind of
+Napoleon was occupied in planning those splendid public buildings and
+those magnificent improvements which still commemorate the almost
+superhuman energy of his reign. The iron crown of Charlemagne, which
+for a thousand years had pressed no brow, was brought forth from
+its mausoleum to add the attraction of deep poetic sentiment to the
+coronation. The ceremony took place on the twenty-sixth of May, in the
+Cathedral of Milan. The coronation was conducted with magnificence not
+even surpassed by the ceremony in Nôtre Dame. The empress first made her
+appearance, most gorgeously dressed, and glittering with diamonds. She
+was personally loved by the Milanese, and was greeted with the most
+enthusiastic acclamations. A moment after, the emperor himself entered,
+by another door. He was arrayed in imperial robes of velvet, purple, and
+gold, with the diadem upon his brow, and the iron crown and scepter of
+Charlemagne in his hands. Napoleon, as in the coronation at Paris,
+refused to receive the crown from the hands of another, but placed it
+himself upon his head, repeating aloud the historical words, "God has
+given it to me; woe to him who touches it." Josephine then knelt upon an
+altar at his feet, and was again crowned by her husband.
+
+Josephine remained with the emperor in Milan for nearly a month. He was
+busy night and day in commencing improvements of the most majestic
+character. The Italians still look back to the reign of Napoleon as the
+brightest period in their history. The gay Milanese surrendered
+themselves, during his stay, to one continued scene of festivity. One
+day Josephine and Napoleon had broken away from courtiers and palaces,
+and all the pageantry of state, and had retreated for a few hours to the
+retirement and solitude of a beautiful little island in one of the lakes
+in that vicinity. They entered the cabin of a poor woman. She had no
+idea of the illustrious character of her guests, and, in answer to their
+kind inquiries, opened to them the story of her penury, her toils, and
+her anxiety to bring up her three children, as the father often could
+obtain no work. "Now how much money, my good woman," inquired Napoleon,
+"would you like to have to make you perfectly happy?" "Ah! sir," she
+replied, "a great deal of money I should want." "But how much should you
+desire if you could have your wish." "Oh, sir, I should want as much as
+twenty louis (about eighty dollars); but what prospect is there of our
+ever having twenty louis?" The emperor poured into her lap three
+thousand francs (about six hundred dollars) in glittering gold. For a
+few moments she was speechless in bewilderment; at length, trembling
+with emotion, she said, "Ah! sir--ah! madam, this is a great deal too
+much. And yet you do not look as if you could sport with the feelings of
+a poor woman." "No!" Josephine replied, in the most gentle accents. "The
+money is all yours. With it you can now rent a piece of ground, purchase
+a flock of goats, and I hope you will be able to bring up your children
+comfortably."
+
+From Milan the emperor and empress continued their tour to Genoa. The
+restless mind of Napoleon was weary even of the swiftest speed of the
+horses, and though they drove from post to post with the utmost possible
+rapidity, so that it was necessary continually to throw water upon the
+glowing axle, he kept calling from his carriage, "On! on! we do not go
+fast enough." Their reception at Genoa was unequaled by any thing they
+had before witnessed. In the beautiful bay a floating garden of
+orange-trees and rare plants and shrubbery was constructed in honor of
+Josephine. In the principal church of "Genoa the Superb," the emperor
+and empress received the allegiance of the most prominent inhabitants.
+The fêtes on this occasion almost surpassed the creations of fancy. The
+senses were bewildered by the fairy illusions thrown around the gorgeous
+spectacle. The city, with all its picturesque beauty of embattled forts
+and craggy shores--the serenity and brilliance of Italian skies in
+May--the blue expanse of the Mediterranean--the marble palaces and
+glittering domes which embellished the streets--the lovely bay whitened
+with sails--all combined to invest the gorgeous spectacle with
+attractions such as are rarely witnessed. From Genoa they proceeded to
+Paris, every where accompanied by the thunders of artillery and the
+blaze of illuminations.
+
+Josephine was not unfrequently under the necessity of taking journeys
+unaccompanied by the emperor. On such occasions the tireless mind of
+Napoleon arranged every particular with the utmost precision. A
+manuscript was placed in her hand, describing the route she was to take,
+the places at which she was to stop, the addresses or replies she was to
+make to public functionaries, the expenses she was to incur, and even
+the presents she was to make. On such excursions, Josephine every
+morning most carefully studied her lesson for the day. She took great
+pleasure in obeying his directions exactly, exposing herself to great
+inconveniences rather than to allow herself to deviate in the slightest
+particular from the written directions. She was ever unwilling to
+listen to any suggestions for change. A very interesting illustration
+of her scrupulous adherence to manuscript instructions occurred in her
+journey to Liege.
+
+Napoleon, in the directions given to Josephine, had marked out her route
+by a road through the forest of Ardennes. Napoleon had ordered that road
+to be constructed, and supposed that it was completed. It was, however,
+only partially made, and it was considered quite unsafe to attempt to
+pass over it with carriages. She inquired if it were possible to pass.
+Being told that it was _possible_, perhaps, but that the attempt would
+be attended with great difficulty and danger, she replied, "Very well,
+then; we will at least try." Some of the ladies accompanying her
+entreated her to take another route. "No," she replied; "Napoleon has
+requested me to take this road, and his wishes are my law." Josephine
+persevered in the attempt, and accomplished the passage through, though
+with very great difficulty. In many places the workmen on the road had
+to support the carriages with ropes and poles to prevent an overturn. It
+rained during much of the journey. Josephine and her ladies were often
+compelled to alight, and to walk for some distance nearly ankle deep
+in mud and water. Josephine endured all with the utmost good nature.
+She was cheered by the assurance that she was following the wishes
+of her husband. Many of her attendants, however, were excessively
+annoyed by the hardships they encountered. The carriage of the
+first femme-de-chambre was actually overturned, and the irritated
+serving-woman could not restrain her expressions of impatience and
+displeasure. At last one of the distinguished ladies of the court
+took it upon herself to lecture the empress so roundly for her blind
+subservience to the directions of Napoleon, that Josephine burst into
+tears.
+
+Josephine, by conversation, observation, and reading, was continually
+storing her mind with valuable information. In the various journeys she
+took, she was always accompanied by persons of intelligence, and who
+were well acquainted with the country. While traveling, she directed her
+conversation almost exclusively upon the scenes through which they were
+passing. Every thing of interest was carefully treasured up in her
+memory, and if she learned any incident connected with the past fortunes
+of any of the families of the ladies who were with her, she never
+failed to send a special messenger with the information, and to point
+out the places where such incidents occurred. She seemed thus to be
+continually studying for opportunities of manifesting kind and delicate
+attentions to the ladies of her household. She thus secured a
+universality and a fervor of affection such as has rarely been attained.
+On these pleasure excursions, the restraints of the court were laid
+aside, and there were all the joyous commingling and affectionate
+familiarity which prevail among intimate friends.
+
+Napoleon, aware of the vast influence which the pomp of regal state
+exerts upon the human mind, was very particular in his court in the
+observance of all the etiquette of royalty. Josephine, however, was
+always disposed to escape from the exactions of the code ceremonial
+whenever she could do so with propriety. A curious instance of this
+occurred at Aix la Chapelle, where the empress was passing a few days
+for the benefit of the baths. One evening she was sitting, with
+her ladies around her, weary of the lassitude of a fashionable
+watering-place, when some one suggested that, to while away an hour,
+they should visit a celebrated model of Paris, which was then on
+exhibition. The chevalier of honor was about to order the imperial
+carriages and the cortège, when Josephine, to his utter consternation,
+proposed that they should go on foot. She was sure, she said, that the
+citizens of Aix la Chapelle were so kindly disposed toward her, that
+there could be no possible danger. The chevalier, as far as he dared to
+do, urged his remonstrances against such a breach of imperial decorum;
+but the ladies of the court were all delighted with the plan of
+Josephine, and they set out on foot, a brilliant party of ladies and
+gentlemen, to visit the exhibition. As the citizens, of course,
+knew nothing about this unexpected movement, there was no crowd
+in the streets to impede their way, and they proceeded without any
+difficulty, and very pleasantly, to the place of their destination.
+But the intelligence of the adventure of the court, so novel and so
+unprecedented, was immediately noised throughout the town. From every
+section of the city, throngs, allured by curiosity and love for
+Josephine, began to pour into the streets through which they were to
+pass to see them return. The citizens occupying the dwellings and
+the shops which lined the streets, instantly, and as if by magic,
+illuminated their windows. A thousand hands were busy in the eager and
+love-incited toil. The party spent an hour examining the beautiful model
+of the metropolis, and then emerged again into the street. To their
+surprise, and not a little to their consternation, they found their path
+blazing with illuminations. Their whole route was filled with a dense
+throng of men, women, and children, all eager to catch a glimpse of
+their beloved empress, and of the brilliant suite which accompanied her.
+
+The ladies recoiled from attempting the passage on foot through such a
+crowd, and proposed sending for the carriages and escort. Josephine,
+apprehensive that some accident might occur in attempting to drive the
+horses through such a dense mass of people, would not listen to the
+suggestion. "Were any one to be injured," she said, "of these friends
+whom our imprudence has assembled, I never could forgive myself." Taking
+the arm of the chevalier, she led the way through the crowd. The ladies
+all followed, each supported by the arm of some nobleman of the court.
+The populace respectfully opened before them, and closed up behind. The
+plumes, and diamonds, and gay attire of the court shone brilliantly
+in the blaze of light which was shed upon them from the illuminated
+windows. The enthusiastic acclamations of the populace greeted the
+empress until she arrived, in perfect safety, at her residence. As soon
+as she entered her saloon, with her accustomed frankness she thanked the
+chevalier for the advice which he had given, and confessed that, in not
+following it, she had been guilty of imprudence, which might have been
+attended by very serious consequences.
+
+When traveling unaccompanied by the emperor, she was fond of
+breakfasting in the open air, upon some green lawn, beneath the shade of
+venerable trees, or upon some eminence, where her eye could feast upon
+the sublimities of Nature, which are so attractive to every ennobled
+mind. The peasantry, from a respectful distance, would look upon the
+dazzling spectacle perfectly bewildered and awe-stricken. The service
+of silver and of gold, the luxurious viands, the gorgeous display of
+graceful female attire, and uniforms and liveries, all combined to
+invest the scene, in their eyes, with a splendor almost more than
+earthly.
+
+On one occasion, a mother's love and pride triumphed over even her
+scrupulous obedience to the wishes of Napoleon. Napoleon and Josephine,
+accompanied by Eugene and a very magnificent retinue, were at Mayence.
+There was to be a grand presentation of the German princes to the
+emperor and empress. Eugene, the son of the empress, according to the
+laws of court etiquette, should have been included with Napoleon and
+Josephine in the presentation. By some oversight, his name was omitted.
+As Josephine glanced her eye over the programme, she noticed the
+omission, and pointed it out to Napoleon. As the arrangements had all
+been made by him, he was not a little piqued in finding himself at fault
+as to a point of etiquette, and insisted upon following the programme.
+Josephine, ever ready to make any personal sacrifice to meet the wishes
+of Napoleon, could not be induced to sacrifice the sensitive feelings of
+her son. "I had no desire," she said, "for the honors of coronation;
+but, since I have been crowned, my son must be treated as the son of an
+empress." Napoleon yielded, not, however, with very good grace.
+
+Two of the princesses of Baden, on this occasion, accompanied Josephine
+to the opera. The evening air was chilly, and the empress, observing
+that they were very thinly clad, spread over the shoulders of each of
+them one of her rich white Cashmere shawls. These shawls were of the
+most costly texture, and had been purchased at an expense of several
+thousand dollars. The next morning the elder of the princesses sent a
+note, full of complimentary terms, to Josephine, expressing their
+infinite obligation for her kindness, and stating that they would keep
+the shawls in remembrance of one they so greatly admired.
+
+On these journeys Napoleon was full of pleasantry, and very agreeable.
+Josephine often spoke of this excursion to Mayence in particular as the
+most delightful that she had ever made with the emperor. They were met
+at every step on their route with the most enthusiastic testimonials of
+a nation's love and gratitude. And Napoleon had at this time conferred
+benefits upon France which richly entitled him to all this homage. In
+subsequent years, when intoxicated by the almost boundless empire he had
+obtained, and when, at a still later period, he was struggling, with the
+energies of despair, against Europe, in arms to crush him, he resorted
+to acts which very considerably impaired his good name. Josephine, in
+her journal during this journey, speaks of the common, but erroneous
+impression, that Napoleon could work constantly and habitually with
+very few hours devoted to sleep. She says that this was an erroneous
+impression. If the emperor rose at a very early hour in the morning, he
+would frequently retire at nine o'clock in the evening. And when, on
+extraordinary occasions, he passed many nights together in almost
+sleepless activity, he had the faculty of catching short naps at
+intervals in his carriage, and even on horseback. After many days and
+nights of preparation for some great conflict, he has been known even to
+fall asleep upon the field of battle, in the midst of all the horrors of
+the sanguinary scene. At the battle of Bautzen, for instance, Napoleon
+was extremely fatigued by the exertions and sleeplessness of the two
+preceding days and nights. He fell asleep several times when seated on
+an eminence, overlooking the field of battle, and which was frequently
+reached by the cannon balls of the enemy. Napoleon, at St. Helena, when
+alluding to this fact, said that Nature had her rights, which could not
+be violated with impunity; and that he felt better prepared to issue
+fresh orders, or to consider the reports which were brought, when
+awaking from these momentary slumbers. Though Napoleon could not set at
+defiance the established workings of our mental and physical nature,
+words can hardly convey an adequate idea of the indefatigable activity
+of his mind, or of his extraordinary powers of enduring mental and
+bodily fatigue. Few have ever understood better the art of concentrating
+the attention upon one thing at a time. Often, on his campaigns, after
+reading the dispatches, and dictating orders to one set of secretaries
+during the whole day, he would throw himself, for an hour, upon his
+sofa, instantly fall into the soundest sleep, and then, summoning to his
+presence a new relay of secretaries, would keep them incessantly
+occupied till morning. To keep himself awake on such occasions, he
+resorted to strong coffee. It was only under the pressure of great
+necessity that he thus overtasked his Herculean powers.
+
+Occasionally, when Napoleon was absent on his campaigns, Josephine would
+retire to Malmaison, and become deeply interested in rural occupations.
+She had a large and very fine flock of merino sheep, and she took great
+pleasure in superintending their culture. A detachment of the imperial
+guard was, on such occasions, appointed to do duty at Malmaison. One
+evening the empress, sitting up till a later hour than usual, heard the
+sound of footsteps passing to and fro beneath her window. She sent for
+the officer of the guard, and inquired what it meant. He informed her
+that it was the sentry, who was appointed to keep watch beneath her
+window all night. "Sir," she replied, "I have no need of a night-guard.
+These brave soldiers have enough to suffer from the hardships of war
+when they are under the necessity of going to the field of battle. In my
+service they must have repose. I wish them here to have no sleepless
+nights."
+
+It is said that rather a ludicrous occurrence took place in one of the
+cities of the Rhine, in reference to a visit which the emperor and
+empress were about to make to that place. One of the distinguished
+ladies of the city, who was anticipating the honor of a presentation,
+wrote to obtain from the master of the ceremonies instructions
+respecting the etiquette to be observed. The answer contained very
+minute directions, and was couched in terms which conveyed a deep
+impression of their importance. Among other things, it was stated that
+three courtesies were to be made; one immediately upon entering the
+saloon, one in the middle of the room, and a third, _en pirouette_, when
+having arrived within a few paces of the emperor and empress. The
+familiar signification of _en pirouette_ is whirling the body around
+rapidly upon the toes of one foot, the other foot being rather
+indecorously raised. The ladies assembled to study these instructions;
+and though some of the young, the beautiful, and the graceful were not
+unwilling thus to display their lightness of limb, there were others
+who read _en pirouette_ with consternation. The vast importance which
+Napoleon attached to every form of etiquette was well known. There was
+no alternative; the fat and the lean, the tall and the short, the
+graceful and the awkward, all were to approach their majesties _en
+pirouette_, or to lose the honor of a presentation. "We have a fortnight
+for practice," said one of the ladies; "let us prepare ourselves." For
+fifteen days all the drawing-rooms of Cologne seemed to be filled with
+dancing dervishes. Venerable dowagers were twirling like opera girls,
+and not unfrequently measuring their portly length upon the carpet. _En
+pirouette_ was the theme of every tongue, and the scene, morning, noon,
+and evening, in every ambitious saloon.
+
+On the evening of the arrival of the emperor and empress, the same lady
+who had written the letter for instructions called upon one of the
+ladies of the court for still more precise directions. She then learned
+that, in court phrase, _en pirouette_ simply indicated a slight
+inclination of the body toward their majesties, accompanying the
+courtesy. The intelligence was immediately disseminated through Cologne,
+to the great relief of some, and, probably, not a little to the
+disappointment of others. Josephine was exceedingly amused at the
+recital of this misunderstanding.
+
+Josephine was often accused of extravagance. Her expenditures were
+undoubtedly very great. She attached no value to money but as a means of
+promoting happiness. She was, perhaps, too easily persuaded to purchase
+of those who were ever urging upon her the most costly articles, and
+appealing powerfully to her sympathies to induce her to buy. It was
+difficult for Josephine to turn a deaf ear to a tale of distress.
+Napoleon was ever ready to spend millions upon millions in great public
+improvements, but he was not willing to have any money wasted. Josephine
+gave away most liberally in charity, and the emperor, at times,
+complained a little of the large sums which escaped through her hands.
+In replying once to a friend, who told her that she was deemed
+extravagant, she said, "When I have money, you know how I employ it. I
+give it principally to the unfortunate, who solicit my assistance, and
+to the poor emigrants. But I will try to be more economical in future.
+Tell the emperor so if you see him again. But is it not my duty to
+bestow as much charity as I can?"
+
+On one occasion Napoleon was much displeased by hearing that Josephine
+had suffered General Lorges, the commandant at Aix la Chapelle, a young
+and handsome man, to be guilty of the indiscretion of sitting upon the
+same sofa with the empress. He reproached her with much severity for
+permitting such indecorum. Josephine explained the circumstances.
+Instead of its being General Lorges who had thus violated the rules of
+courtly propriety, it was one of the aged and veteran generals of
+Napoleon's army, who, inured to the hardships of the camp, was entirely
+unacquainted with the politeness of courts. He had been presented to
+Josephine, and, without any consciousness of the impropriety of which
+he was guilty, immediately seated himself upon the same sofa with
+the empress. Josephine was unwilling to wound the feelings of the
+honest-hearted old soldier, and permitted him to retain his seat until
+he withdrew. Napoleon was perfectly satisfied with the explanation, and,
+upon receiving it, manifested renewed indications of the affection and
+esteem with which he regarded the empress.
+
+About this time Josephine was informed of the contemplated alliance
+between Eugene and the Princess-royal of Bavaria. She was soon summoned
+to Munich to attend their nuptials, and there again was united to those
+she so dearly loved. The bride of Eugene was in every respect worthy
+of him, and Josephine rejoiced over the happiness of her son. The
+victorious emperor and empress then returned to Paris, accompanied by a
+crowd of princes from the various courts of Germany. Josephine was now
+upon the very summit of earthly grandeur. Europe lay prostrate at the
+feet of her husband. Hortense was Queen of Holland. Eugene was Viceroy
+of Italy, and son-in-law to the King of Bavaria. Napoleon, fixing his
+affections upon the eldest child of Hortense, appeared to have
+relinquished the plan of the divorce, and to have contemplated the
+recognition of this child--the brother of Louis Napoleon, now President
+of the French Republic--as the heir of his crown. The embarrassment
+which had at times accompanied their interviews had consequently passed
+away. Napoleon was proud of Josephine, and often said that there was no
+woman in the world to be compared with her. The empress was happy. All
+France was filled with stories of her active benevolence and her
+sympathy with the sorrowful. Wherever she made her appearance, she was
+greeted with the acclamations of the most enthusiastic attachment.
+
+Of the many tours which Josephine took with Napoleon, she frequently
+kept a journal, noting down the events of interest which occurred. The
+fragments of these journals, which have appeared before the public,
+beautifully exhibit the literary taste and the benevolence of heart of
+the empress. The following is an extract:
+
+     "About two leagues from Bayonne the emperor was presented
+     with a spectacle worthy of him. On the declivity of a
+     mountain, gently scooped out in different parts of its
+     descent, is pitched one of those camps which the foresight
+     of the country has provided for its defenders. It is
+     composed of seven handsome barracks, different in form and
+     aspect, each isolated, surrounded with an orchard in full
+     bearing, a well-stocked poultry-yard, and, at different
+     distances, a greater or less quantity of arable land, where
+     a diversity of soil yields a variety of produce. One side of
+     the mountain is wild, but picturesque, with rocks and
+     plants. The other seems covered with rich tapestry, so
+     varied and numerous are the plots of highly-cultivated
+     ground. The summit is clothed with an ever-verdant forest.
+     Down the center, in a deep channel, flows a limpid stream,
+     refreshing and fertilizing the whole scene. On this spot,
+     the veterans who occupy it gave a fête to the emperor which
+     was at once military and rural. The wives, daughters, and
+     little children of these brave men formed the most pleasing,
+     as they were themselves the noblest ornament of the
+     festival. Amid piles of arms were seen beautiful shrubs
+     covered with flowers, while the echoes of the mountain
+     resounded to the bleating of flocks and the warlike strains
+     of a soldiery intoxicated on thus receiving their chief. The
+     emperor raised this enthusiasm to the highest pitch by
+     sitting down at a table at once quite military and perfectly
+     pastoral. I dare not mention the attentions of which I was
+     the object. They affected me deeply. I regarded them as
+     proofs of that veneration which France has vowed to the
+     emperor."
+
+The infamous Ferdinand of Spain, who was then claiming the throne, in a
+disgraceful quarrel with his equally infamous father, sent an embassador
+to Bayonne to meet the emperor. Ferdinand, with the utmost servility,
+was courting the support of Napoleon. The embassador possessed, some
+leagues from Bayonne, an extensive farm, on which were bred numerous
+flocks of merinoes. "Thither," writes Josephine, "under a plausible
+pretext, we were conducted to-day. After a feast of really rustic
+magnificence, we made the tour of the possession on foot. At the bottom
+of a verdant dell, surrounded on all sides by rocks, covered with moss
+and flowers, all of a sudden a picturesque cot appeared, lightly
+suspended on a projecting point of rock. Around it were feeding seven or
+eight hundred sheep of the most beautiful breed. We could not restrain a
+cry of admiration. Upon the emperor addressing some compliments to the
+embassador, he declared that these flocks belonged to me. 'The king, my
+master,' he added, 'knows the empress's taste for rural occupations, and
+as this species of sheep is little known in France, and will constitute
+the principal ornament, and, consequently, wealth of a farm, he entreats
+her not to deprive herself of an offering at once so useful and so
+agreeable.' 'Don Pedro,' replied the emperor, with a tone of severity,
+'the empress can not accept a present save from the hand of a king, and
+your master is not yet one. Wait, before making your offering, till your
+own nation and I have decided.'"
+
+The ordinary routine of life with her, as empress, was as follows.
+Constant, the valet de chambre of Napoleon, gives the following account
+of the commencement of the day. "I had a regular order to enter the
+emperor's apartment at seven o'clock. When the empress passed the
+night there, it was a very unusual occurrence not to find the august
+spouses awake. The emperor commonly asked for tea or an infusion of
+orange-flowers, and rose immediately after. In the course of a few
+minutes the empress rose also, and, putting on a loose morning-gown,
+either read the journals while the emperor dressed, or retired by a
+private access to her own apartments, but never without addressing some
+kind and condescending words to myself."
+
+Josephine invariably commenced her morning toilet at nine o'clock. This
+occupied an hour, and then she passed into a saloon where she received
+those who had obtained the favor of a morning presentation. A great many
+petitions were presented her on such occasions, and, with unvarying
+kindness, she manifested great firmness in rejecting those which
+appeared unworthy of her support. These audiences occupied an hour, and
+then she met, at eleven o'clock, the most distinguished ladies of the
+court at the breakfast-table. Napoleon, entirely engrossed by those
+majestic plans he was ever conceiving and executing, usually breakfasted
+alone in his cabinet, very hastily, not allowing more than seven or
+eight minutes to be occupied by the meal. After breakfast, Josephine,
+with her ladies, took a short walk, if the weather was fair, or for half
+an hour played a game of billiards. The remainder of the morning, until
+three o'clock, she passed in her apartment, with her chosen female
+friends, reading, conversing, and embroidering. Josephine herself was an
+admirable reader, and the book they were perusing was passed alternately
+from hand to hand. No works were read but those of real value. By common
+consent, all novels were banished from the circle, as Napoleon
+inveterately abominated every work of that kind. If he happened to
+find a novel in the hands of any of the attendants of the palace, he
+unhesitatingly tossed it into the fire, and roundly lectured the reader
+upon her waste of time. If Josephine had been a novel reader, she never
+could have acquired that mental energy which enabled her to fill with
+dignity and with honor every position she was called to occupy.
+
+Occasionally Napoleon would leave his cabinet and enter the apartment
+of the empress where the ladies were reading. His presence was ever
+cordially greeted, and, with great sociability, he would for a few
+moments converse with his friends, and then return to his work. Not
+unfrequently the emperor wished to confer with Josephine upon some
+subject of moment. A gentle tap from his hand at the door of private
+communication announced to the empress the summons, which she ever most
+joyfully obeyed. Occasionally these interviews were protracted for
+several hours, for the emperor had learned to repose great confidence
+in many matters upon the sound judgment of Josephine.
+
+At three o'clock the carriages were at the door, and Josephine, with her
+ladies, rode out. It was very seldom that Napoleon could find time to
+accompany them. On returning from the drive, she dressed for dinner.
+Napoleon attached much importance to this grand toilet, for he was fully
+aware of the influence of costume upon the public mind, and was very
+fond of seeing Josephine dressed with elegance and taste. It is
+reported that he not unfrequently recreated himself by entering her
+boudoir on such occasions, and suggesting the robe or the jewelry he
+would like to have her wear. Her waiting-women were not a little
+embarrassed by the manner in which his unskillful hands would throw
+about the precious contents of the caskets, and the confusion into which
+he would toss all the nameless articles of a lady's wardrobe.
+
+Dinner was appointed at six o'clock. It was, however, served when
+Napoleon was ready to receive it. Not unfrequently, when much engrossed
+with business, he would postpone the hour until nine, and even ten
+o'clock. The cook, during all this time, would be preparing fresh
+viands, that a hot dinner might be ready at a moment's warning. A
+chicken, for instance, was put upon the spit every fifteen minutes.
+Napoleon and Josephine always dined together, sometimes alone, more
+frequently with a few invited guests. There was a grand master of
+ceremonies, who, on all such occasions, informed the grand marshal of
+the necessary arrangements, and of the seat each guest was to occupy.
+
+Occasionally the emperor and empress dined in state. Rich drapery
+canopied the table, which was placed upon a platform, slightly elevated,
+with two arm-chairs of gorgeous workmanship, one for Napoleon, and the
+other, upon his left, for Josephine. Other tables were placed upon the
+floor of the same room for illustrious guests. The grand marshal
+announced to the emperor when the preparations for them to enter the
+room was completed. A gorgeous procession of pages, marshals, equeries,
+and chamberlains accompanied the emperor and empress into the hall.
+Pages and stewards performed the subordinate parts of the service at the
+table, in bringing and removing dishes, while noblemen of the highest
+rank felt honored in ministering to the immediate wants of their
+majesties. Those who sat at the surrounding tables were served by
+servants in livery.
+
+Josephine passed the evening in her apartment almost invariably with a
+party either of invited guests, or of distinguished ministers and
+officers of the empire, who, having called on business, were awaiting
+the pleasure of Napoleon. There were frequent receptions and levees,
+which filled the saloons of the palace with a brilliant throng. At
+midnight all company retired, and the palace was still. Josephine loved
+the silence of these midnight hours, when the turmoil of the day had
+passed, and no sounds fell upon her ear but the footfalls of the
+sentinel in the court-yard below. She often sat for an hour alone,
+surrendering herself to the luxury of solitude and of undisturbed
+thought.
+
+Such was the general routine of the life of Josephine while empress. She
+passed from one to another of the various royal residences, equally at
+home in all. At the Tuilleries, St. Cloud, Versailles, Rambouillet, and
+Fontainebleau, life was essentially the same. Occasionally, at the
+rural palaces, hunting parties were formed for the entertainment of
+distinguished guests from abroad. Napoleon himself took but little
+personal interest in sports of this kind. On such occasions, the
+empress, with her ladies, usually rode in an open calêche, and a pic-nic
+was provided, to be spread on the green turf, beneath the boughs of the
+forest. Once a terrified, panting stag, exhausted with the long chase,
+when the hounds in full bay were just ready to spring upon him, by a
+strange instinct sought a retreat beneath the carriage in which the
+gentle heart of Josephine was throbbing. The appeal was not in vain.
+Josephine plead for the life of the meek-eyed, trembling suppliant.
+To mark it as her favorite, and as living under the shield of her
+protection, she had a silver collar put around its neck. The stag now
+roamed its native glades unharmed. No dog was permitted to molest it,
+and no sportsman would injure a protégé of Josephine. Her love was its
+talisman.
+
+The following letter, which at this time she wrote to Caroline, the
+sister of Napoleon, who had married Murat, will show the principles, in
+the exercise of which Josephine won to herself the love of all hearts.
+
+     "Our glory, the glory of woman, lies in submission; and if
+     it be permitted us to reign, our empire rests on gentleness
+     and goodness. Your husband, already so great in the opinion
+     of the world through his valor and exploits, feels as if he
+     beheld all his laurels brought to the dust on appearing in
+     your presence. You take a pride in humbling him before your
+     pretensions; and the title of being the sister of a hero is,
+     with you, reason for believing yourself a heroine. Believe
+     me, my sister, _that_ character, with the qualities which it
+     supposes, becomes us not. Let us rejoice moderately in the
+     glory of our husbands, and find our glory in softening their
+     manners, and leading the world to pardon their deeds. Let
+     us merit this praise, that the nation, while it applauds the
+     bravery of our husbands, may also commend the gentleness
+     bestowed by Providence on their wives to temper their
+     bravery."
+
+The palace ever seemed desolate when Napoleon was absent, and Josephine
+was always solicitous to accompany him upon his tours. Napoleon loved to
+gratify this wish, for he prized most highly the companionship of his
+only confidential friend. Upon one occasion, when he had promised to
+take the empress with him, circumstances arose demanding special speed,
+and he resolved to set out secretly without her. He ordered his carriage
+at one o'clock in the morning--an hour in which he supposed she would be
+most soundly asleep. To his amazement, just as he had stepped into his
+carriage, Josephine, in all the dishabille of her night-dress, with some
+slight drapery thrown over her person, and without even stockings upon
+her feet, threw herself into his arms. Some noise had at the moment
+awoke her, she caught an intimation of what was going on, and, without a
+moment's thought, sprang from her bed, threw over her a cloak, rushed
+down stairs, and burst into the carriage. Napoleon fondly embraced her,
+rolled her up warmly in his own capacious traveling pelisse, gave orders
+for suitable attendants to follow with the wardrobe of the empress, and
+the horses, with lightning speed, darted from the court-yard. "I could
+sooner," Napoleon would jocosely say, "transport the whole artillery of
+a division of my grand army, than the bandboxes of Josephine's
+waiting-women."
+
+The visit which Josephine made with Napoleon to Spain gave her such an
+insight into the Spanish character, that she looked with much alarm
+upon his endeavor to place one of his brothers upon the Spanish throne.
+"Napoleon," said she one day to her ladies, "is persuaded that he is to
+subjugate all the nations of the earth. He cherishes such a confidence
+in his _star_, that should he be abandoned to-morrow by family and
+allies, a wanderer, and proscribed, he would support life, convinced
+that he should triumph over all obstacles, and accomplish his destiny
+by realizing his mighty designs. Happily, we shall never have an
+opportunity of ascertaining whether I am right. But of this you may rest
+assured, Napoleon is more courageous morally than physically. I know him
+better than any one else does. He believes himself predestinated, and
+would support reverses with as much calmness as he manifests when
+confronting danger on the field of battle."
+
+Little did Josephine imagine, when uttering these sentiments, that her
+proud husband, before whose name the world seemed to tremble, was to die
+in poverty and imprisonment on the most barren island of the ocean.
+
+The astounding energy of Napoleon was conspicuously displayed about this
+time in his Spanish campaign. He had placed Joseph upon the throne of
+Spain, and had filled the Peninsula with his armies. The Spaniards had
+every where risen against him, and, guided by English councils, and
+inspirited by the tremendous energy of English arms, they had driven
+Joseph from his capital, had massacred, by the rage of the mob,
+thousands of French residents who were dwelling in the Spanish cities,
+and were rapidly driving the French army over the Pyrenees. Napoleon had
+but just returned from the treaty of Tilsit when he was informed of this
+discouraging state of affairs.
+
+He immediately, without a moment allowed for repose, set out for Spain.
+Josephine earnestly entreated permission to accompany the emperor. She
+assured him that she was fully aware of the difficulties, fatigue, and
+peril she must encounter, but that most cheerfully could she bear them
+all for the sake of being with him. She said that she should neither
+feel hunger nor cold, nor the need of repose, if she could but be by the
+side of her husband, and that all the privations of the camp would be
+happiness when shared with one who was all the world to her. Napoleon
+was deeply moved by this exhibition of her love, but, aware of the
+incessant activity with which it would be necessary for him to drive by
+night and by day, he firmly but kindly denied her request. Josephine
+wept bitterly as they parted.
+
+One morning, early in November, 1808, the glittering cavalcade of the
+emperor, at the full gallop, drove into the encampment of the retreating
+French at Vittoria. The arrival of an angel, commissioned from heaven to
+their aid, could not have inspired the soldiers with more enthusiasm.
+The heavens rang with the shouts of the mighty host, as they greeted
+their monarch with cries of "Vive l'Empereur!" Not one moment was lost.
+Napoleon placed himself at the head of his concentrated army, and
+turning them, now inspirited with the utmost confidence, against the
+foes before whom they had been retreating, with the resistlessness of
+an avalanche overwhelmed the Spanish forces. Wherever he appeared,
+resistance melted away before him. In the pride of achievements almost
+miraculous, he marched into Madrid, and there, in the capital of Spain,
+re-established his fallen throne. But he tarried not there an hour for
+indulgence or repose. The solid columns of the English army, under Sir
+John Moore, were still in Spain. Napoleon urged his collected forces,
+with all the energy which hatred could inspire, upon his English foes,
+and the Britons, mangled and bleeding, were driven into their ships. The
+conqueror, feeling that he was indeed the man of destiny, looked for a
+moment complacently upon Spain, again in subjection at his feet, and
+then, with the speed of the whirlwind, returned to Josephine at St.
+Cloud, having been absent but little more than two months.
+
+In the mean time, while Napoleon was far away with his army, upon the
+other side of the Pyrenees, Russia, Sweden, and Austria thought it a
+favorable moment to attack him in his rear. They brought no accusations
+against the emperor, they issued no proclamation of war, but secretly
+and treacherously conspired to march, with all the strength of their
+collected armies, upon the unsuspecting emperor. It was an alliance of
+the kings of Europe against Napoleon, because he sat upon the throne,
+not by hereditary descent, the only recognized divine right, but by the
+popular vote. The indignation of the emperor, and of every patriotic
+Frenchman, had been roused by the totally unjustifiable, but bold and
+honest avowal of England, that peace could only be obtained by the
+wresting of the crown from the brow of Napoleon, and replacing it upon
+the head of the rejected Bourbon.
+
+The emperor had been at St. Cloud but a short time, when, early one
+spring morning, a courier came dashing into the court-yard of the palace
+at his utmost speed, bringing the intelligence to Napoleon that Austria
+had treacherously violated the treaty of peace, and, in alliance with
+Russia, Sweden, and England, was marching her armies to invade the
+territory of France. The emperor, his eye flashing with indignation,
+hastily proceeded to the apartment of the empress with the papers
+communicating the intelligence in his hand. Josephine was asleep, having
+but just retired. He approached her bed, and, awaking her from sound
+slumber, requested her to be ready in two hours to accompany him to
+Germany. "You have played the part of an empress," said he, playfully,
+"long enough. You must now become again the wife of a general. I leave
+immediately. Will you accompany me to Strasburg?" This was short notice,
+but, with the utmost alacrity, she obeyed the joyful summons.
+
+She was so accustomed to the sudden movements of the emperor that
+she was not often taken by surprise. Promptness was one of the most
+conspicuous of her manifold virtues. "I have never," she has been heard
+to say, "kept any one waiting for me half a minute, when to be punctual
+depended upon myself. Punctuality is true politeness, especially in the
+great."
+
+The emperor was in glowing spirits. He had no doubt that he should be
+entirely victorious, and Josephine was made truly happy by that suavity
+and those kind attentions which he in this journey so signally
+displayed. Their route conducted them through some of the most beautiful
+and fertile valleys of France. Every where around them they saw the
+indications of prosperity and happiness. Napoleon was in the height of
+glory. The most enthusiastic acclamations of love and homage greeted the
+emperor and empress wherever the panting steeds which drew them rested
+for a moment. As they stopped for a new relay of horses in one of the
+little villages of Lorraine, Josephine beheld a peasant woman kneeling
+upon the steps of the village church, with her countenance bathed in
+tears. The aspect of grief ever touched the kind heart of the empress.
+She sent for the poor woman, and inquired into the cause of her grief.
+
+"My poor grandson, Joseph," said she, "is included in the conscription,
+and, notwithstanding all my prayers, he must become a soldier. And more
+than this, his sister Julie was to have been married to Michael, a
+neighbor's son, and now he refuses to marry her because Joseph is in the
+conscription. And should my son purchase a substitute for poor Joseph,
+it would take all his money, and he would have no dowry to give Julie.
+And her dowry was to have been a hundred and twenty dollars."
+
+"Take that," said the emperor, presenting the woman with a purse. "You
+will find enough who will be ready to supply Joseph's place for that
+amount. I want soldiers, and, for that purpose, must encourage
+marriages." Josephine was so much interested in the adventure, that, as
+soon as she arrived at Strasburg, she sent a valuable bridal present to
+Julie. The good woman's prayers were answered. From Strasburg Josephine
+returned to Paris, while Napoleon pressed on to encounter the combined
+armies of Austria and Russia in the renowned campaign of Wagram.
+
+It was in 1805, some years before the events we have just described,
+that Napoleon, with his enthusiastic troops, embarked in the celebrated
+campaign of Ulm and Austerlitz. At Ulm he surrounded thirty thousand of
+his foes, and almost without a skirmish compelled them to lay down their
+arms. "Your master," said he to the Austrian generals, as, almost dying
+with mortification, they surrendered their swords, "your master wages
+against me an unjust war. I say it candidly, I know not for what I am
+fighting. I know not what he desires of me. He has wished to remind
+me that I was once a soldier. I trust he will find that I have not
+forgotten my original avocation. I will, however, give one piece of
+advice to my brother, the Emperor of Austria. Let him hasten to make
+peace. This is the moment to remember that there are limits to all
+empires, however powerful. The idea that the house of Lorraine may come
+to an end should inspire him with distrust of fortune. I want nothing
+on the Continent. _I desire ships, colonies, and commerce._ Their
+acquisition would be as advantageous to you as to me."
+
+From Ulm, Napoleon, with two hundred thousand men, flushed with victory,
+rushed like a tempest down the valley of the Danube, driving the
+terrified Austrians before him like chaff swept by the whirlwind. Ten
+thousand bomb-shells were rained down upon the roofs of Vienna, till the
+dwellings and the streets were deluged with the blood of innocence, and
+then the gates were thrown open for the entrance of the conqueror.
+Alexander, the Emperor of all the Russias, was hastening down from the
+North, with his barbarian hordes, to aid the beleaguered city. Napoleon
+tarried not at Vienna. Fearlessly pushing on through the sleet and the
+hail of a Northern winter, he disappeared in the distance from the eyes
+of France. Austria, Sweden, Russia, were assembling their innumerable
+legions to crush him. He was far from home, in a hostile country. Rumors
+that his rashness had led to his ruin began to circulate throughout
+Europe.
+
+Josephine was almost distracted with anxiety respecting her husband. She
+knew that a terrible battle was approaching, in which he was to
+encounter fearful odds. The most gloomy forebodings pervaded Paris and
+all France. Several days had passed, during which no intelligence
+whatever had been received from the distant army. Ominous whispers of
+defeat and ruin filled the air. The cold blasts of a December night were
+whistling around the towers of St. Cloud, as Josephine and a few of her
+friends were assembled in the saloon, anxiously awaiting tidings from
+Napoleon. It was no time for hilarity, and no one attempted even to
+promote festive enjoyment. The hour of nine o'clock had arrived, and
+yet no courier appeared. All hopes of any tidings on that day were
+relinquished. Suddenly the clatter of iron hoofs was heard as a single
+horseman galloped into the court-yard. Josephine almost fainted with
+emotion as she heard the feeble shout, "Victory--Austerlitz!" She rushed
+to the window and threw it open. The horse of the courier had fallen
+dead upon the pavement, and the exhausted rider, unable to stand,
+was half reclining by his side. In the intensity of her impatience,
+Josephine rushed down the stairs and into the court-yard, followed by
+all her ladies. The faithful messenger was brought to her in the arms of
+four men. He presented to the empress a blurred and blotted line, which
+the emperor had written amid the thunder and the smoke, the uproar and
+the carnage of the dreadful day of Austerlitz. As soon as Napoleon saw
+the field covered with the slain, and the routed armies of his foes
+flying in dismay before their triumphant pursuers, in the midst of all
+the horrors of that most horrible scene, he turned the energies of his
+impetuous mind from the hot pursuit to pen a line to his faithful
+Josephine, announcing the victory. The empress, with tears almost
+blinding her eyes, read the billet where she stood, by the light of a
+torch which an attendant had brought her. She immediately drew from her
+finger a valuable diamond ring, and presented it to the bearer of the
+joyful message. The messenger was Moustache the Mameluke, who had
+accompanied Napoleon from Egypt, and who was so celebrated for the
+devotion of his attachment to the emperor. He had ridden on horseback
+one hundred and fifty miles within twelve hours.
+
+Napoleon was exceedingly sensitive to any apparent want of affection
+or attention on the part of Josephine. A remarkable occurrence,
+illustrative of this sensitiveness, took place on his return from his
+last Austrian campaign. When he arrived at Munich, where he was delayed
+for a short time, he dispatched a courier to Josephine, informing her
+that he would be at Fontainebleau on the evening of the twenty-seventh,
+and expressing a wish that the court should be assembled there to meet
+him. He, however, in his eagerness, pressed on with such unanticipated
+speed, that he arrived early in the morning of the twenty-sixth,
+thirty-six hours earlier than the time he had appointed. He had actually
+overtaken his courier, and entered with him the court-yard at
+Fontainebleau. Very unreasonably annoyed at finding no one there to
+receive him, he said to the exhausted courier, as he was dismounting
+from his horse, "You can rest to-morrow; gallop to St. Cloud, and
+announce my arrival to the empress." It was a distance of forty miles.
+Napoleon was very impatient all the day, and, in the evening, hearing a
+carriage enter the court-yard, he eagerly ran down, as was his
+invariable custom, to greet Josephine. To his great disappointment, the
+carriage contained only some of her ladies. "And where is the empress?"
+he exclaimed, in surprise. "We have preceded her by perhaps a quarter of
+an hour," they replied. The emperor was now in very ill humor. "A very
+happy arrangement," said he, sarcastically; and, turning upon his heel,
+he ascended to the little library, where he had been busily employed.
+
+Soon Josephine arrived. Napoleon, hearing the carriage enter the court,
+coldly asked who had come. Being informed that it was the empress, he
+moved not from his seat, but went on very busily with his writing. The
+attendants were greatly surprised, for he never before had been known
+to omit meeting the empress at her carriage. Josephine, entirely
+unconscious of any fault, and delighted with the thought of again
+meeting her husband, and of surprising him in his cabinet, hastened up
+stairs and entered the room. Napoleon looked up coldly from his papers,
+and addressed her with the chilling salutation, "And so, madame, you
+have come at last! It is well. I was just about to set out for St.
+Cloud." Josephine burst into tears, and stood silently sobbing before
+him. Napoleon was conquered. His own conscience reproved him for his
+exceeding injustice. He rose from his seat, exclaiming, "Josephine, I am
+wrong; forgive me;" and, throwing his arms around her neck, embraced her
+most tenderly. The reconciliation was immediate and perfect, for the
+gentle spirit of Josephine could retain no resentment.
+
+Napoleon had a very decided taste in reference to Josephine's style of
+dress, and her only ambition was to decorate her person in a manner
+which would be agreeable to him. On this occasion she retired very soon
+to dress for dinner. In about half an hour she reappeared, dressed with
+great elegance, in a robe of white satin, bordered with eider down, and
+with a wreath of blue flowers, entwined with silver ears of corn,
+adorning her hair. Napoleon rose to meet her, and gazed upon her with an
+expression of great fondness. Josephine said, with a smile, "You do not
+think that I have occupied too much time at my toilet?" Napoleon pointed
+playfully to the clock upon the mantel, which indicated the hour of half
+past seven, and, taking the hand of his wife, entered the dining-room.
+
+Though Napoleon often displayed the weaknesses of our fallen nature, he
+at times exhibited the noblest traits of humanity. On one occasion, at
+Boulogne, he was informed of a young English sailor, a prisoner of war,
+who had escaped from his imprisonment in the interior of France, and
+had succeeded in reaching the coast near that town. He had secretly
+constructed, in an unfrequented spot, a little skiff, of the branches
+and bark of trees, in which fabric, almost as fragile as the ark of
+bulrushes, he was intending to float out upon the storm-swept channel,
+hoping to be picked up by some English cruiser and conveyed home.
+Napoleon was struck with admiration in view of the fearlessness of the
+project, and, sending for the young man, questioned him very minutely
+respecting the motives which could induce him to undertake so perilous
+an adventure. The emperor expressed some doubt whether he would really
+have ventured to encounter the dangers of the ocean in so frail a skiff.
+The young man entreated Napoleon to ascertain whether he was in earnest
+by granting him permission to carry his design into execution. "You must
+doubtless, then," said the emperor, "have some mistress to revisit,
+since you are so desirous to return to your country?" "No!" replied the
+sailor, "I wish to see my mother. She is aged and infirm." The heart of
+the emperor was touched. "You shall see her," he energetically and
+promptly replied. He immediately gave orders that the young man should
+be thoroughly furnished with all comforts, and sent in a cruiser, with a
+flag of truce, to the first British vessel which could be found. He also
+gave the young man a purse for his mother, saying, "She must be no
+common parent who can have trained up so affectionate and dutiful a
+son."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+THE DIVORCE AND LAST DAYS.
+
+A.D. 1807-A.D. 1814
+
+Napoleon's prospective heir.--Death of the child.--Grandeur of Napoleon.
+--Struggle in his bosom.--Dejection of Napoleon.--His energy.--Grief of
+Josephine.--Her forebodings.--Napoleon absents himself from her
+society.--Anguish of Napoleon.--Difficulty in selecting a bride.--A
+silent dinner at Fontainebleau.--The communication to Josephine.--
+Effects thereof.--Agitation of Napoleon.--A night of anguish.--
+Anniversary of the victory at Austerlitz.--Eugene summoned from Italy.
+--Interview with Napoleon.--He is not without feeling.--The council
+assembled.--Address of Napoleon.--He is still the friend of
+Josephine.--Her response.--The council again assembled.--Consummation
+of the divorce.--Entrance of Josephine.--Emotion of Hortense.--Josephine
+signs the divorce.--Anguish of Eugene.--Last private interview between
+Josephine and Napoleon.--The final adieu.--Mental anguish of
+Napoleon.--Malmaison assigned to Josephine as her future residence.--
+Josephine leaves the Tuilleries.--Madame de Rochefoucault.--Josephine
+submissive to her lot.--Morning parties.--Social habits.--Daily routine
+at Malmaison.--The airing.--The dinner hour.--Mirthful evenings.--
+Marriage of Napoleon and Maria Louisa.--Birth of the King of Rome.
+--Letter from Josephine.--Josephine's interest in the son of Napoleon.
+--Her joy at his birth.--Her desire for information.--A letter from
+Napoleon.--Deep emotion of Josephine.--Amiability of Napoleon.--He
+presents his son to Josephine.--Generous conduct of Josephine.--Letter
+to her superintendent.--Refined taste of Josephine.--Continued grief of
+Josephine.--Palace of Navarre.--Letter to Napoleon.--Josephine desires
+repose.--Occupations of Josephine at Navarre.--M. Bourlier.--Character
+of Josephine's household.--Conversation between Napoleon and Josephine.
+--Their last interview.--Napoleon continues his correspondence.--Days
+of disaster.--Approach of the allied armies.--Alarm of Josephine.--
+Accident.--Josephine at Navarre.--A melancholy incident.--Brutality of
+the Cossacks.--Affecting note from Napoleon.--His downfall.--Letter
+from Napoleon to Josephine.--False friends.--Josephine resolves not to
+abandon Napoleon.--Honor paid to Josephine.--Commendation of Alexander.
+--Letter to Napoleon.--Illustrious party at Malmaison.--Illness of
+Josephine.--Josephine always desired the happiness of France.--Affecting
+prayer.--Death of Josephine.--Tribute to her memory by Alexander.--
+Funeral ceremonies.--Monumental inscription.
+
+
+Allusion has already been made to the strong attachment with which
+Napoleon cherished his little grandchild, the son of Hortense and of his
+brother Louis. The boy was extremely beautiful, and developed all those
+noble and spirited traits of character which peculiarly delighted the
+emperor. Napoleon had apparently determined to make the young prince his
+heir. This was so generally the understanding, both in France and in
+Holland, that Josephine was quite at ease, and serene days dawned again
+upon her heart.
+
+Early in the spring of 1807, this child, upon whom such destinies were
+depending, then five years of age, was seized suddenly and violently
+with the croup, and in a few hours died. The blow fell upon the heart of
+Josephine with most appalling power. Deep as was her grief at the loss
+of the child, she was overwhelmed with uncontrollable anguish in view of
+those fearful consequences which she shuddered to contemplate. She knew
+that Napoleon loved her fondly, but she also knew the strength of his
+ambition, and that he would make any sacrifice of his affection, which,
+in his view, would subserve the interests of his power and his glory.
+For three days she shut herself up in her room, and was continually
+bathed in tears.
+
+The sad intelligence was conveyed to Napoleon when he was far from home,
+in the midst of the Prussian campaign. He had been victorious, almost
+miraculously victorious, over his enemies. He had gained accessions of
+power such as, in the wildest dreams of youth, he had hardly imagined.
+All opposition to his sway was now apparently crushed. Napoleon had
+become the creator of kings, and the proudest monarchs of Europe were
+constrained to do his bidding. It was in an hour of exultation that the
+mournful tidings reached him. He sat down in silence, buried his face in
+his hands, and for a long time seemed lost in the most painful musings.
+He was heard mournfully and anxiously to repeat to himself again and
+again, "To whom shall I leave all this?" The struggle in his mind
+between his love for Josephine and his ambitious desire to found a
+new dynasty, and to transmit his name and fame to all posterity, was
+fearful. It was manifest in his pallid cheek, in his restless eye, in
+the loss of appetite and of sleep. But the stern will of Bonaparte was
+unrelenting in its purposes. With an energy which the world has never
+seen surpassed, he had chosen his part. It was the purpose of his
+soul--the purpose before which every thing had to bend--to acquire the
+glory of making France the most illustrious, powerful, and happy nation
+earth had ever seen. For this he was ready to sacrifice comfort, ease,
+and his sense of right. For this he was ready to sunder the strongest
+ties of affection.
+
+Josephine knew Napoleon. She was fully aware of his boundless ambition.
+With almost insupportable anguish she wept over the death of this
+idolized child, and, with a trembling heart, awaited her husband's
+return. Mysterious hints began to fill the journals of the contemplated
+divorce, and of the alliance of Napoleon with various princesses of
+foreign courts.
+
+In October, 1807, Napoleon returned from Vienna. He greeted Josephine
+with the greatest kindness, but she soon perceived that his mind was ill
+at ease, and that he was pondering the fearful question. He appeared sad
+and embarrassed. He had frequent private interviews with his ministers.
+A general feeling of constraint pervaded the court. Napoleon scarcely
+ventured to look upon his wife, as if apprehensive that the very sight
+of one whom he had loved so well might cause him to waver in his firm
+purpose. Josephine was in a state of the most feverish solicitude, and
+yet was compelled to appear calm and unconstrained. As yet she had only
+fearful forebodings of her impending doom. She watched, with most
+excited apprehension, every movement of the emperor's eye, every
+intonation of his voice, every sentiment he uttered. Each day some new
+and trivial indication confirmed her fears. Her husband became more
+reserved, absented himself from her society, and the private access
+between their apartments was closed. He now seldom entered her room, and
+whenever he did so, he invariably knocked. And yet not one word had
+passed between him and Josephine upon the fearful subject. Whenever
+Josephine heard the sound of his approaching footsteps, the fear that he
+was coming with the terrible announcement of separation immediately
+caused such violent palpitations of the heart that it was with the
+utmost difficulty she could totter across the floor, even when
+supporting herself by leaning against the walls, and catching at the
+articles of furniture.
+
+The months of October and November passed away, and, while the emperor
+was discussing with his cabinet the alliance into which he should enter,
+he had not yet summoned courage to break the subject to Josephine. The
+evidence is indubitable that he experienced intense anguish in view of
+the separation, but this did not influence his iron will to swerve from
+its purpose. The grandeur of his fame and the magnitude of his power
+were now such, that there was not a royal family in Europe which would
+not have felt honored in conferring upon him a bride. It was at first
+contemplated that he should marry some princess of the Bourbon family,
+and thus add to the stability of his throne by conciliating the
+Royalists of France. A princess of Saxony was proposed. Some weighty
+considerations urged an alliance with the majestic empire of Russia, and
+some advances were made to the court of St. Petersburgh, having in view
+a sister of the Emperor Alexander. It was finally decided that proposals
+should be made to the court of Vienna for Maria Louisa, daughter of the
+Emperor of Austria.
+
+At length the fatal day arrived for the announcement to Josephine. It
+was the last day of November, 1809. The emperor and empress dined at
+Fontainebleau alone. She seems to have had a presentiment that her doom
+was sealed, for all that day she had been in her retired apartment,
+weeping bitterly. As the dinner-hour approached, she bathed her swollen
+eyes, and tried to regain composure. They sat down at the table in
+silence. Napoleon did not speak. Josephine could not trust her voice to
+utter a word. Neither ate a mouthful. Course after course was brought in
+and removed untouched. A mortal paleness revealed the anguish of each
+heart. Napoleon, in his embarrassment, mechanically, and apparently
+unconsciously, struck the edge of his glass with his knife, while lost
+in thought. A more melancholy meal probably was never witnessed. The
+attendants around the table seemed to catch the infection, and moved
+softly and silently in the discharge of their duties, as if they were in
+the chamber of the dead. At last the ceremony of dinner was over, the
+attendants were dismissed, and Napoleon, rising, and closing the door
+with his own hand, was left alone with Josephine. Another moment of most
+painful silence ensued, when the emperor, pale as death, and trembling
+in every nerve, approached the empress. He took her hand, placed it upon
+his heart, and in faltering accents said, "Josephine! my own good
+Josephine! you know how I have loved you. It is to you alone that I owe
+the only few moments of happiness I have known in the world. Josephine!
+my destiny is stronger than my will. My dearest affections must yield to
+the interests of France."
+
+Josephine's brain reeled; her blood ceased to circulate; she fainted,
+and fell lifeless upon the floor. Napoleon, alarmed, threw open the door
+of the saloon, and called for help. Attendants from the ante-room
+immediately entered. Napoleon took a taper from the mantel, and uttering
+not a word, but pale and trembling, motioned to the Count de Beaumont to
+take the empress in his arms. She was still unconscious of every thing,
+but began to murmur, in tones of anguish, "Oh, no! you can not surely do
+it. You would not kill me." The emperor led the way, through a dark
+passage, to the private staircase which conducted to the apartment of
+the empress. The agitation of Napoleon seemed now to increase. He
+uttered some incoherent sentences about a violent nervous attack; and,
+finding the stairs too steep and narrow for the Count de Beaumont to
+bear the body of the helpless Josephine unassisted, he gave the light to
+an attendant, and, supporting her limbs himself, they reached the door
+of her bed-room. Napoleon then, dismissing his male attendants, and
+laying Josephine upon her bed, rang for her waiting-women. He hung over
+her with an expression of the most intense affection and anxiety until
+she began to revive. But the moment consciousness seemed returning, he
+left the room. Napoleon did not even throw himself upon his bed that
+night. He paced the floor until the dawn of the morning. The royal
+surgeon, Corvisart, passed the night at the bed-side of the empress.
+Every hour the restless yet unrelenting emperor called at her door to
+inquire concerning her situation. "On recovering from my swoon," says
+Josephine, "I perceived that Corvisart was in attendance, and my poor
+daughter, Hortense, weeping over me. No! no! I can not describe the
+horror of my situation during that night! Even the interest he affected
+to take in my sufferings seemed to me additional cruelty. Oh! how much
+reason had I to dread becoming an empress!"
+
+A fortnight now passed away, during which Napoleon and Josephine saw
+but little of each other. During this time there occurred the
+anniversary of the coronation, and of the victory of Austerlitz. Paris
+was filled with rejoicing. The bells rang their merriest peals. The
+metropolis was refulgent with illuminations. In these festivities
+Josephine was compelled to appear. She knew that the sovereigns and
+princes then assembled in Paris were informed of her approaching
+disgrace. In all these sounds of triumph she heard but the knell of her
+own doom. And though a careful observer would have detected indications,
+in her moistened eye and her pallid cheek, of the secret woe which was
+consuming her heart, her habitual affability and grace never, in public,
+for one moment forsook her. Hortense, languid and sorrow-stricken, was
+with her mother.
+
+Eugene was summoned from Italy. He hastened to Paris, and his first
+interview was with his mother. From her saloon he went directly to the
+cabinet of Napoleon, and inquired of the emperor if he had decided to
+obtain a divorce from the empress. Napoleon, who was very strongly
+attached to Eugene, made no reply, but pressed his hand as an expression
+that it was so. Eugene immediately dropped the hand of the emperor, and
+said,
+
+"Sire, in that case, permit me to withdraw from your service."
+
+"How!" exclaimed Napoleon, looking upon him sadly; "will you, Eugene, my
+adopted son, leave me?"
+
+"Yes, sire," Eugene replied, firmly; "the son of her who is no longer
+empress can not remain viceroy. I will follow my mother into her
+retreat. She must now find her consolation in her children."
+
+Napoleon was not without feelings. Tears filled his eyes. In a mournful
+voice, tremulous with emotion, he replied, "Eugene, you know the stern
+necessity which compels this measure, and will you forsake me? Who,
+then, should I have a son, the object of my desires and preserver of my
+interests, who would watch over the child when I am absent? If I die,
+who will prove to him a father? Who will bring him up? Who is to make a
+man of him?"
+
+Eugene was deeply affected, and, taking Napoleon's arm, they retired and
+conversed a long time together. The noble Josephine, ever sacrificing
+her own feelings to promote the happiness of others, urged her son to
+remain the friend of Napoleon. "The emperor," she said, "is your
+benefactor--your more than father, to whom you are indebted for every
+thing, and to whom, therefore, you owe a boundless obedience."
+
+The fatal day for the consummation of the divorce at length arrived. It
+was the 15th of December, 1809. Napoleon had assembled all the kings,
+princes, and princesses who were members of the imperial family, and
+also the most illustrious officers of the empire, in the grand saloon
+of the Tuilleries. Every individual present was oppressed with the
+melancholy grandeur of the occasion. Napoleon thus addressed them:
+
+"The political interests of my monarchy, the wishes of my people, which
+have constantly guided my actions, require that I should transmit to an
+heir, inheriting my love for the people, the throne on which Providence
+has placed me. For many years I have lost all hopes of having children
+by my beloved spouse, the Empress Josephine. It is this consideration
+which induces me to sacrifice the sweetest affections of my heart, to
+consult only the good of my subjects, and to desire the dissolution
+of our marriage. Arrived at the age of forty years, I may indulge a
+reasonable hope of living long enough to rear, in the spirit of my
+own thoughts and disposition, the children with which it may please
+Providence to bless me. God knows what such a determination has cost my
+heart; but there is no sacrifice which is above my courage, when it is
+proved to be for the interests of France. Far from having any cause of
+complaint, I have nothing to say but in praise of the attachment and
+tenderness of my beloved wife. She has embellished fifteen years of my
+life, and the remembrance of them will be forever engraven on my heart.
+She was crowned by my hand; she shall retain always the rank and title
+of empress. Above all, let her never doubt my feelings, or regard me but
+as her best and dearest friend."
+
+Josephine, her eyes filled with tears, with a faltering voice, replied,
+"I respond to all the sentiments of the emperor in consenting to the
+dissolution of a marriage which henceforth is an obstacle to the
+happiness of France, by depriving it of the blessing of being one day
+governed by the descendants of that great man who was evidently raised
+up by Providence to efface the evils of a terrible revolution, and to
+restore the altar, and the throne, and social order. But his marriage
+will in no respect change the sentiments of my heart. The emperor will
+ever find in me his best friend. I know what this act, commanded by
+policy and exalted interests, has cost his heart, but we both glory in
+the sacrifices we make for the good of the country. I feel elevated in
+giving the greatest proof of attachment and devotion that was ever given
+upon earth."
+
+Such were the sentiments which were expressed in public; but in private
+Josephine surrendered herself to the unrestrained dominion of her
+anguish. No language can depict the intensity of her woe. For six months
+she wept so incessantly that her eyes were nearly blinded with grief.
+Upon the ensuing day the council were again assembled in the grand
+saloon, to witness the legal consummation of the divorce. The emperor
+entered the room dressed in the imposing robes of state, but pallid,
+careworn, and wretched. Low tones of voice, harmonizing with the
+mournful scene, filled the room. Napoleon, apart by himself, leaned
+against a pillar, folded his arms upon his breast, and, in perfect
+silence, apparently lost in gloomy thought, remained motionless as a
+statue. A circular table was placed in the center of the apartment, and
+upon this there was a writing apparatus of gold. A vacant arm-chair
+stood before the table. Never did a multitude gaze upon the scaffold,
+the block, or the guillotine with more awe than the assembled lords and
+ladies in this gorgeous saloon contemplated these instruments of a more
+dreadful execution.
+
+At length the mournful silence was interrupted by the opening of a
+side door and the entrance of Josephine. The pallor of death was upon
+her brow, and the submission of despair nerved her into a temporary
+calmness. She was leaning upon the arm of Hortense, who, not possessing
+the fortitude of her mother, was entirely unable to control her
+feelings. The sympathetic daughter, immediately upon entering into the
+room, burst into tears, and continued sobbing most convulsively during
+the whole remaining scene. The assembly respectfully arose upon the
+entrance of Josephine, and all were moved to tears. With that grace
+which ever distinguished her movements, she advanced silently to the
+seat provided for her. Sitting down, and leaning her forehead upon her
+hand, she listened to the reading of the act of separation. Nothing
+disturbed the sepulchral silence of the scene but the convulsive
+sobbings of Hortense, blending with the mournful tones of the reader's
+voice. Eugene, in the mean time, pale and trembling as an aspen leaf,
+had taken a position by the side of his mother. Silent tears were
+trickling down the cheeks of the empress.
+
+As soon as the reading of the act of separation was finished, Josephine
+for a moment pressed her handkerchief to her weeping eyes, and then,
+rising, in clear and musical, but tremulous tones, pronounced the oath
+of acceptance. She then sat down, took the pen, and affixed her
+signature to the deed which sundered the dearest hopes and the fondest
+ties which human hearts can feel. Poor Eugene could endure this anguish
+no longer. His brain reeled, his heart ceased to beat, and he fell
+lifeless upon the floor. Josephine and Hortense retired with the
+attendants who bore out the insensible form of the affectionate son and
+brother. It was a fitting termination of this mournful but sublime
+tragedy.
+
+But the anguish of the day was not yet closed. Josephine, half delirious
+with grief, had another scene still more painful to pass through in
+taking a final adieu of him who had been her husband. She remained in
+her chamber, in heart-rending, speechless grief, until the hour arrived
+in which Napoleon usually retired for the night. The emperor, restless
+and wretched, had just placed himself in the bed from which he had
+ejected his most faithful and devoted wife, and the attendant was on the
+point of leaving the room, when the private door of his chamber was
+slowly opened, and Josephine tremblingly entered. Her eyes were swollen
+with grief, her hair disheveled, and she appeared in all the dishabille
+of unutterable anguish. She tottered into the middle of the room, and
+approached the bed; then, irresolutely stopping, she buried her face in
+her hands, and burst into a flood of tears. A feeling of delicacy seemed
+for a moment to have arrested her steps--a consciousness that she had
+_now_ no right to enter the chamber of Napoleon; but in another moment
+all the pent-up love of her heart burst forth, and, forgetting every
+thing in the fullness of her anguish, she threw herself upon the bed,
+clasped Napoleon's neck in her arms, and exclaiming, "My husband! my
+husband!" sobbed as though her heart were breaking. The imperial spirit
+of Napoleon was for the moment entirely vanquished, and he also wept
+almost convulsively. He assured Josephine of his love--of his ardent and
+undying love. In every way he tried to soothe and comfort her, and for
+some time they remained locked in each other's embrace. The attendant
+was dismissed, and for an hour they continued together in this last
+private interview. Josephine then, in the experience of an intensity of
+anguish which few hearts have ever known, parted forever from the
+husband whom she had so long, so fondly, and so faithfully loved.
+
+After the empress had retired, with a desolated heart, to her chamber
+of unnatural widowhood, the attendant entered the apartment of Napoleon
+to remove the lights. He found the emperor so buried beneath the
+bed-clothes as to be invisible. Not a word was uttered. The lights were
+removed, and the unhappy monarch was left in darkness and silence to
+the dreadful companionship of his own thoughts. The next morning the
+death-like pallor of his cheek, his sunken eye, and the haggard
+expression of his countenance, attested that the emperor had passed
+the night in sleeplessness and suffering.
+
+Great as was the wrong which Napoleon thus inflicted upon the noble
+Josephine, every one must be sensible of a certain kind of grandeur
+which pervades the tragedy. When we contemplate the brutal butcheries of
+Henry VIII., as wife after wife was compelled to place her head upon the
+block, merely to afford room for the indulgence of his vagrant passions;
+when we contemplate George IV., by neglect and inhumanity driving
+Caroline to desperation and to crime, and polluting the ear of the world
+with the revolting story of sin and shame; when we contemplate the
+Bourbons, generation after generation, rioting in voluptuousness, in
+utter disregard of all the laws of God and man, while we can not abate
+one iota of our condemnation of the great wrong which Napoleon
+perpetrated, we feel that it becomes the monarchies of Europe to be
+sparing in their condemnation.
+
+The beautiful palace of Malmaison, which Napoleon had embellished with
+every possible attraction, and where the emperor and empress had passed
+many of their happiest hours, was assigned to Josephine for her future
+residence. Napoleon settled upon her a jointure of about six hundred
+thousand dollars a year. She was still to retain the title and the rank
+of Empress-Queen.
+
+The ensuing day, at eleven o'clock, all the household of the Tuilleries
+were assembled upon the grand staircase and in the vestibule, to witness
+the departure of their beloved mistress from scenes where she had so
+long been the brightest ornament. Josephine descended, veiled from head
+to foot. Her emotions were too deep for utterance, and she waved an
+adieu to the affectionate and weeping friends who surrounded her. A
+close carriage, with six horses, was before the door. She entered it,
+sank back upon the cushions, buried her face in her handkerchief, and,
+sobbing bitterly, left the Tuilleries forever.
+
+Josephine was still surrounded with all the external splendors of
+royalty. She was beloved throughout France, and admired throughout
+Europe. Napoleon frequently called upon her, though, from motives of
+delicacy, he never saw her alone. He consulted her respecting all his
+plans, and most assiduously cherished her friendship. It was soon
+manifest that the surest way of securing the favor of Napoleon was
+to pay marked attention to Josephine. The palace of Malmaison,
+consequently, became the favorite resort of all the members of the court
+of Napoleon. Soon after the divorce, Madame de Rochefoucault, formerly
+mistress of the robes to Josephine, deserting the forsaken empress,
+applied for the same post of honor in the household of Maria Louisa.
+Napoleon, when he heard of the application, promptly and indignantly
+replied, "She shall neither retain her old situation nor have the new
+one. I am accused of ungrateful conduct toward Josephine, but I do not
+choose to have any imitators, more especially among those whom she has
+honored with her confidence, and overwhelmed with benefits."
+
+Josephine remained for some time at Malmaison. In deeds of kindness to
+the poor who surrounded her, in reading, and in receiving, with the
+utmost elegance of hospitality, the members of the court of Napoleon,
+who were ever crowding her saloons, she gradually regained her
+equanimity of spirit, and surrendered herself entirely to a quiet and
+pensive submission. Napoleon frequently called to see her, and, taking
+her arm, he would walk for hours, most confidentially unfolding to her
+all his plans. He seemed to desire to do every thing in his power to
+alleviate the intensity of anguish with which he had wrung her heart.
+His own affections clung still to Josephine, and her lovely and noble
+character commanded, increasingly, his homage. The empress was very
+methodical in all her arrangements, allotting to each hour its appointed
+duty. The description of the routine of any one day would answer about
+equally well for all.
+
+Ten o'clock in the morning was the reception hour. These morning
+parties, attended by the most distinguished members of Parisian society,
+none appearing except in uniform or in court costume, were always very
+brilliant. Some ten or twelve of the visitors were always previously
+invited to remain to breakfast. At eleven o'clock they passed from the
+saloon to the breakfast-room, the empress leading, followed by her court
+according to their rank, she naming those who were to sit on her right
+and left. The repast, both at breakfast and dinner, ordinarily consisted
+of one course only, every thing excepting the dessert being placed upon
+the table at once. The empress had five attendants, who stood behind
+her chair; all the guests who sat down with her had one each. Seven
+officials of different ranks served at the table. The breakfast usually
+occupied three quarters of an hour, when the empress, with her ladies
+and guests, adjourned to the gallery, which contained the choicest
+specimens of painting and sculpture which the genius of Napoleon could
+select. The prospect from the gallery was very commanding, and, in
+entire freedom from constraint, all could find pleasant employment. Some
+examined with delight the varied works of art; some, in the embrasures
+of the windows, looked out upon the lovely scenery, and in subdued tones
+of voice engaged in conversation; while the chamberlain in attendance
+read aloud from some useful and entertaining volume to Josephine, and
+those who wished to listen with her. At two o'clock the arrival of the
+carriages at the door was the signal for the visitors to depart. Three
+open carriages, when the weather permitted, were always provided, each
+drawn by four horses. Madame d'Arberg, the lady of honor, one of the
+ladies in waiting, and some distinguished guest, accompanied the
+empress. Two hours were spent in riding, visiting improvements, and
+conversing freely with the various employées on the estate. The party
+then returned to the palace, and all disposed of their time as they
+pleased until six o'clock, the hour of dinner. From twelve to fifteen
+strangers were always invited to dine. After dinner the evening was
+devoted to relaxation, conversation, backgammon, and other games. The
+young ladies, of whom there were always many whom Josephine retained
+around her, usually, in the course of the evening, withdrew from
+the drawing-room to a smaller saloon opening from it, where, with
+unrestrained glee, they engaged in mirthful sports, or, animated by the
+music of the piano, mingled in the dance. Sometimes, in the buoyancy
+of youthful joy, they forgot the demands of etiquette, and somewhat
+incommoded, by their merry laughter, the more grave company in the grand
+apartment. The lady of honor would, on such occasions, hint at the
+necessity of repressing the mirth. Josephine would invariably interpose
+in their behalf. "My dear Madame d'Arberg," she would say, "suffer both
+them and us to enjoy, while we may, all that innocent happiness which
+comes from the heart, and which penetrates the heart." At eleven
+o'clock, tea, ices, and sweetmeats were served, and then the visitors
+took their leave. Josephine sat up an hour later conversing most freely
+and confidentially with those friends who were especially dear to her,
+and about midnight retired.
+
+In the month of March, 1810, Maria Louisa arrived in Paris, and her
+marriage with Napoleon was celebrated with the utmost splendor at St.
+Cloud. All France resounded with rejoicing as Napoleon led his youthful
+bride into the Tuilleries, from whence, but three months before,
+Josephine had been so cruelly ejected. The booming of the cannon, the
+merry pealing of the bells, the acclamations of the populace, fell
+heavily upon the heart of Josephine. She tried to conceal her anguish,
+but her pallid cheek and swimming eye revealed the severity of her
+sufferings.
+
+Napoleon continued, however, the frequency of his correspondence, and,
+notwithstanding the jealousy of Maria Louisa, did not at all intermit
+his visits. In a little more than a year after his marriage the King of
+Rome was born. The evening in which Josephine received the tidings of
+his birth, she wrote an affectionate and touching letter to Napoleon,
+congratulating him upon the event. This letter reveals so conspicuously
+the magnanimity of her principles, and yet the feminine tenderness of
+her bleeding heart, that we can not refrain from inserting it. It was
+dated at Navarre, at midnight, the 20th of March, 1811.
+
+     "SIRE,--Amid the numerous felicitations which you receive
+     from every corner of Europe, from all the cities of France,
+     and from each regiment of your army, can the feeble voice of
+     a woman reach your ear, and will you deign to listen to her
+     who so often consoled your sorrows, and sweetened your
+     pains, now that she speaks to you only of that happiness in
+     which all your wishes are fulfilled? Having ceased to be
+     your wife, dare I felicitate you on becoming a father? Yes,
+     sire, without hesitation, for my soul renders justice to
+     yours, in like manner as you know mine. I can conceive every
+     emotion you must experience, as you divine all that I feel
+     at this moment, and, though separated, we are united by that
+     sympathy which survives all events.
+
+     "I should have desired to have learned the birth of the King
+     of Rome from yourself, and not from the sound of the cannon
+     of Evreux, or from the courier of the prefect. I know,
+     however, that, in preference to all, your first attentions
+     are due to the public authorities of the state, to the
+     foreign ministers, to your family, and especially to the
+     fortunate princess who has realized your dearest hopes. She
+     can not be more tenderly devoted to you than I am. But she
+     has been enabled to contribute more toward your happiness
+     by securing that of France. She has, then, a right to your
+     first feelings, to all your cares, and I who was but your
+     companion in times of difficulty--I can not ask more than
+     for a place in your affections far removed from that
+     occupied by the empress, Maria Louisa. Not till you have
+     ceased to watch by her bed--not till you are weary of
+     embracing your son, will you take the pen to converse with
+     your best friend. I will wait.
+
+     "Meanwhile, it is not possible for me to delay telling you
+     that, more than any one in the world, do I rejoice in your
+     joy. And you will not doubt my sincerity when I here say
+     that, far from feeling an affliction at a sacrifice
+     necessary for the repose of all, I congratulate myself on
+     having made it, since I now suffer alone. But I am wrong; I
+     do not suffer while you are happy, and I have but one
+     regret, in not having yet done enough to prove how dear you
+     were to me. I have no account of the health of the empress.
+     I dare to depend upon you, sire, so far as to hope that I
+     shall have circumstantial details of the great event which
+     secures the perpetuity of the name you have so nobly
+     illustrated. Eugene and Hortense will write me, imparting
+     their own satisfaction; but it is _from you_ that I desire
+     to know if your child be well, if he resembles you, if I
+     shall one day be permitted to see him. In short, I expect
+     from you unlimited confidence, and upon such I have some
+     claims, in consideration, sire, of the boundless attachment
+     I shall cherish for you while life remains."
+
+She had but just dispatched this letter to Napoleon, when the
+folding-doors were thrown open with much state, and the announcement,
+"From the emperor," ushered in a page, the bearer of a letter. The
+fragile and beautiful youth, whom Josephine immediately recognized, had
+so carefully secured the emperor's billet, from fear of losing it, that
+it took some time for him, in his slight embarrassment, to extricate it.
+Josephine was almost nervously excited till she received the note, and
+immediately retired with it to her own private apartment. Half an hour
+elapsed before she again made her appearance. Her whole countenance
+attested the intensity of the conflicting emotions with which her soul
+had been agitated. Her eyes were swollen with weeping, and the billet,
+which she still held in her hand, was blurred with her tears. She gave
+the page a letter to the emperor in reply, and then presented him, as an
+acknowledgment of her appreciation of the tidings he had brought, with a
+small morocco case, containing a diamond breastpin, and a thousand
+dollars in gold.
+
+She then, with a tremulous voice, and smiling through her tears, read
+the emperor's note to her friends. The concluding words of the note
+were, "This infant, in concert with _our Eugene_, will constitute my
+happiness and that of France." As Josephine read these words with
+emphasis, she exclaimed, "Is it possible to be more amiable! Could any
+thing be better calculated to soothe whatever might be painful in my
+thoughts at this moment, did I not so sincerely love the emperor? This
+uniting of my son with his own is indeed worthy of him who, when he
+wills, is the most delightful of men. This is it which has so much moved
+me."
+
+The emperor often afterward called upon her. He soon, notwithstanding
+the jealousy of Maria Louisa, arranged a plan by which he presented to
+Josephine, in his own arms, the idolized child. These interviews, so
+gratifying to Josephine, took place at the Royal Pavilion, near Paris,
+Napoleon and Madame Montesquieu, governess to the young prince, being
+the only confidants. In one of Josephine's letters to Napoleon, she
+says, "The moment I saw you enter, leading the young Napoleon in your
+hand, was unquestionably one of the happiest of my life. It effaced, for
+a time, the recollection of all that had preceded it, for never have I
+received from you a more touching mark of affection."
+
+The apartment at Malmaison which Napoleon had formerly occupied remained
+exactly as it was when he last left it. Josephine herself kept the key,
+and dusted the room with her own hands. She would not permit a single
+article of furniture to be moved. The book he was last reading lay open
+upon the table, the map he was consulting, the pen with which he wrote,
+the articles of clothing which he had left in his accustomed disorder,
+all remained untouched. Josephine's bed-chamber was very simply
+furnished with white muslin drapery, the only ornament being the golden
+toilet service which she had received from the municipality of Paris,
+and which, with characteristic generosity, she refused to consider as
+her own private property until Napoleon sent it to her. The following
+letter from Josephine, written at this time, pleasingly illustrates her
+literary polish and the refinement of her taste. It was addressed to the
+superintendent, ordering some alterations at Malmaison.
+
+     "Profit by my absence, dear F., and make haste to dismantel
+     the pavilion of the acacias, and to transfer my boudoir into
+     that of the orangery. I should wish the first apartment of
+     the suite, and which serves for an ante-room, to be painted
+     with light green, with a border of lilachs. In the center of
+     the panels you will place my fine engravings from Esther,
+     and under each of these a portrait of the distinguished
+     generals of the Revolution. In the center of the apartment
+     there must be a large flower-stand, constantly filled with
+     fresh flowers in their season, and in each angle a bust of a
+     French philosopher. I particularly mention that of Rousseau,
+     which place between the two windows, so that the vines and
+     foliage may play around his head. This will be a natural
+     crown worthy of the author of Emile. As to my private
+     cabinet, let it be colored light blue, with a border of
+     ranunculus and polyanthus. Ten large engravings from the
+     Gallery of the Musée, and twenty medallions, will fill up
+     the panels. Let the casements be painted white and green,
+     with double fillets, gilded. My piano, a green sofa, and two
+     couches with corresponding covers, a secretaire, a small
+     bureau, and a large toilet-glass, are articles you will not
+     forget. In the center, place a large table, always covered
+     with freshly-gathered flowers, and upon the mantel-shelf a
+     simple pendule, two alabaster vases, and double-branched
+     girandoles. Unite elegance to variety, but no profusion.
+     Nothing is more opposed to good taste. In short, I confide
+     to you the care of rendering this cherished spot an
+     agreeable retreat, where I may meditate, sleep it may be,
+     but oftenest read, which last is sufficient to remind you of
+     three hundred volumes of my small edition."
+
+When Josephine first retired to Malmaison, where every thing reminded
+her of the emperor, her grief for many months continued unabated.
+To divert her attention, Napoleon conferred upon her the palace of
+Navarre. This was formerly a royal residence, and was renowned for its
+magnificent park. During the Revolution it had become much dilapidated.
+The elegant chateau was situated in the midst of the romantic forest of
+Evreux. The spacious grounds were embellished by parks, whose venerable
+trees had withstood the storms of centuries, and by beautiful streams
+and crystal lakes. The emperor gave Josephine nearly three hundred
+thousand dollars to repair the buildings and the grounds. The taste of
+Josephine soon converted the scene into almost a terrestrial Eden, and
+Navarre, being far more retired than Malmaison, became her favorite
+residence.
+
+Soon after Josephine had taken up her residence at Navarre, she wrote
+the following letter to Napoleon, which pleasingly illustrates the
+cordiality of friendship which still existed between them.
+
+     "SIRE,--I received this morning the welcome note which was
+     written on the eve of your departure for St. Cloud, and
+     hasten to reply to its tender and affectionate contents.
+     These, indeed, do not in themselves surprise me, but only
+     as being received so early as fifteen days after my
+     establishment here, so perfectly assured was I that your
+     attachment would search out the means of consoling me under
+     a separation necessary to the tranquillity of both. The
+     thought that your care follows me into my retreat renders it
+     almost agreeable.
+
+     "After having known all the rapture of a love that is
+     shared, and all the suffering of a love that is shared no
+     longer--after having exhausted all the pleasures that
+     supreme power can confer, and all the happiness of beholding
+     the man whom I loved enthusiastically admired, is there
+     aught else, save repose, to be desired? What illusions can
+     now remain for me? All such vanished when it became
+     necessary to renounce you. Thus the only ties which yet bind
+     me to life are my sentiments for you, attachment for my
+     children, the possibility of still being able to do some
+     good, and, above all, the assurance that you are happy. Do
+     not, then, condole with me on my being here, distant from a
+     court, which you appear to think I regret. Surrounded by
+     those who are attached to me, free to follow my taste for
+     the arts, I find myself better at Navarre than any where
+     else, for I enjoy more completely the society of the former,
+     and form a thousand projects which may prove useful to the
+     latter, and which will embellish the scenes I owe to your
+     bounty. There is much to be done here, for all around are
+     discovered the traces of destruction. These I would efface,
+     that there may exist no memorial of those horrible
+     inflictions which your genius has taught the nation almost
+     to forget. In repairing whatever these ruffians of
+     revolution labored to annihilate, I shall diffuse comfort
+     around me, and the benedictions of the poor will afford me
+     infinitely more pleasure than the feigned adulation of
+     courtiers.
+
+     "I have already told you what I think of the functionaries
+     in this department, but have not spoken sufficiently of the
+     respectable bishop, M. Bourlier. Every day I learn some new
+     trait which causes me still more highly to esteem the man
+     who unites the most enlightened benevolence with the most
+     amiable disposition. He shall be intrusted with distributing
+     my alms-deeds in Evreux, and, as he visits the indigent
+     himself, I shall be assured that my charities are properly
+     bestowed.
+
+     "I can not sufficiently thank you, sire, for the liberty you
+     have permitted me of choosing the members of my household,
+     all of whom contribute to the pleasure of a delightful
+     society. One circumstance alone gives me pain, namely, the
+     etiquette of costume, which becomes a little tiresome in the
+     country. You fear that there may be something wanting to the
+     rank I have preserved should a slight infraction be allowed
+     to the toilet of these gentlemen; but I believe that you are
+     wrong in thinking they would for one moment forget the
+     respect due to the woman who was once your companion. Their
+     respect for yourself, joined to the sincere attachment they
+     bear to me, which I can not doubt, secures me from the
+     danger of ever being obliged to recall what it is your wish
+     that they should remember. My most honorable title is
+     derived, not from having been crowned, but assuredly from
+     having been chosen by you. None other is of value. That
+     alone suffices for my immortality.
+
+     "My circle is at this time somewhat more numerous than
+     usual, there being several visitors, besides many of the
+     inhabitants of Evreux and the environs, whom I see of
+     course. I am pleased with their manners, with their
+     admiration of you, a particular in which you know that I am
+     not easily satisfied. In short, I find myself perfectly at
+     home in the midst of my forest, and entreat you, sire, no
+     longer to fancy to yourself that there is no living at a
+     distance from court. Besides you, there is nothing there
+     which I regret, since I shall have my children with me soon,
+     and already enjoy the society of the small number of friends
+     who remained faithful to me. Do not forget _your friend_.
+     Tell her sometimes that you preserve for her an attachment
+     which constitutes the felicity of her life. Often repeat to
+     her that you are happy, and be assured that for her the
+     future will thus be peaceful, as the past has been stormy,
+     and often sad."
+
+Just before Napoleon set out on his fatal campaign to Russia, he called
+to see Josephine. Seated upon a circular bench in the garden, before the
+windows of the saloon, where they could both be seen but not overheard,
+they continued for two hours engaged most earnestly in conversation.
+Josephine was apparently endeavoring to dissuade him from the perilous
+enterprise. His perfect confidence, however seemed to assure her that
+her apprehensions were groundless. At last he arose and kissed her hand.
+She accompanied him to his carriage, and bade him adieu. This was their
+last interview but one. Soon Napoleon returned, a fugitive from Moscow.
+Days of disaster were darkening around his path. All Europe had risen in
+arms against him, and were on the march toward his capital. In the midst
+of the terror of those dreadful days, he sought a hurried interview with
+his most faithful friend. It was their last meeting. As he was taking
+his leave of Josephine, at the close of this short and melancholy visit,
+he gazed upon her a moment in silence, tenderly and sadly, and then
+said, "Josephine! I have been as fortunate as was ever man on the face
+of this earth. But, in this hour, when a storm is gathering over my
+head, I have not, in this wide world, any one but you upon whom I can
+repose."
+
+In the fearful conflict which ensued--the most terrible which history
+has recorded--Napoleon's thoughts ever reverted to the wife of his
+youth. He kept up an almost daily correspondence with her, informing her
+of the passing of events. His letters, written in the midst of all the
+confusion of the camp, were more affectionate and confiding than ever.
+Adversity had softened his heart. In these dark days, when, with most
+Herculean power, he was struggling against fearful odds, and his throne
+was crumbling beneath his feet, it was observed that a letter from
+Josephine was rather torn than broken open, so great was the eagerness
+of Napoleon to receive a line from her. Wherever he was, however great
+the emergency in which he was placed, the moment a courier brought to
+him a letter from Josephine, all other business was laid aside until it
+had been read.
+
+The allied armies were every day approaching nearer and nearer to Paris,
+and Josephine was overwhelmed with grief in contemplating the disasters
+which were falling upon Napoleon. At Malmaison, Josephine and the ladies
+of her court were employed in forming bandages and scraping lint for the
+innumerable wounded who filled the hospitals. The conflicting armies
+approached so near to Malmaison that it became dangerous for Josephine
+to remain there, and, in great apprehension, she one morning, at eight
+o'clock, took her carriage for Navarre. Two or three times on the road
+she was alarmed by the cry, "Cossacks! Cossacks!" When she had proceeded
+about thirty miles, the pole of her carriage broke, and at the same time
+a troop of horsemen appeared in the distance, riding down upon her.
+They were French hussars; but Josephine thought that they were either
+Cossacks or Prussians, and, though the rain was falling in torrents, in
+her terror she leaped from the carriage, and began to fly across the
+fields. She had proceeded some distance before her attendants discovered
+the mistake. The carriage being repaired, she proceeded the rest of her
+way unmolested. The empress hardly uttered a word during this melancholy
+journey, but upon entering the palace she threw herself upon a couch,
+exclaiming, "Surely, surely Bonaparte is ignorant of what is passing
+within sight of the gates of Paris, or, if he knows, how cruel the
+thoughts which must now agitate his breast! Oh! if he had listened to
+me."
+
+Josephine remained for some days at Navarre, in a state of most painful
+anguish respecting the fate of the emperor. She allowed herself no
+relaxation, excepting a solitary ride each morning in the park, and
+another short ride after dinner with one of her ladies. The Emperor
+Alexander had immediately sent a guard of honor to protect Josephine
+from all intrusion. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers were swarming
+in all directions, and every dwelling was filled with terror and
+distraction. One melancholy incident we will record, illustrative of
+hundreds which might be narrated. Lord Londonderry, in the midst of a
+bloody skirmish, saw a young and beautiful French lady, the wife of a
+colonel, in a calêche, seized by three brutal Russian soldiers, who were
+carrying off, into the fields, their frantic and shrieking victim. The
+gallant Englishman, sword in hand, rushed forward for her deliverance
+from his barbarian allies. He succeeded in rescuing her, and, in the
+confusion of the battle still raging, ordered a dragoon to take her to
+his own quarters till she could be provided with suitable protection.
+The dragoon took the lady, half dead with terror, upon his horse behind
+him, and was galloping with her to a place of safety, when another
+ruffian band of Cossacks surrounded him, pierced his body with their
+sabers, and seized again the unhappy victim. She was never heard of
+more. The Emperor Alexander was greatly distressed at her fate, and made
+the utmost, though unavailing efforts to discover what had become of
+her. The revelations of the last day alone can divulge the horrors of
+this awful tragedy.
+
+The grief of Josephine in these days of anxiety was intense in the
+extreme. She passed her whole time in talking about Napoleon, or
+in reading the letters she had lately received from him. He wrote
+frequently, as he escaped from place to place, but many of his letters
+were intercepted by the bands of soldiers traversing every road. The
+last she had received from him was dated at Brienne. It gave an account
+of a desperate engagement, in which the little band of Napoleon had been
+overwhelmed by numbers, and was concluded with the following affecting
+words: "On beholding those scenes where I had passed my boyhood, and
+comparing my peaceful condition then with the agitation and terrors
+which I now experience, I several times said, in my own mind, I have
+sought to meet death in many conflicts; I can no longer fear it. To me
+death would now be a blessing. But I would once more see Josephine."
+
+Notwithstanding the desperate state of affairs, Josephine still
+cherished the hope that his commanding genius would yet enable him to
+retrieve his fortunes. All these hopes were, how ever, dispelled on the
+receipt of the following letter:
+
+                         "Fontainebleau, April 16, 1814.
+
+     "DEAR JOSEPHINE,--I wrote to you on the eighth of this
+     month, but perhaps you have not received my letter.
+     Hostilities still continued, and possibly it may have
+     been intercepted. At present the communications must be
+     re-established. I have formed my resolution. I have no
+     doubt that this billet will reach you. I will not repeat
+     what I said to you. Then I lamented my situation, now I
+     congratulate myself upon it. My head and spirit are freed
+     from an enormous weight. My fall is great, but it may, as
+     men say, prove useful. In my retreat I shall substitute the
+     pen for the sword. The history of my reign will be curious.
+     The world has yet seen me only in profile. I shall show
+     myself in full. How many things have I to disclose! how many
+     are the men of whom a false estimate is entertained! I have
+     heaped benefits upon millions of wretches! What have they
+     done in the end for me? They have all betrayed me--yes, all.
+     I except from this number the good Eugene, so worthy of you
+     and of me. Adieu! my dear Josephine. Be resigned as I am,
+     and never forget him who never forgot, and never will forget
+     you. Farewell, Josephine.
+
+                         "NAPOLEON.
+
+     "P.S.--I expect to hear from you at Elba. I am not very well."
+
+Upon reading these tidings of so terrible an overthrow, Josephine was
+overwhelmed with grief, and for a time wept bitterly. Soon, however,
+recovering her self-possession, she exclaimed, "I must not remain here.
+My presence is necessary to the emperor. That duty is, indeed, more
+Maria Louisa's than mine, but the emperor is alone--forsaken. Well, I at
+least will not abandon him. I might be dispensed with while he was
+happy; now, I am sure that he expects me." After a pause of a few
+moments, in which she seemed absorbed in her own thoughts, she addressed
+her chamberlain, saying, "I may, however, interfere with his
+arrangements. You will remain here with me till intelligence be received
+from the allied sovereigns; they will respect her who was the wife of
+Napoleon."
+
+She was, indeed, remembered by them. The magnanimity of her conduct
+under the deep wrongs of the divorce had filled Europe with admiration.
+The allied sovereigns sent her assurances of their most friendly
+regards. They entreated her to return to Malmaison, and provided her
+with an ample guard for her protection. Her court was ever crowded with
+the most illustrious monarchs and nobles, who sought a presentation to
+do homage to her virtues. The Emperor Alexander was one of the first to
+visit her. He said to her on that occasion, "Madam, I burned with the
+desire of beholding you. Since I entered France, I have never heard your
+name pronounced but with benedictions. In the cottage and in the palace
+I have collected accounts of your angelic goodness, and I do myself a
+pleasure in thus presenting to your majesty the universal homage of
+which I am the bearer."
+
+Maria Louisa, thinking only of self, declined accompanying Napoleon to
+his humble retreat. Josephine, not knowing her decision, wrote to the
+emperor:
+
+     "Now only can I calculate the whole extent of the misfortune
+     of having beheld my union with you dissolved by law. Now do
+     I indeed lament being no more than your _friend_, who can
+     but mourn over a misfortune great as it is unexpected. Ah!
+     sire, why can I not fly to you? Why can I not give you the
+     assurance that exile has no terrors save for vulgar minds,
+     and that, far from diminishing a sincere attachment,
+     misfortune imparts to it a new force? I have been upon the
+     point of quitting France to follow your footsteps, and to
+     consecrate to you the remainder of an existence which you
+     so long embellished. A single motive restrained me, and that
+     you may divine. If I learn that I am _the only one_ who will
+     fulfill her duty, nothing shall detain me, and I will go to
+     the only place where, henceforth, there can be happiness for
+     me, since I shall be able to console you when you are there
+     isolated and unfortunate! Say but the word, and I depart.
+     Adieu, sire; whatever I would add would still be too little.
+     It is no longer by _words_ that my sentiments for you are to
+     be proved, and for _actions_ your consent is necessary."
+
+A few days after this letter was written, the Emperor Alexander, with a
+number of illustrious guests, dined with Josephine at Malmaison. In the
+evening twilight, the party went out upon the beautiful lawn in front of
+the house for recreation. Josephine, whose health had become exceedingly
+precarious through care and sorrow, being regardless of herself in
+devotion to her friends, took a violent cold. The next day she was
+worse. Without any very definite form of disease, she day after day grew
+more faint and feeble, until it was evident that her final change was
+near at hand. Eugene and Hortense, her most affectionate children, were
+with her by day and by night. They communicated to her the judgment of
+her physician that death was near. She heard the tidings with perfect
+composure, and called for a clergyman to administer to her the last
+rites of religion.
+
+Just after this solemnity the Emperor Alexander entered the room. Eugene
+and Hortense, bathed in tears, were kneeling at their mother's side.
+Josephine beckoned to the emperor to approach her, and said to him and
+her children, "I have always desired the happiness of France. I did all
+in my power to contribute to it; and I can say with truth, to all of you
+now present, at my last moments, that the first wife of Napoleon never
+caused a single tear to flow."
+
+She called for the portrait of the emperor; she gazed upon it long and
+tenderly; and then, fervently pressing it in her clasped hands to her
+bosom, faintly articulated the following prayer:
+
+"O God! watch over Napoleon while he remains in the desert of this
+world. Alas! though he hath committed great faults, hath he not expiated
+them by great sufferings? Just God, thou hast looked into his heart, and
+hast seen by how ardent a desire for useful and durable improvements he
+was animated. Deign to approve my last petition. And may this image of
+my husband bear me witness that my latest wish and my latest prayer were
+for him and my children."
+
+It was the 29th of May, 1814. A tranquil summer's day was fading away
+into a cloudless, serene, and beautiful evening. The rays of the setting
+sun, struggling through the foliage of the open window, shone cheerfully
+upon the bed where the empress was dying. The vesper songs of the birds
+which filled the groves of Malmaison floated sweetly upon the ear, and
+the gentle spirit of Josephine, lulled to repose by these sweet anthems,
+sank into its last sleep. Gazing upon the portrait of the emperor, she
+exclaimed, "L'isle d'Elbe--Napoleon!" and died.
+
+Alexander, as he gazed upon her lifeless remains, burst into tears, and
+uttered the following affecting yet just tribute of respect to her
+memory: "She is no more; that woman whom France named the beneficent,
+that angel of goodness, is no more. Those who have known Josephine can
+never forget her. She dies regretted by her offspring, her friends, and
+her cotemporaries."
+
+For four days her body remained shrouded in state for its burial.
+During this time more than twenty thousand of the people of France
+visited her beloved remains. On the 2d of June, at mid-day, the funeral
+procession moved from Malmaison to Ruel, where the body was deposited in
+a tomb of the village church. The funeral services were conducted with
+the greatest magnificence, as the sovereigns of the allied armies united
+with the French in doing honor to her memory. When all had left the
+church but Eugene and Hortense, they knelt beside their mother's grave,
+and for a long time mingled their prayers and their tears. A beautiful
+monument of white marble, representing the empress kneeling in her
+coronation robes, is erected over her burial-place, with this simple but
+affecting inscription:
+
+          EUGENE AND HORTENSE
+
+                 TO
+
+             JOSEPHINE.
+
+                         THE END.
+
+
+
+
+TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE:
+
+Minor changes have been made to correct typesetters' errors; otherwise,
+every effort has been made to remain true to the author's words and
+intent.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Josephine, by John S. C. Abbott
+
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