按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
institution; letter of the bishop Dionysius。)
'33' 〃Digest;〃 I。; 4; I。: 〃Quod principi placuit legis habet vigorem;
utpote; cum lege regia; qu? de imperio ejus lata est; populus ei et in
eum omne suum imperium et potestatem conferat。 Quodcumque igitur
imperator per epistolam et subscriptionem statuit; vel cognoscens
decrevit; vel de plano interlocutus est; vel edicto pr?cepit; legis
habet vigorem。〃 (Extracts from Ulpian。) … Gaius; Institutes; I。; 5:
〃Quod imperator constituit; non dubium est quin id vicem legis
obtineat; quum ipse imperator per legem imperium obtineat。〃
'34' 〃Digest;〃 I; 2。 (Extracts from Ulpian): 〃Jus est a justitia
appellatum; nam; ut eleganter Celsus definit; jus est ars boni et
?qui。 Cujus merito quis nos sacerdotes appellat: justitiam namque
colimus; et boni et ?qui notitiam profitemur; ?quum ab iniquo
separantes; licitum ab illicito discernentes; 。 。 。 veram; nisi
fallor; philosophiam; non simulatam affectantes。 。 。 。 Juris pr?cepta
sunt h?c: honeste vivere; alterum non 1?dere; suum cuique tribuere。〃 …
cf。 Duruy; 12th period; ch。 87。
'35' Cf。; on this immemorial principle of the entire body of Roman
public law; cf。 Fustel de Coulanges; 〃Histoire des institutions
politiques et privées de l'ancienne France;〃 vol。 I。; book II。; ch。 I;
p。66 and following pages。
'36' Read the 〃Notitia dignitatum tam civilium quam militarium in
partibus orientis et occidentis。〃 It is the imperial almanac for the
beginning of the fifth century。 There are eleven ministers at the
centre; each with his bureaux; divisions; subdivisions and squads of
superposed functionaries;
'37' Cf。 Piranesi's engravings。
38 Cf。; among other clues see Dante's: 〃De Monarchia〃。
'39' We can trace in Napoleon's brain and date the formation of this
leading idea。 At first; it is simply a classic reminiscence; as with
his contemporaries; but suddenly it takes a turn and has an
environment in his mind which is lacking in theirs; and which prevents
the idea from remaining a purely literary phrase。 From the beginning
he speaks of Rome in the fashion of a Rienzi。 (Proclamation of May 20;
1796。) 〃We are the friends of every people; and especially of the
Brutuses; the Scipios; and of the great men whom we have chosen as
models。 To re…establish the Capitol; to place there with honor the
statues of heroes who render it famous; to arouse the Roman people
benumbed by centuries of slavery; such will be the fruit of our
victories。〃 … Fifteen months afterwards; on becoming master of Italy;
his historic meditations turn into positive ambition henceforth; the
possession of Italy and of the Mediterranean is to be with him a
central and preponderant idea。 (Letter to the Directory; Aug。 16;
1797; and correspondence on the subject of Corsica; Sardinia; Naples;
and Genoa; letters to the pasha of Scutari; to the Maniotes; etc。)
〃The islands of Corfu; Zante; and Cephalonia are of more interest to
us than all Italy put together。 。 。 。 The Turkish empire is daily
tottering; the possession of these islands will enable us to support
it as long as possible; or to take our portion of it。 The time is not
remote when we shall feel that; for the real destruction of England;
we must get possession of Egypt。〃 Formerly; the Mediterranean was a
Roman lake; it must become a French lake。 (Cf。 〃Souvenirs d'un
Sexagénaire;〃 by Arnault; vol。 IV。; p。102; on his dream; in 1798; of
making Paris a colossal Rome。) … At this same date; his conception of
the State is fixed and wholly Roman。 (Conversations with Miot; June
1797; and letter to Talleyrand; Sep。 19; 1797。) 〃I do not see but one
thing in fifty years well defined; and that is the sovereignty of the
people。 。 。 。 The organization of the French nation is still only
sketched out。 。 。 。The power of the government; with the full latitude
I give to it; should be considered as really representing the nation。〃
In this government; 〃the legislative power; without rank in the
republic; deaf and blind to all around it; would not be ambitious and
would no longer inundate us with a thousand chance laws; worthless on
account of their absurdity。〃 It is evident that he describes in
anticipation his future senate and legislative corps。 … Repeatedly;
the following year; and during the expedition into Egypt; he presents
the Romans as an example to his soldiers; and views himself as a
successor to Scipio and C?sar。 … (Proclamation of June 22; 1798。): 〃Be
as tolerant to the ceremonies enjoined by the Koran as you are for the
religion of Moses and Jesus。 The Roman legions protected all
religions。〃 … (Proclamation of May 10; 1798。) 〃 The Roman legions that
you have often imitated but not yet equaled fought Carthage in turn on
this wall and in the vicinity of Zama。〃 … Carthage at this time is
England: his hatred of this community of merchants which destroys his
fleet at Aboukir; which forces him to raise the siege of Saint…Jean
d'Acre; which holds on to Malta; which robs him of his substance; his
patrimony; his Mediterranean; is that of a Roman consul against
Carthage; it leads him to conquer all western Europe against her and
to 〃resuscitate the empire of the Occident。〃 (Note to Otto; his
ambassador at London; Oct。。 23; 1802。) … Emperor of the French; king
of Italy; master of Rome; suzerain of the Pope; protector of the
confederation of the Rhine; he succeeds the German emperors; the
titularies of the Holy Roman Empire which has just ended in 1806; he
is accordingly the heir of Charlemagne and; through Charlemagne; the
heir of the ancient C?sars。 … In fact; he reproduces the work of the
ancient C?sars by analogies of imagination; situation and character;
but in a different Europe; and where this posthumous reproduction can
be only an anachronism。
'40' 〃Correspondance;〃 note for M。 Cretet; minister of the interior;
April 12; 1808。
'41' Metternich; 〃Mémoires;〃 I。; 107 (Conversations with Napoleon;;
1810): 〃I was surprised to find that this man; so wonderfully endowed;
had such completely false ideas concerning England; its vital forces
and intellectual progress。 He would not admit any ideas contrary to
his own; and sought to explain these by prejudices which he
condemned。〃 … Cf。 Forsyth; 〃History of the Captivity of Napoleon at
Saint…Helena;〃 III。; 306; (False calculations of Napoleon at Saint…
Helena based on his ignorance of the English parliamentary system;)
and Stanislas Girardin; III。; 296; (Words of the First Consul; Floreal
24; year XI; quoted above。)
'42' Cf。; amongst other documents; his letter to Jerome; King of
Westphalia; October 15; 1807; and the constitution he gives to that
kingdom on that date; and especially titles 4 to 12: 〃The welfare of
your people concerns me; not only through the influence it may
exercise on your fame and my own; but likewise from the point of view
of the general European system。 。 。 。 Individuals who have talent and
are not noble must enjoy equal consideration and employment from you。
。 。 。 Let every species of serfage and of intermediary lien between
the sovereign and the lowest class of people be abolished。 The
benefits of the code Napoleon; the publicity of proceedings; the
establishment of juries; will form so many distinctive characteristics
of your monarchy。〃 … His leading object is the suppression of
feudalism; that is to say; of the great families and old historic
authorities。 He relies for this especially on his civil code: 〃That is
the great advantage of the code; 。 。 。 it is what has induced me to
preach a civil code and made me decide on establishing it。〃 (Letter to
Joseph; King of Naples; June 5; 1806。) … 〃The code Napoleon is adopted
throughout Italy。 Florence has it; and Rome will soon have it。〃
(Letter to Joachim; King of the Two Sicilies; Nov。 27; 1808。) … 〃 My
intention is to have the Hanseatic towns adopt the code Napoleon and
be governed by it from and after the 1st of January。〃 … The same with
Dantzic: 〃Insinuate gently and not by writing to the King of Bavaria;
the Prince…primate; the grand…dukes of Hesse…Darmstadt and of Baden;
that the civil code should be established in their states by
suppressing all customary law and confining themselves wholly to the
code Napoleon。〃 (Letter to M。 de Champagny; Oct。 31; 1807。) … 〃 The
Romans gave their laws to their allies。 Why should not France have its
laws adopted in Holland? 。 。 。 It is equally essential that you should
adopt the French monetary system。〃 (Letter to Louis; King of Holland;
Nov。 13; 1807。) … To the Spaniards: 〃Your nephews will honor me as
their regenerator。〃 (Allocution addressed to Madrid Dec。 9; 1808。) …
〃Spain must be French。 The country must be French and the government
must be French。〃 (Roederer; III。; 529; 536; words of Napoleon; Feb。
11; 1809。) … In short; following the example of Rome; which had
Latinized the entire Mediterranean coast; he wanted to render all
western Europe French。 The object was; as he d