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will be equally pernicious and they are no less sure。
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Notes:
'1' See my 〃Philosophy of Art〃 for texts and facts; Part II。; ch。 VI。
… Other analogies; which are too long for development here; may be
found; especially in all that concerns the imagination and love。 〃He
was disposed to accept the marvelous; presentiments; and even certain
mysterious communications between beings。 。 。 。 I have seen him
excited by the rustling of the wind; speak enthusiastically of the
roar of the sea; and sometimes inclined to believe in nocturnal
apparitions; in short; leaning to certain superstitions。〃 (Madame de
Rémusat; I。; 102; and III。; 164。) … Meneval (III。; 114) notes his
〃crossing himself involuntarily on the occurrence of some great
danger; on the discovery of some important fact。〃 During the
consulate; in the evening; in a circle of ladies; he sometimes
improvised and declaimed tragic 〃tales;〃 Italian fashion; quite worthy
of the story…tellers of the XVth and XVIth centuries。 (Bourrienne;
VI。; 387; gives one of his improvisations。 Cf。 Madame de Rémusat; I。;
102。) … As to love; his letters to Josephine during the Italian
campaign form one of the best examples of Italian passion and 〃in most
piquant contrast with the temperate and graceful elegance of his
predecessor M。 de Beauharnais。〃 (Madame de Rémusat; I。; 143)。 … His
other amours; simply physical; are too difficult to deal with; I have
gathered some details orally on this subject which are almost from
first hands and perfectly authentic。 It is sufficient to cite one
text already published: 〃According to Josephine; he had no moral
principle whatever; did he not seduce his sisters one after the other?
〃 … 〃I am not a man like other men; he said of himself; 〃and moral
laws and those of propriety do not apply to me。〃 (Madame de Rémusat;
I。; 204; 206。) … Note again (II。; 350) his proposals to Corvisart。 …
Such are everywhere the sentiments; customs; and morality of the great
Italian personages of about the year 1500。
'2' De Pradt; 〃Histoire de l'ambassade dans le grand…duché de
Varsovie;〃 p。96。 〃with the Emperor; desire springs out of his
imagination; his idea becomes passion the moment it comes into his
head。〃
'3' Bourrienne; II。; 298。 … De Ségur; I。; 426。
'4' Bodin; 〃Recherches sur l'Anjou;〃 II。; 325。 … 〃 Souvenirs d'un
nonagénaire;〃 by Besnard。 … Sainte…Beuve; 〃Causeries du Lundi;〃
article on Volney。 … Miot de Melito; I。; 297。 He wanted to adopt
Louis's son; and make him King of Italy。 Louis refused; alleging that
this marked favor would give new life to the reports spread about at
one time in relation to this child。〃 Thereupon; Napoleon; exasperated;
〃seized Prince Louis by the waist and pushed him violently out of the
room。〃 … 〃 Mémorial;〃 Oct。10; 1816。 Napoleon relates that at the last
conference of Campo…Fermio; to put an end to the resistance of the
Austrian plenipotentiary; he suddenly arose; seized a set of porcelain
on a stand near him and dashed it to the floor; exclaiming; 〃Thus will
I shatter your monarchy before a month is over!〃 (Bourrienne questions
this story。)
'5' Varnhagen von Ense; 〃Ausgewahlte Schriften;〃 III。; 77 (Public
reception of July 22; 1810)。 Napoleon first speaks to the Austrian
Ambassador and next to the Russian Ambassador with a constrained air;
forcing himself to be polite; in which he cannot persist。 〃Treating
with I do not know what unknown personage; he interrogated him;
reprimanded him; threatened him; and kept him for a sufficiently long
time in a state of painful dismay。 Those who stood near by and who
could not help feeling a dismayed; stated later that there had been
nothing to provoke such fury; that the Emperor had only sought an
opportunity to vent his ill…humor; that he did it purposely on some
poor devil so as to inspire fear in others and to put down in advance
any tendency to opposition。 Cf。 Beugnot; 〃Mémoires;〃 I。; 380; 386;
387。 … This mixture of anger and calculation likewise explains his
conduct at Sainte Helena with Sir Hudson Lowe; his unbridled diatribes
and insults bestowed on the governor like so many slaps in the face。
(W。 Forsyth; 〃History of the Captivity of Napoleon at Saint Helena;
from the letters and journals of Sir Hudson Lowe;〃 III。; 306。)
'6' Madame de Rémusat; II。; 46。
'7' 〃Les Cahiers de Coignat。〃 191。 〃At Posen; already; I saw him
mount his horse in such a fury as to land on the other side and then
give his groom a cut of the whip。〃
'8' Madame de Rémusat; I。; 222。
'9' Especially the letters addressed to Cardinal Consalvi and to the
Préfet of Montenotte (I am indebted to M。 d'Haussonville for this
information)。 … Besides; he is lavish of the same expressions in
conversation。 On a tour through Normandy; he sends for the bishop of
Séez and thus publicly addresses him: 〃Instead of merging the parties;
you distinguish between constitutionalists and non…constitutionalists。
Miserable fool! You are a poor subject; … hand in your resignation at
once!〃 … To the grand…vicars he says; 〃Which of you governs your
bishop … who is at best a fool? 〃 … As M。 Legallois is pointed out to
him; who had of late been absent。 〃Fuck; where were you then?〃 〃With
my family。〃 〃With a bishop who is merely a damned fool; why are you so
often away; etc。?〃 (D'Haussonville;VI。; 176; and Roederer; vol。 III。)
'10' Madame de Rémusat … I。; 101; II。; 338。
'11' Ibid。; I。; 224。 … M。 de Meneval; I。; 112; 347; III。; 120: 〃 On
account of the extraordinary event of his marriage; he sent a
handwritten letter to his future father…in…law (the Emperor of
Austria)。 It was a grand affair for him。 Finally; after a great
effort; he succeeded in penning a letter that was readable。〃 …
Meneval; nevertheless; was obliged 〃to correct the defective letters
without letting the corrections be too plainly seen。〃
'12' For example; at Bayonne and at Warsaw (De Pradt); the outrageous
and never…to…be forgotten scene which; on his return from Spain;
occurred with Talleyrand … (〃Souvenirs〃; by PASQUIER Etienne…Dennis;
duc; Chancelier de France。 Librarie Plon; Paris 1893。 I。; 357); …
The gratuitous insult of M。 de Metternich; in 1813; the last word of
their interview (〃Souvenirs du feu duc de Broglie;〃 I。; 230) 。 … Cf。
his not less gratuitous and hazardous confidential communications to
Miot de Melito; in 1797; and his five conversations with Sir Hudson
Lowe; immediately recorded by a witness; Major Gorrequer。 (W。 Forsyth;
I。;147; 161; 200。)
'13' De Pradt; preface X
'14' Pelet de la Lozére; p。 7。 … Mollien; 〃Mémoires;〃 II。; 222。 …
〃Souvenirs du feu duc de Broglie;〃 I。; 66; 69。
'15' 〃Madame de Rémusat;〃 I。; 121: I have it from Corvisart that the
pulsations of his arteries are fewer than is usual with men。 He never
experienced what is commonly called giddiness。〃 With him; the nervous
apparatus is perfect in all its functions; incomparable for receiving;
recording; registering; combining; and reflecting; but other organs
suffer a reaction and are very sensitive。〃 (De Ségur; VI。; 15 and 16;
note of Drs。 Yvan and Mestivier; his physicians。) 〃To preserve the
equilibrium it was necessary with him that the skin should always
fulfill its functions; as soon as the tissues were affected by any
moral or atmospheric cause 。 。 。 。 irritation; cough; ischuria。〃 Hence
his need of frequent prolonged and very hot baths。 〃The spasm was
generally shared by the stomach and the bladder。 If in the stomach;
he had a nervous cough which exhausted his moral and physical
energies。〃 Such was the case between the eve of the battle of Moscow
and the morning after his entry into Moscow: 〃a constant dry cough;
difficult and intermittent breathing; the pulse sluggish; weak; and
irregular; the urine thick and sedimentary; drop by drop and painful;
the lower part of the legs and the feet extremely oedematous。〃
Already; in 1806; at Warsaw; 〃after violent convulsions in the
stomach;〃 he declared to the Count de Loban; 〃that he bore within him
the germs of a premature death; and that he would die of the same
disease as his father's。〃 (De Ségur;VI。; 82。) After the victory of
Dresden; having eaten a ragout containing garlic; he is seized with
such violent gripings as to make him think he was poisoned; and he
makes a retrograde movement; which causes the loss of Vandamme's
division; and; consequently; the ruin of 1813。 〃Souvenirs〃; by
Pasquier; Etienne…Dennis; duc; chancelier de France。 Librarie Plon;
Paris 1893; (narrative of Daru; an eye…witness。) … This susceptibility
of the nerves and stomach is hereditary with him and shows itself in
early youth。 〃One day; at Brienne; obliged to drop on his knees; as a
punishment; on the sill of the refectory; he is seized with sudden
vomiting and a violent nervous attack。〃 De Segur; I。; 71。 … It is
well known tha