UC-NRLF 064 m Harper's Stereotype Edition. MEMOIRS THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. BY JOHN S. MEMES, LL.D. AUTHOR OF "THE HISTORY OF SCULPTURE, PAINTING, AND ARCHITECTURE," ETC. NEW-YORK: PUBLISHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS. NO. 82 CUFF -STREET. 1838. GIFT M 7 PREFACE. ' THE biographer who professes to write from other sources than personal knowledge can claim little merit beyond diligent inquiry and happy ar rangement. Whether he has been fortunate in their combination does not belong to the author to determine ; but he believes the materials will be found to have been laboriously collected and care- fully examined. Upwards of one hundred vol- umes, many of them unknown to the English reader, have been consulted ; but it was deemed unnecessary to crowd the page with references, especially as the main facts in these Memoirs are made to rest chiefly on the authority of the prin- cipal personage. The numerous letters and con- versations of the Empress which appear in the volume, are from originals understood to be still in possession of her family, or from sources equally authentic. In its plan, however, and composition, the present is strictly an original work, since no complete Life of Josephine has previously ap- peared. By all who wisely prefer, or whose duty leads them to cultivate, the virtues and dispositions which in domestic life impart a charm beyond all that greatness can bestow, the life of Josephine will be viewed with pleasure, and in many things may be imitated not without advantage. 408 CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Josephine Her Birth and Parentage Brought lip by her Aunt Anec- dotes of her Infancy Education and Accomplishments Her Letters Amusements Mysterious Prediction Superstition Josephine marries Vicomte de Beauharnais Anecdotes Accompanies her Hus- band to France Births of hor Children Separation Return to Mar- tinico Poverty History of an old Pair of Shoes Reconciliation with her Husband Commencement of the Revolution Views and Conduct of Beauharnais Letter to the Convention from his elder Brother Louis XVI. and his Persecutors Beauharnais appointed Commander-in-chief on the Rhine A Despatch from him to the Con, vention Jacobins and Girondists Beauharnais superseded, and im- prisonedLetter from Josephine Circumstances of the Arrest Note from Josephine Letter from her Husband Reckless Behaviour of the Revolutionary Captives Page 13 CHAPTER H. Josephine's Charities Note Letter to her Aunt Examination of her Husband The ludicrous and horrible of Revolutionary Justice Let- ter from Josephine Affecting Interview Eugene Hor tense Letter Villany of the Revolutionary Spies Conversation betrayed Pre- tended Conspiracy of M. de Beauharnais Letter from Josephine Examination of her Children Another Letter Her Interview with the Committee Anecdotes Dungeons of the Committee Letter to her Husband Anecdotes Delusions Reply Robespierre Jose- phine's Arrest Affecting Details Horrible Prison Anecdotes Dis- persion of the Beauharnais Family 49 CHAPTER III. Outline of the Revolutionary Government Josephine ignorant of its true Nature Sources of her Confidence Her Conduct in Prison Letter describing her Situation and Fellow-CaptivesLetter to her Husband Massacre of the Priests Affecting Incident Letter in reply Conclusion of the History of Tommy The Noblesse Letters to her Children To Hortense To Si gas A last Interview Execu- tion of M. de Benuharnais His Letter to Josephine Her Distress Letter of the Dutchess D'Aiguillon Josephine prepares for Death Tal of Robespierre Singular Correspondence Prediction Queen of Ihnnce 78 CONTENTS. CHAPTER IV. State of France Liberation of Josephine Her Distress Anecdotes- Letter Madame Tallien Anecdotes Letter Eugene Anniversary of his Father's Death Commencement of Josephine's Correspond- ence with General Bonaparte Anecdotes Their first Interview- Letter Josephine's Opinion of her future Husband Hesitation Marriage First Campaign of Italy Letters of Bonaparte to his Wife Josephine at Milan Anecdotes Espionage Traits of Bonaparte's Character His Affection for Josephine's Children Congress of Ras- tadt Campaign of the East Parting Page 115 CHAPTER V. Accident at Plombires Josephine's Danger Hortense Anecdotes Education Anecdotes The Ghost Malmaison Barras and Jose- phine Vindication Emigrants Jealousy of Bonaparte Letter from his Wife Josephine in private Life Letter to Eugene Domestic Details Occupations Debts of Josephine Uncertainty Thoughts of Divorce Anecdotes Talleyrand Return of Bonaparte Misun- derstandings Reconciliation 147 CHAPTER VI. Political Retrospect State of France Josephine a Royalist Conduct of Bonaparte Eugene Anecdotes Ventriloquism The Stammerers Morning of the 18th Brumaire The Consul Marriage of Caroline Bonaparte and Murat Treachery of the King of Naples Josephine's Letter to the Emperor Installation in the Tuileries First Assembly Josephine's Dress Description of her Person Residence at Mal- maison Attempts to assassinate the Consul Anecdotes Marengo Anecdotes Return Amusements at Malmaison Emigrants Kind- ness of Josephine Anecdote Infernal Machine Anecdotes Mar- riage of Louis and Hortense Letters Flotilla Nelson Peace of Amiens Brilliant State of France English Visiters Fox, &c. In- vasion Camp of Boulogne Anecdotes Death of the Duke D'E nghien Despair of Josephine Conspiracy of Pichegru, &c. Preparations for the Empire 182 CHAPTER VH. Josephine Empress Her Letter to Napoleon Formation of the Imperial Court Letters by Josephine Conspirators Exertions of the Em- press for their Pardon Anecdotes of the Polignacs De Rivie"re Affecting Scene Anecdotes of Moreau and Napoleon First public Appearance as Empress Legion of Honour Grandeur and Mean- ness Napoleon and Alexander the Great Tour to Mayence Jose- phine's Mode of Travelling Anecdotes Napoleon rejoins the Em- S'ess Espionage Continuation of the Journey Breakfast The inner Method of examining Magistrates Evening's Tales Return to Paris Letter from Josephine to Pius VII. Religious Marriage of Josephine Ceremonial of the Coronation Dresses, Anecdotes, &c. Napoleon's Visit to Brienne Coronation at Milan Josephine Regent Letter to Cambace'r6s Austerlitz announced Marriage of Eugena CONTENTS. XI ^Description, of the Manners, Life, Occupations, and Amusements of Josephine as Empress, with Anecdotes of her Character Letters Anecdotes of Napoleon and of the Imperial Household, with other illustrations of this Subject Page 245 CHAPTER Vm. jfonng Napoleon of Holland His Death, and Anecdotes of his Dispo- sition Josephine at Bayonne Extracts from her Journal Opinions of the Affairs of Spain Return to St. Cloud, and last Game at " Pris- oners' Base" Interview at Erfurth, and Napoleon's Dream Second Campaign of Vienna Death of Lannes, and Connexion of. Events with the Divorce Treaty of Schoenbrunn, and Return of Napoleon Scenes at Fontainbleau Announcement of the Divorce Misery and Resignation of Josephine Letter to Napoleon Eugene and Hor- tense Consummation of the Divorce, and Departure of the Empress Her Manner of Life at Malmaison and Navarre Birth of the King of Rome Letters and Anecdotes illustrative of Josephine's Interest in Maria Louisa and her Son Russian and Saxon Campaigns Re- verses of Napoleon, and Attachment of Josephine Their Correspond- ence Abdication Attentions shown to Josephine Her last Illness Deathand Character 323 i MEMOIRS THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. CHAPTER I. Josephine Her Birth and Parentage Brought np by her Aunt Anec- dotes of her Infancy Education and Accomplishments Her Letters Amusements Mysterious .Prediction Superstition Josephine marries Vicomte de Beauharnais Anecdotes Accompanies her Hus- band to France Births of her Children Separation Return to Mar- tinico Poverty History of an old Pair of Shoes Reconciliation with her Husband Commencement of the Revolution Views and Conduct of Beauharnais Letter to the Convention from his elder Brother Louis XVI. and his Persecutors Beauharnais appointed Commander-in-chief on the Rhine A Despatch from him to the Con- vention Jacobins and Girondists Beauharnais superseded, and im- prisoned Letter from Josephine Circumstances of the Arrest Note from Josephine Letter from her Husband Reckless Behaviour of the Revolutionary Captives: JOSEPHINE, the partner of a throne the most power- ful which, from the era of Charlemagne, had ex- isted in Europe for a thousand years, originally be- longed to a rank in society hardly the first, in a distant colony of the French monarchy. But if her elevation was great, few could have borne its honours with equal meekness or truer grace ; and perhaps no one ever rose to a sceptre less envied, or descended from royalty more universally beloved. The name of this celebrated lady has been va- riously given ; the only decisive authority, her own signature to a public document, is M. J. R. Tascher, or Marie- Joseph-Rose-Tascher. These are jointly the baptismal appellations of both parents. Her B 14 MEMOIRS OF father was Joseph-Gaspard-Tascher, frequently, but improperly, written Detascher, and her mother, Rose- Claire-Desvergers de Sanois, both natives of France, though married in St. Domingo about 1761. Of these individuals, now become historical personages, little interesting information has been preserved. Occu rences in private life are seldom retained, and ca rarely be recovered, when they derive their sole in portance from unexpected and long subsequent events. M. Tascher had early embraced a military career, and attained the rank of captain in a regiment of horse. This station necessarily implies honour- able descent, even were there not other means of ascertaining the condition of his family ; for certain quarterings ofoiobility, as the term goes on the Con- tinent, consflpited a qualification indispensable to an officer, especially of cavalry, in the armies of old France. He appears to have proceeded to the West Indies on professional duty some time in 1758, but, at the period of his daughter's birth, had retired from the service, and then resided upon an estate in St. Domingo, called La Pagerie. Of his wife : Mademoi- selle de Sanois, almost no particular is recorded be- yond the fact of her having been the daughter of an ancient and respectable family in one of the southern provinces, which, some years prior to her union with Captain Tascher, falling into straitened, or, at least, less opulent circumstances, from the unsuc- cessful issue of a lawsuit, had retired to possessions in the New World. Of this parentage, the only child, the subject of these Memoirs, was born at St. Pierre, the capital of Martinico, on the 23d of June, 1763. By some authorities, and among others, the act of her civil marriage with Bonaparte, still extant on the revolu- tionary registers of Paris, Josephine's birth is placed in 1767. The four years, however, thus de- ducted from her real age must be assigned either to mistake or, not improbably, in the instance quoted, THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 15 to voluntary forgetfulness. It is deserving of notice also, as something like a mutual abnegation of curious inquiry on this head, that in the same in- strument one year is added to the General's age. The births of the children of her first marriage are likewise decisive on the point; and, in truth, so little attention has been paid to consistency here, * that we have read biographies of Josephine, whose ' authors, with an innocent inadvertence to the fact, make her a mother at the age of little more than ten years. The infancy and youth of Josephine were passed, not under the paternal roof, but with an aunt. In- stead, therefore, of returning to St. Domingo with her parents, the infant remained in thejsland of Mar- tinico. We can discover no cause for this, save a family arrangement in the first instance, and the premature death of her mother. Without being aware of these circumstances, however, and per- haps not recollecting that her father died before she had become known, the reader might deem it re- markable, and even ungrateful, that Josephine so seldom mentioned, and consequently has left such slight and imperfect memorials of her parents. But opportunities will hereafter occur of proving, from her aifectionate attention to every surviving member of her father's family, and unshaken friend- ship for the relatives of her first husband, that hers was a heart incapable alike of ingratitude, as of feeling ashamed of an humble origin. She appears, in truth, to have remembered nothing of her mother, and extremely little of her father ; for, while writing and speaking in the most endearing terms of her aunt, " that excellent woman," to use her own ex- pression, " that tender mother, that perfect being whose virtues you, my children, have so often heard me extol," she makes no mention, in a letter which there was every reason to suppose would be her last, 16 MEMOIRS OF of either father or mother, even so distantly as to in- duce the belief that she had ever known them. Madame Renaudin, the amiable guide to whom Josephine's infancy was thus intrusted, had married a gentleman who, with considerable estates of his own, acted also as factor on others, of which the proprietors resided in the mother country. He ap- pears to have been a person of great worth, and had rendered himself known over the whole of the islands for a humane yet successful treatment of his slaves. At this period, the seven or eight hundred negroes in Martinico were generally in a most de- plorable state ; and Josephine has drawn a frightful contrast between "the African who, with sweat, and even blood, laboured a soil which was not thus fertilized for him, and those tyrants who, by such detestable means, wallowed in riches, and gorged themselves with luxury. Such," continues she, " was the aspect presented throughout the colony. The appearance of the habitation of my infancy was very different. There indeed still existed the distinction of master and slave ; but the former ex- ercised his power without cruelty, and the latter, faithful and zealous, lived exempt from sorrow. With the exception of freedom, the blacks partici- pated in all the advantages of social communion, and shared the pleasures of life. Their attach- ments were not rudely severed, but well-assorted marriages recompensed their tried fidelity. Far from their country, they thus experienced the ties of family and friendship gathering around them ; and while performing their national dances to the sound of their own simple music, they wept tears of joy, and found they had recovered a home." In a residence thus endeared by humanity, and embellished by the accomplishments of her aunt, Josephine passed an infancy and early youth of un- mingled happiness. Often did she revert in after THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 17 hfe to the peaceful enjoyments of that period, not, indeed, with regret for having left her seclusion, but with bitter disappointment that its sweets were so rarely the growth of the great world. Long and deeply, too, did her good relative bewail the separa- tion which she herself had first sanctioned and ad- vised. Even from her earliest years, Josephine appears to have displayed those excellencies of character, and that elegance of demeanour, which, amid some fri- volities, render her so amiable in every change of her checkered life, and enabled her, in gentleness, yet not without dignity, to maintain an influence over a spirit so differently constituted from her own. From a child, opening beauty and sprightliness, united with perfect good nature, rendered her the delight of her own circle. As she advanced, native refinement supplied the external deficiencies of accomplished instruction denied by her situation, though her future attainments certainly prove, that what aids a colo- nial residence afforded had not been neglected in her education. It is also to be remembered, that her aunt had been brought up in the mother country, and was a woman admirable alike for the accomplishments of the mind and the qualities of the heart. The general tone of society, also, prevailing at this time in the French American settlements, as respected the in- telligence, manners, and birth of the proprietors, very much surpassed the state of the same colonies at a subsequent period. This remark particularly applies to Martinico, by reason of its superior climate, and the peaceful dispositions of the population. Towards the womanho.od of Josephine, likewise, the incipient stirrings of convulsion at home, and, still more di- rectly, the transactions on the American continent, attracted numbers of enterprising and accomplished Frenchmen to the islands, who there found a tempo- rary station whence they might observe the posture of affairs, or a retreat after the struggle had ceased. B2 18 MEMOIRS OF \ All these circumstances tended to enlarge her oppor- tunities of improvement, and prepared her early for the splendid part she was destined to act. These considerations, general as some of them are, possess value when viewed in opposition to opinions which have been expressed on the subject, as furnishing presumptive evidence that Josephine's had been at least equal to the education of young females of the same rank at home. In fact, with such domestic advantages, the reasonable conclusion would be, that it was greatly superior. But we are not left to inferences, however plausible, on this interesting subject. As regards accomplishments, she played, especially on the harp, and sung with exquisite feel- ing, and with science sufficient to render listening an intellectual pleasure, without exciting the surmise that the cultivation of attainments less showy, but more valuable, had been sacrificed. Her dancing is said to have been perfect. An eyewitness describes her light form, rising scarcely above the middle size, as seeming in its faultless symmetry to float rather than to move, the very personation of Grace. She exercised her pencil and though such be not now antiquated for an elegante, her needle and embroi- dering frame with beautiful address. "A love of flow- ers," that truly feminine aspiration, and, according to a master in elegance and virtue, infallible index of purity of heart, was with her no uninstructed admi- ration, She had early cultivated a knowledge of botany, a study of all others especially adapted to the female mind, which exercises without fatiguing the understanding, and leads the thoughts to hold converse with heaven through the sweetest objects of earth, To the Empress Josephine France and Europe are indebted for one of the most beautiful of vegetable productions, the Camelia. In all to which the empire of woman's taste rightly extends, hers was exquisitely just, and simple as it was re- fined, Her Sjense of the becoming and the proper in THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 19 all things, and under every variety of circumstances, appe ared native and intuitive . She read delightfully ; and nature had been here peculiarly propitious : for so harmonious were the tones of her voice, even in the most ordinary conversation, that instances are common of those who, coming unexpectedly and unseen within their influence, have remained as if suddenly fascinated and spellbound, till the sounds ceased, or fear of discovery forced the listener away. Like the harp of David on the troubled breast of Is- rael's king, this charm is known to have wrought powerfully upon Napoleon. His own admission was, " The first applause of the French people sounded to my ear sweet as the voice of Josephine. 1 " The preceding attainments perhaps scarcely ex- tend beyond mere accomplishment. They show a mental organization, however, singularly delicate, susceptible, and refined ; and, unless we are deceived, the reader will discover in the numerous letters of the present volume proofs, not only of a mind highly cultivated, but of a soundness and expanse of judgment for which Josephine has not always ob- tained credit. In the originals is found a gracefm ease not inferior to the playful elegance of De Se- vigne, combined with a simplicity and unpretending expression of sentiment which the more ambitious compositions of the latter frequently want. Many of these, too, were written while she was still very young, and in the midst of tribulation. In here adverting to the mental endowments of Josephine, the mtention is not to represent her in any other light than as an elegant and interesting woman, formed to be the ornament of private life, but having no pretensions, save by some strange vicissitude, to emerge from its peaceful seclusion. At the same time, it seemed desirable early to inform the reader, in contradiction to unaccredited or prejudiced report, that, even in her humblest state, she manifested those talents and graces which rendered her not unworthy 20 MEMOIRS OF of the high fortunes they afterward adorned. Doubtless she owed much to her final station, wherein many accomplishments had been acquired, and all subsequently improved ; yet still are we chiefly inter- ested in the individual, if not apart from, at least in- dependently of, her singular destinies. Her earliest correspondence, and first exercise of worldly know- ledge, show attainments which and in this light they may seem almost extraordinary must have been acquired by a simple Creole girl ; while on her first introduction to the most brilliant circle in Europe, her dignified ease of manner, and simple elegance of deportment, attracted the same admiration as they afterward commanded in the Louvre and the Tuil- eries. With the happy dispositions which have already been described as pervading the establishment of her relatives, it is not to be supposed that the youthful recreations of Josephine experienced any restraint from fears of her attendants, and little from thoir difference of situation. The companion of her in- fancy was a mulatto girl, some years older, her fos- ter-sister, and, as is said, though upon no certain grounds, the daughter also of Captain Tascher before his marriage. The name of this dependant, who never afterward quitted her patroness, was Euphe- mie. In all the amusements and rambles of her young mistress, Euphemie was the faithful and affec- tionate partner. With such a friend, her own kind- liness of heart, and the harmony which here reigned between master and slave, it excites no surprise that Josephine became the universal favourite of the sable maidens of the neighbourhood, or that she should frequently join in their dances, or listen to their songs beneath the tropical shade of the palm and the tamarind. In truth, she herself has said, in the unaffected language of humanity, " I was no stran- ger to their sports, for, I trust, I proved myself nei- ther insensible to their griefs, nor indifferent to their THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 2 1 labours." On one of these occasions an incident occurred, the only one very particularly recorded of her early years, which exercised an influence, at least over her imagination, almost to the latest hour of her existence. The following is the narrative, in her own words, as she long afterward related the cir- cumstances to the ladies of her court : " One day, some time before my first marriage, while taking my usual walk, I observed a number of negro girls assembled round an old woman, engaged in telling their fortunes. I drew near to observe their proceedings. The old sibyl, on beholding me, uttered a loud exclamation, and almost by force seized my hand. She appeared to be under the greatest agita- tion. Amused at these absurdities, as I thought them, I allowed her to proceed, saying, ' So you discover something extraordinary in my destiny ?'- * Yes.' ' Is happiness or misfortune to be my lot ?' ' Misfortune. Ah, stop ! and happiness too.' ' You take care not to commit yourself, my good dame ; your oracles are not the most intelligible.' ' I am not permitted to render them more clear,' said the woman, raising her eyes with a mysterious expression towards heaven. 'But to the point,' replied I, for my curiosity began to be excited; 'what read you concerning me in futurity?' ' What do I see in the future ? You will not believe me if I speak.' ' Yes, indeed, I assure you. Come, my good mother, what am I to fear and hope V 4 On your own head be it then ; listen : You will be married soon ; that union will not be happy ; you will become a widow, and then then you will be Queen of France ! Some happy years will be yours ; but you will die in an hospital, amid civil commotion.' "On concluding these words," continued Jose- phine, " the old woman burst from the crowd, and hurried away, as fast as her limbs, enfeebled by age, would permit. I forbade the bystanders to molest or banter the pretended prophetess on this ridiculous 22 MEMOIRS OF prediction ; and took occasion, from the seeming ab surdity of the whole proceeding, to caution the young negresses how they gave heed to such matters. Henceforth, I thought of the affair only to laugh at it with my relatives. But afterward, when my hus- band had perished on the scaffold, in spite of my better judgment, this prediction forcibly recurred to my mind after a lapse of years ; and though I was myself then in prison, the transaction daily assumed a less improbable character, and I ended by regarding * the fulfilment as almost a matter of course." The above recital might be corroborated, if neces- sary, by the evidence of various persons, who, at different times, had likewise heard it from the lips of the individual concerned. One of these has given the narrative with less simplicity, but more dramatic effect, by putting into the mouth of the sable pro- phetess the words " Thou shalt be greater, yet less, than Queen of France !" As the writer, how- ever, professes a knowledge of English literature, this variation may be set down to an imitation of Shakspeare's weird sisters. Be this as it may, that such a prediction was actually delivered at the time there appears no reason to doubt ; and that Josephine mentioned, and even in some measure acted upon it, before events had transpired, is certain. She was, unquestionably, superstitious, but by no means to the extent which has been attributed to her ; and it is likewise true, that even during her most prosperous fortunes, she discountenanced in her attendants all tampering with futurity not as giving credit to the ' absurdities of fortune-telling, but because allusion to the subject, by recalling the prediction of her own melancholy end, seemed to bring a cloud over her spirit. In a life conversant with many and extra- ordinary chances and changes, a deep-felt, perhaps improper, anxiety about things to come is not easily subdued ; and to those whose past history discloses inexplicable elevation, especially where religion is THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 23 not the guiding light, all appears so contingent, that as a hazard seems to have raised, so a nothing may reverse. Over minds in this situation an apprehen- sive uncertainty, rather than belief, respecting the mysterious shadowings of the future in the past, obtains a power which springs rather from moral distemperature than superstition ; and which those whose days have been of more equal tenor, or their principles better fixed, though they cannot sympa- thize, are called upon to excuse and to pity. In favour of this lenity, Josephine's affecting conclu- sion of the narrative which has occasioned these reflections supplies a strong argument : " Such, ladies, is the exact truth respecting this so celebrated prophecy. The end gives me but little inquietude. I live here [at Navarre, after the divorce] peacefully, and in retirement; I have no concern with politics ; I endeavour to do all the good in my power ; and thus I hope to die calmly in my bed. It is true that Marie Antoinette" Here Josephine paused, apparently overcome by the conviction that this instance was against her own conclusions, and that in civil strife virtue affords no protection against popular fury. Her ladies affectionately hastened to change the conversation. At the period to which the above incident refers, nothing could possibly seem more unlikely than the accomplishment of the prediction. All concurred to render it apparently certain, that for Mademoiselle Tascher was destined the hand of some Creole youth, and a tranquilly indolent existence on one of the neighbouring plantations. Indeed, it appears that some such arrangement had already been contem- plated by her relatives. Would Josephine have thus been happier, is a question which naturally occurs to the mind, and to which an answer in the affirmative would probably be the general reply, though the opposite seems nearer the true conclusion. She was not exempt from ambition, " and," to use her own 24 MEMOIRS OF words, " gloried in her relations as a mother, and as a wife." On these grounds, with many misfortunes, she had also causes of no common exultation. Hers, too, was peculiarly one of those dispositions over which, as the flower bends beneath the storm to give its bosom wholly to the sunshine, the evils of life pass lightly, but whose glad sensibilities expand to every gleam of happiness. By becoming the wife of Vicomte Alexander de Beauharnais, Josephine, on the completion of her sixteenth year, fulfilled the first step in her destined greatness. Various circumstances had brought this young nobleman to the New World, among which the occurrences then taking place in the British American colonies were among the chief. What part he actually assumed in the war of independence does not appear ; but he certainly engaged on the side of the revolted colonists, and, in Josephine's own words, " had embraced the new ideas with all the ardour of a very lively imagination." He already held a commission in the French army ; and, if we may credit the same, perhaps partial, authority, had previously shown himself to be a young ofiicer of promising merit. Be this as it may, his subsequent conduct discovers strong predilections in favour of popular government, united with considerable mili- tary experience. In America both these qualities had been fostered ; for, like numbers of his countrymen and profession, he had clandestinely embarked in the quarrel long before any regular declaration, and the expedition fitted out under D'Estaing, in the spring of 1778. Such adventurers, it is well known, were indirectly countenanced by their government. The immediate cause of this young officer's arrival in Martinico was the necessity of proving a right to large estates which had fallen by inheritance to him and his brother, the present aged and respectable Marquis de Beauharnais. How strangely fortuitous seem frequently the events of human life! It THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 25 happened that these very domains bordered on the property of M. Renaufon, and were at the very date in question, held by him on lease. This naturally enough made the young people acquainted ; and a mutual attachment ensued between Beauharnais and Josephine. Circumstances seemed to concur in ren- dering this a very suitable union, as respected both the interests and the affections of the youthful parties. But unexpected obstacles arose in the opposition of relatives, which Josephine surmounted with a gentle- ness and address hardly to have been expected in a girl of sixteen. In writing to her children, in 1794, on this subject, she remarks, " If to my union with your father I have been indebted for all my happiness, I dare to think and say, that to my own character I owe our union, so many were the obstacles which opposed us ! Yet, without any efforts of talent, I effected their removal. I found, in my own heart, the means of gaining the affection of my husband's relations : patience and kindness will ever in the end conciliate the good-will of others. You, too, my children, possess those natural advantages which cost so little, a id are of such avail ; but it is neces- sary to knL-v how to employ them rightly, and I have pleasure in thus once more recommending to you my own example." Soon after her marriage, Josephine accompanied her husband to France, where they arrived in 1779. At this period, Beauharnais, though many years older than his wife, was still only in the bloom of manhood, and the youthful pair are said to have created a sen- sation in the circles of the capital. Certain it is, the manners and accomplishments of Josephine were admired in a court the gayest and most polished in Europe ; while, at the same time, the character and attentions of Marie Antoinette appear to have made on the grateful heart of the fair Creole an impres- sion which subsisted through a life whose successive incidents were in apparent hostility to the royal cause. C 26 MEMOIRS OF The succeeding summers were passed in provincial tours, chiefly in the north, or on the patrimonial estates in Brittany. Here, on the 3d of September, 1780, Josephine gave birth to her only son Eugene, afterward the celebrated viceroy of Italy ; and in 1783 the family was completed by the birth of a daughter, Hortense, subsequently queen of Hol- land. Thus every thing promised happiness : Beauhar- nais, to energy and nobleness of character, united many generous and some amiable virtues ; while Josephine, with a constitutional tenderness of nature which, in her beautiful language, " rendered the desire of being beloved, and of loving in return, a necessity of her heart," evinced the most devoted attachment. Her conduct, too, had been such as merited not only the continued but increased love of her husband. Her gentleness and propriety of demeanour had won over all his relations, healing up every domestic breach; while her talents, accom- plishments, and graces abroad had taught the gay world to respect his choice. Beauharnais, too, had loved his wife ardently, but, unhappily, his notions of conjugal fidelity were formed too much after the fashion of vice in high places, which had, for the two preceding reigns, cast a moral pestilence over the uppermost ranks in France ; and, though the consequences finally struck a king, in his own ex- ample blameless, they operated as a main cause in rousing the indignation of a people to put away the degradation of a worthless and profligate aristocracy. It is more than probable, also, that the new ideas had not improved the old morality, a surmise which needs no proof to those acquainted with the history of the Revolution. Madame de Beauharnais en- dured her wrongs for some time in patient forbear- ance, or remonstrated only with gentleness ; but seeing that her husband attached himself more and more to another, she infused a bitterness into her THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 27 reproaches, which ended in estranging the affections she had hoped to reclaim. Each persisted: the vicomte openly cohabited with the woman who had ruined his domestic peace, and a separation was the consequence. This appears to have been effected by a personal agreement, not a legal process, and Josephine, with her children, returned to Martinico. When future misfortune had taught Beauharnais to reflect, with the proper dispositions, on this portion of his life, he bitterly regretted his own errors, and the absence of his excellent brother, who, though opposed to him in almost every principle of conduct, exercised great influence over his affections. It is likewise possible, that had the marquis been present, Josephine might have used more conciliatoryjneans ; for, at every period of life, jealousy appears to have held great sway over her mind a failing, perhaps, in some degree inseparable from an affectionate tem- perament. Over the whole of these transactions, however, a veil has been drawn which it is now difficult to re- move. The only person who could have cleared away the obscurity was desirous of consigning to more perfect oblivion whatever might have reflected on the memory of a husband deserving, in other respects, of her affection ; of whose talents and repu- tation she was justly proud, and whose name she shows herself solicitous in teaching her children to reverence with peculiar veneration. " Honour my memo..y," thus wrote she to Eugene and Hortense, under the apprehension of approaching death, " hon- our my memory by cherishing my sentiments. I leave you, as an inheritance, the glory of your father and the name of your mother, whom some unfortunate beings will bear in remembrance ; your father, whom I can praise with transport, engaged in the cause for which he perished on the scaffold with the best intentions, sincerely believing that he should achieve the conquest of liberty by obtaining 28 MEMOIRS OF some concessions from a king whom he venerated and loved." After an absence of several years, as is evident from the following simple and affecting narrative, Josephine returned alone to France, and in circum- stances far otherwise than affluent. The recital was given to the ladies of her court at Navarre, to whom, at their own request, she had one day shown her jewels, the most magnificent collection, be it remembered, in Europe. Observing the admiration bestowed upon " these dazzling inutilities," she ad- dressed the junior members of her suite as follows . " Believe me, my young friends, that splendour is not to be envied which does not constitute happiness. I shall doubtless very much surprise you, by saying that the gift of a pair of old shoes afforded me at one time greater satisfaction than all these dia- monds now before you ever did." Here her youth- ful auditors could hardly refrain from visibly inti- mating their conjecture that this remark was in- tended as a pleasantry. Josephine's serious air as- suring them of their mistake, they began, with one accord, to express their respectful desire of hearing the history of these famous shoes, which, to their imaginations, already promised greater wonders than the marvels of the glass-slipper. " Yes, ladies," resumed their amiable mistress ; " it is certain, that of all the presents I ever in my life received, the one which gave me the greatest pleasure was a pair of old shoes and these, ioo^ of coarse leather I This you will understand in the sequel. " Quitting Martinico, I had taken ' a passage on board a ship, where we were treated with an atten- tion which I shall never forget.* Having separated from my first husband, I was far from rich. Obliged to return to France on family affairs, the passage had absorbed the major part of my resources ; and, * This vessel, as will afterward appear, was- the Pomona frigate. THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 29 indeed, not without much difficulty had I been able to provide the most 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 beirTg her con- stant playfellows, had become her favourite society. No sooner did she observe me to be engaged, than, mounting upon deck, and there the object of general admiration, she repeated all her little exercises to the satisfaction of every one. An old quarter-mas- ter was particularly attached to the child; and whenever his duties permitted him a moment's leisure, he devoted the interval to his young friend, who, in turn, doted upon the old man. What with running, leaping, and dancing, my daughter's slight shoes were fairly worn out. Knowing she had not another pair, and fearing I would forbid her going upon deck should this defect in her attire be discov- ered, Hortense carefully concealed the disaster, and one day I experienced the distress of beholding her return, leaving every footmark in blood. Fearing some terrible accident, I asked, in affright, if she was hurt. ' No, mamma !' ' But see, the blood is streaming from your feet.' ' It is nothing, I assure you.' Upon examining how matters stood, I founc the shoes literally in tatters, and her feet dreadful!} torn by a nail. We were not yet more than half- way ; and before reaching France it seemed impos- sible to procure another pair of shoes. I felt quite overcome at the idea of the sorrow my poor Hor- tense would suffer, as also at the danger to which her health might be exposed, by confinement in my miserable little cabin. We began to weep bitterly, and found no solace in our grief. At this moment entered our good friend the quarter-master, and, with honest bluntness, inquired the cause of our tears. Hortense, sobbing all the while, eagerly informed him that she would no more get upon deck, for her 30 MEMOIRS OF x 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 the shape, and I'll splice them up again as well as need be. Shiver my timbers ! on board ship you must put up with many things; we are neither landsmen nor fops, provided we have the necessary tliafs the most principal.' 1 Without giving time for a reply, away hastened the kind quarter- master 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. To work we set with all zeal, and before day closed my daughter could resume her delightful duties of supplying their evening's diversion to the crew. I again repeat, never was present accepted 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, who was known on board only as Jacques. It would have been gratifying to me to have done something for him when, afterward means were in my power." Such was the state of destitution in which the future empress reached, for the last time, the terri- tory of France. Meanwhile, the commotion which overwhelmed that country, and shook European policy to the centre, had begun to be felt. This had, in fact, operated as a cause of Josephine's return. From the commencement of the Revolution, De Beauharnais had espoused its principles. In a woman's heart, as is well remarked by a female writer on this very subject, when old affection is once more awakened by the danger of its object, there is no longer room for past resentment. Jose- phine, knowing the warmth of her husband's politi- cal feelings, and trembling for his safety, anxiously hastened to be near and reconciled to him, a reso- THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 31 lution in which she was encouraged by her excel- lent relative. The intercession of friends at home was hardly required to bring the vicomte to a sense of his duty, for his was not the dissipation of a de- praved heart; and this new proof of attachment, under such circumstances, called forth all his for- mer love and admiration. So perfect was the recon- ciliation on the part of Madame de Beauharnais, that she even became the protector of her husband's natural daughter Adele, whom subsequently, under the empire, she settled advantageously in marriage. Revolutionary principles or, perhaps, more prop- erly, principles of reform, which, as France then stood* could not be effected without revolution may be said to have been in operation in that king- dom from the issue of the American contest in 1782. The example of the United States, the views and discourses of the officers who had served in the transatlantic warfare, spread throughout France the flame of republicanism. Financial distress con- spired with these causes to fire this public ferment into a dangerous discontent, to which the govern- ment and privileged orders wanted ability to -offer effectual opposition, or magnanimity to yield a just concession. The first overt acts of popular senti- ment broke out in the recusancy of the Notables, in 1787. backed by that of the parliament of the year following. The grand struggle, however, between right and prerogative may be said to have fiercely closed with the assembling of the States General, in May, 1789. How far De Beauharnais had taken part in the previous contests does not appear ; but in the " Constitutional Assembly," as it was after- ward named, by way of pre-eminence, he took his seat among the 270 upper deputies, as representative for the nobles of Blois. On the commencement of proceedings, when the representatives of the third estate constituted themselves the National Assem- bly, and invited those of th clergy and nobles to 32 MEMOIRS OF join them, De Beauharnais was one of the minority among the latter who, with the Duke of Orleans at their head, set the example of uniting themselves to the commons. In this, however, he neither followed exclusively his own principles, apart from the senti- ments of his constituents, nor did he go all the lengths of the party with whom he acted. It is well known that a considerable portion of the deputies of the noblesse were far from supporting the exclusive principles of the order, but, on the con- trary, had been instructed to act otherwise. Those of that body who thought at all perceived that their exclusive privileges and feudal restrictions, by throw- ing the members of the aristocracy out of the cur- rent of national improvement, had cast them behind both in wealth and intelligence. At the same time, in seeking a degree of reform in their own order, in desiring an equalization of privileges throughout the three estates, and in wishing to restrain or modify the royal prerogative, the moderate nobility were far from advocating any wild doctrines of de- mocracy or equality. Of this class Josephine's husband seems to have been a faithful representa- tive, with perhaps a dash of republicanism in his views. All his actions prove, that, like many others, the opening prospects of the Revolution had seduced him by the seeming good and fair which they presented, until he found himself too deeply engaged to letreat; induced, besides, as he was, to continue at the post assigned, in the hope of finally securing the welfare of the country. Such is the view which Josephine herself entertained, and has given, of his political character. The labours of the Vicomte de Beauharnais in this first assembly consisted of reports and speeches. These must have possessed merit to have been remembered, and, what was then rarer still, modera- tion, since they were afterward turned against him on his own trial, under Robespierre. On the dis- THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 33 solution of the Constitutional Assembly, or States General, September, 20, 1791, of which, by an unfor- tunate resolution, " too simply honest," none of the members were immediately re-eligible, the vi- comte resumed his original profession of arms, and was one of those who held an anxious eye upon the king, labouring to secure, at least, his personal safety. Accordingly, he was among those officers who, after the fatal 10th of August, 1792, stood by Lafayette, to whom he had been known, and, if we mistake not, had been his comrade, in the American campaigns. On the dissolution (September 20th, 1792) of the Legislative Assembly, as the second revolutionary meeting of national representatives is termed, Beau- harnais became a member of the third, or National Convention. Of this body we find, from the Moni- teur of the time, that he was twice president. Du- ring the early part of the session, he appears to have shared actively in its discussions ; and though little precise information has been preserved respecting his views, they appear, as formerly, to have been moderately republican, and in unison with the politics of the Girondists. On the trial and subsequent con- demnation of the king, the voice of Beauharnais was consequently raised in favour of humanity, however hostile his proceedings might be to royalty, which one of the first acts of this assembly abolished by acclamatioi . It forms too faithful a picture of these fearful times, when the division of relative against relative, denounced by Scripture, was actu- ally realized in France, to excite surprise that two brothers had espoused opposite sides. But it strikes as a remarkable coincidence in our present subject, to find Alexander Vicomte de Beauharnais, Jose- phine's husband, president of the Convention, and her brother-in-law, Francis Marquis de Beauharnais, a major-general in the army of Cond6, petitioning to be permitted to plead the cause of Louis XVI. 3< MEMOIRS OF \ ifoio the bar of the same assembly. On the con- vocation of the States General, the marquis had been elected a member in the honourable situation of deputy from the nobles of Paris ; he had subse- quently emigrated, and it was from the camp of Conde on the Rhine that he addressed his letter, demanding to be heard for the king, in terms of the decree of the Convention, which granted that right to any Frenchman who might be honoured with the duty. It is well known, that of the very few mag- nanimous men willing to devote themselves to this perilous office, MM. Deseze, Tronchet, and Male- sherbes were chosen by the king, a circumstance which lessens not the merit of De Beauharnais's generous devotion. An autograph copy of the letter was most religiously preserved by Josephine, who, throughout her whole life, continued to cherish an affectionate regard for the writer. From the empress's copy, as published by Madame Duerest, to whom the original was confided, the following translation is here inserted as an interesting docu- ment of the times, and intimately connected with the subject of these Memoirs : To the President of the National Convention. " SIR, I learn, with Europe, astonished at the unheard-of crime, that the sacred person of the king is to be attainted by a criminal prosecution. I demand to be his defender to plead the cause of my master of my sovereign of the most virtuous man in his kingdom. Be pleased to intimate this my wish to the Convention, and do me the favour to communicate the reply. " I shall not in this letter indicate my means of defence. It is not here that I have to demonstrate what is the political right of a people over their lawful sovereign, and reciprocally what is the duty of princes towards their subjects. It is less before THK EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 35 a factious and usurping assembly, which has arro- gated all power to itself, than before the French people, that I shall proclaim facts, proving to the nation both the crimes of those furious partisans of a liberty destructive of all social order, and the vir- tues of Louis XVI., of that unfortunate monarch, formed to be the object of his subjects' veneration ; of him who, sad sport of faction, and guilty, per- haps, of too great goodness, has found himself by turns persecuted, betrayed, and, at last, basely abandoned by those whom he had loaded with his favours. " At that public tribunal will I unveil the criminal plots of those political knaves who have seized ths reins of government, and under pretext of public weal more effectually cloak their own ambitious designs. These grand criminals I will expose, and unravel the tortuous course of a policy dangerous to all governments. The National Convention may judge how dearly I value the signal distinction of defending my king, since I shrink not from confront- ing rebels face to face ; since I blush not to beseech that tribunal of inquisition to concede to me this especial grace. " The anarchy into which the Revolution has plunged my unhappy country, the crimes with which it has sullied a portion of the French nation, its crimes towards the royal family, its persecutions of the ministers of the altar, and, above all, the desire, so natural to every subject, of serving his prince, and rescuing him from assassins, such are the motives which have removed me from France. This voluntary devotedness, which I share with a vast number of my virtuous fellow-citizens, is a distinc- tion of which I am proud. Of these my motives, sir, you may inform the assembly. " After opposing, with my utmost ability, the de- struction of the monarchy, as a member of that minority of the National Assembly with whom 36 MEMOIRS OF constantly to have acted is to me a subject of high gratulation, I have rallied beneath the standard of honour to die a soldier, having solemnly protested as a citizen against that same constitution which you swore to maintain, and which, nevertheless, you have already superseded by your own authority. " From you, sir, I expect a straightforward and concise reply : cover at least, your criminal inten- tions under the justice which I solicit, and which every one who is accused has a right to demand. If you have forgotten that Louis XVI. is a king, re- member that he is a man ; show your impartiality in a cause which affects all governments upon which Europe, in deep attention, suspends judgment, and whose every circumstance posterity will hold in precious remembrance. I have the honour to be, " FRANCIS MARQUIS DE BEAUHARNAIS." i While the brother-in-law of Josephine thus de- voted his zeal to the royal cause, her husband con- tinued to sit as one of the judges in the proceedings which soon after brought the king to the block. This execrable crime having roused to just and more energetic hostility the alarmed humanity of all Europe, the revolutionary leaders, from the impos- sibility of finding military experience among their own immediate order, were constrained to employ in important commands the few nobles who adhered to the general cause of the Revolution. In thh emergency, the German frontier was assigned tc Vicomte Beauharnais, a station, though not so illus- trious in peril as it afterward became, already one of glory and exertion, and whose duties the following official despatch shows him to have discharged neither as an unskilful nor inactive soldier : To the National Convention. " Head-quarters, Landau, 20th July, 1793. tt l have to inform you, citizen-representatives, THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 37 that on the night of the 19th, I quitted the position on the heights of Menfeld, in order to take up an- other nearer Landau; and, at the same time, to attack the enemy encamped in the vicinity of that place. I directed the army to advance in six columns, three of which were destined for false attacks. The principal object was to obtain possession of the passes of Anweiller, and the heights of Frankweiller, in front of these passes ; and upon which the enemy lay strongly intrenched. Every thing succeeded to my wish. General Arlandes, with the 10th regiment of infantry, seized the pass of Anweiller ; General Meynier, at the head of the 67th, occupied at the same instant Alberweiller and the various defiles leading therefrom ; the vanguard, led on by Generals Landremont, Loubat, and Delmas, repulsed the enemy with loss from the heights of Frankweiller, which were guarded by the emigrants and the free corps of Wurmser. " General Gilot, making a sortie with three thou- sand of the brave garrison of Landau, in order to occupy the enemy's attention at a point where his line rested upon a wood, proved successful in that quarter. The false attacks directed by General Fer- riere, and those of the brigades of Generals Lafa- relle and Mequillet, on the respective points of the hostile line, occasioned a diversion highly favourable to the main attack, by causing the evacuation of the villages of Betheim, Kintelsheim, and Ottersheim. Everywhere the enemies of the republic have been driven back with loss, and have left, contrary to their practice, the field covered with their dead and wounded. We made some prisoners, and have cap- tured several redoubts, without cannon, it is true, but in which our brave soldiers found bread, great- coats, and supplies of various kinds. " This action, so fortunate in its results, since the troops of the republic have successfully effected what I had proposed, gives anticipation of still more D 38 MEMOIRS OF important advantages. My communications witb the army of the Moselle have meanwhile been es- tablished by the country of Deuxponts ; and the courage of the republicans composing the army of the Rhine promises to become more and more worthy of national confidence, by fulfilling those engage- ments which that army, by its situation and force, and through the interests of the important city now besieged, had contracted with the country. I am yet unable to speak in detail of those individual achievements which merit the attention of the repre- sentatives of the people, and in a free state call for an expression of national gratitude; but my next letter will contain the necessary particulars. " I request you again to accept, from all the repub- licans of the army of the Rhine, the homage of fidelity to the republic, one and indivisible, of their attachment to the constitution, and of their gratitude to the estimable legislators to whom that constitu- tion is owing. "The commander-in-chief of the army of the Rhine. (Signed) "ALEXANDER BEAUHARNAIS." The reader will not fail to remark in this letter a solicitude to bespeak the praise of republicanism, and in the signature all absence of aristocracy, even to the omission of the de, then a very obnoxious monosyllable, as (in the language of the time) " it seemed to assert that a man could have pretensions to a grandfather." The only stay which Beauhar- nais, and those of his order, possessed among the men of the Revolution fear of their remaining political power shortly after the date of this des patch was completely removed. The arrest of the Girondist deputies of the Convention, on the 2d June, 1793, and the total destruction of that party in the autumn of the same year, threw uncontrolled sway into the hands of the Jacobins. The reader THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 39 need hardly be reminded that the party of the Gironde numbered in its ranks those who, at this period of fearful profligacy among the estimable legislators of France, still cultivated the humanities of a civilized people. All men of respectability, some of them enlightened by extraordinary learning and many highly gifted in genuine eloquence, the Girondists attracted to their opinions the largest share of the intelligence, and all the moderation, of the kingdom. But, unfortunately, instead of main- taining from the first those rational views of liberty, under a limited monarchy, to which they subse- quently inclined, they got among the speculative impossibilities of a " pure republic," and were thus drawn into excesses, in the vain hope of educing good from evil, pu *y from pollution ; they suffered thus to be wrenclW from their grasp by ruffian force that practical influence through which they had held the means of saving their sovereign and themselves. The downfall of this party necessarily drew along with it the ruin of all those who partici- pated in its principles, especially when its members were replaced by the Jacobins of the provinces and the commune of Paris, a mob the least humane and the most cowardly in the annals of crime. One of the earliest acts of the democracy was to exclude from the service of the republic every func tionary, whether civil or military, of noble birth. Among the rest, Beauharnais, the predecessor of Moreau, and not unworthy of being classed with that general, Custrine, Dumouriez, Hoche, and Houchard, in talent, was deprived of his command. Of the officers thus dismissed, most fled into foreign parts ; some of less note, by their very obscurity, afterward recovered their consequence ; but no com- mander-in-chief, except the Vicomte Beauharnais, ventured to return to France. Dismissal from such a station under the circumstances obviously ought to have been construed as a decree of expatriation. 40 MEMOIRS *F When warned on this head, the latter, wifii picious honesty, ill suited to the times, replied, * I am a friend to the republic ; what, then, can I have to fear from friends]" and, with imprudent confi- dence, took up his residence in the family mansion at Paris. But Beauharnais, the friend and soldier of the republic, was speedily arrested by the satellites of Robespierre, and consigned to the prisons of the Luxembourg. Of a specific charge for such pro- ceeding we find not even a shadow, beyond the crimes affecting many hundreds under like suspicions rank and merit. Nor hardly can the reader expect any very intelligible ground of accusation in this case, when it is recollected, that barely to be de- nounced as an aristocrat converted the most respect- able citizen into a criminal : the more respectable, in fact, the more likely to be accused. Instances are actually on record, where a more decent dress than the ruffianism of the republicans had intro- duced brought the wearer to the guillotine. We find, indeed, that when Beauharnais had been some time in prison, an attempt was made to implicate him in a conspiracy alleged to have been entered into by the captives in the Luxembourg; but for his original incarceration no reason is assigned. But if our information is thus vague respecting the par- ticular offence, the letters of Josephine render us minutely acquainted, not only with the circum- stances of the arrest and conduct of her husband, but present a graphic and, from its domestic nature, moving record of that fatal period. These letters were written from Paris to Fontainbleau, and ad- dressed to Madame Fanny Beauharnais, the vi- comte's aunt, who then resided on a small property in the neighbourhood. This lady acquired a celeb- rity by her writings and literary talents, which she retained under the empire, and in the imperial court her conversational powers were admired both for ^eir brilliancy and solidity, though with more dis THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 41 play than perhaps beseemed the retirement of the female character. To her account, also, is placed the famous couplet, Egl6 jeune et po ! te a deux pettts travers : Elle fait son visage, et ne fait pas ses vers. Young, and a poet ; Egle's faults, then, say? ' Just two, she makes her face, but steals her lay. This satire, however, at least in English prose, is as old as the age of Queen Anne. It is now of small moment to determine the originality either of the lady's beauty or of her poetry ; suffice it, that she possessed an excellent heart, and was ever regarded by Josephine with the most tender respect. Josephine to Madame Fanny Beauharnais. " Ah, my dear aunt, compassionate console * counsel me. Alexander is arrested; while I write, he is led away to the Luxembourg ! " Two days ago, a man of ill-omened aspect was seen prowling around our house. Yesterday, about three o'clock, the porter was interrogated whether citizen Beauharnais had returned from St. Germain. Now, you know, aunt, that my husband has not been at St. Germain since the month of May. You were of the party, and may recollect that Oubieres read to us some verses on the Pavilion of Luciennes. The same inquisitor reappeared in the evening, ac- companied by an old man of huge stature, morose, and rude, who put several questions to the porter. ' You are sure it is Beauharnais the vicomte V ' Ci-devant vicomte,' replied our servant. ' The same who formerly presided in the Assembly V 1 1 believe so.' ' And who is a general officer V * The same, sir,' said the porter.' Sir !' sharply interrupted the inquirer, and addressing his companion, who had said nothing, ' you see the cask always smells of the herring.' Upon this they disappeared. Dfl 42 MEMOIRS OP ' To-day, about eight in the morning, I was told some one wished* to speak with me. This was a young man, of a gentle and decent appearance : he carried a leather bag in which were several pairs of shoes. ' Citizen,' said the man to me, ' I under- stand you want socks of plum-gray V I looked at my woman, Victorine, who was present, but she comprehended as little of this question as I did. The young man seemed painfully disconcerted ; he kept turning a shoe in his hand, and fixed upon me a mournful look. At length, approaching close, he said, in an under tone, * I have something to impart to you, madam.' His voice, his looks, and a sigh which half-escaped him caused me some emotion. * Explain yourself,' I replied eagerly ; ' my servant is faithful.' ' Ah !' exclaimed he, as if involuntarily, * my life is at stake in this matter.' I arose instantly, and dismissed Victorine with a message to call my husband. " ' Madam,' said the young tradesman, when we were alone, ' there is not a moment to lose, if you would save M. de Beauharnais. The revolutionary committee, last night, passed a resolution to have him arrested, and at this very moment the warrant is making out.' I felt as if ready to swoon away. ' How know you this V demanded I, trembling vio- lently.' I am one of the committee,' said he, cast- ing down his eyes ; ' and being a shoemaker, I thought ' these shoes would afford me a reasonable pretext for advertising you, madam.' I could have embraced the good young man. He perceived that I wept, and I believe tears stood in his own eyes. At this moment Alexander entered : I threw myself into his arms. * You see my husband,' said I to the shoe- maker. ' I have the honour of knowing him,' was the reply. " Your nephew, learning the service which we had received, wished to reward him on the spot. This offer was declined in a manner which augmented THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 43 our esteem. Alexander held out his hand, which the young man took with respect, but without em- barrassment. Spite of our solicitations, Alexander refused to flee. ' With what can they charge me V asked he ; 'I love liberty ; I have borne arms for the Revolution; and had that depended upon me, the termination would have been in favour of the people.' ' But you are a noble,' answered the young man, ' and that is a crime in the eyes of revolution- ists, rit is an irreparable misfortune.' ' Which they can charge as a crime,' added I; 'and moreover, they accuse, you of having been one in the Consti- tutional Assembly.' ' My friend,' replied Alexander, with a noble expression, and firm tone, ' such is my most honourable title to glorythe only claim, in fine, which I prefer. Who would not be proud of having proclaimed the rights of the nation, the fall of despotism, and the reign of the laws V ' What laws !' exclaimed I : ' it is in blood they are written. ' Madam,' said the young man, with an accent such as he had not yet employed, ' when the tree of liberty is planted in an unfriendly soil, it must be watered with the blood of its enemies.' Beauharnais and I looked at each other ; in the young man, whom na- ture had constituted with so much feeling, we recog- nised the revolutionist whom the new principles had been able to render cruel. " Meanwhile, time elapsed ; he took leave of us, repeating to my husband, ' Within an hour it will no longer be possible to withdraw yourself from search. I wished to save, because I believe you innocent : such was my duty to humanity ; but if I am com- manded to arrest you, pardon me ; I shall do my duty, and you will acknowledge the patriot. In you I have ever beheld an honourable man a noble and generous heart ; it is impossible, therefore, that you should not also be a good citizen.' " When our visiter had departed, ' Such,' said Alex- ander to me, ' are the prejudices with which our 44 MEMOIRS OF youth are poisoned. The blood of the nobles, of those even the most devoted to the new ideas, must nourish liberty. If these new men of the Revolu- tion were only cruel and turbulent, this sanguinary thirst, this despotic rage, would pass away ; but they are systematic, and Robespierre has reduced revolu- tionary action into a doctrine. The movement will cease only when its enemies, real or presumed, are annihilated, or when its author shall be no more. But this is an ordeal which must, in the end, strengthen liberty ; she will ferment and work her- self clear in blood.' ' You make me shudder,' said I to Alexander ; * can you speak thus and not flee ?' >' Whither flee V answered my husband ; * is there a vault, a garret, a hiding-place into which the eye of the tyrant does not penetrate ? do you reflect that he sees with the eyes of forty thousand committees animated by like dispositions, and strong in his will? The torrent rolls along, and the people, throwing themselves into it, augment its force. We must yield : if I be condemned, how escape 1 if I be not, free or in prison, I have nothing to fear.' My tears, my entreaties were vain. At a quarter before twelve three members of the revolutionary committee made their appearance, and our house was filled with armed men. " Think you my young cordwainer formed one in this band ] You are not deceived, and his functions there were painful to me. I confess, however, that I beheld him exercise these with a sort of satisfac- tion. He it was who signified to Alexander the order placing him under arrest, which he did with equal urbanity and firmness. In the midst of a crisis so grievous to me, I could not help observing in this young man a tone of authority and of decency which placed him in striking contrast with his two col- leagues. One of these, the same old inquisitor who the night previously had made it his business to in- quire concerning the presence and occupations of THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 45 ^ my husband, was once a planter in Martinico, and who, despite of equality, has never beheld in the human species but two classes, masters and slaves. His present opinion is, that the Revolution will be brought to a happy conclusion only when its agents shall have reduced all its enemies to the condition of the negroes of Senegal when exported into Amer- ica ; and to accomplish this end, he demands that the whole race of priests, nobles, proprietors, phi- losophers, and, in short, all the aristocratic classes, be despatched to St. Domingo, there to replace the caste of the blacks, suppressed by the Revolution. ' Thus,' added the ferocious wretch, addressing his words to me with a sinister glance directed from his sunken eyes, * thus the true republicans secure the grand moral triumph, by measures of profound and elevated policy !' His third compeer, vulgar and brutal, busied himself in taking, in a blustering way, an inventory of the principal pieces of furniture and papers. From these latter he made a selection, collecting the pieces into a parcel, which was sealed and forwarded to the committee. The choice chiefly included reports and discourses pronounced by Alex- ander in the Constitutional Assembly. This meeting, held in horror by the revolutionists, is not less odious to the aristocrats of all classes and shades. Does not this prove that that assembly had resolved all the problems of the Revolution, and, as respects liberty, had founded all the necessary establish ments? From the regime of 1789 it had taken away all means; from that of 1793 it removed all hope. Alexander has often repeated to me, that to neither there remained any chance of rising, save by violence and crime. Ah ! why did he foresee so justly, and why would he, to the title of a prophet, perhaps add that of a martyr ?" In her distress, Josephine appears, from the fol- lowing note, to have experienced the usual hollow- 46 MEMOIRS OF ness of "summer friends." The letter from her husband is exceedingly descriptive of the unaccount- able recklessness into which the times had converted the national buoyancy of temper, a feature, both in the oppressors and the victims, singularly charac- teristic of the Revolution. Josephine to Madame Fanny de Beauharnais. " Why do the kind proceedings of your friends, and your own bad health, detain you in the country ? Dear aunt, I miss you much. Think of my house solitary, myself more solitary more forsaken still. In the course of the five days since he was taken from me, all his friends have disappeared, one by one. At this moment when I sit down to write, it is six o'clock in the evening, and nobody has come here. Nobody? I am wrong: my excellent young man does not stand aloof; he comes twice or thrice in the day with news from the Luxembourg. Provided his duty be not compromised, he cares little about exposing his person; the pestilence of misfortune does not keep him at a distance. Alexander confides to him those letters which he desires I only should read; his jailers, the committee, have the first pe- rusal of the others. Enclosed I send you a copy of one ; the original shall repose all my life nearest my heart, and be buried with me." Vicomte de Beauharnais, to Josephine. " So ! pauvre petite, you are still unreasonable, and I must needs console you ? That, however, I can easily do; for even here is the abode of peace when the conscience is tranquil, and where one can culti- vate for one's self and others all the benevolent sen- timents of the heart, all the best qualities of the spirit, all the gentle affections of our nature. I should be troubled at our sacaration, were it to be THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 47 long; but I am a soldier; and at a distance from you, my sweet Josephine, removed from our dear children, I bethink myself of war ; in truth, a slight misadventure is a campaign against misfortune. Ah ! if you knew how we learn to combat our mischance here, you would blush for having been afflicted.- Every captive now this is literally the case leaves his sorrows at the grated entrance, and shows within only good-humour and serenity. We have trans- ported to the Luxembourg the entire of society, ex- cepting politics ; thus, you will grant me that we have left the thorns in order to gather the roses. We have here charming women, who are neither prudes nor coquettes ; old men, who neither carp nor moralize, and who demean themselves kindly ; men of mature age, who are not projectors ; young men, almost reasonable ; and artists, well bred, sober r without pride, amuse us by a number of pleasant facts, and entertaining anecdotes; and, what will astonish you more than all the rest, we have moneyed men, become as polite and obliging as they were generally vulgar and impertinent. We have here, then, all that is best, always excepting my Jose- phine aad our dear children. Oh ! the choice the good the best, compose that cherished trio. I ought likewise to except our good friend Nevil ; the only fault in him is his notion of relationship to Brutus. As to his title of committee-man, I have no reproach to make on that score ; I find it too much in my favour. He is the messenger, my be- loved friend, who will convey to you this letter, in which I enclose one thousand kisses, until such time as I shall be able more substantially to deliver them myself, and without counting." This letter is pleasing in itself, as expressive of real affection. But the scenes which it describes as passing in a prison, whence was taken a daily por- tion of the sixty or eighty victims, immolated, for a 48 MEMOIRS OF length of time, to the indiscriminate fears or insa- tiable cruelty of Robespierre, might seem fabricated, or well intended misrepresentations, to sooth the anxiety of friends without, did not the narrative in itself supply but an additional evidence of a fact al- ready established. During this Reign of Terror, the prisoners usually heard their sentence amid pastime and laughter, which they interrupted only till their own, or the names of their associates, had been called over in the executioner's roll, again to com- mence their hideous and reckless levities. This was then mistaken for, and is even still dignified as, cour- age. With equal justice might we elevate into forti- tude the brutish insensibility of those poor wretches, who, when their ship has struck, seek, in mad plunder and intoxication, to lose the sense of that situation which they cannot resolve to meet. The appalling inconsistency of rational beings confronting death, surrounded by the vain jests and follies of life, is a horrible characteristic of the French revo- lutionists. This they termed freedom from weak- ness aad superstition. Alas, how very weak is man in his own strength ! Under how many unsuspected shapes does the dread phantom Superstition rear itself in every age ! Here was one of its most appalling forms. Men recoiling from the solitude, and gloom, and hidden tears created in their hearts by infidelity, called to each other in the jibberings of insensate mirth, that they might fill without thought the pause between time and eternity Speak let me hear thy voice j Mine own affrights me with its echoes ! THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 49 CHAPTER II. Josephine's Charities Note Letter to her Aunt Examination of her Husband The ludicrous and horrible of Revolutionary Justice Let- ter from Josephine Affecting Interview Eugene Hortense Letter Villany of the Revolutionary Spies Conversation betrayed Pre- tended Conspiracy of M. de Beauharnais Letter from Josephine Examination of her Children Another Letter Her Interview with the Committee Anecdotes Dungeons of the Committee Letter to her Husband Anecdotes Delusions Reply Robespierre Jose- phine's Arrest Affecting Details Horrible Prison Anecdotes Dis persion of the Beauharnais Family. SOON after her husband's imprisonment, Josephine appears to have retired for a brief space from Paris, most probably on a visit to Fontainbleau. A note of this date is still extant, in which she ' gives di- rections to her " faithful Victorine to open a secret drawer in the vicomte's scrutoire, which had es- caped the inquisitors, and to secure the papers it contained.'* The folio wing passage evinces that Josephine, in her severe and homefelt adversity, had not forgotten those whom her own kindness of heart had placed as dependants on her bounty. " I presume that my absence has made no change in the order of the distributions ; I wish them to be continued as usual. Victorine will give two por- tions to Dame Marguerite, for I have learned that she has become burdened with the charge of a grandson a circumstance which she did not mention to me." At this distressful period, there were num- bers of children and females who, having lost, through imprisonment or death, their natural pro- tectors, and falling thus from a state of respecta- bility at once into indigence, wi hout those hum- bling gradations which break down the spirit, would have perished in the garrets and cellars whither they had retreated, but for such gentle ministrations as here noted. In these charities, Josephine's exer* E 50 MEMOIRS OF . tions were unremitting, and enabled her, with but a moderate income, to do much good. Her pension ers were supplied, not with money, but with fooa, soup, bread, and, if the necessities of ill health re- quired, with meat and wine ; while, by interesting her friends in the cause, she obtained work for those deserted beings, and so enabled them, by their own labours the sweetest of all resources to minister to their own wants. Several lived to bless Jose- phine on a throne for a life thus preserved by her bounty, when she herself had been little removed from a prison. Confident in the innocence of her husband, and more inclined to entertain hope, from ignorance of the characters of those in power, Josephine, like many other victims of similar delusions, appears at first to have regarded with little apprehension the issue of De Beauharnais's imprisonment. The fol- lowing playful note to Dr. Portal, a worthy physi- cian, lately alive, seems to have been written in this happy mood : u Quick, good doctor, run to the committee of superintendence, and you will receive permission to enter the Luxembourg. There you will find one of your favourites, who, spite of his situation, has not forgotten his engagement with you to be sick at least fifteen days in the twelvemonth. The pledge is now to be redeemed but not an hour more than the fortnight you understand me, doctor, as you shall answer on your head. That would even be a great deal top long were Alexander at liberty ; but in prison, a little nursing helps to pass the time when it does not kill the patient, and, besides, an agreeable physician amuses both complaint and complainer. " J. DE B." Perhaps, too, the examination of her husband had tended, about this time, further to reassure Madame THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 51 de Beauharnais. Her own letter, which follows, on this subject, while it is an extremely curious docu- ment of the times, and explains some circumstances in the political career of the vicomte, makes us shudder to think that the lives of thirty millions of men were in such hands, or that, in the particular instance, such mockery should have been consum- mated on the scaffold. Josephine to her Aunt. "Alexander has been examined to-day, and to- morrow I shall have permission to visit him. The president of the committee is a good enough man, but void of all energy; whom I know not how many quintals of fat deprive of movement, ideas, and almost of speech. With the best intentions in the world, he has less authority than the meanest clerk in his office. He arrives late, gets to his chair puff- ing and blowing, falls down heavily, and, when at length he is seated, remains a quarter of an hour without speaking. Meanwhile a secretary reads reports which he does not hear, though affecting to listen ; sometimes he falls asleep during the reading, a circumstance which prevents not his awaking just in time to sign what he has neither heard nor understood. As to the examinations^which he commences, and which all of his colleagues con- tinue, there are some atrocious, a great number ridiculous, but all more or less curious. What, indeed, can be more remarkable than to behold its highest orders interrogated before those who, not- withstanding their elevation, are but the dregs of society 1 My dear aunt, when I speak thus, under- stand me to make no reference to birth, fortune, or privileges ; but to sentiment, conduct, and principles. " Enclosed I send you an outline of my husband's examination, in which, as you will perceive, the ridiculous contends with the horrible. Such are tha two features of our era-' - 52 MEMOIRS OF " President. Who are you ? M. de Beauharnais. A man, and a Frenchman. President. None of your gibes here ! I demand your name. M. de B. Eugene- Alexander de Beauharnais. A Member. No de, if you please ; it is too aris- tocratic\ M. de'B. Feudal, r you would say. It is certain, a name without the particle would be more rational. The offence, if it be one, comes of time and my ancestors. Another Member. Ah! so you have got ances- tors ! The confession is an honest one ; it is well to know as much. Note that, citizens ; he has a grandfather, and makes no secret of it. [Here nine of the twelve members composing the committee fell a-laughing. One of those who, amid the general gayety, had maintained an appearance of serious- ness, called out, in a loud tone, * Fools ! who does not know that ancestors are old musty parchments ? Is it this man's fault if his credentials have 'not been burned ? Citizen, I advise thee to bestow them here with the committee, and I give thee the assurance that a good bonfire shall soon render us an account of thine ancestors.' Here a ridiculous laughter took possession of the entire of the honourable council, and not without much difficulty could the fat president recall them to a sense of decorum. A t the same time, this explosion of hilarity having put him into good-humour, he politely requested the accused to be seated. Again he was interrupted by a mem- ber calling him to order, for having used the plural to a suspected citizen. Hereupon the uproar began anew more violently than ever, from the word Mon- sieur having been applied to the president by the member as a joke. Order once more established, my husband embraced the first moment of silence to felicitate the members on the innocent nature of their discussions, and to congratulate himself in THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 53 having for judges magistrates of such a joyous dis- position.] President, with an important air. Dost take our operations for farces 1 Thou art prodigiously de- ceived. The suspected citizen is right, colleagues, in calling us his judges ; that title ought to restore us to gravity. Formerly, it was permitted to laugh, now we must be serious. M. de B. Such is the distinction between the old and new regime. President. Proceed we then seriously, and con- tinue the examination. Citizen Jarbac (to one of the secretaries), be'st thou there? (To M. de B.) Thy titles and qualities ? M. de B. A French citizen, and a general in the service of the republic. A Member. President, he does not declare all; he was formerly a Another Member. A prince or a baron, at least. M. de B., smiling. Only a vicomte, if so please you, and quite enough, too. President. Enough ! it is a great deal too much : so you confess being a noble. M. de B. I confess that so men called me, and so, for some time, I believed, under the reign of igno- rance, habit, and prejudice. President. Acknowledge also that you are not yet entirely disabused. M. de B. The obstinacy of some men who per- sist in combating a chimera preserves for such things a sort of reality. As for myself, I have long regarded the illusion as dissipated. Reason had taught me that there could exist no distinctions save those which result from virtue, talent, or service ; a sound policy has since demonstrated to me that there ought to exist none others. Citizen Nevil. That I call reasoning from prin- ciple. President. Without denying the consequences, E3 54 MEMOIRS OF whence has the accused derived these principles ? From the Constitutional Assembly ! M. de B. I consider it an honour to have been a member of that assembly. President. Did you not even preside there ? M. de B. Yes, citizen ; and at an ever memora ble era. President. That was, after the flight of the ty rant ? M. de B. That was on the occasion of the jour ney of Louis XVI. to Varennes, and on his return. A Member. For a bet, the citizen does not con sider Louis Capet to have been a tyrant. M. de B. History will explain, and posterity will pronounce. Citizen Nevil. The question here is not what citi* zen Beauharnais thinks, but what he has done. President. Just most just : see we, then, what citizen Beauharnais has done. M. de B. Nothing ; and that in a distempered time, I conceive to have been the best of all proceedings. President. Thus you declared for no party ? M. de B. No if by party you mean factions which hate each other, rend the state, and impede the reign of the laws, and the strengthening of the republic ; but yes if by party you understand the immense majority of the French people who desire independence and liberty : of that party am I. A Member. It remains to be known through what means of adherence ? M. de B. I should prefer, in order to persuade, the means employed by reason, to convince those of sentiment ; against anarchy, by turns the cause and the effect of factions, I nevertheless believe that it is not forbidden to employ force. But I require that it be used so as not to be abused; that men have recourse to it rarely, and that they yield to humanity whatever they can take from severity without compromising the safety of the state. THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 55 A Member (it was the old wretch charged with the arrest of my husband). Humanity ! humanity ! In certain mouths, such language is suspected. M. de B. And ought to be so, if it signify pity for wilful criminals ; but it is respectable when in- voked in favour of inexperience and error. A Member. Such is the tone held by all mode- rates. M. de 7?.- Moderation is the daughter of reason, and the mother of power ; why should I be violent and agitated, if, in a sound state of mind, I feel myself vigorous through calmness, and powerful by wisdom ? Nevil. I assure you, citizens, that neither Rous- seau, nor Mably, nor Montesquieu ever wrote any thing more sensible. A Member. Who are these people ? do they be- ong to the section 1 Another Member. Don't you see they are Feuil- lans 1 All that has the smack of moderatism, and is not worth a . President. You are all wrong, citizens ; these are authors of the reign of Louis XIV., and you may see their tragedies played every night at the Theatre Francois." "Here a new uproar ensued, some defending, others impugning, these novel discoveries in literary history. My husband would have smiled in derision, had he not sighed to think in whose hands the fate of his fellow-citizens had thus been placed. Nevil, by labouring to bring back the debate to its proper object, endeavoured to terminate a sitting equally painful and ludicrous. After some more absurd and irrelevant interrogatories, the president decided for the provisional detention of Alexander. ' Time will thus be afforded,' so concluded his address, with revolutionary forethought, ' for convicting you : and you, citizen, will have leisure for your defence. If you love your country, you can serve it as well by your resignation as by your activity; and if 56 MEMOIRS or liberty be dear to you, it will become much more so in a prison. Thereupon, I remit you, not as culpa- ble God forbid ! but as one who may become guilty. You will be inscribed upon the registers of the Luxembourg merely with this favourable remark: Convicted of being suspected /' The storm was thus rapidly thickening round De Beauharnais; even the long-sought interview to which Josephine alludes in her last letter proved in the end a means in the scheme of villany. The yicomte had petitioned to see his wife and children in the prison of the Luxembourg, a favour at length extended to him through the instrumentality of Louis, deputy from the Lower Rhine, one of the as- sociates of Robespierre, but who, unlike his princi- pal, held still some communion with human feelings, and to whom Nevil, " the constant and indefatiga- ble," had applied. The details of this meeting, the last save one which she ever enjoyed with the hus- band of her youth, are exquisitely given in the follow ing letter from Josephine to her aunt : " This has been a day at once very delightful and very painful. My husband having desired to see us, I resolved, in order to spare their young feelings, to send the children first, and Nevil took charge of them for this purpose. They had for some time been told that their father, being sick, was under the care of a famous physician, who, on account of the salu- brity of the air and the spacious buildings, resided in the Luxembourg. The first interview passed over pretty well ; only Hortense remarked that papa's apartments were extremely small, and the patients very numerous. At the time I arrived they had left their father, a kind-hearted turnkey, gained by Nevil, having taken the precaution to keep them re- moved. They had gone to visit in the neighbouring c.ells, whose inmates were touched by their youth, THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 57 their situation, and their ingenuousness. I dreaded the sight of our mutual emotion: our interview took place in their absence. Alexander, who sup- ports his captivity with courage, showed himself unable to bear up against my tears. Recovering myself at length, and alarmed at seeing him so greatly moved, I constrained my own sorrow, and endeavoured in turn to sooth his. Our children now made their appearance. This brought on a new crisis, the more painful that we felt its cause must be dissembled. " Hortense, who is sincerity itself, was for long deceived, and in all the tenderness of an affectionate heart, wished to persuade us that we acted wrong in afflicting ourselves, since papa's illness was not dan- gerous. All this while poor Hortense exhibited that slight air of incredulous hesitation which you know becomes her so well: ' Do you believe that papa is ill V said she to her brother ; * if so, at least, it is not the sickness which the doctors cure.' ' What do you mean, my dear girl,' asked I ; can you sup- pose that papa and I would contrive between us to deceive you V ' Pardon, mamma, but I do think so.' * Oh ! sister,' eagerly interrupted Eugene, ' that is a very singular speech of yours !' ' On the con- trary,' replied she, ' it is quite simple and natural.' ' How, miss 1 ?' said I, in my turn, affecting severity. 'Unquestionably,' continued the little sly one, 4 good parents are permitted to deceive their children when they wish to spare them uneasiness ; is it not so, mamma V At these words, she threw herself upon my bosom, and, putting one arm round her father's neck, drew him gently towards us. A smile shone through her tears ; and Eugene, mingling his caresses in this domestic scene, rendered the whole truly affecting. Amiable and gentle child, he shows as much singleness of heart as his sister displays penetration and spirit. Both have hitherto formed our joy : why should it be, that, at this crisis, they 6$ MEMOIRS OF are the cause of our most lively disquietudes, and occasion to me to me personally inexpressible uneasiness, which I am unable to subdue, and can with difficulty combat ! For myself I have no fear ; but for them for Alexander I become a very coward. " In the course of the visits which my children had made, and from the conversations my daughter had collected and overheard, she had divined that her father was a prisoner. We now acknowledged what it was no longer possible to conceal. * And the rea- son 1 ?' demanded Hortense. Even her brother, less timid than ordinary, would know the motive for such severity. It would have been very difficult to satisfy them. Strange abuse of power, absurd and despicable excess of tyranny, which a child has judg- ment to condemn, which all ought to possess the right to punish, and yet of which men dare not even complain ! " ' Oh,' cried Hortense, * when we are able, we will punish your accusers'. * Hush, my child,' said her father, * were you to be overheard speaking thus, I should be ruined, as well as yourselves and your mother ; while we would not then enjoy the con- solation of being persecuted altogether unjustly.' * Have you not often explained to us,' remarked Eugene, * that it is lawful to resist oppression.' ' I repeat the same sentiment once more,' replied my husband ; * but prudence ought to accompany resist- ance; and he who would overcome tyranny, must be careful not to put the tyrant on his guard.' "By degrees the conversation assumed a less serious turn. We forgot the present misfortune to give ourselves up to soft remembrances and future plans. You will readily conceive that in these latter you were far from being overlooked. " * I wish every possible happiness to my aunt,' said Alexander, laughing ; ' nevertheless, as the Nine are said never to be so interesting as when they are THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 59 afflicted, I would beseech just a few days' captivity for my aunt's muse ; a fine elegy would doubtless be the result, and the glory of the poetess, by im- mortalizing her prison, would prove ample consola- tion for having inhabited one.' " What say you to that wish, my dear aunt 1 Perhaps you will regard it as affects your true in- terests. For my own part, however, who love your person even better than your poetry, I cannot help framing a contrary aspiration ; and may you never join your name to that of an Ovid or a Madame de la Sure ; but may you continue to write prose, and to live free, happy in yielding to the first dictate of your heart, that of doing good !" Perhaps the iniquity of the French Revolution, and the wickedness of that Convention alone, could have found in these simple details cause of fresh and fatal persecution. But so it was. The conver- sation of M. de Beauharnais with his children, being overheard, most likely by agents secretly placed on purpose, and reported to the " tyrant," was magni- fied into a conspiracy, and became the cause of more vexatious restriction to the captives of the Luxembourg, and finally issued to himself in a capi- tal punishment. Josephine's letters again supply these incidents, interesting, not only as affect.ing her own story, but as filling up the history of a period the enormities of which have hitherto been con- templated chiefly in the gross. To Madame Fanny Beauharnais. " I must now, my esteemed aunt, collect all my fortitude to inform you of the catastrophe which has just befallen us ; you will need the whole of yours to sustain the recital. The observations made by my husband to his children, and which I transmitted, will not have escaped you : * It is per- 60 MEMOIRS OF mitted,' such were his words to Eugene, ' it is even a duty to resist oppression ; but prudence ought to direct force, and he who would subvert or subdue tyranny must beware of disclosing his designs.' To explain to you how these words, which we conceived were heard by ourselves alone, reached the ears of spies, would be difficult for me ; and now that I reflect upon the circumstance, tne disclosure ap- pears still more mysterious. At first we suspected Nevil ; but you will conceive with what indignation against ourselves we repelled a suspicion which, for the moment, forced itself upon our alarmed fancy. One of the saddest miseries of adversity is, that it renders men unjust, awakening doubts of the sin- cerity of friendship, so rarely given to misfortune. In thinking the best of the conduct of that excel- lent young man I did well ; for it is still through his means that I am able to transmit you the follow- ing details : I am thus completely ignorant by whom or in what manner we have been betrayed. "As soon as the Revolutionary Committee had knowledge of my poor Alexander's remark, they in* tercepted all communication between him and the otker prisoners; and, which has thrown us into greater consternation still, between him and his family. On the morrow he was shut up in his chamber, which fortunately opens upon a small cor- ridor communicating with a second apartment, at present unoccupied, an arrangement which, hitherto unobserved, triples the space for exercise. Two days after, the doors were thrown open, and he re- ceived the very unexpected visit of a member of the Committee of General Safety. The visiter was Va- dier, his colleague in the Constitutional Assembly, a gray-headed, suspicious ruffian, who follows the dictates of habitual misanthropy, and with whom suspicions are equivalent to proofs. In the tone assumed with my husband, the latter instantly recognised prejudice and personal hatred, and shrunk THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 61 from penetrating farther. As for myself, the bare idea causes me to shudder, and were 1 to dwell upon the thought for a moment, I feel that terror would freeze my heart. "' Without inquiring,' answered Alexander, 'by what means you have discovered my thoughts, I am very far from disavowing the maxim which you re- peat after me, or the principles you attribute to me. Is not the entire theory of the Revolution compre- hended in these ideas? do they not teach a doc- trine which its friends have reduced to practice ] are not these principles yours also V 'All that I grant,' replied Vadier ; ' but times, places, persons, change all ; and a truth of this nature, admirable as it may be in speculation, becomes a dagger when men know not how to use it ; it is a two-edged weapon, which we have done well in directing against the enemies of liberty : but if it so happen that those who have been wounded, though not prostrated, es- say to turn it against the defenders of freedom, --if, in such a retrograde and criminal movement, they were guided by one of those arms which had com- bated them, and which, in protecting them to-day, desired to avenge their wounds of the past, say, would such a one be guiltless ? would the intentions he obeyed be pure ? or, could too great severity be exercised to prevent the effect rather than have to punish the consequences V ' In these dangerous and forced deductions,' answered M. de B., ' I recog- nise the doctrine of your master. Upon deceitful hypotheses you may base at will the scaffolding of any propositions, however absurd ; and, arguing from the possible to the positive, you deliver the in- nocent to punishment, as the means of preventing them from guilt.' * Whoever is suspected,' was the atrocious reply, * deserves suspicion.' ' Speak more honestly at once,' replied your nephew : ' whoever is innocent soon falls under suspicion; and, once suspected, he perishes ; if it be imagined that his 62 MEMOIRS OF innocence may waver, you quickly punish him as a criminal.' ' You press the consequence rather from feeling than reason,' returned Vadier ; * we designate and treat as criminal him only who impedes or cor- rupts the principles of the Revolution. Would you have spoken out hud not the anti-revolutionary doc- trines, in despite of us, and even without our know- ledge, refuted you '? Wo to the guilty who compro- mise themselves !' ' Wo, rather,' cried my husband, * wo to those tyrants who explain, or rather who mystify, by an insidious and crafty sophistry, their system of manslaughter ! we may easily put aside the thrust which is aimed at us in honest hostility ; and, as the President du Ilarlay remarks, a mighty space in- terposes between the heart of the good man and the poniard of the miscreant. But how avoid the stab dealt in darkness 1 there is no remedy ; we must be silent, and bare the throat.' At these words, which I much blame, the old President of the General Safety Committee left the prison ; and Nevil, who had been listening in the corridor, imagined he remarked in his naturally stern countenance an indescribable expression of the most sinister import. I shall keep you daily informed of the consequence^ of this affair, which fills me with inexpressible alarm." Josephine's inquietude was but too well founded, considering only the characters of the oppressors, and the events which had already taken place. But at this very time a secret, and to her unknown, aim added still more deadly certainty to the blow which threatened a life so dearly cherished. About this very time (May, 1794) Robespierre had declined in popularity, and was making great efforts to regain the ascendency. Collot d'Herbois, Tallien, Barras, Fouche, and others, by whom the consummation of the 9th Thermidor (27th July, 1794) was finally brought about, had already, though covertly, begun to encourage this reaction against the tyrant. The THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 63 adherents of the latter, on the other hand, began afresh their heretofore often successful attempts to raise the cry that the person of the republican chief, and, consequently, the republic itself, was in dan- ger from the poniards of " the enemies of liberty." By such means they had excited, and hoped again to excite, an artificial interest in the public mind, and create a fitting pretence for taking off their per- sonal as well as political opponents. The slightest shadow of a conspiracy among the captive aris- tocracy of the Luxembourg was an opportunity too favourable for maturing this infamous policy to be for a moment overlooked. Accordingly.; following closely, and founded upon the simple event of the interview of & father with his children, just related, appeared a magniloquent paragraph in the Moniteur, to this effect : " A grand conspiracy has been dis- covered in the house of seclusion" (the Revolution is celebrated for the invention of terms), " at the Luxembourg. To have discovered and denounced, is to have prostrated, and even annihilated the plot. The principal leader appears to have been the ci- devant Vicomte de Beauharnais, member of the .assembly called ' the Constituant,' (the first conven- tion), and one of its presidents. This has been de- tected from certain papers seized, and from examina- tions of the suspected ; from these it is understood, that nothing less than resistance and opposition to the revolutionary government had been meditated. This opposition, in the first instance of opinion only, apparently waited only a favourable conjuncture to become an armed resistance. Such were the prin- ciples, and such would have become the conduct, of the conspirators. They were aided in their culpa- ble machinations by a young man attached to Beau- harnais, and who seems to have been placed in the Revolutionary Committee of the section to act as the patron of the disaffected. Thanks to citizen Laflotte, this conspiracy against liberty has been dis 64 MEMOIRS OF sipated ; the eye of government will in a few days have completely unravelled its darkest intricacies and the hands of administration, armed for the con- solidating of the republic, will not be slack to punish those who seem to live only to attempt its overthrow." The " administration" suffered no time to elapse before fulfilling these denunciations of severity. The day following the publication of this exaggerated account of a very simple event Nevil was arrested, in a manner which, as Josephine remarked, " gave a scandalous publicity to his fictitious crime." But though its commencement was thus industriously bruited abroad, the scene of his captivity was so carefully concealed, that his nearest relatives, a mother and betrothed bride, continued in ignorance of his fate, or whether he was alive or dead, till Madame de Beauharnais, gratefully desirous of serv- ing one who suffered on her husband's account, at length discovered the wretched committee man in one of the most loathsome of the revolutionary dun- geons. These circumstances we learn from her own letters. But the hero of this feigned conspiracy, the vicomte himself, a celebrated republican com- mander, either appeared too great a personage thus to be struck obscurely and in the dark, or his accu- sers, by means of informations elicited from those with whom he conversed familiarly, wished to impli- cate both him and others more deeply in their snares. In carrying forward this latter intention, it must be acknowledged they evinced a diabolical ingenuity. And amid the terrible generalities by which history represents the enormities of the French Revolution, we are struck with a peculiar horror by the incident pertaining to our present subject, of a son and daughter mere children too secretly interrogated, in order indirectly to obtain matter of accusation against a father from their unguarded and artless answers ! The feeling resembles that intenseness of pain occasioned by the contemplation of a single THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 65 group in Guide's Massacre of the Innocents. But here a mother's language will best describe the scene : Josephine, to her Aunt. " Will you believe it, my dear aunt 1 My children have just undergone a long and minute examination ! That wretched old man, member of the committee, and whom I have repeatedly named to you, intro- duced himself into my house ; and under pretence of feeling interested in my husband, and of entertaining me, set my poor ones a-talking. I confess that at first I was completely thrown off my guard by this stratagem ; only I could not help wondering at the affability of such a personage. Innate guile, how- ever, soon betrayed itself when the children replied in terms whence it was impossible to extort the least implication against their unfortunate parents. Thus I speedily detected the deceit. When he per- ceived I had penetrated his craft, he ceased to feign, and declaring that he had been charged with ob- taining from my children information so much the more certain as being ingenuous, he proceeded to interrogate them in form. Upon this avowal, I was sensible of an inexpressible revulsion taking place within me ; I felt that I grew pale with affright that I now reddened with anger now trembled with indignation. I was on the point of expressing to this hoary revolutionist the loathing with which he inspired me, when the thought arose that I might thus do injury to my husband, against whom this execrable man shows inveterate enmity ; then I re- pressed my resentment in silence. Upon his desiring to be left alone with my little ones, I felt again the spirit of resistance rising within me ; but such ferocity appeared in his looks that I was constrained to obey. " Having locked up Hortense in a closet, he com- menced by questioning her brother. When my 66 MEMOIRS OF daughter's turn came, oh, now I trembled on perceiv- ing the length to which her examination extended ! for our inquisitor had not failed to remark in the dear girl an acuteness and penetration far beyond her years. After sounding them as to our conversations, our opinions, the visits and letters which we received, and especially on the actions which they might have witnessed, he broached the capital question, namely, the discourse held with their father in prison. My children, each in character, answered excellently well, and spite the subtlety of the wretch, who wished to find guilt, the sound understanding of my son and the intelligent address of his sister disconcerted, if they were not able to confound, the knavery. What consequences will they extort from an examination Bucli as truth dictates to lips that are guileless 1 It can redound only to the triumph of innocence and the shame of its accusers : will they dare to produce it, if thence arise this twofold check ? " Still the same silence concerning the unfortunate Nevil. Notwithstanding my repugnance, I have de- cided on requesting an audience of a member of the committee of General Safety, Louis (deputy of the Lower Rhine), of whom report speaks less unfavour- ably than of his colleagues. Your nephew has ex- pressly prohibited me from seeing these men, whom he regards as the assassins of our country ; but he has not forbidden me to solicit from gratitude, and in favour of friendship. Had he done so, I could almost have dared to disobey the injunction. I hold the ungrateful in horror, and certainly never shall in- crease their number." Thus we have already found, on other occasions, that amid her own afflictions the "amiable Jose- phine" forgot not the sorrows of others. The audi- ence which, with charitable casuistry, she endeav- ours to exclude from her husband's general prohi- bition, was actually solicited and obtained a few THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 67 days after, as we learn from the following graphic epistle : Madame de Beauhclrnais, to her Aunt. " Louis, the deputy of the Lower Rhine, whom I just saw for a moment, appeared to me not without some good, and I believe him not insensible. The accents of pity seem to find his heart not inaccessible. He does not repel misfortune, nor add bitterness to the reproaches wrung from grief ; but those qualities precisely which recommend him to the oppressed become vices and lessen his influence with the oppressors. He enjoys little credit ; and, after hear- ing my petition, could do nothing therein directly, but introduced me to his colleague, who is charged with the police of the prisons. The latter, with malice in his look, and mockery on his tongue, complimented me ironically upon the interest which I expressed in Nevil's fate. 'The cordwainer,' said the ruffian, ' is a vigorous and handsome youth : it is quite as it should be for him to be protected by a woman who is young and handsome also. If she now manifest sensibility, the time may come when he will be able to show his gratitude. As to the matter in hand, however, his examination being fin- ished, his affair is no longer a concern of mine. You must therefore transport yourself into the office of citizen Prosper Sigas, who, if so disposed, may grant you the required permission. You may say that I recommend him to be yielding, for it is really a sin to keep so long separated from each other two young people who only ask to be reunited.' " After these impertinencies, to which I deigned no reply, the fellow gave me a card to the functionary whom he had just named. Oh ! as for this latter, he proved quite another sort of person : to my delight and great astonishment, I found in M. Sigas all the urbanity desirable in a man of the world, joined to 68 MEMOIRS OF that knowledge of detail which we have a right to expect in a public officer. He informed me, that notwithstanding a first examination, citizen Nevil still remained in the depot of the committee of Gen- eral Security. 'As it is supposed,' continued my informant, ' that he has disclosures to make, it has been judged fit to place him there, that he may be forthcoming when wanted. I am sorry for it, first on his own account, and next on yours, madam, whose interest he appears so fortunate as to have excited. There is your permission to communicate with him ; you will observe that it authorizes these communications only in presence of a witness ; but this postscript which I add gives the power to render the witness invisible if circumstances permit ; or, if not, makes him blind and deaf.' Avow, my beloved aunt, that 'though now misplaced, it would not be easy to find a more amiable personage than M. Pros- per Sigas. " From the offices of the committee I descended to the Hotel de Brionne, under the gate of which the depot is situated. You will have difficulty in believ- ing, that neglect, or rather atrocity, could be carried so far as to establish this depot in a subterranean passage, narrow, dark, receiving through grated loop- holes a struggling and doubtful light, and which, in close contact with a public sewer, has, upon the roof, the channels of wells constantly in use. In this damp, gloomy, and infected hole are to be found, by tens and twelves, huddled into spaces of fifteen feet square, captives unknown to each other, and without other bed than a few boards raised some thirty inches from the floor, spreading mutual infec- tion from their bodies, while they envenom the evils of their minds by dreadful confidences. Here groaned Nevil, when, to his great astonishment, he was called out, and recognised me with lively satisfaction. It is quite true that he has been examined, but less upon what concerns my husband than upon what passed THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 69 at the Luxembourg. As nothing, in fact, took place there, it thence resulted that questions were reite- rated, while the replies were necessarily few and un- satisfactory. He is prepared for new trials." Just as there occur pauses in the hurricane, there seems about this time to have ensued a brief cessa- tion from the full severity of persecution in the do- mestic drama, the evolution of which, amid the grand national tragedy, it is our duty to trace. Beauharnais was permitted a little more liberty, and communica- tion with his family was again allowed. This com- parative calm might be attributed to some partial cause, and confined to the narrow circle of the pres- ent history, were it not found in a greater or less degree to have extended over the whole of the deso- lated expanse of republicanism. Under the pros* pect of his decreasing popularity, Robespierre essayed various methods of regaining his ascendency over the spirits, for his empire over the bodies of his countrymen remained undiminished almost to the last hour of his fatal existence. Among the plans by which he thus endeavoured to deceive was one foreign to his nature, an appearance of leaning towards humanity. He encouraged the belief of discussions with his adherents on a change of sys- tem, and writings were even published under the eye, it was said, of the revolutionary tribunal, deprecating the severities which it was alleged circumstances had rendered necessary. All this appears to have been either a lure to induce individuals to commit themselves by encouraging an expression of opinion, or a mere tentative on the endurance of the nation ; for the daily sacrifice of victims by the guillotine still continued, though with somewhat less parade of triumphant wickedness : the people, instead of ap- plauding, had begun to look upon these orgies with sullen and ominous discontent. The device took for a space, and that it deceived Josephine among 70 MEMOIRS OF others appears from the following letter to her hus- band, whose hours of captivity she imagined would be lightened by those hopes which affection whis- pered might be real, however stern experience might question the sweet illusion: " Dare I believe it true "? Does Heaven relent, or can it be that the government, now more secure, sets a term to severity, and replaces terror by clem- ency 1 For two days precautions and rigour have been relaxed to such an extent as to permit external communications after a very slight scrutiny. The report gains belief that St. Just has had a very warm altercation with several members of the com- mittee : the former is said to be desirous of chang- ing the system ; his policy, weary of punishment, is violently opposed to that of some of his colleagues. St. Just is a young man of that rare merit, found but once in twenty years ; and thousands deplore the fatality which has dragged him forward in a career as dangerous as it is cruel. At the same time, no- thing can be more astonishing than to behold Robes- pierre returning to sentiments of humanity. He who, after a long course of wandering, dared to pro- claim a God in the very face of impiety, cannot bear a heart altogether abandoned. " It is said, that in consequence of this quarrel, which does him so much honour, he has been ex- pelled from all the committees, thus throwing upon his colleagues all the odium of a sanguinary admin- istration. But the influence of this event has not been lost either upon those who hope or those who suffer. Here we thence experienced a joy which partook as much of surprise as of enthusiasm. By little and little these first transports calmed, and an unwonted security, more tranquil, but not less pleas- ing, succeeded. Do not you also, my friend, partici- pate in these hopes ? mine will be more lively and unalloyed if you approve. THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 71 "The appearance of a pamphlet by Desmoulins is announced as an event ; as perhaps you already know. It is said, that under the transparent allegory of the court of Tiberius, he paints the cruelties of our own time. This is being very bold ; but it is added that he wrote to the dictation of Robespierre : in such case his temerity is not dangerous. Two copies were sent to our hotel, and one goes for my dear Alexander. May it be the cause of your passing i good night !" The affections, says Shakspeare, are badreasoners ; and in the letter above we detect a singular instance of their sophistry. Probably, before perusing it, the reader could not have supposed a single virtuous action in the dark career of Robespierre. Yet, with an amiable anxiety to discover in the past some encouragement for the hopes which she wished to cherish for the future, has Josephine selected the only redeeming page in that dismal history. But, alas ! how far from the witnessing of a good con- fession were the unhallowed orgies to which she alludes. Well might a celebrated living writer ex- claim, that the preceding atheism was preferable to the religion of Robespierre. But in the men from whom she fondly looked for liberty to her husband and security to her children, Josephine determined to feign, if she could not find, something good, almost in the disposition with which the ploughman-bard addresses the great adversary : O, wad ye tak a thought, an' men', Ye aiblins might I dinna ken- Still hae a stake ; I'm wae to think upo' yon den, E'en for your sake ! Between the statements of this letter, too, and the usual accounts of the Revolution, we discover a dis- crepancy as to date. In the latter, Desmoulins is said to have been condemned and to have suffered 72 MEMOIRS OF with Danton. But the execution of that triumvir took place prior to Robespierre's impious acknow- ledgment ; while Desmoulins appears, from Jose- phine's account, to have been, not only alive, but in favour, subsequently to the re-establishment of deism. It is most probable, therefore, that he perished, not as the associate of Danton, but at an after-period, one of the daily victims to the jealousy of the tyrant, who decimated his adherents till he himself fell at last, isolated, and without support. The fol- lowing is De Beauharnais's reply to his wife's com- munication, and shows how clearly he comprehended both the men and their devices : Vicomte de Beauharnais, to Josephine. " My poor friend, what an error is thine ! Hope deludes you ; but in the times wherein we live hope disappoints and betrays. I have read with attention the work of Desmoulins : it is the production of an honest man, but a dupe. He wrote, you say, to the dictation of Robespierre : it is probable ; but after having urged him thus far, the tyrant will sacrifice him. I know that determined man: he will not retreat before any difficulty ; and, to secure the tri- umph of his detestable system, he will even, if need be, play the part of a man of feeling. Robespierre, in the conviction of his pride, believes himself called to regenerate France ; and, as his views are short- sighted, and his heart cold, he conceives of radical regeneration only as a washing in blood. It is the easiest mode of reform, for the victims are penned, and the butcher has merely to extend his hand, and drag them to the slaughterhouse. Some, however, before expiring, had raised a cry of lamentation, and this note the credulous Camille is employed to repeat, in order to try conclusions with opinion. Whatever may be his object, it will incur opposition, which will be wrested by the tvrant into a r-anse fo>- THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 73 the sacrifice of new victims. Such is the grand out- line of his policy. "I grieve, my dear Josephine, to destroy your heart's illusion ; but how can I entertain it, who have viewed too closely the mano3uvres of tyranny 1 When we are unable to oppose to despotism a power capable of crushing despotism, there remains but one pos- sibility of resistance, namely, to receive its inflictions with a virtue which may cover it with dishonour. Those who come after us will at least profit by our example, and the legacy of the proscribed will not be lost to humanity." How truly her husband had divined the purposes of their persecutors was but too soon proved to Madame de Beauharnais. She was herself arrested soon after the alleged conspiracy. It is, indeed, to be wondered at, how she had been suffered to be at large after the vicomte's imprisonment, did not the circumstances already mentioned explain the cause, a temporary mitigation of cruelty, only that it might burst forth with renewed fierceness. Josephine, to her Aunt. " I commence this letter at a venture, and without knowing if it will reach you. On Tuesday last? Nevil's mother entered my apartment with an air of anxiety, and even grief, on her countenance. My mind reverted to her son. ' I do not weep for him,' said the good woman, sobbing aloud as she spoke ; * though he be in secret confinement, I have no fears for his life ; he belongs to a class whose members are pardoned, or rather overlooked ; others are more exposed.' ' Others !' Instantly my thoughts were at the Luxembourg. 'Has Alexander been called before the tribunal V exclaimed I. ' Be comforted ; the vicomte is well.' I could then think of no one for whom to feel alarm. The kind-hearted creature G 74 MEMOIRS OF 9 proceeded, with many precautions, to inform me that she alluded to myself. I immediately became tranquil. After having trembled for all that we love, my God! how delightful to have to fear only for one's self! "Yesterday morning I received an anonymous letter, advertising me of danger. I could have fled ; but whither retire without compromising my hus- band ? Decided thus to await the storm, I sat down with my children, and in their innocent caresses 'could almost have forgotten my misfortunes, if their very presence had not more forcibly recalled the absence of their father. Sleep stole them from my arms, which at such a moment folded them, as if instinctively, in a more tender embrace. Alas ! the love which unites a mother to her offspring has its superstitions also ; and I know not what invincible presentiment overcame me with vague terror. Judge, if, thus left quite alone, I could banish this painful sentiment. Yet Heaven is witness, that the three cherished beings who constitute my whole happiness occasion likewise my sole pain. How think of myself when they are threatened ! " I continued plunged in these reflections, when a loud knocking was heard at the outer door of the house. I perceived that my hour was come, and, finding the requisite courage in the very conscious- ness that the blow was inevitable, I resigned myself to endurance. While the tumult continued increas- ing, I passed into my children's apartment; they slept ! and their peaceful slumber, contrasted with their mother's trouble, made me weep. I impressed upon my daughter's forehead, alas ! perhaps my last kiss ; she felt the maternal tears, and, though still asleep, clasped her arms round my neck, whispering, in broken murmurs, ' Come to bed, fear nothing ; they shall not take you away this night. I have prayed to God for you.' " Meanwhile, a crowd had entered my sitting-room, THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 75 and there, at the head of ferocious and armed men, I found the same president already named, whom very weakness renders inhuman, and whose sloth favours his prepossessions against the accused. These prejudices, so far as concerned me, were deemed by him sufficient warranty for my arres.t; without examination, as without probability, I saw that he firmly believed in what atrocious ignorance has termed the conspiracy of the Luxembourg. I spare you needless detaife ; already have I been forced to impart too many sad ones. Let it suffice to know, that seals being placed upon every article with lock and key, I was conducted to the house of detention at the Carmelites. Oh, what shudderings came over me on crossing that threshold, still humid with blood ! Ah ! my beloved aunt, for what out- rages are not those men prepared who did not punish the execrable crimes committed here !" The prison to which Josephine had been thus conducted, and to whose horrid reminiscences she alludes in the concluding passage, was the convent of Carmelites, so well known in the massacres of the 3d, 3d, 4th, and 5th of September, 1793. During " these days of agony," as with fearful justice they are designated by St. Heard, nearly eight thousand individuals, collected in the various prisons of Paris, were deliberately slaughtered by a Jacobin mob. The executioners here, as the reader is well aware, volunteers in the work, received wages of the Con- vention at the rate of sixteen shillings a-day, with- out distinction of men and women, for they were composed of both sexes. The latter, however, were distinguished from the former by one little piece of refinement, the females tucked up their sleeves for the work of butchery ! The massacre of St. Bartholomew has now for nearly three cen- turies served to point each declaimed epigrammatic flippancy on the evils of fanaticism; but why is 76 MEMOIRS OF silence kept on these fiendish saturnalia of popular license "? Do men dare to lay to religion's charge their own crimes, perpetrated under her sacred name, while they dissemble altogether, or blazon into mag- nanimous deeds, the outrages which they commit under the abused sanction of liberty 1 But if, as every good man confesses, that is not religion which is iot tolerant, peaceful, and easy to be entreated, so that is not real freedom which is not subordina- tion, subordination to the laws, and to lawful superiors. The place of durance allotted to the unhappy wife of De Beauharnais had, on these fatal days, been the chief scene of the sufferings of the clergy. Some hundreds of that order were poniarded in the chapel of the convent, or had their brains dashed out as they knelt before the altars. To this hour the walls and floor are stained with vast " gouts of blood ;" and in the library is still preserved a copy of the New Testament found upon the corpse of one of these martyrs, pierced with twenty-two dagger thrusts, and purpled in every page with a hue too easily recognisable. No wonder, then, that Jose- phine, torn from her children, trembling for her husband, yet still bearing up under the pressure of her own personal fears, should at last feel a sicken- ing of the heart on entering the desecrated precincts over whose entrance might well seem to have been placed the inscription which Dante has feigned for the infernal doors : Lasciate ogni speranza voi chi entrate .'* In truth, among the numbers at that time in a condition nearly similar, it is difficult to imagine a family in more desolate circumstances than that of * In Milton's imitation, Hope never comes, That comes to all. THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 77 De Beauharnais. When morning broke upon " the peaceful slumber," which a few hours before had been watched by a mother's fond regrets, Eugene and Hortense awoke alone in the wide solitude of a great city. Their parents in different prisons, one of which was inaccessible and the other unknown ; their other relatives exiled or absent ; they found themselves without friend or adviser. It is surpris- ing how early circumstances so trying as these call forth the characters of the sufferers. In the present instance, however, it is less wonderful that in such an age they should have displayed exactly the same dispositions as marked their after-life, since Jose- phine's letters have already shown how very soon the minds of her children had given forth their re- spective bias. After the first burst of affliction on this fatal morning had somewhat subsided, our youthful sufferers began to consider what was to be done. Hortense, with the same energetic resolves as long after animated her on occasions of moment, when her prospects were far different, proposed in- stantly to set out for the Luxembourg, and demand to be admitted into their father's prison. Eugene, with a caution not unworthy of the boyhood of him who conducted the retreat from the Beresina, calmly objected to the impropriety of acting in a way which, without benefiting themselves, should opposition be offered, might compromise their parents, and pro- posed advertising their aunt at Versailles of their new misfortune. Nevil's mother accordingly under- took to have the necessary information transmitted, and before night Madame Fanny Beauharnais had her young relatives with her in the country. This kindness was never forgotten, when the parties could well repay the obligations of their youth ; and to it Josephine adverted, in the affectionate appellation of second mother, under which she afterward usually spoke of her aunt. Thus were dispersed the mem- bers of a family so closely united by affection ; and G 2 78 MEMOIRS of- fer three of whom destinies so splendid were re- served. The fate which a few weeks later overtook the father would have been the only one predicted by a contemporary observer. CHAPTER III. Outline of the Revolutionary Government Josephine ignorant of its true Nature Sources of her Confidence Her Conduct in Prison Letter describing her Situation and Fellow-CaptivesLetter to her Husband Massacre of the Priests Affecting Incident Letter in reply Conclusion of the History of Tommy The Noblesse Letters to her Children To Hortense To Sigas A last Interview Execu- tion of M. de Beauharnais His Letter to Josephine Her Distress Letter of the Dutchess D'Aiguillon Josephine prepares for Death Tale of Robespierre Singular Correspondence Prediction Queen of France. THAT the reader may be enabled fully to appre- ciate the danger which now threatened the principal personages of the narrative, as also to understand its incidents, a brief introspect to the revolutionary administrations and tribunals will prove useful. At the period of Josephine's arrest, the machinery of the " infernal system," the " rule of terror," as the government of this time has been but too justly designated, consisted of four distinct movements. Of these, the Committee of Public Safety, that of Public Security, and the Tribunal of the Revolution were public and recognised authorities ; the fourth, the Club of Paris, with its affiliated societies of Jacobins throughout the provinces, existed rather of itself than as authorized by the state ; or, more correctly, it was at once the source which supplied and the strength which supported the others. The first, or head of the whole, the Committee of Public Safety, exercised a most despotic and secret control over all other authorities, dictating all measures to ih& Convention now but a name or more fre- THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 79 quently acting without consulting even the forms of republicanism. This court, whose deliberations were private, and proceedings supreme, was consti- tuted of ten or twelve members indifferently, ac- cording to the equality of influence possessed by several of the leading Jacobins in the Convention. Re-elections rendered the memberships permanent in that sect; though successive proscriptions and periodical retirement made individual changes fre- quent. The Committee of Public Safety acted in some measure as the dictator of revolutionary France, being only so much the more formidable to its subjects, that it consisted of many, instead of one tyrant. The Committee of Public Security may be considered in the light of an assistant or a subordinate authority to the preceding, acting in the capacity of a police tribunal, having also its mem- bers selected in the same manner from the most determined revolutionists, and subject to similar changes. These two assemblies were properly legislative ; the executive was vested in the Revo- lutionary Tribunal, the vilest, probably, and the bloodiest instrument which is recorded in the annals of oppression. When we speak of executive, the expression is to be understood as applicable only to criminal matters, as these related to state offences, or to attempts which could by any means be con- strued as counteracting the progress of revolutionary principles. The court consisted at first of six judges, whose situations were permanent, and their functions remunerated by a fixed salary. To these were added two assistants and twelve paid jurymen, officials also of the state ; consequently, as respected the protection of the accused, the appointment of these jurors was mere mockery For the more quick despatch of their bloody work, these twenty executives were subsequently separated into four sections, each armed with the same tremendous powers as the parent assembly. It has been well 80 MEMOIRS OF observed, that in the most ferocious and unconstitu- tional authorities of either ancient or modern times, we find consistency and forbearance, as compared with the indiscriminate slaughter inflicted by the doom of the Revolutionary Tribunal. The Jacobin Club of Paris, the fourth in this agency of crime, may be considered as composed of so many volun- tary informers, who hunted out and denounced the victims, whom the three former fraternities judged and punished. Every city and town, nay, every village in France had also its club, corresponding by means of its secretary with that of Paris, taking upon itself the administration and the powers of government, in examining, accusing, and imprison- ing citizens whom its members had cause, interest, or malice in suspecting. These clubs, or local com- mittees, were generally composed of the lowest and most ignorant of the people ; while, from these very defects, they obtained the more influence over their deluded countrymen, who thence conceived that the lower orders must necessarily attain due influence in a state whose main supporters were chosen from the rabble. By this formidable con- spiracy against whatever was elevated or dignified, learned, elegant, or noble, the slightest whisper of suspicion could, with appalling celerity, be conveyed to the capital from the remotest frontier, while through the same channel the fiat of Robespierre was directed against its victim with a surety and speed which defied concealment or escape. But the efficiency of even this terrible ministry would have been imperfect without the " Law against suspected Persons," framed, as an appropriate rule of procedure for such courts, by Merlin de Douay a law which could be met on the part of the accused by no legal defence, no availing challenge, since it was indefinite in all save its fatal tendency. Though pointed expressly against those who miglit, however distantly, be connected with the aristocracy, the law THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 81 of suspicion was quickly discovered to be a most prevailing weapon, wielded for whatever purpose. Chameleon-like, it assumed hues as circumstances might require, and ever against the accused. Did a man desire to live prudently retired from the troubled scene of public affairs ? he was accused of being suspected of disaffection to liberal, that is, revolu- tionary, principles. Was an individual zealously ac- tive in what was termed the good cause 1 that, pro- vided he had wealth, furnished no protection ; his zeal might be without knowledge ; and he might be accused of being suspected of entertaining notions not exactly in accordance with those of the repub- lic. In short, there existed no security against sus- picion, for the penalty could be inflicted wheresoever it was thought convenient to fix the mark. At the period of which we now speak, to be denounced was sufficient, the revolutionary committees in- quired no further : even the slight forms by which at first suspicion had undergone something like inquiry were dispensed with altogether. The lists of names and descriptions which all householders were obliged to publish outside, of the inmates with- in doors, were barely perused, and designations pitched upon at hazard. Imprisonment, deprivation of rights, confiscation of property, and civil death were the immediate consequences of denouncement. Execution by the guillotine generally followed ; and with so little ceremony was capital punishment dealt out among the three hundred thousand captives who crowded the revolutionary prisons, in which the heads of the Beauharnais family were now immured, that each morning, regularly as the sun arose upon a land, from every peopled spot of whose surface his blessed beams were polluted by exhalations of blood, crowds were hurried to death, by twenties and thirties on the same sledge ! Doubtless these had actually been tried and convicted of .being, at least, liable to suspicion 1 will be the natural ques- 82 MEMOIRS OF tion of the reader. No ! they were taken at ran- dom ; and provided the daily hecatomb was furnished, few cared to inquire of what individual victims it might be composed. Such was, is, and ever will be government by any populace ; and such were the dangers to which the subject of these Memoirs lay now exposed. It was Josephine's misfortune, in the first instance, to have but imperfectly appreciated the real state of things, regarding as scarcely serious the individual circumstances already narrated. Convinced of. her husband's innocence of practising against the gov- ernment, even such as it then existed, and in happy ignorance of the supreme demoralization of its prin- ciples and administrators, she could not believe the latter in earnest, until their devices closed but too fatally around. Like a child who turns, half-terri- fied, from the mask which it knows to have been assumed, she shrunk from the sad realities of impris- onment and criminal prosecution, though unable to reconcile them with her own conviction of the illu- sions upon which they were attempted to be based. " What a pity," she thus writes to her aunt, " that I can no longer indulge my disposition to laugh at passing events ; for, apart from their atrocious as- pect, they exhibit, on the whole, something extremely ludicrous. This miserable affair of the conspiracy of the Luxembourg, for instance, which never ex- isted, save in the brain, and very likely in the profit- able speculations, of those by whom the whole was got up, assumes a consistency for the consequences of which I have just reason to tremble." We have seen the troubles and anxieties which overwhelmed Madame de Beauharnais on her hus- band's account, and might perhaps naturally conclude, that, in captivity herself, these would be painfully augmented. But this would not be a just inference ; on the contrary, she even appears to have recovered a portion of her former tranquillity. Hers, however, THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 83 was not that casting away of care which arises from a reckless indifference of knowing the worst, too common in such condition, and painfully char- acteristic of this particular era ; but a happy confi- dence springing from the calmness of an unclouded spirit the serenity of a mind that has never neg- lected duties when opportunities served ; and which seeks, under all circumstances, occasion of being use- ful to others. Delightful privilege of a conscience at peace with itself, and in charity with all mankind ! Conscienza Passicura, La buona compagnia che 1' uom francheggia Sotto 1' usbergo del sentirsi pura ! Her heart, devoted to benevolence, appeared to chei- ish only one regret under the loss of liberty, namely, that the four walls of a prison-house circumscribed the power of doing go od. ID her own words, " I now find myself gooc|/for nothing, since I cannot move about among those who were more comfortless still than myself." But in this Josephine was unjust ; forgetting, that by kindness of manner, and the gen- tle charms of an unvarying cheerfulness of dispo- sition, she poured consolation and hope into many a forlorn and anxious bosom shut up within the same narrow precincts with herself. " An enemy to all wrangling," we quote from an amiable and well-in- formed biographer, " detesting political disquisitions, she lived in good understanding with all circles of her fellow-prisoners, divided as they were in opinion, and disputing among themselves with a bitterness which was ever sure to be allayed where Madame de Beauharnais could obtain a hearing. Benevolent towards her inferiors, friendly and always the same with her equals, polite to those who conceived them- selves her superiors, she conciliated universal affec- tion. In prison, as afterward upon the first throne in the world, she was beloved by all classes, because ever found to occupy the station which best became her. The sense of propriety i indeed, seemed in her 84 MEMOIRS OF an innate knowledge : thus, she neither experienced insolence in the season of her adversity ; nor, when empress, made others feel how infinitely her own condition was above theirs." It is pleasing to know that goodness here brought its reward. The following letter displays Jose- phine's situation, with a playful attempt at philoso- phizing on character, which would amuse under any circumstances, but, as written from a prison, is de- aghtful. Who Madame Parker was we have vainly endeavoured to discover ; nor is any thing known be- yond the fact of her having been French, and mar- ried to an Englishman. In all probability, the lady died early, since nothing shows that the correspond- ence was subsequently continued. Josephine*, to Madame Parker, in London. " Let me place before you, my dear friend, two con- trasts, which we but seldom remark, though they present themselves every day; and of which I have a fancy to talk with you for a moment. Good news, last evening, of my children to-day, hopes in my husband's affairs : what more favourable to appetite, to sleep, and to good-humour 1 Thus, mine is not so very sour ; and that it may become altogether agreeable, I set about writing to you. You are young, rich, handsome, witty, adored by an amiable husband, and courted by a circle where your talents are applauded and enjoyed : why, then, are you not happy 1 I possess little fortune, still less beauty, no pretensions, few hopes t how then am I able to taste some felicity? Grave philoso- phers might perhaps enter into lengthy discussion, in order to resolve the question. The problem would become still more complicated were I to add, the one lives in the land of independence and of liberty yet she weeps : the other vegetates in a region of servitude and, though in prison, is yet tranquil. THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 85 To explain this diversity, by difference of characters is rather to postpone the explanation than to re- move the difficulty; for whence arises the difference of characters? " My dear Clara obeys the impulse of her heart when she recounts to me sorrows which she exagge- rates : I, on my part, yield to the dictates of mine while entertaining her with what another would call pains, but which two days of slight hope, springing up once more in my breast, has transformed into pleasures " Know you, my beloved friend, what it is that, in a place such as this, creates unceasingly those pleasures which are almost always soothing, some- times even positive happiness 1 two trifling com- binations which concurred fortuitously, namely, a parody of life in the great world, and the simplicity of private retirement. This demands explanation "In the commencement of things that be, this establishment, being occupied by great lords, had beheld transferred within its bolts and bars the whole majesty of the salons of the ancient court, and consequently all its dulness and languor. An aug- mentation of inhabitants introduced increase of visits, private assemblies, etiquette, and all the cere- monial invented to conceal the disgust experienced by greatness. At the sight of this petty pomp, this dignity in miniature, the new comers conceived the idea of oversetting the whole by exposing it to ridi- cule. To succeed here nothing was wanted beyond exaggeration. Henceforth a gravity of deportment attached to the most indifferent actions; they ac- costed each other with all the formalities of the herald's office, and bade good morning as if declaim- ing from the rostrum ; the tone ascending gradually to the diapason, so to speak, of lofty breeding, they contrived to give to everything that is most common in domestic life the importance of romance and the emphasis of tragedy. All this assuming pretension would long before have been ridiculous, even at Ver- H 86 MEMOIRS OF sailles, or in the Fauxbourg St. Germain ; judge, then, what must have been its extravagant effect in the narrow circuit and amid the miserable appliances of a prison. " Some good spirits there were who readily per- ceived that, to banish the mortal dulness which had not failed to follow in the train of these absurdities, it was only required to call in the aid of reason but reason, gentle and conciliating, accompanied by intelligence, and guided by good taste, whence might arise modesty, with simplicity of manners and in- tercourse. Buckram and lace, however, uniting their forces against the new revolution, maintained the combat for some time with advantage, and yielded not till after a stiff defence. Their general defeat was just about taking place when I became an inmate. The greatest freedom has since suc- ceeded to the slavery of etiquette. Now we trouble our heads very little with observances, but are very solicitous about kind actions. We feel, that in order to find people amiable it is necessary to take some pains to be so one's self. Each makes some conces- sions of individual tastes to those of our companions in misfortune ; we enter into each other's views, or oppose them with gentleness, instead of contending with fury. Some honoured names and lofty titles continue to receive the respect established by usage ; but the homage of the mind is given to social quali- ties, to the talents which profit our society, and to the virtues which serve us for models. It needs not to inquire if those to whom there remained nothing save pretensions treat as revolutionists the inno- vators for whom merit has acquired rights. " Such is now the state of minds here. Among the hundred and sixty captives composing our estab- lishment, five or six private societies have been formed through resemblance of individual opinions and character. Some others there are, still more closely associated by the mosttender affections, and THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 87 these, isolated and silent, mix little with the pleas- ures of the rest, which they never disturb. As for me, independently of a number of acquaintances and friends whom I have recovered, I see every- body and every where meet with hearts to console and misfortunes in which to sympathize. This reminds me that you, my dear Clara, believe your- self to be among the unfortunate, and under that title have a right to what I lavish upon others. To- day, however, you shall have no consolation beyond the ceitaincy of an approaching melioration in my destiny. Is not that sufficient to render yours happy, at least for some moments ? Need I assure you of my participation in your afflictions, imaginary though they be 1 ? and know you not, that while you suffer I suffer also I The greatest of all misfortunes is to doubt that which we love to think true, and such sorrow at least we shall never experience, so far as depends upon each other. Adieu, my friend. Courage! Must that word be pronounced by her who languishes in a prison ] Ought she not rather to preserve for herself the exhortations which she sends to you ] My children are well, De Beauhar- nais's affair assumes a more favourable turn, why, then, should my fortitude fail 1 Once more, adieu." Happy had it been for France if the grand revo- lution without, had been conducted on the same principles of kindness and forbearance as directed the reformation within, the prison of the Carmelites. The delightful descriptions in Josephine's letter transport us indeed to a scene which fills the mind with a pleasing astonishment, when we think that those who were thus intent on the active charities of life were themselves every moment exposed to the dread of a public execution, and from the win- dows of their prisonhouse, might daily behold their countrymen, perhaps relations, dragged ignomini- ously to the block. But whatever might be the fears 88 MEMOIRS OF of her companions, Josephine's apprehensions and hopes were wholly independent of self,- wholly fixed upon those she loved: her present cares were for the misery around her, her distant thoughts ' were on her children and her husband. The favour- able turn in the vicomte's affairs arose from one of those vicissitudes, or rather experiments, frequent in the latter days of Robespierre's sway, and al- lowed correspondence between the prisoner in the Luxembourg and the captive of the Carmelites. The letters were, indeed, subjected to inspection, but, by means of Nevil's mother, and sometimes through himself for he had now recovered his freedom communications passed which were seen only by the parties. Madame de Beauharnais anx- iously embraced every opportunity of transmitting to her husband whatever could tend either to inform him of the situation of affairs, or beguile the lin- gering hours of captivity. Among the epistles dedicated to the latter purpose appears the following tragical account of the massacre which had taken place in the very prison which she herself then inhabited. Josephine, to her Husband. " You have not forgotten the unfortunate village maiden in the environs of Rouen, who, being aban- doned by her lover, became insane, and wandered about the highways, inquiring of every traveller concerning her ungrateful seducer. The good Mar- sollier caused us to shed many tears when he related some years ago the misfortunes of the poor forsaken maniac; and our amiable Dalayrac has rendered them familiar to the public ear by verses which will not soon be forgotten. Well, my friend, there is in this house a youth who, with even greater propriety than Nina, might become the hero of a drama. He is an English boy, named Tommy. The fatal coa- THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 89 sequences of an unfortunate passion have often been to be deplored, which, by depriving the hapless sufferer of reason, takes away all feeling of sorrow; but the sentiment of gratitude is rarely so profound as to produce the same effect. The wretched Tommy is a touching example of the excess of an affection of which much is said, but little felt. This history struck me as so interesting that I resolved to send you the relation. Your heart will appreciate the simple recital ; and, by occupying you for a few minutes with the sorrows of others, I shall beguile you from your own. To lament over our species, to give tears to their griefs, is, alas ! the sole dis- tinction vouchsafed in a season of trial. " A respectable priest of St. Sulpice had conceived an affection for Tommy, and bestowed upon him the principles of a Christian education : I say Christian, in the full extent of the word ; for the worthy Abbe Capdeville, equally tolerant as pious, made the youth his pupil only, nor once thought of rendering him his proselyte ; persuaded that religion in a pure mind will insinuate itself gently by example, and can never be prescribed as maxims. Those which he incul- cated upon Tommy were drawn from a universal charity, of which he exhibited meanwhile an affect- ing example in his own practice. A witness of nu- merous benefactions, distributed with not less kind- ness than discernment, Tommy could not doubt that the first foundation of religion is to be laid in charity. He was in like manner convinced that indulgence and toleration must have been ordained by God, whom he beheld so well manifested in the benevolent abbe. This priest reserved for himself nothing beyond the simplest necessaries : lavish towards others, he re- fused to himself whatever could not be regarded as indispensable at an age so advanced as his. The calmness and placidity of his countenance testified that his heart had ever been tranquil. Never did a shade appear on his visage, save when he found it 90 MEMOIRS OF impossible to be of service to a brother, or to sooth the remorse of a guilty conscience. " Tommy, gifted with quick penetration and lively sensibility, conceived for his benefactor an attach- ment so much the more ardent that he had pre- viously never known any one to love ! He had been deprived of a mother's tenderness before he could feel his loss ; and he was not more than eight years old when Providence threw him in the way of this protecting angel. An orphan, forsaken by all the world, he had been received, brought up, and edu- cated by M. Capdeville. To obey the latter appeared to him so delightful, that he succeeded in all things ; it sufficed that his father for so the boy named the good priest directed him to do any thing, in which case an indefatigable perseverance enabled him to surmount every difficulty. This amiable and ex- cellent youth displayed a remarkable aptitude for music. His voice, harmonious, though not brilliant, accorded with several different instruments; and his daily progress on the harp pe mitted the anticipa- tion that, by-and-by, he would be able to impart to others what he himself so well knew. M. Capde- ville, being a man of great learning, received as pupils the children of several distinguished pro- fessors, who in turn took pleasure in teaching the protege of their friend. Thus, without expending what he conceived to be the property of the poor, the worthy man found means of procuring the best masters for his dear Tommy ; and, so modest him- self in every thing personal, he yet enjoyed with pride the success of this child of his' adoption. Alas ! the happiness which he thus experienced was des- tined to be of short duration ! " The consequences of the fatal 10th of August crowded the prisons with almost every priest w^ho had not taken the constitutional oaths. The Abbe Capdeville, persuaded that churchmen ought to obey the powers that be, according to the precepts of the THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 91 gospel, had given the required pledges, and sub- mitting, if not in heart, at least to authority, had consequently no reason to fear any measure against himself. But how abandon the venerable Arch- bishop of Aries, his diocesan and constant patron 1 In consequence of this devotedness, the revolu- tionists of the section, who had seen, and wished to see, only an accomplice in a grateful friend, pro- nounced his imprisonment in the Carmelites. Here, some days afterward, by various means, and after much difficulty, Tommy contrived to join his bene- factor ; for, at a time when a word, a look even, suf- ficed to plunge the individual into a dungeon, the poor youth was denied the privilege, which he so- licited with ardour, of serving in his turn the old man who had watched over his childhood. The heart- less men who refused for some time his request termed their denial a favour, while it was but cruelty. One of the members, who had formerly been under obligations to M. Capdeville, at length obtained an order, and Tommy, to his inexpressible joy, was shut up with his benefactor. " I wish to spare you, my friend, the description which has since been given me of the horrible mas-< sacre which took place on the 3d of September in this prison, a spot for ever memorable by reason of the snblime resignation of the numerous victims there sacrificed. The chapel was particularly selected by the murderers as the scene of death for the clergy. They seemed to have been dragged thither in order that their last look might rest upon Him who, perse- cuted like His servants, had taught them to forgive ; and the last sighs of these unfortunate men respired in feeble hymns of praise. They were actually pray- ing for their assassins when the frantic mob burst into the sacred place ! The Archbishop of Aries, seated in a chair on account of his great age, was giving his last benediction to his kneeling com- panions, Capdeville, on his knees also, was reciting 92 MEMOIRS OF the prayers for those in peril, the responses within were given as from a choir of martyrs, and without in the savage vociferations of a furious crowd eager to shed blood ! " Tommy, dreadfully agitated, traversed the whole building, in every sense of the word, stopping in order to listen, weeping at intervals, and uttering mournful cries. Some neighbours, whom a cour- ageous pity had imboldened to enter, wished to save him, and favoured his escape ; but, returning to his master, or rather friend, he took a station by his side, and refused to be separated from him. The ruffians having forced open the doors, and broken the win- dows, penetrated by several points at once : the pavement of the chapel, and the steps of the sanc- tuary, were speedily inundated with blood. Capde- ville, struck immediately after the bishop, fell at his feet, and, extending a mangled hand to Tommy, ex- pired as he looked upon him. That look was a last blessing. "Already the poor youth, or rather child for he is not yet sixteen exhibited unequivocal symp- toms of alienation of mind; on the death of his friend a fixed insanity appeared. The unfortunate abbe, who had knelt apart from the companions of his martyrdom, having been engaged in officiating, had fallen with his head supported on the upper step of the altar, and his body extended across the others; the left hand was pressed against the heart, and the right, as I have already said, extended towards his pupil. The blow which had finally deprived him of life had been so rapid in its opera- tion, that death had not effaced the habitual expres- sion of benevolence which lightened his placid countenance. He seemed to smile and slumber: by some sudden change in the reasoning facultie Tommy became convinced that his friend slep Instantly, as if by enchantment, the scene of slaugh ter disappeared from before his vision; he knelt THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 93 down by the side of the bleeding corpse, waiting its awaking. After three hours of watching, and as the sun sank beneath the horizon, Tommy went to seek his harp, and again sat down beside the lemains of his friend, playing melancholy airs, in order to hasten his awaking, which appeared to him to be long in taking place. While thus employed, sleep stole over his own frame, and the charitable hands which removed from the despoilers the bodies of the martyrs, carried away Tommy, and laid him on his bed. There he remained eight-and-forty hours in a kind of lethargy, whence, however, he awoke, with all the appearances of soundness of body arid mind. But, if health had been restored, reason had fled for ever. "In commiseration of his pioufl madness, a free asylum has been granted to him in this house, where he passes the day in silence till each afternoon at three o'clock. The moment that hour strikes, Tom- my, who ordinarily walks slowly, runs to seek his harp, upon which, leaning against the ruins of the altar still remaining in the chapel, he plays his friend's favourite airs. The expression of his coun- tenance on these occasions announces hope; he seems to expect a word of approbation from him whose remembrance he cherishes ; this hope and this employment continue until six o'clock, when he leaves off abruptly, saying, l Not yet ! but to-morrow he will speak to his child.' He then kneels down, prays fervently, rises with a sigh, and retires softly upon tiptoe, that he may not disturb the imaginary repose of his benefactor. The same affecting scene takes place day after day ; and during the intervals, the poor boy's faculties seem completely absorbed, till the fatal hour calls forth the same hopes, des- tined for ever to be chilled by the same disappoint- ment. " Though a prisoner within the same building, I had not had an opportunity of seeing the unfortunate 94 MEMOIRS OF youth. I have just for the first time looked upon that countenance whereon are depicted so many griefs and virtues. " I found it impossible to entertain you with anything else to-day. Adieu, then, TM friend, until to-morrow ; but, more happy than Tom- my, I am certain of being able to repeat to the object of my solicitude all the tenderness with which he inspires me." The reader will doubtless be solicitous to know the sequel of the incident so feelingly described above. This desire cannot be more pleasingly gratified than by introducing here the two letters which follow : Vicomte de jBeauharnais, to Josephine. " Your history, my beloved friend, is extremely touching, and little Tommy very interesting. After having read your letter more than once privately, I communicated it to our circle, and each, like myself, praised, as he deserves, the poor victim of the noblest of all sentiments, that is to say, all have shed tears over his misfortunes. All France would do the same were the circumstances disclosed. Ah, how he merits to be known ! What a contrast to the crimes of the age ! But the epochs of the greatest iniquities are likewise the eras of the loftiest virtue , and, for the sake of example, that of Tommy ought not to remain in obscurity. We have talents here which will find delight in holding up his to general admiration. One of us is prepared to paint the portrait of your Tommy ; another will dedicate his literary exertions to the same pious purpose ; anf this little monument, offered without pretension to 5 public not naturally insensible, may, perhaps, lay the foundation of the orphan's fortune. " Foi my own part, I shall be happy to contribute to this effect, by attaching the forsaken youth to the tHE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 95 fortunes of our son. Eugene bears in his heart the germ of every virtue ; and how would these seeds of goodness be ripened into activity by the example of one who had carried even to excess the affections of attachment and gratitude ! Do not lose sight of this idea ; it will, my good Josephine, accord with your own benevolent inclinations ; and, should it ever be realized, we shall have gained, from the most painful occurrences of our life, the rarest of all monuments the most affecting of all recollec- tions. " My oppression diminishes daily ; there remains only a severe cold, which has fixed upon my chest, through the perpetual irritation inseparable from my situation. At the sight of the doctor, all this disap- pears ; and when I read your letters, my dear Jose- phine, I cannot persuade myself but that I am happy ! When we shall once more be reunited, my happi- ness will no longer be an illusion, and you will be of the same mind, for you will feel it to be real." Josephine, in reply. " For once, my dear friend, you must give me credit as a soothsayer ! The third and fourth vol- umes of the * Old Cordelier' have begun to persuade you ; but what say you to the work itself ? I hasten to send it you. Here, we fight who shall have it first, and divide the volume into fragments, in order to read it by morsels ; tears accompany the reading, and mutual embraces follow on the close ; one-half cf our captives have given orders for fetes, country parties, and new furniture. To-day Madame de S. sent for a famous jockey, with whom she has con- cluded a treaty for replenishing her stud ; and the old Du Merbion, with whom you may recollect having hunted at Rainey, has ordered from Scotland six couples of terriers, such as were never seen in France. In short, projectors of all descriptions 96 MEMOIRS OF are retained by the month ; and when we do get out I know not if we shall find a morsel of food I Nevil's mother participates in our hopes and our joys ; and you, my dear Alexander, you must not destroy them with a cruel foresight, an ill-founded distrust, and all the sinister presentiments inspired by too much experience, by the remembrance of a home, and the aspect of a prison. Till we meet, my be- loved, adieu ; I do not to-day embrace you upon cold paper : for I hold myself in reserve soon to lavish upon you endearments like my affection, real. P.S. I have written to our aunt, imparting the happy news. I wrote also to our children, and have informed Eugene of a companion worthy of him. Tommy consents to live with us, but stipulates one express condition, namely, that, upon the second day of every month, at three o'clock in the after- noon, he shall be permitted to come here, and, by the harmony of his notes, charm the dreams of his- sleeping friend during the whole continuance of the Revolution J Poor Tommy! who would not be moved by a delirium so affecting ]" What an amiable contrast is presented in these letters between the Beauharnais family and their fellow-captives. With the execution of their prince fresh in memory their own imprisonment, a posi- tive evil the ruin of their names and lineage in prospect the noblesse of France could yet be con- cerned about horses and dogs, grooms, cooks, and upholsterers ! Truly, the picture is at once ludi- crous and mournful. What would the country have gained in moral dignity, even could her virtuous citizens have then shaken off the coarse and cruel despotism which oppressed them, to reinstate such imbecility in its worthless folly? The unimpas- sioned and, as it were, accidental view of its mem- bers which these letters present but too strongly confirms the truth of the picture afterward drawn THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 97 of the emigration, or nobility of the old regime " that adversity had taught them no wisdom," while we know, from our own experience, "that pros- perity could not inspire them with moderation." But let us turn for a moment to Josephine and her excellent husband, contriving, amid their own mis- fortunes, how they might alleviate the woes of others, and amid the anticipations of future happi- ness, placing, as one of the principal ingredients of enjoyment, the reflection of having elicited good from their severest trial ! Alas, that intentions such as these should have been frustrated by one like Robespierre ! Even in this view, however, we trace the hand of Providence. Beauharnais, tried as he had been, and reclaimed, was at least not exposed to the temptation of again falling away, and Jose- phine's means of doing good were infinitely ex tended. Poor Tommy ! it appears not what became of one so helpless and so innocent. Most probably he perished when his fellow-sufferers, suddenly released by the death of the tyrant, and without the power of maturing any plan, had left him to his own resources. In every thought of their parents for the future, as well as in all their anxieties for the present, Eugene and Hortense occupied a great share. They continued to reside at Fontainbleautill their mother's release; and two notes from Josephine, of this period, are still preserved. Josephine, to her Children at Fontairibleau. "Your two letters, though of the same date, reached me at an interval of three days from each other. They are very nice notes, my dear children, for they truly express how much you love me, and so well composed, that, if your aunt had not assured me of having given you no assistance, I should have thought I recognised in them the hand of the Fairy. 98 MEMOIRS OF But, if she have not written your billets, she has at least informed me of your excellent conduct ; in yours, I discover new proof of her goodness and amiable disposition. Your father will be no less delighted than I am. You do well to give us cause of consolation while wicked men persecute us. They shall pass away and be punished ; you, my good children, will enjoy the recompense in your own affectionate hearts, by witnessing our happiness. Place yourselves one on each side of the benevolent Fairy, and kiss her for your father and me. Con- tinue to be good, that we may all love you better and better." The following is in a very different strain ; and, while proving that Josephine knew how to correct as well as to commend, it exhibits an early instance of the energetic, but somewhat hasty character of her daughter. Josephine, to Hortense. " I should be entirely satisfied with the good heart of my Hortense, were I not displeased with her bad head. How, my daughter, is it, without permission from your aunt, that you have come to Paris ? What do I say ? It is contrary to her desire ! This is very bad. But it was to see me, you will say. You ought to be quite aware that no one sees me without an order, to obtain which requires both means and precautions, such as poor Victorine is little able to take. And, besides, you got upon M. Darcet'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 that good properly. At your age, the first of all virtues is confidence and docility towards your relations. I am therefore obliged to tell you, THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 99 that I prefer your brother's tranquil attachment to your misplaced warmth. This, however, does not prevent me from embracing you, but less tenderly than I shall do when I have learned that you are again at Fontainbleau." Poor child ! she had left her aunt's house early one morning, and, without leave obtained, had trav- elled upwards of thirty miles on a market-cart, and, arriving in Paris, had found her way to the Hotel Beauharnais, where Victorine still occupied the apartment in which every thing had been sealed up by the revolutionary functionaries. Next day she returned to Fontainbleau without having seen her mother, whose letter, so pleasing both for its tender- ness and decision, and her own tears, formed the sole meditations of Hortense ; for she read and wept alternately, till received and forgiven by her aunt. The hopes which Josephine now entertained of her husband's release, and their consequent happi- ness, were founded partly on the general aspect of political affairs, and partly on private assurance, that friendly intervention would be attempted in aid of him on whom her whole affections centred. For this once Beauharnais himself seems to have thought, that hope might not be entirely illusion. After the death of Danton, and the acknowledgment of a Deity, though executions daily took place, yet the ferocity of Robespierre seemed mitigated. He found that the people, it can hardly be said were in- clined to lenity, but that they looked upon bloodshed and suffering with less of positive satisfaction than heretofore. Though not less cruel, he deemed more caution requisite ; he even felt public opinion, by means of writings. One of these, the' Old Cordelier, which spoke of ancient usages and their restoration, was at this time more than usually bold in its con- 100 MEMOIRS OF eluding volumes ; and we perceive the effects which its delusive pages produced upon the captives of the Revolution. But the tyrant's remaining associates clearly perceived that their only chance of safety lay in being able to anticipate the blow which, sooner or later, his jealous fears would level against themselves. Hence the hush of all angry feeling they wrought deeply and in secret ; but it was only the silence which precedes the bursting of the thunder. All this spread a degree of calm over the political horizon ; there was evidently a change at hand. Men augur as they wish, and it seemed only natural to the captives of the Luxembourg and the Carmelites that this change should issue in their restora- tion to rank and liberty. In Josephine's case, these general expectations acquired more especial con- sistency from the fact of Dorcet Cubieres, an ancient friend, having recently come into power, who zeal- ously laboured to effect a hearing, in full committee, of the reasons of Beauharnais's committal to prison. In this he was warmly supported by Prosper Sigas, now minister of war, upon whom Josephine had made a most honourable impression, under the cir- cumstances already mentioned, when she visited Nevil. So far gratitude had wrought its own re- ward. From such an investigation was anticipated the acquittal of General Beauharnais, an expecta- tion founded on the certainty which these friends entertained of his innocence, and because most of the members of government, who would have been his judges, had once served as his colleagues, or seconds in command, during his military career. Sigas had been further charged with drawing up a report of the case for the Committee of General Safety ; and, upon learning this, Josephine addressed to the minister the following letter, a document which proves the writer to have possessed no less prudence than zeal : THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 101 Josephine, to Citizen Prosper Sigas. "CITIZEN, I am informed that you have been employed to prepare a report, to be presented to the Committee of General Safety, on the affair of Gene- ral Beauharnais. For this I give thanks to Heaven; and had I been permitted to choose my judge, that choice would have fallen upon you. I had heyd you mentioned, and always has your name been accompanied by those honourable but considerate epithets which flattery can never invent, which can be inspired by gratitude alone, and are never deceit- ful. Subsequently chance, or rather Providence, become less severe towards us, placed me in mo- mentary correspondence with you. That brief space sufficed to convince me, that the gratitude of those whom you have obliged is only consistent with truth. I also am become one of those whose misfortunes you have endeavoured to mitigate. J have to unite my gratitude to that of the many unfortunate beings whom you have laboured to render forgetful of their calamities. Nor are you ignorant that mine increase in bitterness each day that passes away while my husband remains in prison untried. For it is no longer his liberty which he solicits, he demands his trial. A brave soldier has a right to this where he is accused of a crime which compromises his honour. " Alexander de Beauharnais a conspirator ! One of the founders of liberty meditating its downfall . He who^ among a hundred others, was distinguished as a promoter of the republic, essaying to overturn freedom! Citizen, you have never believed the accusation, and those who have brought it forward believe it no more than you* But the importance lies in that his judges should no longer give credit to the imputation. Let them listen to you, and they will be persuaded. Do not tell them, however, that 102 MEMOIRS OP his wife, equally innocent as himself, languishes far from him, under other bolts than those by which he is retained. I speak of myself only to enable you to appreciate the injustice done to Alexander. Forget the mother persecuted, and her children dispersed, in order to think solely of the father and the husband, or rather of the soldier and the citizen, worthy of recovering honour and liberty." | The examination solicited in this letter so far tooK place, that Beauharnais was removed from the Lux- embourg to attend at the office of the Committee of General Safety. The only consolation, however, thence resulting was the last interview between Josephine and her husband, under the following cir- cumstances: Sigas having obtained the appoint- ment of a day of conference for the vicomte, Cu- bieres contrived that the same should be named for hearing Josephine also. This arrangement be- nevolently effected with the design of at least bringing the parties together, or, if any thing should be accomplished in their favour, of rendering their joy mutual was carefully concealed from those chiefly interested. Disappointment in either case would have inflicted positive misery; but where there had existed no anticipation, no hope could be destroyed. Accordingly, Josephine, having been conducted from the prison of the Carmelites, was waiting in an anteroom her turn to be summoned before the committee. She was alone ; her heart filled with those alternate vicissitudes of confidence and fear, which at an agitating crisis succeed each other we know not how or wherefore, when, to her inexpressible astonishment, the door opened, and Beauharnais entered. He on his part felt no less surprised. Neither spoke ; both stood for a moment as if entranced, then rushed into each other's arms. They knew not what their meeting portended scarcely dared they to indulge hope for the futuie ; THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 103 but the present was theirs, and in the happiness of being reunited, they enjoyed, in Josephine's own words, " moments of felicity which softened, nay, caused to be forgotten, a whole year of misery." This tender interview was interrupted by the en- trance of the minister of war, Prosper Sigas. He came to announce that, in consequenc^ of his eleva- tion to office, other changes in the revolutionary cabinet had ensued, and that Louis, the friendly deputy for the Lower Rhine, was superseded in the situation of reporter to the committee. Upon this it was agreed, that it would be imprudent to press an examination with a new reporter, indifferent to the issue, and ignorant of the case. " I also," con- tinues Josephine, writing of these events, "resolved to profit by this information, and promised to solicit no audience till a more favourable moment. This occasion had, indeed, been far from unpropitious, since it had brought us together. But in what a place ! and at what a crisis I I know not what my poor Alexander thought of me; for my part, I found him very pale, very thin, and sadly changed. As to his disposition, that is ever the same ; he is the most amiable and the noblest of men. Resignation, courage, heroic sentiments, and conduct still more magnanimous, such are the principles of his charac ter. He had wept with joy on once more beholding me ; when it had become necessary that we should separate, he was calm and collected. He embraced me more like a friend than a husband, and recom- mended our children to my care. Such tranquillity ecomes innocence like his. Now I grieve that these people of the committee did not see him. Could they have resisted the ascendency of his virtues ?" Amiable, but sad mistake the ascendency of virtue over a revolutionary committee ! That good- ness in others may retain its empire over the mind, something, at least, of man's original nobility must 104 MEMOIRS OF still survive in the heart. In personal virtue, Charles I. and Louis XVI. were not inferior to the bet characters of their respective times ; yet both fell beneath the stroke commanded by rude and brutal men, who could not reverence those virtues which they had either never known, or whose remem- brance they had put away from them. An honour- able noble could have little hope of life where a virtuous king- had been martyred. Beauharnais, soon after the interview now described, unheard, untried, with nothing proved against him save the suspicion of bad men, was ordered for execution. The sentence, announced on the 6th Thermidor (24th July, 1794), was carried into effect next morn- ing, only two days before the fate of the tyrant himself. Had vengeance overtaken Robespierre but two days sooner, or had the iniquitous proceedings against her husband been delayed for eight-and-forty hours, how different the lot of Josephine ! In all probability she would have been the wife of a mar- shal of France, instead of becoming an empress. We shall find, even, that a few hours only snatched her from death, and had not the dictator fallen on the night of the 26th, she must have died on the morrow. The reader might be disposed to believe these terrific contingencies fabrications to enhance the vicissi- tudes of a life already sufficiently wonderful in change, were they not merely individual instances, striking indeed, of one of the most shocking accom- paniments of the Revolution, the revolting ease arid facility with which human beings were juggled out of existence. Men seemed to have been aban- doned to their own reprobate minds, and life was taken, and even resigned, as a worthless thing, or as if there had been no fearful looking forward to the undiscovered bourn beyond. Beauharnais suffered on the morning of the 7th Thermidor, in an obscure spot of Paris, near the barrier 01 the throne., in the Fauxbourg St. Antoine. THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 105 To this situation the guillotine had previously been removed from its former situation in the Square of the Revolution, and the more civilized region of the capital, upon Robespierre's discovering that blood was becoming less acceptable to the Parisians. With the vicomte there perished in the same morn- ing a number of other victims, most' of whom knew not wherefore they had been brought to execution. These, both men and women, like the thousands who had preceded them, were drawn to the place of final suffering on a kind of tumbrel, or cart, stig- matized as "enemies of the republic," and in a brief space of time, lay undistinguished and headless trunks. Such was the " morning's work" for many a dreary day of suffering to France. The mutilated corpses were thrown by hundreds into pits : years afterward these receptacles of festering and name- less carcasses supplied to the philosopher matter for experiment on a grand scale, touching a new animal substance, and, finally, the bones being dug up, were stored promiscuously in a branch of the catacombs, and that particular region of the subter- ranean charnel-house closed with a wall of stone, as if to shut from human knowledge the proof of na- tional brutality and degradation. How the heart sickens at the reflection, that each one of these dishonoured forms once constituted a home and sanctuary for sympathies and affections, ardent it might be, and pure, as those expressed in the last letter of De Beauharnais. On receiving intimation to prepare for death, he evinced no surprise ; he had foretold the emancipation of his country from its sanguinary oppressors ; but seemed to have enter- tained a presentiment that he himself would not be spared to witness the consummation. His peace had, therefore, been made with Heaven; but the remaining hours were nevertheless passed as became a Christian and a soldier, in religious ancPmental preparation for entering an unseen world with reve- 106 MEMOIRS 0V rence towards God and becoming gravity before men. When the night of the 6th and 7th had now been far spent, and all preparation accomplished left his mind collected in its tenderness, he sat down to devote his parting thoughts to Josephine. The following letter was delivered by Nevil, to whom it had been in trusted by her husband, together with the lock of hair purchased for that purpose from the executioner, who, according to custom, had cut it off, that the stroke of the axe might not be impeded. The precious deposite did not reach its destination till some time after the fatal catastrophe, when Josephine could say, in transmitting to her aunt a copy whence the following translation is made, " Yes, I will live to cherish his memory to educate my children, to love you much, my dear aunt and my friends a little. During the last few hours a sweet change has taken place in all my feelings. Would you know whence I derive this consolation, read the enclosed." Last letter of Vicomte de Beauharnais to his Wife. "Night of the 6-7th Thermidor, Year 2, Conciergery (24-25th July, 1794). " Yet some moments to tenderness, to tears, and to regret, then wholly to the glory of my fate, to the grand thoughts of immortality. When you re- ceive this letter, my Josephine, your husband will haye long ceased to live here, but, in the bosom of his God, he will have beprun to enjoy a real existence. Thou seest, then, that there is indeed no cause for mourning on his account: it is over the wicked, the insensate men who survive him, that tears are to be shed ; for they inflict, and are incapable of repairing the evil. But let us not sully with their guilty image these last moments. I would, on the con- trary, adorn them by the thought, that having been united to a charming woman, I might have beheld THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 107 the years passed with her glide away without the slightest cloud, had not wrongs, of which I became sensible only when too late, troubled our union. This reflection wrings tears from me. Thy generous soul pardoned the moment that suffering overtook me ; and I ought to recompense thee for such kind- ness by enjoying, without recalling it to thy remem- brance, since I must thus bring back the recollection of my errors and thy sorrows. What thanks do I owe to Providence, who will bless thee ! " Now Heaven disposes of me before my time, and even this is one of its mercies. Can the good man live without grief when he sees the world a prey to the wicked 1 I should think myself happy, therefore, in being removed from their power, did I not feel that I abandon to them beings so valued and beloved. If, however, the thoughts of the dying be presentiments, I experience one in the recesses of my heart which assures me that these horrible butcheries are soon to be suspended, that to the victims are to succeed their executioners, that the arts and sciences, the true prosperity of states, shall flourish again in France, that wise and equitable laws will reign after these cruel sacrifices, and that you will obtain that happiness of which you were always worthy, and which to the present time has fled from you. Our children will contribute to your felicity, they will discharge their father's debt. " I resume these incoherent and almost illegible lines, which my jailers had interrupted. " I have just undergone a cruel formality, which, under any other circumstances, they should have forced me to endure only by depriving me of life. But why strive against necessity ? reason requires that we do all for the best. My hair has been cut off. I have contrived to purchase back a portion of it, in order to bequeath to my wife, and to my children, undeniable evidence, pledges of my last recollections. I feel that at this thought my heart 108 MEMOIRS OF is breaking, and tears bedew the paper. Fare- well, all that I love ! Love each other ; speak of me; and never forget that the glory of dying the victim of tyrants, the martyr of freedom, ennobles a scaffold." From the ardent affection of Josephine for her husband, and from the natural sensibility of her ex- cellent heart, it might have been presumed that her sorrow on learning his melancholy fate would be equally deep and sincere ; and the following letter describes with much feeling the distressful situation of the poor sufferer. Though in the original the signature had been accidentally removed, or inten- tionally omitted, there is no difficulty in recog- nising the delicacy of a female pen. The writer is believed, on the best grounds, to have been the young Dutchess d'Aiguillon, then a fellow-prisoner with Josephine, and who subsequently became Ma- dame Louis Girardine, a lady for whom the empress entertained the greatest affection of all those who afterward adorned the imperial court. To Madame Fanny Beauharnais. " MADAM, Like every one in France who can read, I have the honour to know you, but not of being known by you. When it would be my desire to commence our correspondence by applause, why must I begin with tears ? Alas ! at this moment your own are flowing, for the last day's journals are before you, and will have made you acquainted with the fate of M. de Beauharnais. The situation of his unfortunate wife must necessarily redouble your sor- row, through anxiety on her account. Take com- fort, madam; the health of that amiable person, sorely shaken as it has been by the frightful shock, is yet less threatened than the tranquillity of her mind, and the sensibilities of her heart. She con- THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 109 tinued two days in ignorance of the fearful catas- trophe. By a note from the vicomte, your nephew, she had been informed of his translation to the Con- ciergery, and his approaching appearance before the tribunal ; but hope had taken possession of every faculty, and there remained no longer room for fear ; that which would have proved cause of apprehen- sion to another served to augment her confidence. She remained,for a length of time under this illusion, in which, indeed, numbers had participated, but which recent events began to dissipate. It was painful in the extreme to listen, as she entertained us with the story of her affection and her hopes, when he for whose sake these were cherished would, in every likelihood, no longer profit by earthly good. But when all was at an end, we could not even smile, though faintly, upon such sweet enthusiasm; we were silent, and, turning from her with a sigh, the unbidden tear started involuntarily. We carefully concealed the fatal journals of the 8th ; she asked for them repeatedly, without attaching any thing beyond ordinary to their importance, and only in- sisted after remarking our many pretexts, delays, and refusals. These led to the suspicion of the cruel truth, which our silence and tears served but to confirm. "This first blow brought on a long faint, from which she recovered only to abandon herself to a more legitimate and violent despair. So many hopes frustrated ! So much felicity vanished away ! We sought not to console her, persuaded that grief would find a close in its own excess. Accordingly, the sorrow of Madame de Beauharnais, unquestion- ably more profound, though less overwhelming, preyed, so to speak, upon itself, and, by degrees, changed into melancholy : sad benefit of time, which lessens our griefs only to render them the more en- during ! " We spoke to her often and much of her children, K 110 MEMOIRS OF and thus brought back attachment to life, by proving to her how necessary she was to those beings whom she most loved. It is but right, madam, I should likewise say, that we represent to her how delighted you will be to experience her care when she shall be released from prison. To endeavour, by any means, to divert Madame de Beauharnais from her present sorrow would be vain, but we may hope to be able to dimmish its bitterness, not by words, but by a detail of those duties which remain to be fulfilled by a heart like hers. Be assured, madam, that we omit nothing ; is it possible to enjoy the happiness of knowing your niece, and remain in- different to her sufferings 1 " I have the honour to be," &c. It may be considered as almost a fortunate cir- cumstance, that her own urgent danger either roused Josephine from a state of apathy into which she might have been plunged by a misfortune so unex- pected, or encouraged her to endurance from the glad prospect of the suffering being brief. On the same day which, as above described, brought the discovery of her husband's fate, she herself received intimation to hold herself in readiness for death, as she was to be removed to the Conciergery on the 10th, and thence to the guillotine. The merited but horrible end of Robespierre during the preceding night saved Madame de Beauharnais, with about seventy others, destined for the usual morning sacrifice to the " deities of Reason and Revolution." Had we not her own confession, it might be deemed altogether incredible that under such circumstances, Josephine's thoughts should involuntarily revert to, and dwell upon, the singular prediction which has already been reported in the commencement of these Memoirs. " In spite of myself," said the empress, long after, to her ladies, " I incessantly revolved in my mind this prophecy. Accustomed thus to exer- THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. Ill cise imagination, everything that had been told me began to appear less absurd, and finally terminated in my almost certain belief. One morning, the jailer entered the chamber, which served as bedroom for the Dutchess d'Aiguillon, myself, and two other ladies, telling me, that he came to take away my flock-bed, in order to give it to another captive. ' How give it V eagerly interrupted Madame d'Aguil- lon; 'is, then, Madame de Beauharnais to have a better?' 'No, no; she will not need one,' replied the wretch, with an atrocious laugh ; ' she is to be taken to a new lodging, and from thence to the guil- lotine.' At these words, my companions in misfor- tune set up a loud lamentation. I consoled them in the best manner I could. At length, wearied by their continued bewailings, I told them that there was not even common sense in their grief; that not only should I not die, but that I should become Queen of France. ' Why, then, do you not appoint your house- hold V asked Madame d'Aiguillon, with something like resentment. ' Ah ! that is true I had forgot- ten. Well, my dear, you shall be maid of honour ; I promise you the situation.' Upon this, the tears of these ladies flowed more abundantly; for they thought, on seeing my coolness at such a crisis, that misfortune had affected my reason. I do assure you," continued the empress, addressing her audi- tory, " that I did not affect a courage which I felt not ; for I was, even then, persuaded that my oracle was about to be realized." A few evenings before this, Josephine had wit- nessed the weak and almost romantic means by which the tyrant's overthrow had been at least has- tened, and the consummation of her own prophecy accomplished. One of the ladies detained, as above described, in the same chamber was Madame de Fontenay, formerly Mademoiselle Cabarus, and who, subsequently divorced from her first husband, became so celebrated under the name of the second. 112 MEMOIRS OF Prior to her incarceration, Tallien had declared his passion ; but, unable to save Madame de Fontenay from revolutionary law, came daily to the prison, that he might at least enjoy the satisfaction of seeing her through the grated window. Even for a considerable space previous to the date at which we are now arrived, Tallien was the life and soul of the conspiracy secretly organized by the Mountain party, against the despotism of Robespierre. Cir- cumspection, however, was no less necessary than resolution ; for, though the conspirators perceived their own or the dictator's destruction to be the in- evitable alternative, distrusting the means of oppo- sition, or watching the fading popularity of their victim, they preferred, for a little, to follow the pro- gress of events to hazarding doubtful conclusions. In this state of things, Tallien, as usual, appeared one evening at the guarded casement of the Carmel- ites. Meanwhile, Madame de Fontenay had secretly learned that she was speedily to be called before the Convention. This she knew to be but a prelude to the block : aware also of Tallien's designs, she re- solved to urge their execution, and thus to secure at least a chance of escape. The two ladies Fontenay and Beauharnais appeared in the evening leaning on each other, as if to breathe the fresh air through their prison bars. The former made a sign, to all others imperceptible, soliciting Tallien's attention. It may easily be imagined with what anxiety both watched his motions, as they beheld him lift from the ground a piece of cabbage-stalk, flung from the window by Madame de Fontenay, and in which she had concealed 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." Similar methods of communication were by nc THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 113 means unfrequeiit in these times of trouble; dis- parted friends contrived to maintain a correspond- ence, frequently by the most ingenious arts, and some of the letters already quoted were originally transmitted to their destination concealed in fruits and flowers. Tallien, having secured his billet, con- veyed in a less poetical disguise, resolved on imme- diate action. From agitating in the committees, he proceeded to the Convention, where, as upon an arena, Robespierre had prepared to meet his oppo- nents. Tallien had pledged himself to mount the breach in the first assault ; and bravely did he re- deem his word, when forcing St. Just from the tribune, as the latter pronounced the words, " I lift the veil" he exclaimed, in a voice of terrific em- phasis, "I rend it asunder!" and continued, in a speech replete with the wild but powerful eloquence of the period, turning the execrations and the daggers of the whole assembly against him at whose least nod its chiefest members had trembled. The lesson is useful, but humiliating, to reflect that popular misrule had made the fate of the noblest kingdom of continental Europe to depend on a piece of herb thrown by the feeble hand of a woman ! But, to return to the consequences as they affected Josephine, and as related by herself. " Madame d'Aiguillon, feeling herself ill from the thoughts of my approaching execution, so abruptly communi- cated, I drew her towards the window, which I opened, in order to admit air. I then perceived a woman of the lower class, who was making many gestures to us, which we could not understand. Every moment she caught and held up her gown, without our finding it possible to comprehend her meaning. Observing her to persevere, I cried out, * Robe (a gown), on which she made a sign of affir- mation. Then, taking up a stone, she put it in her apron, and again held up her gown to us, raising the stone in the other hand ; 4 Pierce* v fu and deeply and legibly inscribed the word traitor^ has written his true epitaph. An explicit detail of Josephine's exertions in behalf of these unfortunate men has appeared the more necessary, both as they essentially belong to the marked events of her life, and as recent attempts have been made to take away the merit of these praiseworthy endeavours in the cause of her fellow- creatures. The pardons granted, writers have not only attributed to the representations of Murat, but have likewise accused the late Duke de Riviere of ungratefully forgetting his preserver in the hour of need, and hastening the catastrophe at Pizzo. Murat, indeed, like most of the real friends of Bonaparte, counselled him to mercy, and even to dismiss the prisoners, alleging, with truth, that such a pro- ceeding would tend more to strengthen his newly established throne than the execution of all the con- spirators in France. However just these general recommendations, we know they were treated with neglect; and so far from De Riviere causing the arrest of Murat in Corsica, the former did not arrive in that island until November, 1816, long after the death of the unfortunate ex-king of Naples, whom, on the contrary, meeting at Toulon, he earnestly advised to take shipping for Trieste, there to join the ex-queen Caroline.* The above recital, there- fore, gives the real state of affairs ; nor can any thing deprive Josephine of the honour of having signalized her accession to a diadem by so many acts of mercy. The interval between the foundation of the empire and the coronation passed in the events and arrange- ments now discussed, and in an excursion of nearly * Memoire* Posthumes de Due de Rivtire. Paris, 1829. 272 MEMOIRS OF three months through the Netherlands and along the German frontier. Immediately before setting out on this journey, the empress made her first grand appearance in that capacity, on the 1 4th of July, on the occasion of administering the new oath to the members of the Legion of Honour. How singularly are often the highest and least important concerns blended together ! This, perhaps the most august, and when the means and effects of the institution are considered, certainly most imposing ceremony of the empire, was introduced by a dispute among the ladies of the empress, whether they should be in the morning or full dress. After due deliberation, this important discussion terminated in the resolu- tion, that since the empress was to appear in grand costume, her attendants should be apparelled in mode conforming. This decision was unanimous, with the exception of Madame Lavalette, dame diatoms, or tire-woman, who, accordingly, made her appear- ance in a plain muslin robe. It is needless to de- scribe the ceremonial which took place in the Church of the Invalids : a seat was prepared for the empress on Napoleon's right ; eighteen hundred chevaliers of the order were presented ; and on this its imperial regeneration, we might have expected in its author an elevation of mind correspondent to the dignity of his office. Napoleon returned from the ceremony to Josephine's apartments in the Tuileries, passing for the first time by the grand entrance through the gardens. He had scarcely entered, when, ap- proaching the window, some boys in the garden set up a shout of " Long live the emperor !" Turning away, he exclaimed, with marked dissatisfaction, " I am the worst lodged sovereign in Europe. No one thinks of admitting the populace into one's very palace !" In this ill-humour he encountered Madame Lavalett$ and her unfortunate robe. Giving the train of the plain muslin gown a kick with his foot, he addressed the wearer, " Now fy upon it, madam, THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 273 what a dress is that ! You show the worst possible taste!" The truth is, Josephine thought so too; she always insisted on choosing her own dresses, and Madame Lavalette was soon afterward super- seded in her office of dame (Valours. As the evening advanced, the court adjourned to a balcony to enjoy more pleasantly the military music of a band stationed in the gardens below. Suddenly, in the middle of the concert, the emperor conceived a fancy to view the statues in the gallery of the Louvre by torchlight, and giving his arm to Josephine, proceeded through the gallery, attended by Baron Denon, the keeper, and followed by the whole brilliant assemblage. The effect must have been beautiful indeed; but Napoleon's attention rested chiefly upon the famous bust of Alexander, the work of Praxiteles. Before this admirable work of art he stood for some time ; but only to criticise. " Look at that head : fine as it certainly is, it must be wrong ; observe how large the features; they are out of all proportion; for Alexander was a smaller man than I much smaller." This latter remark he repeated more than once, seemingly delighted at the idea, that, though only five feet two, he was taller than the conqueror of Darius ! So nearly is human greatness associated to the most inconceivable littleness. Towards the end of July, Josephine set out on her tour, and Napoleon on the same day departed for Boulogne ; it being arranged that they should meet at Aix la Chapelle. The frequent excursions made by the court formed a principal class of events in Josephine's life, as empress ; they constituted those alternations which afforded her most pleasure : an outline of the present, therefore, one of the longest and not least interesting, and of which we have a daily journal kept by one of her attendant ladies, may prove acceptable, as exhibiting a picture of all. While any of these imperial journeys was in contemplation, no one knew exactly the hour of 274 MEMOIRS or departure, or even the route to be followed. Every thing-, indeed, down to the most minute circumstance, had been previously and unalterably determined, but nothing was communicated till the moment when it became absolutely necessary to issue orders. It generally happened, after an opera, a review, recep- tion, or any event which had collected a number of people, that Napoleon, on retiring for the night, would say, in a careless mood, " We set out at such an hour," usually an early one, and instantly direc- tions were transmitted to those in waiting. Against the appointed hour, rarely by any chance exceeded, every preparation had been completed, and the im- perial travellers departed. The object of this secrecy, namely, to prevent conspiracies against his life, by first collecting at court those whom he might have to fear among his own partisans, and next retaining in uncertainty distant enemies, was certainly at- tained, but at considerable expense of comfort and convenience. The night previous to a departure, scarcely an eye was closed in the palace ; most of those who held offices near the person of the em- peror or empress, and who were named to attend them, could hardly of course retire to rest, being busied in preparation ; while others might " go to bed, but not to sleep," such was the noise of trunks and carriages, domestics and guards assembling. In the next place, the useless expenditure was con- siderable; from the moment an imperial progress was talked of, it behooved to send out, on diverse roads, the requisite necessaries and attendants, where they remained for weeks, frequently for a month ; and were only called in after it had been decided by his departure in what direction the em- peror would travel. Nothing could be more melancholy than the aspect of the palace, lately so brilliant, after the departure of the emperor. But in this general expression o* desolateness might be remarked a distinct character, THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 275 according with the cause of absence. If Napoleon had gone on a tour of pleasure, a figure might be perceived here and there stealing about, engaged in the quiet duties of official attendance, or preparing to enjoy the master's absence in a brief interval of liberty, beyond the imprisoned atmosphere of a court. If he had departed on a warlike expedition, the court still boasted its female ornaments ; but its gayety had fled. Next morning, ladies only were seen gliding about like spectres, pale with watching and weeping over their separation from brothers, fathers, husbands, and sons. Every day augmented the sad- ness, for as these loved relatives approached the scene of conflict, each feared to accost her com- panion, lest she might impart or obtain the mourn- ful intelligence too certainly awaiting some. No wonder, then, setting apart her affection, that Jose- phine on all occasions evinced so strong a desire to be permitted to accompany her husband. On his part, Napoleon loved to indulge this wish ; and they differed only as to its being always possible. On one occasion, however, after promising to take the empress, something having occurred to alter his in- tention, and to require speed, he resolved on depart- ing privately, without his companion. Fixing, ac- cordingly, one o'clock in the morning, the hour when she was most likely to be asleep, for the time of setting out, he was just about to step into the carriage, when Josephine, in most piteous plight, threw herself into his arms. By some means she had obtained information of what was going forward, and called her women ; but, impatient of any delay, had got up without waiting for them, and throwing about her the first drapery she could lay hands upon, had rushed down-stairs, in slippers, without stockings, "weeping," as our authority, an eyewitness, ex- presses it, " like a little girl when the holydays are over." A moment later, and Napoleon would have been off like lightning, but he could rarely withstand 276 MEMOIRS OF the tears of his wife, so, placing her along the bottom of the carriage, he covered her with his travelling pelisse, giving orders himself about the clothes and proper attendants of the empress. When Josephine, as in the instance we are now describing, journeyed alone, which was not often, her retinue consisted of the first lady of the court, la dame d'honneur, who was her ancient friend, Madame >a Comtesse de Rochefoucauld, four ladies in waiting, a grand chamberlain and chamberlain, a grand equery, an equery, a secretary ; making, with the commandant of the escort, and a chevalier d'hon- neur, a suite of twelve persons. The court was of course still more numerous when united, and the consequent attendants and luggage chiefly prevented Napoleon from always taking the empress with him^ " I could sooner," he would say, " transport the whole artillery of a division of my grand army, than the bandboxes of Josephine's waiting-women." Every ciicumstance had been unalterably fixed in advance, the places where the empress was to stop, the routes to be followed, where she ought to address the authorities, or the reply she was to make to their harangues ; the expenses were fixed, the very pres- ents she was to give portioned out by express regu- lation. All this was set down in a huge manuscript volume, from which poor Josephine daily conned her lesson previously to every removal or ceremony. In this " bondage of the spirit," however, she enjoyed an advantage over most others, had they been placed in her situation ; if, in the multitude of these details, any thing escaped her memory, or required extem- poraneous modification according to circumstances, her unpremeditated answers or arrangements were always delivered with so much eloquence and pro- priety, or marked such perfect kindness and con- descension, that all parties were satisfied. Every evidence on this particular subject bears, that here she infinitely surpassed her successor, Avith whom she THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 277 is most naturally compared : sometimes, however, though very rarely, a little mistake was committed, as, on the present journey, when departing from Rheims, Josephine presented the mayoress with a medallion of malakite, set with diamonds, using the singular expression, " it is the colour of hope." Some days afterward, on seeing this absurdity in one of the journals,* she could not believe having made use of it, and despatched a courier instantly to Napoleon, at Boulogne, fearing his displeasure above all things. This occasioned the famous mandate prohibiting all journalists from reporting any speech of the emperor or empress unless the same had pre- viously appeared in the Moniteur. Down to the most minute particulars, Josephine adhered to her manuscript instructions, as respected her own accommodations, with a scrupulosity that allowed nothing to be altered. " He has said it, and it must be right,' 1 was the constant observation with which she silenced all suggestions of change. On the present journey, for example, the emperor had appointed the route to Liege by a road through the forest of Ardennes. The construction of such a road had actually been ordered ; but as yet existed only in his own pencil-mark on Josephine's travelling map, and in the merest preliminary operations of the engineer. The relays, as a matter of precaution, had been placed along the projected traverse ; but it was represented that her majesty could not pos- sibly attempt to pass. " We can at least try," said she to her little court ; and pass they certainly did, but with the greatest difficulty, and even danger. In many places, the country people and workmen had to support the carriages with ropes and poles to prevent an overset ; on which occasions, though in the midst of a heavy rain, Josephine alighted, and walked on foot, ankle deep in mud and water. All * LaPubliciste. Aa 278 MEMOIRS OF this was endured, on her part, with the greatest cheerfulness not so on that of her inferior attend- ants : thus the carriage of the first femrne-de- chambre was actually overturned, and though her imperial mistress left a party of her own escort to attend, and otherwise bestowed every possible care upon the distressed serving-woman, nothing would satisfy the latter short of the whole court being de- tained by her mishap : and next day, on rejoining the circle, pouted sadly on this account. In fact, Josephine's perfect, or here, more properly speaking, excessive good-nature, exposed her to much vexation from the pretensions of her attendants. Each, in- deed, displayed the utmost zeal in her service ; but, among themselves, all had different interests, jeal- ousies, and rights, clashing with those of their fellows, which, coming in the shape of complaints, the em- press, by endeavouring to reconcile, instead of in- stantly repressing, only made worse. Matters at length attained such a pass, during the present jour- ney, that Madame Rochefoucauld so lectured the em- press on this weak condescension, as to leave her in tears. Time rendered Josephine more cautious ; but, from the same facility of character, a similai disorder continued more or less to prevail. During an excursion, nothing could be more ami- able than the conduct of Josephine towards the ladies of her court ; she seemed to study opportunities of showing those attentions to their feelings and tastes which cost so little, and yet go so far in winning a way to the heart. Being always attended by persons well acquainted with the country, and ever anxious to glean information, for, as has been well, though somewhat maliciously, observed, what she knew was chiefly from conversation, her discourse, while travelling, turned almost entirely upon the scenes through which they were passing. When a remark thus occurred more than usually instructive or amusing, especially if connected with the families THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 279 of any of her ladies or their past fortunes, she never failed to send information of the same by a special messenger, who had instructions to point out the particular place, and to relate the circumstances. All this kindness received an additional charm from the unostentatious simplicity with which it was offered ; every thing passed as if among a party of equals on an excursion of pleasure, each bound to supply a modicum to the common fund of enjoyment. Every thing like vain etiquette was laid aside ; even external forms were dispensed with, whenever it appeared they could be omitted with propriety. Of this a curious instance occurred some time after the arrival of the empress at Aix la Chapelle, where she was to remain to take the baths. One evening when her ladies seemed to be more than usually under the influence of ennui, Josephine kindly set on foot inquiries whether there might not be sorc^ novelty which they had not yet seen. Information was brought of a wonderful model of Paris, which the court had not yet visited. Josephine proposed immediately to rectify this omission; her ladies were of the same mind, and M. d'Harville, the cheva- lier d'honneur, was about to issue the necessary orders for the imperial carriages and cortege : '* Softly, my good sir ; suffer us for once to prove our own locomotive powers, and trust to the humane dispositions of the good citizens of Aix la Chapelle." "Walk on foot your majesty walk on foot! impossible !" and the chevalier d'honneur manifested all the necessary horror at such a breach of imperial decorum. " Walk on foot ! delightful !" cried the ladies ; and, as usual, the ladies had their own way. This movement being totally unexpected, the streets were almost clear, and the party reached their des- tination unmolested; but the intelligence having quickly spread, they found, on attempting to return, that the town was illuminated, and every street Jtonged with multitudes. The ladies drew back 280 MEMOIRS OF from encountering such a passage, and it was pro- posed to send for the carriages and escort. Jose- phine would not hear of this : " Were any accident thus to happen to the people whom our imprudence has assembled, I never could forgive myself;" and giving her hand to the Count d'Harville, she boldly ventured among the crowd, followed by her ladies, each similarly attended by a nobleman of the court. The populace respectfully made way ; and though the plumes and diamonds of the courtiers formed a strange contrast with the accessories of a mob, Josephine reached her residence without the slightest annoyance. Once more in the saloon, with the members of her little court, she thanked M. d'Har- ville, and frankly confessed, that, in not following his advice in the first instance, she had committed a folly, which, though perfectly harmless in itself, might have been attended with serious consequences. When Josephkie travelled alone, she often break- fasted according to circumstances, sometimes in the open air, under the shade of a tree, or in a station overlooking a fine prospect, and always without ceremony. At dinner, the ladies and grand officers of the court sat down to table with the empress ; the commanding officer of the escort, the colonel of the guard of honour appointed in all the cities where the court remained, and the prefect of the depart- ment had likewise regularly invitations. Occasional guests depended on circumstances, but officers of such rank or merit as authorized that distinction always received invitations, and to these, especially if old in the sendee, Josephine showed herself particularly attentive. On the present journey, however, even this condescension was turned against her. An old and infirm officer of rank had been introduced, and, unaccustomed to the usages of a court, had sat down in the drawing-room on the same sofa beside the empress. Josephine was too good-natured to hurt 'foe feelings of a brave veteran by reminding him of THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE, 281 the impropriety of such a situation, and of course no one else presuming to do so, this trifling affair seemed to have passed without remark. Not so : in the secret report transmitted to Napoleon, by those who were no friends to the empress, the matter was not only detailed, but, for evident reasons, placed to the account of General Lorges, the young and handsome commandant at Aix la Chapelle. Napo- leon stormed ; Josephine, without condescending to understand the covert insinuation of the charge, mildly, stated the facts, and fortunately they had been observed by others. Napoleon rejoined the empress on the 19th of August. " He is arrived," thus writes the journalist, " and with him espionage ; the anxieties and sus- picions which form his constant attendants have already banished the gayety and freedom of our little circle. His return has already proved, that of us twelve appointed to constitute her honourable suite, one plays the part of a spy on the empress. Napoleon, on arriving, showed that he was perfectly acquainted with all our movements ; and we discovered, too, that the best construction had not always been put on our actions." Upon this occasion came to light the story of the old officer just related, as a single i istance of the numerous accusations of a similar nature to which the empress was exposed. In such cases, the very simplicity of Josephine's character supplied her best safeguard. Instead of a clamorous defence or vindication, her practice was to give the simple facts, leaving these to make their own way ; the subsequent inquiries instituted by Napoleon rarely failed to corroborate these, and his own feel- ings did justice to his wife. He was always kindest after one of these causeless outbreakings, as if his heart smote him for offending against so much gen- tleness. But if, after the emperor's arrival, the court lost gome of its happy freedom from suspicion and re- 282 MEMOIRS OP straint, it gained much in brilliancy, the princes of the Rhenish Confederation hastening in crowds to pay homage to the new sovereign so soon to be their protector. The pageants* however, and presenta- tions consequent upon these occasions, as exhibiting little that is characteristic in our present subject, may be omitted* The imperial travellers remained together for some time at the waters, and afterward passed by Cologne and Mayence to Paris. The attendance of the German princes was particularly numerous at the two former places. Before quitting Aix la Chapelle a little incident occurred to Jose- phine, which might be considered curious were not contrivance too obviously visible. In the cathedral of that city are preserved the relics which were presented to Charlemagne by the Empress Irene. These precious antiquities are deposited in an iron cabinet which is built into the wall, and are exhibited only once in seven years. The septennial era had not yet arrived, but an imperial request appeared sufficient reason for a change in the calendar, the wall was pulled down, and the treasures, such as they were, exposed. Among other articles was a small coffer of gilt silver, which attracted particular atten- tion from the statement of the priests, that, by a most ancient tradition, grandeur and happiness were predicted to the person who should open it, but that hitherto every one had failed in the attempt. Jose- phine, whose curiosity was excited, took the coffer in her hand, and almost immediately after it flew open. This was considered as very extraordinary, for no traces of a lock or spring could be discovered, and, when the box was again shut, it could be opened by no one else. There can be little doubt, however, that the whole was a contrivance of the priests ; and Josephine herself, much as she has been ac- cused of superstition, attached no more importance to the circumstance than it deserved. At Coblentz Napoleon and Josephine again sepa- THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 283 rated, the former to reach Mayence by a new road which he had caused to be constructed along the bank of the Rhine, the latter to ascend the river by water. The voyage should have terminated by eleven o'clock of the second day, but the two yachts which carried the empress and her suite encountered a severe storm near Bingen, where they put up for the night, and on starting next day some confusion arose in the relays stationed to drag the flotilla against the stream. This, with Josephine's indispo- sition, caused a delay of four hours, and she arrived at Mayence only at three o'clock. This was pre- cisely the hour which the emperor had appointed for his own entree, and the inhabitants were thus reduced to choose between whom they would attend. The empress obtained " their most sweet voices ;" and while the ramparts and quays overlooking the Rhine, crowded with an eager population, resounded with acclamations of " Long live the empress !" her lord was left to traverse empty streets, where the houses, shut up and deserted, sent forth not a single voice to say " God bless him !" In this guise his carriage arrived in the court of the palace, at the same instant Josephine appeared at the opposite entrance, surrounded by the authorities, and accompanied seem- ingly by all of man, woman, and child contained in Mayence. This was beyond endurance at least beyond Napoleon's ; so giving one short pettish nod, he turned on his heel and shut himself up in his apartment. The court was informed that the em- peror and empress would dine alone. Seven, the usual hour eight nine o'clock passed, and no in- vitation to the wonderstruck courtiers to rejoin the circle in the drawing-room. At length the sum- mons arrived ; but, on entering, they found nobody. A few minutes after they beheld Napoleon leave Josephine's apartments and retire to his own, favouring them with his usual curt salutation of ill- humour as he crossed the saloon. The first lady of 284 MEMOIRS OF honour then entered to Josephine. She was in tears, and extremely unwell. She had endured for hours a scene of violence and outrage, Bonaparte accusing her of having intentionally retarded her arrival in order to interfere with his entrance, re- proaching her with a systematic design of captivating the suffrages of the public. Could any proceeding be more cruel, mean, or unreasonable ? This happened on the 14th of September. On the 16th was to be a grand reception of the German princes, and among them those of the house of Ba- den, who afterward became relations of the em- press, by the marriage of her niece, Stephanie de Beauharnais, with the hereditary prince, at this time a youth of some twenty years. On the same oc- casion she encountered also the sister of the same house, the young Princess of Baden, the rival pro- posed by Talleyrand. Never was a triumph more complete. The courtiers had expected with impa- tience this princess, of whose boasted charms they had heard so much. Their astonishment may be con- ceived on comparing a rude, ungainly girl with their elegant and accomplished mistress. They could per- ceive, too, that the contrast was not lost on Napoleon ; and never did Josephine show more of grace and winning condescension than in the reception of the Princess of Baden. " It is so easy," remarks a lady of the court, " to be kind when one is happy to be condescending when one is superior." The occa- sion, however, was not without its chagrins to Josephine ; and, but for her own firmness, might have ended in a marked slight upon her beloved Eugene, who had attended his father-in-law from Boulogne. On receiving the programme of the order for the presentations, she found Eugene's name omitted, and, quite naturally, spoke to her husband on this subject. Napoleon, though really attached to young Beauharnais, yet, piqued at being in fault as to a poiu of etiquette, persisted in the exclusion . THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 285 Josephine, so passive to his will where her own in- terests or feelings were the sacrifice, was not to be moved when those of her children depended on her resolution : " I did not weep," said she to Napoleon, alluding to the importunities of his misters, " to be made a princess ; but, while I am one, mine shall be treated as the son of an empress.*' She kept her word ; and, notwithstanding some manoeuvring on the part of Talleyrand, to whom the original slight is perhaps to be attributed, did actually herself pre- sent Eugene. But she had not finished with the Princesses of Baden. Next evening, on taking them with her to the opera, the empress observed that they had come without shawls, and with her usual good-nature put one of her own round each. The day following, after taking leave, the elder princess gent a note, couched in flattering terms, that they would keep the shawls in remembrance of her. Josephine was but half-reconciled. The shawls were two of her white cashmeres. These were mortifications ; but, generally speak- ing, Napoleon, save on a day of battle, was never in better humour, or rendered others around him more happy, than when on a journey. Of the present Josephine always made mention as one of the most agreeable excursions they ever made together. The early mornings, where required, the emperor passed in reviewing the troops stationed along his route. On this subject, the following passage from the journal is worth extracting: "One thing I had formerly remarked, but more particularly during the present journey, namely, the mistake under which the world laboured respecting Napoleon. The vul- gar belief is, that he almost never sleeps, and works constantly , but I see that if he rise early to inspect his regiments, he takes good care to make up for it at night. Yesterday, for instance, he got on horse- back exactly at five for a review, but in the evening he retired at nine, and Josephine told us he had 286 MEMOIRS OF gone to bed. As to his immoderate use of coffee, again, in order to keep off sleep, he takes one cup after breakfast, and another after dinner. But it is ever thus with the public: when an individual, placed in fortunate circumstances, is enabled to ac- complish great things, mankind instantly convert these into marvels, and place them to the account of genius." When nothing serious, as a review, or a reception of the municipal authorities, engaged the mornings, breakfast was often served in the open air, fre- quently at a distance, in some verdant spot on the banks, or on some of the numerous islands of the Rhine. On one of these occasions, while at break- fast on an island near Mayence, Napoleon observed a poor woman looking wistfully upon a spectacle which must have appeared to her so new and splen- did. Calling one of the attendants who spoke Ger- man, he desired the woman to be brought near, and asked, "If she had ever dreamed she was rich?" After considerable difficulty in comprehending the question, she replied, " I have often thought that the person who possessed five hundred florins would be the richest in the world."* " Her dream is a little too dear," said the emperor ; " but it matters not - we must realize it;" so, collecting all the money among the courtiers, the sum was counted to the poor woman, who almost lost her wits at the sight of so much gold. " I looked at the emperor," says our authority, " deeming that he must be happy in the power of bestowing happiness ; but no his countenance expressed only displeasure."- " I have twice," said he, " asked the same question ; but the dreams upon these occasions were more moderate, this honest woman is ambitious." The same * Fifty-four pounds five shillings and fourpence sterling. The florin t Mayence is two shillings and fourpence, but it varies from two shil lings to one shilling and sixpence. Originally it was an Italian coin, though now exclusively used in Germany and the Netherlands. THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 287 morning, after break fast, Josephine, accompanied by only one of her ladies and two attendants, while walking round the island, found a woman seated on the ground, suckling her child. Though, from her habiliments, it was easy to perceive that the mother belonged to the humblest rank of peasantry, she yet seemed happy and contented. Josephine stopped, took the child in her arms, and, with her caresses, a. tear of tenderness, perhaps of regret, fell upon its innocent countenance. The infant held up its little hands, and smiled upon the empress. Her emotion was very evident; and, privately placing in the mother's hand five twenty-franc pieces, the whole contents of her purse, she silently turned away, amid grateful benedictions. On returning from a scene where his ostentation had thus been placed in un- favourable contrast with Josephine's unpretending beneficence, Napoleon talked a great deal on the relative condition of mankind, and on this occasion gave his famous, but somewhat incomprehensible, definition of happiness in the following terms: " There is no such thing as happiness or misery in the world ; the sole distinction is, that the life of the happy man is a picture with a silver ground, studded with stars of jet ; while, on the other hand, the life of the unfortunate man is a dark ground with a few stars of silver." Another occupation of the morning, more fre- quently attended to than any other during these ex- cursions, was the reception of the constituted author- ities of the cities and departments through which the court passed. . For this duty Napoleon prepared with great diligence. A statistic of the whole of France, drawn up separately and privately by natives of the respective places, had been transmitted di- rectly to himself. These reports he preserved for his own private use ; thence he knew perfectly the state of any portion of his empire, and took care previously to -consider the particulars upon which it 288 MEMOIRS 07 was the intention to examine its magistrates." By these means, chiefly, he contrived to acquire and maintain the reputation for almost universal know- ledge, which he certainly enjoyed. Often, for in- stance, would the magistrates, after one of these audiences, proclaim his praises in terms like the fol- lowing : " What a man ! how profound his know- ledge ! no particular escapes him ! how universal his genius ! Why, this remote department is as well known to him as if he had been born among us !" Doubtless, had the mode of acquisition been divulged, the admiration would have been diminished ; but we question whether either its merit or utility would have been lessened. The views of the sovereign were thus kept abreast of the flow of national pros- perity, and inferior agents constrained to an under- standing of their functions ; for if not answering correctly and aptly, they were dismissed, as hap- pened in more than one instance during the present excursion. The evenings, during a tour, were reserved en- tirely for amusement and conversation. Of this latter, when in good-humour, Napoleon supported the principal part ; and, if we may believe Josephine, he conversed delightfully. Sometimes he would discuss a metaphysical question with Cambaceres, a great adept in ethical science, but with whom, from the latter's admiration of Kant, he seldom agreed* Much more frequently, however, he addressed his discourse to the members of the court generally, assembled in the saloon. .At such times, half- recumbent on a sofa, with one foot resting on the floor, the other swinging to and fro, he would usually take for the subject one of the fine arts, especially music or painting; but a very common, and with him apparently a favourite, theme was love. So far as he was accustomed to illustrate his remarks by real anecdotes, or by fictitious narratives, he pos- sessed complete mastery over the feelings and at- THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 289 tention of his hearers ; then his recital became beau- tiful and powerful acting, in expression, gesture, lan- guage equalling the finest exhibitions of the drama. . The tale of Julio, as found in Bourrienne,* which was actually recited during the present excursion, may serve" to remind the reader of the power of these extemporaneous illustrations. In simplicity and tenderness of natural sentiment, however, Napo- leon's views of the " great passion" were extremely defective ; the delicacy and nobleness of the female character he, in fact, never appreciated, and appears not to have understood. " There are," said Jose- phine, with great simplicity, " perhaps five or six days in the year when woman may obtain some in- fluence over him ; but his opinion of our sex gene- rally is extremely unfavourable." As the evening advanced for he delighted to converse in the gloom of twilight a game at whist usually concluded the drawing-room service, and the courtiers retired to lodgings assigned them under the same roof, or in the adjacent houses. The whist party consisted of the emperor and empress, Madame la Rochefoucauld, the lady of honour, with a fourth named either from tho nobility of the court or the foreign visiters. Napoleon played very ill, and was so careless about this game, that, having once commissioned M. de Remusat, grand-chamberlain, to invite a lady to make a fourth, who pleading in apology that she had never played whist, he cried out, overhearing the excuse, " Oh madame, c'est egal" that makes no matter. The lady, looking upon this as a command, took her seat, and, by barely attending to the first hand, beat the emperor. Josephine played well, but with no great liking for the amusement. Such, with but some variety of scenery and inci- dent, were all those excursions which filled up so large a portion of the imperial life of Josephine * See Memoirs of Napoleon, Constables Miscellany, vol. iii. 2d edit. Bb 290 MEMOIRS OF We have therefore dwelt upon the present one at some length. The court returned to Paris in the beginning of October. It is singular that this should have been precisely the same route which was taken in the first excursion which Napoleon made with Maria Louisa ; and one who accompanied both has left on record, that the remembrance of the first was not obliterated in the hearts of the people by the visit of the second empress. Meanwhile, preparations had been making for a coronation such as France had scarcely witnessed since the daj^s of the Carlovingian monarchs, when the head of the Catholic church placed the crown upon the brow of her eldest son. To this honour and to this title Bonaparte, as founder of a dynasty, aspired anew. Nor was the church in any case to disallow these pretensions to one already in a fair way to make good his resolution of dethroning all the kings of Europe, that so he might be the senior of the regal aristocracy. The general veneration which the good old Pius awakened on his arrival in Paris became, in Josephine's breast, a deep and par- ticular regard. During the five months nearly which he passed in the French capital, the unceasing cares of the empress were directed to whatever might tend to his comfort. Every day she sent to inquire con- cerning his welfare, often visited, and very frequently corresponded with his holiness. These attentions were the more called for, that the delicate health of Pius suffered from the climate of France, while the winter of 1804-5 was one of unusual severity. The orders of the emperor, indeed, provided amply for all things necessary ; but the observant delicacy of the empress supplied many wants which might else have been overlooked. Often, for instance, the wea- ther prevented the pope from appearing in public ; a circumstance which grieved him chiefly as hindering the religiously inclined from approaching his person. Josephine procured the long picture gallery of the THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 291 Louvre to be thrown open ; here the venerable Pius took exercise, and saw those who desired spiritual consolation from him. It was a sight deeply affect- ing- to view the old man slowly pacing this magnifi- cent gallery, nearly a quarter of a mile long, be tween a double line of kneeling applicants for his blessing; but to the sincere friend of religion, of whatever creed, it must have been painful to remark a cause of regret still existing in France that of these numbers almost all were women or children. His holiness was preceded by the director of the museum, the Baron Denon, and followed by the cardinals and officers oi the papal court. The di- rector named those to be personally introduced, and it was not without interest to behold the same aged hand now stretched forth to a supplicant who might perchance be announced by one of the most illustrious titles in France, and immediately after placed upon the head of an infant of nameless birth. Pius was sincerely attached to Josephine : the peaceful mildness of their general characters was not dissimilar, while their firmness on certain points entirely redeemed this gentle endurance of personal wrongs and sacrifices from the charge of feebleness, which has sometimes been brought against both. The following letter, written a short time before the coronation, is the production of no weak or ill-regu- lated mind, and expresses sentiments, apart from a peculiar creed, equally just and affecting : The Empress to his holiness Pius VIL " Whatever experience of human change the knowledge of our religion may have taught, your holiness will view, doubtless not without astonish- ment, an obscure woman ready to receive from your hands the first among the crowns of Europe. In an event so far beyond the ordinary course, she recognises and blesses the work of the Almighty, 292 MEMOIRS OF without daring to inquire into his purposes. But, holy father, I should be still ungrateful, even while I magnified the power of God, if I poured not out my soul into the paternal bosom of him who has been chosen to represent his providence if I con- fided not to you my secret thoughts. The first and chief of these is the conviction of my own weakness and incapacity. Of myself I can do nothing, or, to speak more correctly, the little 1 can do is derived solely from the extraordinary man with whom my lot is cast. This falling back upon myself, by which I am sometimes cast down, serves, upon more ma- ture reflection, to encourage me. I say in my own heart, is not the arm which causes the earth to tremble amply sufficient to sustain me ? But how many are the difficulties which surround the station to which that arm has raised me ! I do not speak of the corruption which, in the midst of greatness, has tainted the purest minds; I can rely upon my own, so far as in this respect not to fear elevation. But from a height whence all other dignities must appear mean, how shall I distinguish real poverty 1 Ah ! truly do I feel that, in becoming Empress of the French, I ought also to become to them as a mother : at the same time, what would it avail to bear them in my heart, if I proved my affection for them only by my intentions ? Deeds are what the people have a right to demand from those who gov- ern them ; and your holiness, who so well replies to the respectful love of your subjects by continual acts of justice and benevolence, more than any other sovereign, is qualified to instruct me by example in the efficacy of this doctrine. Oh, then, holy father ! may you, with the sacred unctions poured upon my head, not only awaken me to the truth of those pre- cepts which my heart acknowledges, but also con- firm the resolution of applying them to practice ! M The solemnity for which Josephine thus so prop- THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 293 crly endeavoured to prepare her mind took pkce on the 2d of December, 1804. But previous to a de- scription of the ceremonial of the coronation, an important circumstance demands an explanation. The Duke de Rovigo, in his Memoirs, and after him other writers have asserted, that besides the mere civil act of marriage, no more sacred tie bound Na- poleon to Josephine. The facts, however, are as follows : Three days before the coronation, at mid- night of the 29th and 30th of November, the nuptial benediction according to the forms of the church was pronounced over the imperial pair by Cardinal Fesch, in the private chapel of the Tuileries. This was deemed indispensable by the pope, and was done in consequence of his formal demand. Very few, indeed, witnessed the ceremony, but among these, it is pretty certain, were Marshal Duroc and Eugene, though neither, from the obvious circum- stance of not having been called upon, has left per- sonal testimony of his presence. Eugene, however, whose frank and noble character raised him far above suspicion, frequently stated, in the hearing of witnesses now living, certain knowledge of his mother's religious marriage having been celebrated as now related. The extract of this marriage, in fact, delivered to the empress by her own desire, was confided to her son's keeping, and was in his custody in Italy at the final downfall of the empire. From Josephine's own conversations, too, with inti- mate friends at Navarre and Malmaison after the divorce, the principal circumstance is placed beyond a. doubt. True, the religious celebration of the marriage was not announced in the Moniteur, be- cause Bonaparte objected to so tardy an act. Jose- phine acquiesced; and here the good sense which dictated silence to both, through her own devotion to his will, has, as we shall see hereafter, turned against herself. Besides, the institutions of the Catholic church, the character of the pope, a de Bb2 294 MEMOIRS OF voted supporter of these, and the consequent im- probability, if not actual impossibility, of the highest and most sacred ordinances of religion being admin- istered by such hands to those who, strictly speak- ing, were not yet within the pale of ecclesiastical privileges, corroborate the fact of this private mar- riage. On the 2d of December all was stir in Paris and the Tuileries from an early hour. On this morning, which was to witness the completion of her great- ness, Josephine rose about eight o'clock, and imme- diately commenced the weighty concerns of the toilet. The body drapery of the empress was of white satin, beautifully embroidered in gold, and on the breast ornamented with diamonds. The mantle was of crimson velvet, lined with white satin and ermine, studded with golden bees, and confined by an aigrette of diamonds. The coronation jewels consisted of a crown, a diadem, and a ceinture. The first, used for the actual crowning, and worn only on state occasions, consisted of eight branches, four wrought in palm, and four in myrtle leaves of gold incrusted with diamonds: round the circlet ran a corded fillet set with eight very large emeralds ; and the bandeau which immediately enclosed the head shone with resplendent amethysts. The dia- dem, worn before the coronation, and on the more ordinary state occasions, was composed of four rows of pearls of the finest water, interlaced with foliage of diamonds, the workmanship of which equalled the materials ; in front were several brilliants, the largest weighing one hundred and forty-nine grains. The ceinture was of gold so pure as to be quite elastic, enriched w r ith thirty-nine rose-coloured dia,- monds. What a change from the time of her first marriage, when, as Josephine, with her wonted sim- plicity, used to relate, she carried the few trinkets presented by Beauharnais, for several days, in the large pockets which ladies were then accustomed THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 295 to wear, showing them to every acquaintance, and hearing 1 them pronounced the wonder of all eyes ! In Napoleon's apartment the morning passed in similar preparations. His close dress was of white velvet, embroidered in gold with diamond huttons ; his stockings of white silk ; the gussets wrought in gold, harmonized with buskins of white velvet laced and bordered with gold ; his upper garment, as also the short mantle, were of crimson velvet, richly embroidered in gold, with diamond fastenings. This mantle was similar to that of the empress, but much heavier, weighing upwards of eighty pounds. It was curious to remark an innate parsimony amid all this profusion. As his attendants displayed them in succession, each of these magnificent habiliments gave occasion to new outpourings of indignation against embroidery, tailors, and fournisseurs of all descriptions. " All very fine that," he would say to his favourite valet, taking him at the same time by the ear ; " all very fine, Monsieur le drole ; but we shall see the accounts !" At eleven precisely the cavalcade moved from the Tuileries towards Notre Dame. The imperial carriage, drawn by eight bays, attracted general attention ; it had been constructed for the occasion, in a very ingenious manner, the entire paneling being of glass, a circumstance which accounts for the mistake of their majesties having seated them- selves, like criminals, with their backs to the horses ; but where so many omens and predictions have figured, it is surprising that the fact has been omit- ted. Josephine was the first to discover this error, which she instantly rectified by lightly assuming the proper position, saying at the same time to her com- panion, " Mon ami, unless you prefer riding vis-a-vib, this is your seat," pointing to the rich cushion on the right. Napoleon, laughing heartily at his blun- der, moved to the place indicated. The procession advanced, attended by ten thousand horsemen, the 296 MEMOIRS OF flower of " Gallic chivalry," who defiled between double lines of infantry, selected from the bravest soldiers, extending above a mile and a half, while more than four hundred thousand spectators filled up every space whence a glance could be obtained. The thunders of innumerable artillery, the acclama- tions of the assembled multitude, expressed the general enthusiasm ; and, as if to light up the gor- geous spectacle, the sun suddenly broke through the mists which till then had hung heavily over the city. The cortege stopped at the archiepiscopal palace, whence a temporary covered gallery, hung with the banners of the sixteen cohorts of the Legion of Honour, conducted into the interior of the cathe- dral, and to the throne. To this latter was an ascent of twenty-two semicircular steps, covered with blue cloth, gemmed with golden bees, and crowded with the grand officers of the empire. On the throne itself, hung with crimson velvet, under a canopy of the same, appeared Napoleon, with Josephine on his left, attended by the princesses of the empire, and on his right his two brothers, with the arch- chancellor and arch-treasurer. The religious cere- mony continued nearly four hours, enlivened by music composed for the occasion chiefly by Paesi- ello, and sung by upwards of three hundred per- formers. The martial band was still more nume- rous, which executed in the intervals marches after- ward adopted, and still used in the armies of France. One of these, composed by Le Seur, for the army destined to invade our own shores, when now per- formed for the first time, is said to have aroused a visible emotion even in that august assembly. Alas ! how cold are the hearts that then beat high with hope! how few, how very few survive of those upon whom the impulse wrought most stirringly! and from the banks of the Tagus to the streams of the Volga, how varied the clime that settles on their graves! Yet not many years have passed the THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 297 story is contemporary history the grand actor might have been among us not an aged man. Be the moral, therefore, more impressively ours. Were all such thoughts of this life's greatness absent from Josephine's mind] It would appear not. Napo- leon, at that part of the ceremony, stood up, laid his hand upon the imperial crown, a simple diadem of gold wrought into a chaplet of interwoven oak and laurel, and placed it on his head. He had even given express directions that Pius should not touch it. Popes had pretended that all crowns were be- stowed by them ; and perhaps the new emperor dreaded the belief that he had brought his holiness from Rome with reference to these ancient preten- sions. He wished, therefore, to demonstrate, that the right to reign originated in his own power, and that, at his coronation, the pope was but the bishop of Rome. Afterward, Napoleon took the crown destined for the empress, and, first putting it for an instant on his own, placed it upon his consort's brow, as she knelt before him on the platform of the throne. The appearance of Josephine was at this moment most touching. Even then she had not forgotten that she was once " an obscure woman ;" tears of deep emotion fell from her eyes ; she re- mained for a space kneeling, with hands crossed upon her bosom, then, slowly and gracefully rising, fixed upon her husband a look of gratitude and ten- derness. Napoleon returned the glance. It was a silent but conscious interchange of the hopes, the promises, and the memories of years ! Cardinal Fesch, as grand almoner of France, now placed the Gospels on the throne ; Napoleon stood up, laid his hand on the sacred volume, and, in his deep and solemn tones, pronounced the oaths, with such firmness and elevation of voice, that each word was distinctly heard over the vast assembly. Shouts of " Long live the emperor ! God bless the em- Dress !" resounded through the cathedral, and were 298 MEMOIRS OF caught and repeated by the multitude without ; the organ pealed forth Te Deum, and the whole con- cluded. The cortege re-entered the palace at half- past six in the evening: Josephine retired to her closet to give vent in secret to the fulness of her heart, and to implore the protection of Him by whom kings reign. Napoleon too hastened to his apartments " Otez moi" said he impatiently to his attendants " Otez moi ce genant attirail" Off, off with these confounded trappings ; and, casting his coronation robes from him, he resumed his simple uni- form of a colonel of the guard, repeating incessantly, " Enfinje respire" Now I breathe and complaining that the preceding had been the most mortal foui hours of his life. The whole of December presented but a succes- sion of fetes. At that given on the 15th, by the city of Paris, when the empress entered the apartments destined for her temporary reception in the Hotel de Ville, she found a toilet service, with table, ewer, and basin, of massive gold, and exquisite workman- ship, a present from the municipality of the capital. Another circumstance connected with this fete de- serving of notice is the history of a balloon, which was launched in the everfing, with lamps and iron framework, forming an imperial crown, weighing, exclusive of the balloon itself, 500 Ibs. The vast globe rose majestically, hovering for some time over Paris, and presenting to the inhabitants a brilliant and vast diadem of light. The machine then disap- peared in the south, and though a paper was attached, offering a reward to whomsoever should bring it back to the proprietor, the celebrated aeronaut Gamier, nothing was heard of it for fifteen days. On new-year's day morning, while Napoleon was dressing, one of the privy council entered. To the question, " What news *?" the usual interrogatory to all his early visiters, the minister replied, " Sir, 1 left the Cardinal Caprara very late last night, from - THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE 299 whom I learned the most extraordinary occurrence." " What is it ?" said the emperor, preparing, half- dressed as he was, to conduct the narrator into the private cabinet. " Oh, sire," replied Maret, " the news is more curious than important, Garnier's balloon, launched from Paris on the night of the 16th, fell near Rome on the evening of the 17th; thus bearing your imperial crown to the two capitals of the world within twenty-two hours !" This was actually the case, as appears from notices published at the time by Cardinal Gonsalvi, papal Secretary of State, and the Duke of Mondragone, near whose residence the balloon descended into the lake Brac- ciano, whence, after alarming the whole country far and near, it was brought to land by some fishermen. The machine had thus traversed nine hundred miles, across France, the Alps, and Italy, at the rate of forty-five miles an hour. In April Josephine accompanied Napoleon to Milan, there to assume the crown of Lombardy. Before their departure was solemnized the baptism of Hortense's second son, Napoleon himself and Madame Mere being sponsors ; the festivities were kept up till midnight, when the emperor, according to his usual fashion, merely said, on retiring, " Horses at six for Italy !" Leaving the empress at Fontain- bleau, Napoleon made an excursion to Brienne, pur- posely, as emperor, to view the scenes of his boy- hood, which he had not visited from the time of leaving college. The principal seat of his early studies, indeed, had been dismantled, but even revo- lutionary rage had been able to work little change on nature. Napoleon seemed to enjoy unmixed plea- sure in recalling her features ; walking before those who attended him, delighting to be the first to point out and name the several spots which had been his favourite resorts. After passing the night in the chateau de Brienne, he got up early in the morning to visit La Rothiere, formerly a holyday haunt, and 800 MEMOIRS OF the cottage of dame Marguerite, a woman who lived in the forest, and at whose abode the collegians, in their rambles, were wont to be supplied with eggs, cakes, and milk. On such occasions each paid his share, and the good dame had not, it seems, for- gotten, that regular payment might be depended on when young Napoleon was of the party. The emperor had inquired about the old woman over- night, and heard, with equal surprise and pleasure, that she still lived. Galloping almost alone through the alleys of the forest, he alighted at a little dis- tance, and entered the cottage. " Good morning, dame Marguerite ; so you have no curiosity to see the emperor?" "Yes, indeed, good master, I am very anxious to see him, and here is a basketful of fresh eggs I am to carry to the chateau, and then I will try to get a sight of the emperor ; I shall easily know him, for I have seen him often before now, when he came to taste my milk ; he was not em- peror then, but o' my troth, he knew how to manage his comrades; my milk, eggs, cakes^ and broken plates, were sure to be paid for when he was present : he began by paying his own score, and saw that every one else paid." " So, dame Marguerite," re- plied the emperor with a smile, " you have not then forgotten Bonaparte 1" " Nay, nay, my good mas- ter, people don't soon forget a young man of his stamp; we all remember that he was cautious, se- rious, and sometimes even melancholy, but always good to the poor. I am no great witch, but could have told that he would have made his way." " He has done pretty well, has he not ?" asked Napoleon, laughing. " 0' my troth, master, that he has," said the old woman, to whom Napoleon, during this short dialogue, had approached quite close, but keeping his back to the door, and consequently to the principal light. Turning now suddenly round, the light streamed full upon his countenance the good dame started, blessed herself, and seemed striving to col- THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 301 lect her reminiscences of the past. To help her memory, Napoleon, rubbing his hands, and assuming the tones and manners of his youth, called out, " So, ho ! dame Marguerite, some milk and fresh eggs ; we are all dying of hunger." The old woman, not quite assured, began to examine the, emperor very attentively. " Ah, dame Marguerite," said the latter, "time has changed us both; and you perceive it would not have been so easy as you just now thought to recognise the emperor ; but you find we are old acquaintances." The poor creature dropped upon her knees Napoleon raised her with an expression of the utmost kindness, saying, " Of a truth, my good mother, I am as hungry as a student have you nothing to give me ?" Eggs and milk were got ready, Napoleon helping himself, for joy had almost put the old woman beside herself. Having thus made a hearty repast, the emperor rose to depart, and giv- ing his ancient hostess a purse of gold, said, " You know, dame Marguerite, I like everybody to pay their score. 'Adieu, I will not forget you." At Lyons, the imperial pair passed some days with Cardinal Fesch, whose hospitality, it has been re- marked, became more bountiful in proportion to his certainty of remuneration. Josephine crossed Mount Cenis, partly in a litter, partly on foot ; for the mag- nificent road which now " bridges the 'Alps" was then but just begun. For this passage, two beauti- ful sedans had been despatched from Turin, the one intended for the emperor being lined with crimson silk, with ornaments of gold, while Josephine's had lining of blue satin, and ornaments of silver. These elegancies, however, were used only when walking became dangerous ; for Josephine preferred the support of Napoleon's arm, and the free aspect of the sublimities around. At Turin, or rather the palace of Stupinigi, in the vicinity of that beautiful little capital, she took leave of the venerable Pius, and these amiable personages parted with undi- Cc 302 MEMOIRS OF minished sentiments of mutual esteem. Josephine's gift on the occasion, a beautiful vase of Sevres china, with exquisite paintings of the coronation, we have seen preserved in his holiness's palace on Monte Cavallo, as one would guard the memorial of some valued friend, long after she had ceased to reign and to live. From Turin, the imperial party proceeded, by way of Alessandria, to the battle-plain of Marengo. Here about thirty thousand troops had been previously assembled, and a vast amphitheatre erected, whence, seated by Josephine's side, Napoleon distributed the cross of the Legion of Honour. Upon this occasion he had a hat with broad tarnished gold lace, a cloak already wormeaten, the large cavalry sabre of a re- publican general, and a blue coat with long skirts, the identical arms and habiliments worn on the "day of Marengo." Thence to Milan is only a short day's journey. It is unnecessary to describe the coronation here ; the ceremony, except in being less magnificent, closely resembled that in Paris. Napoleon placed upon his brow, with his own hand, the iron circlet of the sovereigns of Lombardy, re- peating aloud, " Dio mi F ha dato guai a chi la tocca" God hath given it wo to the gainsayer; and afterward crowned, in like manner, the empress. A few days after followed the ceremony of creating Eugene viceroy, and investing him with this new dignity. Their majesties remained nearly a month in the capital of Northern Italy. This period was one continued succession of fetes. One day, when Josephine and Napoleon had escaped from greatness to a quiet breakfast and walk in a beautiful little island in the Olona, they met a poor woman, whose cabin stood near the spot where their table had been spread. " How do you live, my good woman ? are you married? how many children have you] M - " Sir," answered the woman, not knowing who put these questions, " I am very poor, and have three THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 303 children, whom we have difficulty in bringing up, for my husband, who is a day-labourer, has not always work." "Well, how much would make you per- fectly happy 1" asked Napoleon. " Ah ! sir, a great deal of money." " Well, but once more, my good woman, how much would you wish 1" " Oh, sir, at least twenty louis" (about 16/.) ; " but what prospect is there of our ever having twenty louis?" The emperor ordered 3000 francs (125Z.) in gold to be given her. The rouleaus being opened, and the con- tents poured into her lap, at the sight of such a quantity of gold, the poor woman nearly fainted away. " Ah ! sir," said she, " ah ! madam, it is a great deal too much and yet you do not look as if you could sport with the feelings of a miserable woman." Josephine reassured her, saying, in the gentlest accents, "You can now rent a piece of ground, purchase a flock of goats, and, I hope, will be able to bring up your children comfortably." Continuing their progress through the various de- partments of the new kingdom of Italy, the imperial travellers reached Mantua, and thence proceeded to Genoa. But if Napoleon's errand to Italy had been one of pleasure, his journey thence was urged by motives of equal speed and importance. At Genoa he received certain intelligence of the coming storm from the Austro-Russian coalition, mainly caused by his assumption of the Lombard crown. Jose- phine left Genoa with regret ; she had been pleased with the people, the delightful climate, and the beautiful bay, in which a floating garden of orange- trees and rare plants was constructed for her amusement. She had resolved, however, to accom- pany the emperor, though suffering most severely from the rapidity of the journey. At each change of horses it was necessary to throw water upon the smoking wheels, yet Napoleon kept calling from the carriage, " On, on ! we do not move !" In this man- ner, with a few days' interval at Paris, he hurried to 304 MEMOIRS OF Boulogne, in order thence to transport, with incred- ible diligence, the Army of Invasion to the Rhenish frontier, and the campaign of Austerlitz. On the emperor's final departure, in September, upon this splendid enterprise, Josephine, after ac- companying him to Strasburg, returned as regent of the empire. To aid her in sustaining so arduous a dignity, Cambaceres, as archchancellor, was ap- pointed chief assistant and adviser. The following letter, addressed to that functionary, shows with what anxiety and prudence she prepared for the discharge of her duties. The reader, it is believed, while surprised at the justness and even depth of the views, will find but one expression, on English com- merce, liable to direct objection. Josephine to Cambaceres. *' SIR, To-morrow, as you know, in absence of the emperor, I am to give audience to the Senate and the different authorities. In a conjuncture of such moment, two things are needful, to inform you of my intentions, and to receive your advice. In this my necessity, to whom can I more properly apply than to the distinguished personage who pos- sesses the emperor's entire confidence, and whom France regards, with reason, as his worthy repre- sentative 1 " The various addresses have been communicated to me, and I send you an outline of the terms in which, I conceive, I ought to reply. " I remind the Senate, that as fathers of their country, and conservators of her institutions, to them belongs the sole duty of maintaining a balance be- tween the different powers of the state, not permit- ting themselves to encroach upon any one. To the legislative body I say that their functions are to judge, and to pass laws, particularly those relating to taxation, without meddling in the march of THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 305 government, which such interference would impede. I call to the remembrance of the council of state, that for them has been reserved the important duty of preparing, by previous discussion, good internal laws, and a durable legislation. To the minis- ters I state, that they form neither a corporation nor even a legislative commission, neither the ad- ministration nor the government; but that, under the title of superior agents of the government, and first commissioners of its chief, they execute, and cause to be executed, orders which are the imme- diate consequences of legislative determinations. To the clergy I explain, that they form a portion of the state, while the state never is, and never can be, transferred to them ; that their sole and exclu- sive province is the conscience, upon which they are to act so as to form citizens to the country, soldiers for the territory, subjects for the sovereign, and virtuous fathers of families. To the magistracy I say, that applying without interpreting the laws, in unity of views, and identity of jurisprudence, they are to seize with sagacity the spirit of the law, recon- ciling the happiness of the governed with the respect due to governors. To the savans I acknowledge, that the gentle empire of the arts, of science, and literature tempers whatever might be too austere in arms, which yet, in a season of transition and trial, are indispensable. The manufacturers and mer- chants are reminded, that they should have but two thoughts, which at bottom are one and the same, the prosperity of oui own productions, and the ruin of those of England. Finally, to the agriculturists it is stated, that the treasures of France are buried in the soil, and that by the ploughshare and the spade they are thence to be extracted. To the heroes of either service I have nothing to say this palace is filled with their exploits ; and from under a canopy of standards, conquered by their valour, and consecrated by their blood, do I speak. Cc2 306 MEMOIRS OF " Let me know speedily, and with perfect fran* ness, whether I am worthy thus to address the august assembly of my hearers." While Josephine employed herself in discharg- ing, according to these principles, her delegated power at home, Napoleon in Germany was pro- ceeding from one triumph to another. The skilful combinations at the opening of the campaign first deceived Mack, and afterward shut him up with his army in Ulm. The capture of that city had opened the road to Vienna, and the victory of Aus- terlitz sealed the fate of the Austrian capital. This decisive victory was gained on the anniversary of the coronation; but many days of December had passed without the arrival of a courier, and the empress, at St. Cloud, expected with anxious alarm news from the army. It was nine o'clock in the evening; the usual circle had assembled in Jose- phine's saloon, where many a heart, like her own, was but ill at ease. All, however, had given up hope for one day more, hardly assured, like those to whom evil tidings may come, whether the continu- ance of uncertainty were not a relief. Suddenly, shouts were heard, and immediately after a single horseman galloped into the court of the palace. The sound of bells and the loud cracking of a whip announced a courier. Josephine herself hastened to the nearest window, threw it open, and the words, " Victory Austerlitz," saluted her ear. Impatient of delay, she descended into the vestibule, followed by her ladies. Moustache, for it was the faithful Mame- luke whom Napoleon had despatched from the field of battle, delivered a letter to the empress. It was a brief note, written by the emperor's own hand in the moment of victory. Josephine perused it where she stood, reading by the light of the flambeaux which the attendants had snatched up in haste. She drew a superb diamond from her finger, and THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 307 gave it to Moustache. He merited so distinguished a reward: he had traversed one hundred and fifty miles within the last twelve hours, and was so exhausted that four men were employed to lift him from the saddle, and his last horse fell dead in the court of the palace. The victory thus announced was productive in its consequences of renewed pleasure to the empress, by the marriage of her Eugene with the Princess- royal of Bavaria; and, as a striking proof of his attachment for both, the first of the royal alliances in Napoleon's family took place in favour of the son of Josephine. Joyfully obeying a mandate which was to restore her for a time to the society of those she loved, the empress immediately left Paris for Munich, where the nuptials were solemnized in Jan- uary, 1806. " I was delighted," says the noble Rapp, speaking of this event, " to find so many friends assembled, and especially to see the empress once again, who is excellent and amiable as ever." When summoned to the Bavarian capital from the com- mand of the Italian army, in order to receive the hand of Augusta, Eugene displayed all the reluctance natural to a feeling and liberal mind against a politi- cal marriage. The personal attractions of the prin- cess, however, her accomplishments and amiableness, taught him to receive as the consummation of his happiness that to which he had merely prepared to submit. The attachment soon became mutual ; and the domestic felicity of the viceroy constituted, both in her prosperous and adverse fortunes, a cause of rejoicing to his mother. The princess shared in, and proved herself, in every relation of a wife and a mother, worthy of Josephine's best affections. Her attachment to Eugene was perfect and disinterested. The viceroy had written a desponding letter on the occasion of the divorce, expressing, among other things, regret on the account that he had now ceased to be the adopted son of the emperor ; his wife ten- 308 MEMOIRS OF derly endeavoured to console him on his mother's misfortune, but for herself nobly replied, " It was not the heir of the emperor whom 1 married, and whom I have loved, but Eugene Beauharnais." On the other hand, it would be difficult to say whether Josephine loved her children or grandchildren better. One of her greatest pleasures after her retreat was to devise, and send to Italy, whatever might amuse, instruct, or interest her young favourites. Often, too, has she been found in tears, contemplat- ing a family picture, representing the princess, who was very beautiful, with three of her children, one on their mother's shoulder, another climbing her knee, and the third in her arms. "It might be thought," said Josephine with a mournful smile, to one of her ladies, who found her thus employed, "that these tears had their source in other feelings than those of maternal affection. You know me; and I need hardly assure you they flow from no other cause." On the return of Napoleon from Germany, Paris seemed almost converted into a German capital, such were the numbers of the princes of that country who now thronged the imperial court. One of these, the Prince-royal of Baden, was to marry the newly created Princess Stephanie de Beauharnais, niece to the empress. The following letter, written upon this occasion, is a proof that power, happiness, and success had wrought, and could work, no change in the heart of the writer : Josephine to the Comtesse Girardin. " MY DEAR FRIEND, I send you a set of jewels, which will serve to prove that I do not cease to think of you. The moment Fonder [jeweller to the em- press ] brought them, the charming appearance they would have on your beautiful neck occurred to me, and I eagerly made the purchase. Accept, then, this pledge of an attachment which you cannot doubt, on THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 309 recalling your own affection for me when I was utterly destitute, but of which, from that very cir- cumstance, it will be pleasing to receive a new remembrance. " I am truly satisfied with the rank which I occupy only when it procures me the pleasure of obtaining some favour for my friends of old. Your situation, fortunately, deprives me of the happiness of being able to serve you, since all your wishes are fulfilled. I cannot console myself for my want of power to be serviceable, save by often seeking occasions of being at least agreeable. These my heart will in- struct me how to divine. "My charming Stephanie, now adopted by the emperor, is very soon to espouse a German prince. His name must be still a mystery : so soon as I have permission to communicate it, you shall be the first to learn the secret. You know my tenderness for my niece, and can therefore conceive the happiness which 1 experience in venturing to anticipate hers. Her character, little disposed to ambition, makes her regard this match with a degree of pain, because it removes her from me and her family ; yet a while and she will forget every thing in the truest of all the joys of this world, that of seeing the happiness of others depending upon her. You will remember, my dear, we found means of tasting such enjoyment even hi prison, by sharing with the wretched cap- tives whrlwe received from our friends! There wants, indeed, only the will to oblige ; the means are always in our power ; and Stephanie especially is worthy of often meeting with the opportunity. " Meantime we are very busy with all those futili- ties necessary to an intended. I am delighted with every tL.ng the emperor does for my favourite. She is, I know, less overjoyed than I, from the causes already mentioned, and finds only one consola- tion, in being able, on quitting France, to take with her some early friends, a privilege which is to be 310 MEMOIRS OF granted. If, then, your protegee desires an agree- able situation, I believe I can procure one near Ste- phanie's person, which will be preferable to one in my service. "I must leave you, dear friend, for Foncier. There are duties to which we must sacrifice even friendship. You will therefore pardon my breaking off abruptly for a purpose of this importance. For your sake I have vanquished my sloth, not wishing to employ the pen of my good Deschamps [private secretary]. Between friends such as we two, a third party is to me always a restraint. Are you not of the same opinion ] Adieu, my friend. Empress or in prison, be assured no one loves you as does "JOSEPHINE." The spring of 1806 beheld, in succession, most of the members of the imperial family obtain inde- pendent principalities. More favoured than all the rest, except Joseph, Louis and Hortense were raised to the throne of Holland ; and could grandeur com- mand or ensure happiness, Josephine had subse- quently never known misfortune. Every wish, save one, and that one seemed at last supplied, was granted. She found herself on the most splendid of European thrones, beloved by the wonderful man who had placed her there, adored by the French nation, and respected even by enemies. Her children occupied stations second only to her own, with the prospect, either directly or in their issue, of succeeding to empire when death should relax the giant grasp that now swayed the sceptre. The Prussian campaign, closed by the victory of Jena on the 14th of October, and the defeat of the Russians at Friedland, with the subsequent treaty of Tilsit, concluded in the fol- lowing June, left Napoleon arbiter of Europe, and seemed to have invested his power with a perma- nency and force beyond change. We embrace thia period, therefore, both as being filled with events THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 311 alien to our subject, and because it presents the crisis of Josephine's greatness, to introduce a brief sketch of her manner of life as empress. In her own apartments Josephine's ordinary hour of rising was nine o'clock. But on other occasions we have Constant's account as follows : " 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 circumstance not to find the august spouses awake. The emperor commonly asked for tea or an infusion of orange-flowers, and rose immediately after. The empress would say, with a smile, * Will you rise so soon 1 Remain a little longer.' * Well, if I do, you will not sleep, will you 1' was his majesty's usual reply ; then he would roll her up in the coverlet, laughing and tickling her on the cheeks and neck. In the course of a few minutes the empress rose also, and putting on a loose robe du matin, 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." The important arrangements of the toilet always commenced at nine. These occupied an hour, and Josephine then passed into a saloon appropriated to morning receptions of all those who had solicited and obtained the favour of an audience, whether as respected matters within her own influence, or pe- titions to be presented to the emperor. Nothing could exceed the real kindness with which Josephine listened to all these applications, or the. sincerity of her endeavours to promote the success of such as appeared proper, and possessing claims on her sup- port. She has indeed been blamed for too great facility, and little discernment in selecting the objects of her bounty. Both accusations may be true ; but we must recollect that her dispositions were benefi- cent, and her powers limited exceedingly ; while to "the amiable Josephine" numerous petitioners of all ranks and situations applied, who had, or believed 312 MEMOIRS OP they had, no other access to the throne. It is pro* verbially difficult, too, for sovereigns to distinguish true merit or real indigence in those who crave fa- vours; and in a court so intriguing this difficulty must have been proportionally increased. Three things, however, are certain : Josephine was fully sensible both of the duty of inquiry and her liability to be deceived ; next, she never insisted beyond a legitimate influence ; and, lastly, was perfectly firm when convinced of the propriety of an application, and of her own right to obtain its object. The first of these inferences has been sufficiently illustrated by previous letters ; the following notes, among many others, testify to the truth of the last two : The Empress to M. de Villedeuil. " SIR, The petition addressed to me concerns the archchancellor. If you will draw up a memorial for him, and transmit it to me, I shall in all sincerity endeavour to get it noted by the emperor, without which my influence would be of little avail. I shall esteem myself happy, sir, in giving you any mark of the respect I have always entertained for yourself and your generous family, with whom I was very inti- mate at the period of my arrival in France. Rely equally upon my promises and the emperor's justice. The brief note to Fouche" is in a different strain. " MY LORD DUKE, I will that the young Dutetre be placed in some way or other, while I am em- press ; you would very speedily forget him should I cease to reign. I salute you." The audiences concluded, the empress went to breakfast, which was served exactly at eleven During the absence of the emperor, this repast was made in company with the first lady of honour and the other ladies of the court whose rank entitled THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE: 313 them to that distinction. Napoleon always break- fasted in great haste, usually in about seven or eight minutes, and generally alone, at a small table a la fourchette, taking a cup of coffee afterward. During the consulate, breakfast was announced at ten, and then the meal was always a social one; but this hour appears to have interfered with business or etiquette ; and afterward Napoleon more frequently breakfasted alone, while engaged in audiences of a very private nature. Breakfast ended, the empress either played a game at billiards, or, if the weather permitted, walked. This exercise, in either case, did not continue long, and she passed the remainder of the morning, fiom about midday till half-past two or three o'clock, in her apartments, working, conversing, and reading with her ladies. We have already mentioned how beautifully Josephine embroi- dered, and this accomplishment continued to be her chief amusement, much of the most splendid furni- ture in the various palaces being covered with pieces executed by her own hand, or with the assistance of her ladies. The following billet is a curious melange of orders pertaining to these labours, while it shows how kindly Josephine addressed even her inferior attendants : To Aubert, Femrne-de-chambre to the Empress. " MY DEAR Miss AUBERT, I beg you will call in at Bennais's in returning, and see if he really intends to bring my rouge boxes. I have not a single one, as you know. Inquire also whether the frames which I ordered of him are ready; my ladies remain with folded arms, and I myself have nothing at all to do. At the same time, take in your way the Pere de FamUle, and purchase, on my account, a complete assortment of worsteds, with some dozens of English needles. Here is a lot of commissions for you all at once ; not to forget them, think of Dd 814 MEMOIRS OF me. I am quite sure you will acquit youself well, and return quickly." While the rest were at work, one of the ladies, permanently appointed to the office of reader, read aloud at such times as conversation was not pre- ferred. When any literary production gave more than usual pleasure, the reading was immediately recommenced, and the work perused a second time. The volumes selected were interesting but useful books, from the standard writers, and all new pub- lications of repute. Works of taste and imagination constituted, of course, a large portion of these public readings ; novels, however, unless in particu- lar instances, were excluded. Napoleon, indeed, disliked to see novels anywhere about his palaces ; in traversing the antechambers, if he found any of his attendants reading, he seldom failed to examine the book, and if a novel, condemned it to the flames without mercy. The individual, too, was sure of a lecture, which usually began with the question, " So, you could find no better reading than that 1" While the empress and her ladies were engaged as described, the emperor was in the habit of looking in upon the fair party at intervals throughout the morning. On these occasions, he is described as being extremely amiable, amusing, and in high spirits; for he rarely visited the saloon in the morning unless when in good-humour, or, in his own phrase, " when things went well." Josephine, too, though more rarely, would venture into his cabinet, but when he required her presence for any confer- ence of importance, he knocked at the little door of private communication. The empress joyfully obeyed the signal; and these interviews, which generally took place in the evening, were often continued so long that on returning she found all her ladies asleep. About three o'clock, or a little before, the em- press, attended by her ladies, rode out in an open THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 315 carriage, sometimes, though rarely, accompanied by her spouse. On returning, she began to dress for the evening. The grande toilette, being an affair of great importance, was not unfrequently attended by Napoleon in person, especially when the imperial pair were upon some excursion ; for, seldom making any change in his own costume, Josephine's dress- ing-room, unless when his ministers confined him to the cabinet, was his favourite lounge at this hour of leisure. His presence there, agreeable as it might be to her to whom his solicitude in this respect gave so much pleasure, was, however, any thing but desired by the unfortunate tirewomen, among whose girncracks he occasionally played sad havoc. It appears to have been no unusual circumstance for him to empty every box within reach, insisting on the empress making essay of various dresses, in order that he might decide which were most be- coming. He would treat in like manner all the jewel cases he could lay hands on, knocking about their precious contents, as he threw them in suc- cession from him, after trying their effect. In this way, he once actually went through the whole wardrobe and parure destined for a journey of weeks. Sometimes the empress, though possessed of ex- quisite taste, had the misfortune to choose a costume displeasing to her lord ; if the offending dress made a second appearance, his disapprobation certainly followed in some marked manner ; and he once threw the contents of an inkglass on an offensive robe of blue and silver tissue, as Josephine, fully dressed for the evening, entered his cabinet. At six o'clock dinner was served; but, unless on very particular occasions, Napoleon forgot, and delayed it indefinitely. Hence, in the annals of the imperial table, dinners at nine, and even ten o'clock, are not unfrequent. Their majesties always dined together alone, or with a few invited guests, mem- bers of the imperial family or of the ministry. 316 MEMOIRS OF Invitations were delivered by the grand master of the ceremonies, who informed the grand marshal of the necessary arrangements, and in what manner the guests should sit ; the grand marshal, again, re- ceived his orders directly from the severe ign. When their majesties dined en grand convert, their table was placed under a canopy on a platform elevated one step, and with two armchairs, one on the right for the emperor, the other on the left for Josephine, the former wearing a hat with plumes, and his con- sort a diadem. Their majesties were informed by the grand marshal when the preparations were com- pleted, and entered the room in the following order : Pages, assistant master of the ceremonies, pre- fects of the palace, first prefect and a master of the ceremonies, the grand marshal and grand master of the ceremonies ; the empress, attended by her first equery and first chamberlain ; the emperor, colonel- general of the guard, grand chamberlain, and grand equery ; the grand almoner, who blessed the meat, and retired, leaving their majesties to a solitary board, unless when guests of kingly rank were pres- ent, or humbler ones sat down there by invitation. The pages performed the more subordinate, and the stewards the menial part of the service at the im- perial table ; but the immediate wants of their majes- ties were ministered to by the grand marshal (Duroc, Duke de Friuli), first chamberlain (Comte de Beau- mont), the first equery (Comte d'Harville), and the chamberlains (all noblemen) in turn. The other tables were served by the stewards and attendants in livery. But when the repast was in private, it took place in a small interior dining-room, without any etiquette, generally some of the members of the court, and especially the grand marshal, sitting down with their majesties. On these occasions, much more frequent than the dinners of ceremony, favour- ite attendants, named by Napoleon, waited at table. Napoleon always ate hastily, rarely remaining THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 317 above ten minutes at table ; so that those who knew him well took care to be prepared beforehand. The viceroy claims the merit of this invention. " Nay, Eugene, you have not had time to dine," said Napo- leon, seeing him rise from table with himself. " Par- don me," replied the prince, " I dined in advance." " A prudent foresight," said the emperor, laughing. On Napoleon rising in this hurried manner, Josephine made a sign to those who dined with them to remain, but followed herself into a small saloon. Here a page brought the ingredients in utensils of silver gilt, upon a gold tray; and the empress poured out and sugared a small cup of coffee, tasted, by sipping a few drops, then presented it to the emperor. These precautions she took because at first, in his moments of absence, he sometimes drank it cold, or without or with too much sugar, and sometimes two cups in succession ; any of which irregularities made him ill, and hence, probably, the stories of his immode- rate use of this beverage. This custom of eating so precipitately both induced slovenly habits and fre- quently caused sickness. Napoleon not only dis- pensed with the use of his knife and fork as respected his own plate, but also helped himself with his fingers from the dishes nearest him, and dipped his bread in the sauce. In the attacks of indigestion, which were often very severe, and attended with vomiting, no- thing could exceed the anxious tenderness of Jose- phine ; for Napoleon supported this sickness with scarcely a degree of composure. On the first symptoms of the malady, he flung him- self at full length on the carpet of his bedroom, and Josephine was instantly by his side. She rested his head on her knees, stroking his temples, and apply- ing frictions of eau de Cologne to his breast, con- soling and encouraging him in the best way she could. A few cups of tea seldom failed to remove the acute pain ; but he remained for a length of time feeble and exhausted, when Josephine, in her most Dd2 318 MEMOIRS OF touching accents, would say, " Now you are better, will you lie down a little 1 I will remain with Con- stant by your bedside." These attacks and the manner of treatment have probably given rise to the idea that Napoleon was subject to epileptic fits. One of the longest and most severe indispositions of this kind occurred during the excursion to Mayence, and in the night. Josephine, in perfect darkness, for the chamber light had been extinguished, and not wish- ing to awake any one, assured that nobody but her- self would be tolerated in the apartment, threw some part of her dress about her, and groped her way to the chamber of the aid-de-camp on duty, from whom, astonished as he felt at such a visit, she obtained a light, and continued alone to watch over and apply remedies to her husband. Next day both appeared languid and fatigued. How selfish and un- grateful a being must Napoleon have been, when, on the very same excursion, he, with his own hand, almost dragged Josephine from bed to attend a ball, while suffering under one of those nervous headaches which frequently caused her absolute torture. The first lady of honour, Madame de Rochefoucauld, wit- nessed this barbarity, which she mentioned with tears. Josephine appeared at the ball and reception with her usual kindness and grace, remained the requisite time, but almost fainted on returning to her apartments, yet without uttering a single murmur of complaint. After dinner, the empress passed the evening in her usual circle, or with a small party, either invited, or consisting of favourite ministers and officers, who, having come on business, had been detained by the emperor. When there were no receptions, concerts, or theatre, every one retired at midnight ; but Jose- phine, who loved to sit up, continued to play at back- gammon with one of her chamberlains, usually the Comte de Beaumont, long after the palace had been left to a repose, interrupted only by the heavy tread of the sentinel in the court below. THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 319 Such was the general tenor of Josephine's life, diversified as it might be by casual occurrences. The most common interruptions of its sameness, besides the more lengthened excursions already de- lineated, were short journeys to the various royal residences, especially Rambouillet and Fontainbleau, of which Napoleon was remarkably fond, and where many of the most signal incidents in his career took place. Hunting-parties formed the great amuse- ment in these retreats, an aristocratic exercise, of which, because it was so, Napoleon only pre- tended to be fond. The empress, attended by her ladies, followed the chase in an open caleche, at- tired in a riding-dress with white feathers, and a round hat; the gentlemen also wore a particular coat of green ; every other etiquette was dispensed with, a dejeuner d la fourchette being laid out on tables beneath the forest boughs, to which all the hunting-party received invitations. Once, during a very long chase, the stag, hard pressed, took shelter beneath the carriage of the empress, who begged the poor animal's life ; and to mark it as her peculiar favourite and protegee, had a silver collar put round the neck. Such distinction from the fair hand of the " good Josephine" was sure protection against the rifle of every noble professor of woodcraft ; and the stag long roamed its native glades unhurt, till some churl brought it down, after its gentle mistress could no longer protect her dependants. The subject of hunting naturally leads to Napoleon's horsemanship, on which the most absurd encomiums have been passed. But the truth is, he was an ungraceful rider, and seemed a firm one only because the most extraordinary pains were bestowed on the training of his horses. They were first selected with the greatest care, as respected their dispositions and af- terward went through a most severe syst^xo of dis- cipline, being assailed by every species Of annoyance, blows, fireworks, discharges of musketry, beating 320 MEMOIRS 0* of drums, waving of banners, and even dead car- casses thrown among their feet, till they were per- fectly accustomed to bear unmoved every sound or sight likely to occur on the field of battle. Even after all this, the emperor could never manage a horse well, save at full gallop ; and the feat, of which so much has been said, of his almost instantly stopping in mid career, was the result of practice in the animal, more than of skill in the rider. The enmity of the JBonaparte family against Jose- phine, and the folly of their conduct, have already been noticed. In her private society, at least before their various dispersion to their respective kingdoms, principalities, archdukedoms, &c., they of course mingled habitually. Her conduct towards these relatives showed a perfect candour and firmness, which imperceptibly gained respect and influence tven over dislike. That influence was uniformly exerted to bring back peace and reconciliation be- tween the members of a family who were perpetually squabbling, and who owed every thing to the affec- tion, and nothing to the respect, of Napoleon. The two following letters, with which we close this chapter, are honourable illustrations of these facts. The Empress to Madame Caroline Murat. " You are not, my sister, an ordinary woman ; and therefore I write to you after a fashion very different from that which I would employ with a commonplace character. I tell you frankly, and without reserve, that I am dissatisfied with you. How ! you actually torture the poor Murat ! you make him shed tears ! With so many means of pleasing, why do you ever prefer to command ? Your husband obeys through fear, when he ought to yield to per- suasion alone. By thus usurping a part which does not belong to us, you convert a brave man into a timid slave, and yourself into an exacting tyrant.* THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 321 This brings shame to him, and cannot be an honoui to you. 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 valour 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 them 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, be- comes us not. Let us joy modestly in the glory of our spouses, and place ours in softening their man- ners, and leading the world to pardon their deeds. Let us merit this praise, that the nation, while it ap- plauds the bravery of our husbands, may also com mend the gentleness bestowed by Providence on their wives to temper that bravery." fhe Empress to Napoleorfs Mother. "MADAM AND MOST HONOURED MOTHER, Employ the ascendency which your experience, dignity, vir- tues, and the love of the emperor give, in order to restore to his family that internal peace now ban- ished from it. I fear to intrude in these domestic dissensions, from the apprehension lest calumny should accuse me of inflaming them by such inter- ference. It belongs to you, madam, to bring back calm ; and for this purpose, it is only necessary to say that you are informed of these discords. Your prudence will have commenced the work by point- ing out the evil, and will speedily discover the remedy. I name no person, but your sagacity will di- vine all concerned. You are not a stranger to human passion; and vice, which has never approached you, will discover itself in those who are dear to you, through the very interest which you take in 322 MEMOIRS Ofr their welfare. You will not be long 1 in remarking the progress of ambition, perhaps that of cupidity, in more than one mind, ingenuous till now, but which the favours of fortune begin to corrupt. You will view with apprehension the constantly in- creasing ravages of luxury, and, with still more pain, the want of feeling that follows in its train. I do not, however, insist upon this accusation, because, perhaps, it has less foundation than the rest, and be- cause it is not impossible I may have taken for hard- ness of heart what was only intoxication of spirit. Be this, however, as it may, the effect is the same, manifested as this haughtiness is by vanity, insolence, and harsh refusals, producing deplorable impressions upon those who witness these outrages. Men are not slow to sharpen the memory of those who seem disposed to forget their origin, and the sole means of inducing others to pardon our good fortune is to enjoy it with moderation, sharing its gifts with those who have been less favoured." THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 323 CHAPTER VIII. Young Napoleon of Holland His Death, and Anecdotes of his Dispo- sition Josephine at Bayonne Extracts from her Journal Opinions of the Affairs of Spain Return to St. Cloud, and last Game at " Pris- oners' Base" Interview at Brfurth, and Napoleon's Dream Second Campaign of Vienna Death of Lannes, and Connexion of Events with the Divorce Treaty of Schoenbrunn, and Return of Napoleon Scenes at Fontainbleau Announcement of the Divorce Misery and Resignation of Josephine Letter to Napoleon Eugene and Hor- tense Consummation of the Divorce, and Departure of the Empress Her Manner of Life at Malmaison and Navarre Birth of the King of Rome Letters and Anecdotes illustrative of Josephine's Interest in Maria Louisa and her Son Russian and Saxon Campaigns Re- verses of Napoleon, and Attachment of Josephine Their Correspond- ence Abdication Attentions shown to Josephine Her last Illness- Death and Character. THE misfortunes and wrongs of the empress may be considered as having commenced in the spring of 1807, with the death of her grandson the prince- royal of Holland. The boy, then in his fifth year, evinced, from earliest infancy, the happiest dispo- sitions, and had gained, in an astonishing manner, upon the affections and hopes of his uncle. He was, besides, the first-born; and, except his two brothers, the only acknowledged son of the impe- rial family in direct male lineage ; his father was the emperor's favourite brother, and his birth drew more closely the ties which united his wife and her children to the affections of Napoleon. There appears, there- fore, no reason for discrediting the belief then gene- rally entertained of the emperor's intention to adopt the child. Thus, in the offspring of her daughter, Josephine would have given a successor to the throne of France, and, as has been remarked by a French writer, " her own sorrows, perhaps all the evils that followed, might have been prevented." This much is certain, that no serious intentions of divorce mani- 324 MEMOIRS or fested themselves from the time of the child's birth and that, during the summer which succeeded r . death, overtures were made to Alexander at Tilsit relative to an imperial alliance with a princess of his house. Even in the midst of the triumphs of thai campaign, Napoleon showed himself strongly af- fected by the loss of his little favourite, and sub- sequently was often heard to ejaculate, amid the labours of his cabinet, " To whom shall I leave all this r The boy upon whom the destinies of so great an empire may thus be said to have rested died at the Hague, after a few hours' illness, of the croup. So sudden and fatal was the attack, that before Corvi- sart's directions could be received, which, from his knowledge of the complaint, might have provec effectual, the child had ceased to live.* Hortense never quitted the room for an instant. When al was over, her attendants endeavoured gently to wile her from the apartment : but divining their purpose even in the distraction of grief, she clung with such convulsive grasp to a sofa by the bed of her child that her arms could not be unfolded, and she was carried out in this condition. For hours the mosi alarming apprehensions were entertained for the queen's life. In vain were remedies applied ; her eyes continued fixed and without a tear, her breath- ing oppressed, and her limbs rigid and motionless, till one of the chamberlains, bearing in the dead body of the little prince, laid it on the mother's knees, leaving the rest to nature. The sight of her son, now shrouded in the peaceful attire of the grave, recalled the unhappy Hortense to a more present and tender sentiment of her loss ; she caught the inanimate form to her bosom, and despair yielded to the sweet agony of tears. To Josephine this loss was irremediable; hers * Corvisart, Napoleon's private physician, was the first who made uceessful researches on this disease. THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 325 was a grief not less acute, yet greater than a mother's sorrow ; for while she grieved for a beloved child, she trembled to think what might be the conse- quences to herself. Naturally fond of children, she had loved the young Napoleon Charles with a ten- derness corresponding to the hopes concentrated on his head. After receiving intelligence of a bereave- ment which had reached her, before she had perfect knowledge that the blow was menaced, she shut her- self up for three days, weeping bitterly ; and, as if to nourish grief, collecting around her his portrait, his hair, his playthings, every relic that might recall the image of her grandson. A melancholy coinci- dence added to the poignancy of her sorrow on the sight of the portrait. Some time before setting out for the campaign of Tilsit, the emperor had held a review of the guard, and, on retiring to his apart- ments in the Tuileries, had, according to custom, flung his sword on one seat and his hat on another, continuing to walk through the saloon in conversa- tion with Josephine. Meanwhile, the child had en- tered unobserved, and, putting the swordbelt over his little neck, and the hat upon his head, began to follow behind his uncle with military step, attempt- ing, at the same time, to whistle a favourite march. Napoleon turned round, took the boy in his arms, and kissed him fondly, saying, " See, Josephine, what a charming picture !" The empress, ever stu- dious to gratify her husband, had the young prince painted in this costume by Gerard. The portrait was sent to St. Cloud on the very morning which brought the sad intelligence of the death of the ori c^inal. The boy was very like his father, and, consequently, bore a strong resemblance to the emperor. His hair was fair, his eyes blue, and his countenance marked with extraordinary intelligence. He was likewise extremely fond of his uncle, who, in turn, doted upon him as if he had been his own child. When Ee 326 'MEMOIRS OF only three years of age, observing one morning that his shoemaker's bill was paid in five-franc pieces stamped with the head of Napoleon, he fell a-crying bitterly, repeating, " It is very naughty to give away the picture of uncle Bibwhe." This appellation the boy had applied to the emperor from the following circumstance: Josephine kept several gazelles in the park of St. Cloud, which, though shy to every one else, willingly followed Napoleon, who had con- trived to render them perfectly tame by giving them snuff from his box. His little nephew always formed one in the party with the gazelles, assisting in giving them snuff, and even getting upon the backs of these beautiful creatures. From observing the effect pro- duced by his uncle's rappee, the child, imitating the sound of sneezing, naturally used the word Bibiche. This name, however applied to Napoleon, was used only with his familiars ; for the little prince seemed to have an innate feeling of the latter's dignity. One morning, for example, when silently making his way through the saloon, amid a crowd of distinguished per- sonages, Murat, then Grand Duke of Berg, caught him in his arms. " What ! Napoleon, not bid me good morning !" " No," said the child, disengaging him- self, " not before my uncle the emperor." In like manner, every thing he received from his uncle was preferred to all others. King Louis, who loved him tenderly, seeing he disregarded some new playthings he had just brought him, said, " Why, my dear child, look how very ugly the old ones are !" " Ah ! yes, papa, but I got them from my uncle." The empress, too, was greatly beloved by her grandson, and all her gifts highly prized. Knowing this, Hortense was much surprised to find, that on the day of the new year immediately preceding his death he did not seem so delighted as usual with grandmamma's cus- tomary presents. The queen, with her son on her knee, was seated by a window fronting the grand avenue of the palace of the Hacue ; the day was wet, THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 327 and the road very dirty. The child, indifferent to the toys beside him, continued looking out. " So, then, Napoleon, you are not grateful for grand- mamma's kindness ?" " Oh ! yes, mamma ; but then she is so good, I am used to it." " Is there anything else ?" " Yes, mamma ; but look at these little boj^s." " Well, do you wish money to give them ?" " No ; papa gave me some this morning, and it is given away." " Well, what ails my dear child ]" " Oh, I know you won't let me ; but if I could run about in that beautiful puddle, it would amuse me more than even good grandmamma's presents!" What chiefly delighted Napoleon was, the firmness of character, and, if the desires of a child may be so termed, the predilection for war displayed by his intended heir. Often, in their amusements, the em- peror would put these qualities to curious but severe tests. At breakfast, he would seat him upon his knee, making the poor little fellow taste of such things as are usually most annoying to children ; the spirited boy would try to look stern, but never re- fused to take what was offered,Uhough spite and vexation were painted on every feature of his really beautiful countenance. Strawberries (and it is cu- rious that the fruit produced similar effects on Maria Louisa's son) always brought on severe indispo- sition. Though a favourite dish, they were, of course, strictly prohibited ; but one day the prince had so wrought upon his nurse, that she permitted him to eat a large quantity. The r usual consequence ensued ; he was attacked by sickness and vomiting Hortense insisted on knowing who had disobeyed her orders. " Mamma," said the courageous boy, though still suffering, " you may punish me, but I gave my word not to tell, and I will never break my promise." An affecting circumstance is the solici- tude shown by this singular child in his parents' unhappy misunderstandings; on observing their estrangement, he would take his father's hand, who 328 MEMOIRS OF thus suffered himself to be conducted to the queen and the artless pleadings of their son rarely failed to reconcile two beings possessing great goodness of heart, but both suffering from the not uncommon calamity in married life of misunderstanding each other's feelings. Napoleon reached St. Cloud from Tilsit on the 27th of July, passing the remainder of the summer and autumn with the empress there, or at Fontainbleau, coming to Paris only to hold receptions, and never remaining longer than twenty-four hours. The em- peror never appeared more attentive to Josephine than during this retreat, as it-might almost be termed. They often rode out in an open carriage alone, with- out guards or attendants ; but Napoleon betrayed a restlessness and impatience of repose which did not escape observation, and urged him to pursue the chase as if with the ardour of a real passion. This may have given rise in part to such surmises; but certain it is, that even then whispers of a divorce escaped the initiated. This kind of life continued, with little variation, till the middle of November, when the imperial pair suddenly, as usual, set off for Italy, travelling with such speed that Eugene had no knowledge of the intended visit until the emperor had approached within two miles of Milan. The viceroy got to horse instantly, attended by a few of his principal officers. On the meeting of the rela- tives, Napoleon extended his hand: " Come, Eugene, seat yourself here, and let us enter your capital to- gether." The Milan decree, which declared the son of Josephine successor to the iron crown, seemed more firmly to establish the family connexion ; but in all this writers have seen only a prelude to the divorce, and an intention, by working upon his grati- tude, to render Eugene more complaisant in the con- templated arrangements. These afterthoughts might very probably have been entertained, but weighty reasons of foreign policy required Napoleon's survey THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 329 of Italy ; and the following important incident shows that he was still anything but insensible to the claims of Josephine. Leaving the empress with her daughter-in-law at Milan, Napoleon and the viceroy set out on the tour of Lombardy, as far as Venice. At Mantua, the emperor had invited to a private conference his brother Lucien, with whom he had held no intercourse since the marriage of the latter with Madame Jouberton, the divorced wife of a mer- chant, or pawnbroker, as some say, and at that time a bankrupt in America. On the occasion of this interview, Duroc, grand marshal of the household, directed the favourite attendant of the emperor to wait in an antechamber adjoining to his master's sleeping apartment, with orders to admit no one else. This was about six in the evening ; in a few minutes after, Lucien knocked, made himself known, and was ushered into the bedchamber, where Napoleon waited his approach. The brothers coldly saluted, and the door closed. In a little time their discourse became so loud and animated, that the attendant in the adja- cent apartment could not avoid overhearing the whole ; and his account, in substance, agrees with Duroc's confession to Bourrienne. The emperor urged his brother to dissolve a disgraceful marriage, holding out a crown or his displeasure as the alter- native. Lucien refused " to abandon the mother of his children." The altercation became more and more violent. " We shall see," cried Napoleon, " to what you will be reduced by your obstinacy and foolish passion for a woman of gallantry" " At least," retorted Lucien, " my woman of gallantry is young and handsome." This allusion to the empress stung Napoleon to the very core. He held his watch in his hand, which he dashed into fragments against the floor, exclaiming, " I could crush you as I do that bauble ; but you are my brother ; go !" The angry conference lasted above an hour Lucien came out from it in a state of terrible agitation, pale, trem- E e2 330 MEMOIRS OF bling, his eyes inflamed, and overflowing with tears- Its issue seemed deeply to have affected Napoleon ; for he scarcely uttered a single word during the re- mainder of the evening. Of Lucien's conduct there can be but one opinion; that it was generous in the disinterested attachment evinced for his own wife, but most unmanly as respects the attack on Josephine. From this hasty Italian tour Napoleon and the empress returned to Paris on the evening of new- year's day, 1808. A few days after were celebrated the nuptials of Mademoiselle de Tascher, niece to Josephine, with the Duke d'Arberg, one of the princes of the Confederation. Almost immediately after followed the marriage of the Prince Hohen- zollern with a niece of Murat, and, at no great in- terval, that of Berthier with a princess of Bavaria. All this, along with other circumstances, tended to render the winter one of the gayest which Paris had yet witnessed under the empire. Masked balls were especial favourites; and those of the ambassador for the new kingdom of Italy were distinguished for their particular splendour. Napoleon, contrary to his usual prejudice against such disguisements, re- solving to be present and to dance at one of these, ordered ten different dresses to be carried into the apartment allotted to him. These were in succes- sion assumed, and ten different times the wearer was detected. At supper, the same evening, after his return, the emperor was relating to Berthier, Mortier, Duroc, and other officers present, the history of his unfortunate masqueradings, at the same time laughing very heartily at his want of success in un- playing the emperor. " Do you know, gentlemen, 55 continued Napoleon, " that I was regularly discov- ered by a young lady (jeune dame), who seemed an accomplished intriguer ; and yet, would you believe it, I could never recognise ihe flirt ?" Here the em- press could no longer restrain herself. It was Jose- THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 331 phine herself who had at once detected her spouse, and piqued his curiosity. During the carnival of the same winter, masked balls at the opera were de- scribed as very amusing ; and the empress entreated Napoleon to take her to see one, but received a posi- tive denial. "Well, I shall go without you, mon ami" " As you please," said the emperor, as he rose from the breakfast-table. At the appointed hour Josephine kept her word ; but no sooner had she set off for the ball than Napoleon, sending for one of her femmes-de-chambre, informed himself exactly of the empress's costume, and followed. This time every precaution was taken against dis- covery. The emperor, with Duroc, another officer, and his own favourite valet, all in dominoes, entered a plain carriage, and, arm in arm, made their appear- ance in the ball-room. It had also been agreed that they should address each other by feigned names ; Napoleon was Auguste, Duroc Francois, and so on. They traversed the whole apartments undiscovered, examined the personages present, but could find no one in the slightest degree resembling the empress. Napoleon, greatly alarmed, was on the point of quit- ting the place, when a mask, approaching, began to address him with a liveliness and wit that left him little chance in a reply. Perceiving the imperial embarrassment, the unknown redoubled exertions; repartee followed close upon repartee ; one portrait succeeded to another as the originals passed; while a state secret, of no importance in itself, though startling in its repetition, occasionally whispered in his ear, made Napoleon exclaim, " Comment, diable . who are you ?" The mask would laugh and recom mence. After thus tormenting him for some half- hour's space, the unknown suddenly disappeared in the crowd. The emperor's curiosity was very strongly excited ; but he had had enough, and left the place in no good-humour. On arriving at the palace, he found the empress had retired for the 332 MEMOIRS OF night. Next morning, upon seeing Josephine,- " Well," said he, " so you were not at the ball last night ?" " Yes, indeed."" Now, Josephine !" " I assure you I was there. And you, mon ami" in- quired the empress, with a half-suppressed smile, " what were you doing all the evening ?" " I was at work in my cabinet," said Napoleon, quite coolly. 44 Oh, Auguste /" replied the empress, with an arch gesture, and the whole secret was divulged. Napo- leon enjoyed greatly this practical joke, which had so completely turned the tables against his own con- trivance. It appeared that the empress, disliking her first choice, had changed her costume, and de spite all his precautions, recognised Napoleon by his foot and boot. On the 5th of April, Napoleon and Josephine de- parted from St. Cloud on the last tour of any lengtn which they were ever destined to make in the society of each other. In its consequences, also, this jour- ney proved the most fatal, not excepting even the Russian expedition, of all the enterprises of Bona- parte ; for, with his interference in the affairs of Spain commenced the operation of those causes which finally issued in his downfall. We speak thus in reference only to the sacred rights of all nations, those rights vested in the people ; for, as respects Charles and Ferdinand, the representatives and guardians of those rights, they so basely betrayed their trust, and their characters were otherwise so contemptible, that, personally, they excite hardly a transient regret. Even the kind-hearted Josephine, though she ever disapproved of the principle, and trembled for the results of the Spanish war, never expressed sympathy with the Spanish sovereigns. " I cannot esteem the Prince of Asturias" (Ferdi- nand VII.), she said, long after the events to which she referred ; " first, from his conduct towards his father ; and next, because of the letters, destitute of every sentiment of dignity, which he wrote to Napo- THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 333 leon. Iii these, he demanded a wife of the empe- ror; a request which irritated the latter to a de- gree I have seldom seen equalled. 'Is it possible,' Napoleon would frequently exclaim to me, * that any one can stoop so low ! I give him any who belongs to me! Why, madam, I would refuse him your waiting-maid ; persuaded, that even she would have ideas too elevated for such a husband.' " In like manner, what respect could Josephine entertain for Charles or his queen, each insensible to degradation, provided they were permitted to enjoy the society of Godoi, the flatterer of the one and the paramour of the other "But we anticipate. The excursion through the southern departments (for under this pretence Napoleon set out for Bayonne) continued, in all, nearly four months, from the beginning of April to the end of July. Frequent allusion has been made to the hasty manner in which Napoleon determined on such journeys. The following note, addressed by Josephine to the Comtesse de la Rochefoucauld, her lady of honour, then at Fontainbleau, which was to be the first stage in their present progress, is sin- gularly characteristic of the facts already stated on this subject. " We set out at four this morning, and will be with you to breakfast at ten. I hasten to expedite this billet, that you may not be taken by surprise. You know the emperor's activity and inflexible resolu- tion; both seem to increase with events. But an hour ago I was still completely ignorant of this de- parture. We were at cards. ' Be ready, madam,' said he to me, ' to get into your carriage at midnight.' * But,' answered I, ' it is now past nine.' ' It is so ; you must require some time for your toilet ; let us start at two.' * Where are we going, if you please V * To Bayonne.' * Only so far ! and my pensioners, I have to regulate their affairs.' * I cannot, madam, refuse you one hour for the unfortunate ; take an- 334 MEMOIRS OF other to write to your friends, you will not forget Madame de la Rochefoucauld.' Good-night, my dear friend. I am just falling asleep, they will carry me thus to my carriage, and I shall not awaken till with you, to bid you good-morning and embrace you with all my heart." Of the eventful journey thus announced, the fol- lowing are some of Josephine's notes, written care- lessly, but with so much of her usual good sense and discernment, as induces regret that hitherto nothing else of the numerous journals she is understood to have kept, and which are supposed to have been de- posited with her son, have yet seen the light : " This evening we leave St. Cloud, in order to visit the whole of the western coast of France. I shall trace a few notes in pencil. " At Etampes* we were stopped by a number of young people of both sexes, who presented us, some with cherries, others with roses. The emperor, in passing through their village, sent for the mayor and the curate. The former, a merry peasant, began to banter his compatriots on the nature of their pres- ents. ' Certainly,' said the emperor, ' however beau- tiful theirs may be, an ear of corn and a bunch of grapes would have been more rare.' ' Here are three of each sort,' replied the rural magistrate ; ' and confess, sir, that in April it is good farming.' ' Na- ture has been bountiful to your canton,' observed the emperor, presenting the offering to me. 'Accept it, madam ; and forget not those whom Providence deigns to keep in mind.' ' Providence,' said the cu- rate, ' always blesses the industrious ; for they fulfil the most important of his laws.' ' Here,' remarked * Etampes is the first town in the Orleannais proceeding from Paris to Bordeaux. The passage is interesting, as an example of Napoleon's manner with his subjects ; but how are we to explain corn and grapes *JQ April ? Was this one of his contrivances * THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 335 the emperor, making a sign for the postillions to pro- ceed, ' here are men who unite flowers and fruits, the useful with the agreeable. They deserve to succeed.' " Orleans. The national guard was under arms, and the authorities in full attendance ; hut from the knitting of his brows, I saw that the emperor was not pleased. It is painful for me,' were his words * to have to repay with severity these expressions of joy. But I have no reproaches to make to the people ; I address myself to the authorities. You perform your functions improperly, or you do not perform them at all. How have the sums been em- ployed which I granted for the canal ] How comes it, that on the roll of sales two thousand arpents of common, as divided in 1805 and 1806, are totally suppressed ? I require restitution. The national do- mains have been below par, and the purchases more difficult, during the last eighteen months, the date of your entering upon office, Mr. Prefect. Whence are these things ? I am not ignorant that here there exist two opinions, as directly opposed to the gov- ernment as they are to each other. I have no desire that opinions should be subjects of persecution ; but if they break out into deeds, and these deeds be crimes no pity !' The storm passed, the emperor assumed a less severe tone, and talked familiarly with the bishop and civil functionaries, not except- ing even the prefect. But his observations were just. It is but too certain, that in these departments of the Loire the jacobins and emigrants have in turn been protected. " Bordeaux. Here exist two dispositions perfectly distinct, and that in a reverse sense from those which prevail throughout almost the whole of France. There the people love the revolution, and the privi- leged classes alone oppose its progress, or rather retard its results. These results are strong and liberal institutions, which time, that wears out all 336 MEMOIRS OF others, wifl, on the contrary, tend to consolidate In order to found these institutions upon the ruins of party, there required a conqueror who was also a legislator, and that legislator continuing to be a con- queror. All must unite in the regeneration of a state. To chain down faction, by converting its pas* sions into common interests, is but little, nothing more, at most, than half the work, if to these neighbouring interests be not attached. Before we can be master at home, at once happy and glorious there, we must neither be under apprehensions from each other, nor dread the process of erecting a wall of partition. But how is this to be accomplished 1 First, by reducing all to submission, and then by ex* tending to each a friendly hand, which may secure without humbling. This is the emperor's doctrine, which he has applied to France, which France has devotedly accepted ; readily comprehending that a period of transition, of trial, of reparation, could not be an era of enjoyment. ' To-day,' has the emperor often said to me, * to-day we sow in tears and in blood; hereaftei we shall reap glory and liberty.' This is exactly what mercantile selfishness prevents them from understanding at Bordeaux. Altogether opposed to the rest of the empire, the body of the people here oppose the new institutions ; they per- ceive only the temporary obstacle which these insti- tutions present, not to commerce, but to their own particular commerce. What to them imports the good of to-morrow 1 It is the profit of to-day they want. Some facts have confirmed these observa- tions. While we were on our way to the theatre the vivas of the crowd were rare, but within the house the applause was general and continued. The coup (Fail of the port is magnificent ; all the ships were hung with flags and fired minute guns, to which the forts replied. The whole of the animated, and, despite its discontent, joyous population, the variety of sounds, songs, movements, and costumes, pre- THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 337 sented a delightful sight. We were particularly struck on seeing a southern dance executed by three hundred young persons of both sexes, in small brown jackets, blue pantaloons, red sashes, straw hats turned up with ribands and flowers, who, guided by various instruments, and each with castanets or a tambarine, darted forwards, united, turned, and leaped with equal rapidity and elegance. " Bayonne. About two leagues from this city 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 dis- tances, 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 richly-cultivated ground. The summit is clothed with an ever- verdant forest ; and down the centre, in a deep channel, flows a limpid stream, refreshing and fertilizing the whole scene. On this spot the veterans who occupy it gave a fte 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 mili- tary and perfectly pastoral, and drinking with these brave fellows, all of whom had risked their lives in Ff 338 MEMOIRS OF his service. Toasts were given to all that does honour to the French name * to our native land ;' 'to glory;' 'to liberty.' I dare not mention the attentions of which I was the object ; they touched me deeply ; for I regarded them as proofs of that veneration which France has vowed to the emperor. " At Bayonne an important personage waited the emperor's arrival, namely, Don Pedro de las Torres, private envoy of Don Juan Escoiquitz, preceptor of the Prince of Asturias. As a consequence of the events of Aranjuez, this latter has been proclaimed under the title of Ferdinand VII. ; but the old King Charles, from whom fear had extorted an abdication, now protests against that act. The new monarch pretends that his father, led by the queen, who is in turn the puppet of the Prince of Peace, never has had, and never can have, a will of his own. Mean- while, the nation,laking the alarm, is dividedbetween two heads. If one party reproach Charles with being wholly devoted to the will of Manuel Godoi, the other imputes to Ferdinand that of acknowledg- ing no principles of action save those dictated to him by Don Juan Escoiquitz. The first, haughty and impertinent, as are all favourites, keeps his master in bondage and the people in humiliation; the second, honey-tongued and wheedling, at once deceives the nation and enslaves his pupil. Both have caused, and still cause, the misfortunes of Spain. " What, in truth, can be more deplorable than the respective situation of the governors and governed? The former are without confidence, the latter with- out attachment. Amid these two factions, which may well be termed parricidal, a third has secretly sprung up, which calculates upon, perhaps encour- ages, their misunderstanding, in order to favour the triumph of liberty. But is ignorant and superstitious Spain prepared to receive this blessing? With her haughty nobles, her bigoted priesthood, her slothful population, how can she execute an enterprise which THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 339 supposes the love oi equality, the practice of tolera- tion, and an heroic activity 1 These are things which the emperor will have to consider. He is appealed to by all parties as me- diator; he arrives among them without knowledge of them, and, as a man, feels perfect impartiality. His enlightened policy will take counsel of neces- sity ; and in this great quarrel, of which he is con- stituted umpire, will reconcile what is due to the interests of France with what is demanded for the safety of Spain. " This same Don Pedro de las Torres has not been sent without his errand. Don Juan, his patron, knew that he possessed, some leagues from Bayonne, an extensive farm, on which are bred numerous flocks of merinoes. Thither, under a plausible pretext, we were conducted to-day. After a feast of really rus- tic magnificence, we ma'de the tour of the possession on foot. At the bottom of a verdant dell, surrounded on all sides by rocks covered with moss and flow ers, all of a sudden a picturesque cot appeared lightly suspended on a projecting point of rock, while round it were feeding between seven and eight hundred sheep of the most beautiful breed. We could not restrain a cry of admiration ; and upon the emperor addressing him in some compliments, Don Pedro declared that these flocks belonged of right to me. ' The king, my master,' added he, ' knows the em- press's taste for rural occupations ; and as this spe- cies 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 her- self of an offering.atonce so useful and so agreeable.' ' Don Pedro,' replied the emperor, with a tone of severity, ' the empress cannot accept a present save from the hands of the king, and your master is not yet one. Wait, before making your offering, until your own nation and I have decided.' The remain- der of the visit was very ceremonious." MEMOIRS OF -re Josephine's notes on the affairs of Spain ter minate. This the reader will with us doubtless re- gret ; for though evidently in some places repeating, as if they were lessons of reverence, the sentiments of Napoleon, in others she shows surprising fore- sight into the character and fortune of the Spanish people. How well, for instance, does she appreciate the chances of the third party, the friends of Span- ish liberty ! And is not the truth of that estimate, formed by the wife of Napoleon two-and-twenty years ago, proved now by the question What be- came of that third party ? Let the dungeons and gibbets of despotism, the rack, and the chains of priestcraft, and the very wilds of a desecrated land, whence these our days have seen them hunted like wild beasts, tell of the Spanish liberals ! Following the emissaries mentioned in the notes arrived the Prince of Ast-urias, calling himself Fer- dinand VII. ; coarse and heavy in his exterior, silent, and suspicious, he looked the very bigot he has since proved. Some days afterward the king and queen reached Bayonne. Charles, though a little fat man, had a more kingly air than his son ; the queen was a fat, high-coloured, and stern-looking little woman, holding her head very high, speaking very loud, and without grace of any kind, but not destitute of talents. Josephine acquired consider- able influence over the Spanish princess, and, by the elegance of her own toilet, appears to have excited a desire of emulating it. The empress, accordingly, sent some of her dresses and attendants to the queen, but without effect ; the latter remained the same un- gainly figure as before. Their Spanish majesties had brought, not in their train, but in their carriage, the inseparable Prince of Peace. Napoleon treated them with all courtesy, but could not prevail upon him- self to extend the same to this minion ; consequently, when the royal party entered the dining-room in the chateau of Marrac, the usher, not finding his name THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 341 in the list of guests, detained Godoi in the antecham- ber. The party had no sooner sat down to table, than Charles, missing his prince, called out " Man- uel !" turning to Napoleon, and adding, in a whine of entreaty, " and Manuel too, sire 1" " Oh, ay," re- plied the latter, with a half-suppressed smile of contempt, " I had forgotten ;" and, making a sign to an officer of the household, " introduce the Prince of Peace." Meanwhile, Murat continued to play his fooleries as regent-expectant in Madrid ; but on the 7th of June, King Joseph arrived at Bayonne on his way to the capital. Upon the contest that followed, Josephine ever looked with alarm and distrust; the present visit had taught her how to penetrate the secret of the Spanish character, and the instinctive feeling already noticed of whatever menaced her husband's real glory rendered her more than usually apprehen- sive concerning the result. It is an exercise, like- wise, far from being devoid of interest, to compare, with the facts before us, the opinion she had formed of Napoleon, in relation to this very fear, in the be- ginning of 1811, when she had ceased to be Empress of France, and when, by one vigorous effort, he might have scattered all opposition. Addressing her ladies, Josephine said, " Napoleon 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, con- vinced he should triumph over all obstacles, and ac- complish his destiny by realizing his mighty designs. Happily," added the empress, with a smile, for as yet all smiled upon him, " we shall never have an oppor- tunity of ascertaining whether I am right ; but of this you may rest assured, Napoleon is more coura- geous morally than physically. I know him bettei than any one does ; he believes himself predestined, and would support reverses with as much calmness Ff2 342 MEMOIRS OF as the .daring with which he confronts danger in combat." It may, perhaps, be thought, adds our au- thority (Madame Decres'.;, that the above is my own invention ; but I attest the exact truth of the whole. The actual connexion of Josephine with Spain, however, ended with her excursion; whence, after travelling northward through the central districts of France, she returned to St. Cloud in time for the rejoicings on the 15th of August, the emperor's birth- day. At this favourite residence, only a few days before departing for the interview at Erfurth, on the 87th of September, Napoleon, with Josephine and their usual familiars, played a final game at the old amusement of " prisoners." It was dark night be- fore the party finished, and footmen with torches were in attendance to give light to the players. The effect could not be otherwise than full of interest ; the blaze of the torches, now throwing bold, broad, and rich illumination upon the illustrious group as they assembled in front of the chateau preparatory to each run, again flinging scattered and flickering lights upon the lawn, the trees, flowers, and rich dresses of the ladies, as the torch-bearers dispersed, following irregularly the course of the runners. How closely resembling the lives of some of the noblest there, this crossing, commingling, disap- pearing, sometimes in light, anon in darkness ; here, all starting away amid brightness and expectation; there, a figure outstripping all others, only to be lost in gloom! But there was then no moralizing; all were joyous, and, for the moment, artless, as if it had not been a court. Napoleon, as usual, fell, though only once, as he was running for Josephine. Being thus taken captive, he was placed in ban, which he broke as soon as he recovered breath, set again to running, and released the empress amid loud huzzas from his own, and shouts of " fair play" from the opposite party. Thus ended the last repetition of youthful sports. THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 343 Josephine did not accompany Napoleon to Erfurth* In this the latter showed his usual tact ; -it suited his views to be on the most familiar and intimate foot- ing 1 with Alexander (the Russian even borrowed linen of the French autocrat) ; arid the presence of the empress would necessarily have required reserve and ceremony. We have therefore little to do with this really interesting passage in the life of Napo- 4 eon, which recalls more nearly than any event in modern history our ancient recollections of " the field of the cloth of gold," and other chivalrous meetings of the sovereigns of the olden time. The following incident, however, is of so singular a na- ture, so well authenticated, and at the same time new, we believe, to the English reader, that it may well find a place here. The most celebrated actors of the French theatre were assembled, and nightly representations given at Erfurth ; the two emperors, seated side by side, occupied each an armchair, on a platform erected on the usual station of the or- chestra, on account of Alexander's weak hearing. The pit was filled with the crowd of kings. On the 3d of October, Voltaire's CEdipe being the play, when Talma repeated the verse, L'amitie d'un grand homme est un bienfait des dieux,* Alexander rose, and gracefully presented his hand to Napoleon. The compliment was instantly appre- ciated, and loud acclamations burst from all parts of the royal and princely audience. On the same eve- ning, Napoleon retired to rest at the usual hour, every access to his bedroom being secured by guards and bolts, with the ordinary precautions. About two o'clock, Constant, who, with Roustan, the Mame- luke, slept in the antechamber, upon a mattress spread across the only doorway of the imperial dor- mitory, was awaked by an alarming noise from * The friendship of a great man is a blessing from the gods. 344 MEMOIRS Op within* Rousing his companion, the two listened together, when the sounds were repeated, falling dis- tinctly upon the ear, like the gurglings of a man in the agonies of strangulation. Roustan silently seized his weapon, and Constant, taking the light, cautiously opened the door. No one was visible in the bed- chamber; but low meanings were still heard, as if from one nearly exhausted in a struggle. Advanc- ing, they beheld Napoleon stretched across the bed, his eyes closed, lips drawn back, and showing clenched teeth ; the one hand was pressed against the breast, the other extended, as if grasping at some invisible antagonist. Constant with difficulty roused the sleeper. " What is it ] what is it ?" cried Na- poleon, sitting up, and casting a bewildered gaze on the figures before him, of themselves (one bearing a dim lamp, the other a drawn scimitar) enough to create alarm. Constant hastened to explain. " Thou hast done well, my faithful Constant," interrupted Napoleon. " Ah ! what a fearful dream ! I thought a bear was devouring my vitals." So strong re- mained the impression of the dream, that Napoleon, as he stated next morning, could not again sleep. Even after a long interval of time he recurred to the subject. Did he think of his dream during the Rus- sian expedition 1 On returning from Erfurth, Napoleon remained only a few days with Josephine at St. Cloud, when he set out for Spain, leaving her behind, notwith- standing more urgent entreaties to be taken with him than she had ever before ventured. Their adieus were most affectionate, but mournful on the part of the empress; for she could not divest herself of a presentiment of misfortune, from the character of the nation and -enterprise with which he was now engaged. Denied the satisfaction of discharg- ing that duty in person, she sent for his favourite attendants, lecommending them to have the utmost watchfulness over their master's safety. These THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE 345 gloomy forebodings seemed for the time groundless. After a campaign of little more than two months, Napoleon returned to her on the 23d of January, 1809, leaving Spain with not an English soldier in the Peninsula, and its perfect conquest requiring only to be consolidated. The interval which elapsed between the return from Madrid and the 13tirt)f April, when he set out for the second campaig-# of Vienna, Napoleon passed chiefly at St. Cloud, with an occasional hunting ex- cursion to Rambouillet. But though he continued to pass in Josephine's society all his hours of leisure, these had now become extremely few ; and perhaps at no time had his application been so intense, as in preparing for the campaign of 1809. The final period of Josephine's married happiness was now drawing to a close. The last of unrestrained and affectionate intercourse which she enjoyed with him whom she had loved so well, for whose sake she had done and suffered so much, took place during their excursion to Strasburg, whither she had accompanied Napo- leon on his way to Germany. Here the empress remained for some time, attended by the Queen of Westphalia, an amiable woman, whom she greatly esteemed, Hortense and her children, the Princess Stephanie and her husband, all of whom had affec- tionately hastened to cheer the solitude of the em- press, until her return to Paris, as regent, became necessary. Meanwhile, Napoleon was pursuing, though with less than usual celerity, his adventurous career. But the details of the last Austrian campaign, the battles of Ratisbon, Vienna, Esseling, and Wagram, are fully given in other works.* In October, the treaty of Schoenbrunn closed the contest, to the ad- vantage of Napoleon, but the war had cost many brave men to France, had been unpopular there, and * See Life of Napoleon. Family Library, Nos. IV. and V. 346 MEMOIRS OF became, in the end, one main cause of all his future misfortunes, by placing an Austrian princess on the throne of Josephine. The observations of Marshal Lannes, who fell at Esseling, and whom some writers have, with cruel absurdity, represented as rushing out of life like a boisterous ruffian and blasphemer, expressed on these subjects the sentiments of the whole French army. The evening before his death, which happened after eight days of agony, endured with fortitude and resignation, he said to an attend- ant, "I feel myself dying. Tell the emperor I would see him once more." The messenger was about to leave the wretched hut in which the " vete- ran of forty" lay, when Napoleon himself entered. All withdrew, leaving the companions in arms alone together ; but the door in the partition, which sepa- rated the two divisions of the cabin, remaining open, allowed their conversation to be heard. Lannes, speaking at first with difficulty, as much from reluc- tance as weakness, recounted his services ; then in a more assured tone, proceeded : " I do not speak thus to excite your interest for my family. Your own glory calls upon you to protect my wife and children ; but my services give me a right to express the truth, and I have no fear that my using the privi- lege now will influence hereafter your dispositions towards them. You have committed a great fault in provoking the present war. It has deprived you of your best friend; but it will not correct you Your ambition is insatiable, and will prove your destruction. You recklessly throw away, and with- out necessity, the lives of the men who serve you most faithfully; and when they die, you do not regret them. You retain none but flatterers near your person; and I no longer see a single friend who dares to tell you the truth. You will be be- trayed and forsaken. Curb your disposition for war It is the general wish. You can never be mor THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 347 powerful ; but you may be much less beloved. Par- don a dying man these truths ; for that man loved you." The marshal ceased, and extended his hand to his leader, who bathed it in silent tears ; for he could not speak. Fortunate would it have been for all had he laid the advice to heart. This exhortation of the brave Lannes both ex- plains the causes, and in some measure leads us to anticipate the consequences, of the divorce, a pain- ful portion of our narrative now to be discussed. The restless ambition of Napoleon, utterly selfish in its object, and pursued as it was by the most unfeel- ing means, led him at last to sacrifice the wife of his youth, her by whom he had risen, who, unchanged amid every diversity of fortune, had bound him to herself by every tie of honour, of gratitude, and af- fection. The flatterers by whom he was surrounded urged him on in this career of selfishness, while every battle that swept off an ancient comrade de- prived him of a real friend, and poor Josephine of a support. Again, as respects consequences, thence- forth the zeal of those who had served him most faithfully became slackened, when they beheld the woman to whom he owed all sacrificed with cold, calculating contrivance, conceiving justly that they in like manner would be superseded, as caprice, in- terest, or passion dictated. To Josephine, also, the army was attached by a species of chivalry ; she had been associated in the distribution of their most splendid honours; to many, in her various excur- sions, she had with her own hand given the " Cross of the Legion." The most distinguished military leaders who survived, of the first companions of Napoleon, were likewise the early friends of Jose- phine : several among them had actually been attached to his standard through her influence ; and there were few but could associate their first triumphs with the recollection of her graceful commendations, aud grateful acknowledgment of their services. 348 MEMOIRS OF Had Lannes, for instance, survived, it is certain he would have protested with all the honest energy of his character against the degradation of the empress,, to whose interests he was attached, both by his own feelings and those of his wife, one of Josephine's most favoured ladies. The same tie bound others, who, though silent, were not therefore reconciled Finally, to the French people, Josephine had no-- only recommended herself by dignity in her high station, moderation, and unceasing exertions in the cause of benevolence, but in her elevation, con- nected as she was with their ancient nobility, they beheld a Frenchwoman on the throne, and in this consideration, soothing to their national pride, there existed a bond between them and Napoleon, which was snapped by the separation. Not without truth, therefore, has the commencement of his downfall been traced from the proceedings so painful to her v which we are now to describe. The Austrian campaign, and the consequent diplo- matic arrangements, having been concluded, Napo- leon set out on his return from Schoenbrunn, a palace in the neighbourhood of Vienna, on the 16th of October. From Munich, where he made a short halt, a courier was despatched to the empress, with information that he would reach Fontainbleau on the evening of the 27th, and directing the court to assemble there in readiness to meet him. Such was the speed of his subsequent movements, however, that he arrived at ten in the morning of the 26th. The consequent disappointment of finding no one to receive him, though a circumstance to be expected, threw the emperor into a passion ; and seeing the poor courier who had preceded him preparing to dismount, he called out, " You can rest to-morrow gallop to St. Cloud, and announce my arrival to the empress." He continued in bad humour all day. About five in the afternoon for the distance be- tween St. Cloud and Fontainbleau is upwards of THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 349 forty miles a carriage arrived in the court; sup- posing it to be Josephine's, he hastily ran down to receive her, but was again disappointed. "And the empress ?" exclaimed he in a tone of impatient sur- prise, seeing only her ladies. " Sire, we precede by a quarter of an hour at most." " A happy arrange- ment," said he, turning on his heel, and again ascended to the little library, where he had pre- viously been at work. At length, about six, Josephine arrived ; Napoleon, hearing the carriage, demanded who had come ; and, though informed, continued to write, without going down to receive the empress, the first time accord- ing to the observation of his attendants, he had ever acted thus. Josephine, unconscious of a fault, alive only to the present satisfaction of seeing her hus- band after his long absence, and exposure to so many dangers, hastily entered the little library. What a chilling reception to one so gentle, so affec- tionate ! Napoleon merely raised his eyes from some papers, without stirring from his place, with the salutation, " Ah ! so you are come, madam. 'Tis well. I was just about to set out for St. Cloud." The empress, in astonishment, attempted to explain, that all had been regulated according to his orders ; he replied in terms which brought tears into her eyes, and she stood for a moment weeping silently. Napoleon's heart smote him ; he rose, acknowledged he was wrong, the two spouses tenderly embraced, and Josephine retired to dress. Meanwhile, the ministers of the marine and finance, who had been sent for in the morning, were announced ; business recommenced; and in about half an hour the em- press reappeared, dressed with perfect elegance, in a polonaise of white satin, bordered with eider-down, and, though the evening was cold, wearing only a wreath of blue flowers entwined with silver ears of corn in her hair ; she had studied Napoleon's taste ; and he interrupted his work to look upon her, with 360 MEMOIRS OF an expression of fondness, which Josephine per- ceiving, asked, with a smile, " You do not think I have spent too much time at my toilet ?" Napoleon playfully pointed to the pendule on the chimney- piece, which showed half past seven, rose, gave his hand to the empress, and addressing his ministers, " Gentlemen, in five minutes I shall be with you," prepared to leave the apartment. " But," said Jose- phine, whom no circumstances could render indif- ferent to the wants or feelings of others, " these gentlemen cannot have dined, since they have only just arrived from Paris ]" The ministers sat down to table with their majesties, but the repast did not continue above a few minutes, for Napoleon appeared anxious to finish the business in which they had been engaged, though he had taken nothing save a little chocolate in the morning. Throughout the whole of the day he had discovered impatience, restlessness, and disquietude; but on joining the empress's party in the evening, he appeared more than usually cheerful and attentive, as if desirous of removing all impression of previous unkind ness. Such was the slight difference which writers have magnified into the cause of the divorce. That mea- sure depended on resolutions more deeply laid and more sternly pursued. What passed after these per- sonages, so unhappy in the midst of greatness, ha< retired together, is unknown ; but from the morning of the 27th, it was evident that they lived in a state of constant restraint and mutual observation. While at Fontainbleau, this painful situation became stil more distressing, from the comparative solitude of the parties. At Paris, to which they occasionally made visits, chiefly out of compliment to the King of Saxony, who arrived there on the 14th of Novem- ber, matters wore externally an appearance of usua ease. Again the court returned to Fontainbleau, anc again life became wearisome, tedious, and artificial THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 851 Napoleon scarcely venturingHo look upon Josephine, save when he was not observed; while she hung upon every glance, and trembled at every word, at the same time that both endeavoured to be composed and natural in their demeanour before the courtiers. But these, like the domestics of humbler establish- ments, are quick-sighted to detect any change of condition in their superiors ; nor was it one of the least of Josephine's troubles to be exposed to their ingratitude. "In what self-constraint," said she, "did I pass the period during which, though no longer his wife, I was obliged to appear so to all eyes! Ah ! what looks are those which courtiers suffer to fall upon a repudiated wife!" The circumstance which, more than all the rest, excited the suspicion of others and the alarm of Josephine was, the shutting up, by the emperor's command, of the private access between their apartments. Formerly, as already described, in their days of happiness, their inter- course had thus been free, even amid the restraints of a court. Napoleon would surprise Josephine in her boudoir, and she steal upon his moments of re- laxation in his cabinet. But all was now reversed ; the former never entered, but knocked when he would speak to the latter, who hardly dared to obey the signal, the sound of which caused such violent palpitations of the heart, that she had to support her- self by leaning against the walls or furniture as she tottered towards the little door, on the other side of which Napoleon waited her approach. From these conferences Josephine returned so exhausted, and with eyes so swollen with weeping, as to give ground for the belief that her lord used violence to constrain her consent to their separation. Her own words, also, " He accomplished his resolution with a cruelty of which no idea can be formed," might at first seem to countenance this supposition. But justice is to be done ; the violence and the cruelty, great as they both were consisted solely in the act itself, and in 352 MEMOIRS OF coldly withstanding all claims of affection and of gentle entreaty urged by the being who had loved him so well, and at length tendered a voluntary sacri- fice of her love and happiness. During their private conferences, previous to the direct announcement of his determination, Napoleon endeavoured to persuade Josephine of the political necessity and advantages of a separation, at first rather hinting at than dis- closing the measure. His true object was, as much to effect his wish with the least possible pain to the empress, as to lead her to a resignation of her state ; for though she could not have successfully resisted a despotic enactment, the deed would thereby have been rendered doubly odious to all France. This, indeed, was but too obviously a preparation for an event, though future, yet certain ; and Josephine, re- garding it as such, defended her claims sometimes with a strength of argument which it was difficult to answer, and at others by tears, supplications, and appeals, or by the calm resignation of self-devoted- ness to his will, against which the heart of Napoleon, had he possessed the feelings of a man, ought never to have been proof. Meanwhile, " in what stupor" the words are Josephine's own " in what uncer- tainty, more cruel than death, did I live during these discussions, until the fatal day in which he avowed the resolution which I had so long read in his coun- tenance." Sometimes, however, rallying amid her sorrows and resignation, she assumed a command- ing attitude on those mysterious principles by which he deemed his career to be regulated, that for a space awed even the spirit of Napoleon. One night, Jose- phine, in tears and silence, had listened for some time to these overtures and discussions, when, with a sudden energy, she started up, drew Napoleon to the window, and, pointing to the heavens, whose lights seemed in placid sweetness to look down upon her distress, with a firm, yet melancholy tone, said, " Bonaparte? behold that bright star ; it is mine ! and THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 353 remember, to mine, not to thine, has sovereignty been promised. Separate, then, our fates, and your star fades !" But " the fatal day" was not to be averted. The 30th of November arrived, which Napoleon appears to have destined for declaring his final determination to Josephine. She had wept all day ; they were to dine together as usual, and, to conceal her tears, the empress wore a large white hat, fastened under the chin, which, with its deep front, shaded the whole of the upper part of the face. Napoleon, also, had shown marks of the strongest agitation ; he scarcely spoke to any one, but, with arms folded, continued at intervals to pace his library alone. From time to time a convulsive movement, attended with a hectic flush, passed for an instant across his features ; and at table, when he raised his eye, it was only to look by stealth upon the empress, with an expression of the deepest regret. The dinner was removed un- touched ; neither tasted a morsel ; and the only use to which Napoleon turned his knife was, to strike mechanically upon the edge of his glass, which he appeared to do unconsciously, and like one whose thoughts were painfully preoccupied. Every thing during this sad repast seemed to presage the impend- ing catastrophe. The officers of the court, even, who were in 'attendance, stood in motionless ex- pectancy, like men who look upon a sight they feel portends evil, though what they know not. Not a sound was heard beyond the noise of placing and removing the untasted viands and the monotonous tinkling already noticed ; for the emperor spoke only once to ask a question, without giving any attention to the reply. " We dined together as usual," says Josephine ; " I struggled with my tears, which, not- withstanding every effort, overflowed from my eyes ; I uttered not a single word during that sorrowful meal, and he broke silence but once, to ask an attendant about the weather. My sunshine, I saw, had passed 354 MEMOIRS OF away ; the storm burst quickly. Directly after coffee* Bonaparte dismissed every one, and I remained, alone with him." We have already described the manner of Napoleon's taking coffee after dinner; the change which on this day first took place seemed to indicate to Josephine that her cares were no longer indispensable to the happiness of her husband. She had risen as usual from table with Napoleon, whom she slowly followed into the saloon, and with a handkerchief pressed upon her mouth to restrain the sobbing which, though inaudible, shook her whole frame. Recovering by an effort her self-com- mand, Josephine prepared to pour out the coffee, when Napoleon, advancing to the page, performed the office for himself, casting upon her a regard re- marked even by the attendants, and which seemed o fall with stunning import, for she remained as if stupified. The emperor, having drunk, returned the cup to the page, and, by a sign, indicated his wish to be alone, shutting with his own hand the door of the saloon. In the dining-room, separated by this door, there remained only the Count de Beaumont, chief chamberlain, who continued to walk about in silence, and the favourite personal attendant of the emperor; both expecting some terrible event, an apprehension which was but too speedily confirmed by loud screams from the saloon. We know, from Josephine's own words, what passed during this secret interview. " I watched in the changing expression of his countenance that struggle which was in his soul. At length his fea- tures settled into stern resolve. I saw that my hour was come. His whole frame trembled, he ap- proached, and I felt a shuddering horror come over me. He took my hand, placed it upon his heart, gazed upon me for a moment, then pronounced these fearful words : * Josephine ! my excellent Jose- phine ! thou knowest if I have loved thee ! To thee to thee alone do I owe the only moments of hap- THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 355 piness which I have enjoyed in this world. Jose- phine ! my destiny overmasters my will. My dear- est affections must be silent before the interests of France !' ' Say no more,' I had still strength suf- ficient to reply ; * I was prepared for this, but the blow is not less mortal.' More I could not utter. I cannot tell what passed within me. I believe my screams were loud. I thought reason had fled. I became unconscious of every thing, and, on return- ing to my senses, found I had been carried to my chamber." When Josephine thus fainted, Napoleon hastily opened the door of the saloon, and called to the two individuals who remained in the dining-room. The opening of the door allowed them to see the empress on the floor, insensible, yet still speaking in broken murmurs : " Oh, no, you cannot surely do it ! you would not kill me !" M. de Beaumont entered, on a sign from his master, and lifted in his arms the hap- less Josephine, now perfectly unconscious of all that was passing. The emperor himself, taking a taper from the chimneypiece, lighted the way through a dark passage, whence there was a private stair to the empress's sleeping-room. At first he had merely said that she had had a nervous attack ; but in his increasing agitation allowed some expressions to escape, whence the count first clearly perceived the nature of Josephine's calamity. When they had thus attained the private staircase, it appeared too steep and narrow for M. de Beaumont, unassisted, to at- tempt to bear the empress down with safety. Na- poleon then called the keeper of the portfolio, whose duty it was to be in constant attendance at the door of the cabinet, which also opened upon the corridor. Giving the taper to this attendant, and directing him to precede, the emperor himself supported Jose- phine's limbs, and, descending last, the party thus attained the door of her bedroom. Here Napoleon dismissed both his companions, and, laying the 356 MEMOIRS OF empress on the bed, rung for her women, who, on en- tering, found him hanging over her with an expres- sion of the deepest anxiety. Several times during the night he returned personally to inquire concern- ing her situation, but, except on these occasions, maintained unbroken silence. " On recovering," says Josephine, " I perceived that Corvisart was in attendance, and my poor daughter weeping over me. No, no I I cannot describe the horror of my situation during that night ! Even the interest which he af- fected to take in my sufferings seemed to me ad- ditional cruelty. Oh, my God! how justly had I reason to dread becoming an empress !" The following is a letter addressed by Josephine to her husband a few days after these events, less in the hope of withdrawing him from his resolution than with the intention of proving her resignation to an arrangement proceeding from him : " My presentiments are realized. You have pro- nounced the word which separates us ; the rest is only a formality. Such is the reward I will not say of so many sacrifices (they were sweet, because made for you) but of an attachment unbounded on my part, and of the most solemn oaths on yours. But the state, whose interests you put forward as a motive, will, it is said, indemnify me, by justifying you ! These interests, however, to which you feign to immolate me, are but a pretext ; your ill-dissem- bled ambition, as it has been, so it will ever con- tinue, the guide of your life ; a guide which has led you to victories and to a throne, and which now urges you to disasters and to ruin. 44 You speak of an alliance to contract of an heii to be given to your empire of a dynasty to be founded 1 But with whom do you contract that alli- ance? With the natural enemy of France that insidious house of Austria which detests our coun- try from feeling, system, and necessity. Do you THE EMPRESv JOSEPHINE. 357 suppose that the hatred, so many proofs of which have been manifested, especially during the last fifty years, has not been transferred from the kingdom to the empire ; and that the descendants of Maria The- resa, that able sovereign, who purchased from Ma- dame Pompadour the fatal treaty of 1756, mentioned by yourself only with horror, think you, I ask, that her posterity, while they inherit her power, are not animated also by her spirit ? I do nothing more than repeat what I have heard from you a thousand times ; but then your ambition limited itself to humbling a power which now you propose to elevate. Believe me, so long as you shall be master of Europe, Aus- tria will be submissive to you; but never know reverse ! " As to the want of an heir, must a mother appear to you prejudiced in speaking of a son ? Can 1 ought I to be silent respecting him who constitutes my whole joy, and on whom once centred all your hopes ? The adoption of the 3d January, 1806, was, then, a political falsehood ? But there is one reality, at least ; the talents and virtues of my Eugene are no illusion. How many times have you pronounced their eulogium! What do I say? Have you not deemed them worthy of the possession of a throne as a recompense, and often said they deserved more ? Alas ! France has repeated the same ; but what to you are the wishes of France 1 " I do not here speak of the person destined to succeed me, nor do you expect that I should mention her. Whatever I might say on that subject would be liable to suspicion. But one thing you will never suspect, the vow which I form for your happiness. May that felicity at least recompense me for my sor- rows. Ah ! great it will be if proportionate to them !" During the interval in which this letter was writ ten, namely, from the private announcement of the divorce as above described to the 16th of December, 358 MEMOIRS OF the most splendid public rejoicings took place on the anniversary of the coronation, and in commemora- tion of the victories of the German campaign. At all these Josephine appeared in the pomp and cir- cumstance of station, and even with a smiling coun- tenance, while her heart was breaking. Of all the distressing circumstances connected with her sor- rows, this was one of the most painful. To the public deception to which she thus became innocently accessory was added the humbling consciousness, that among sovereigns and princes then assembled in Paris, especially the members and creatures of the Bonaparte family, while few were ignorant of, some secretly rejoiced in, her impending disgrace. The last time she appeared in grand costume in pub- lic was upon the occasion of the fete given by the municipality of Paris, in receiving the honours of which her habitual grace and affability never for a moment forsook her, though the languor depicted on her own and her daughter's countenance too clearly discovered some latent sorrow within. A few days after, Eugene arrived from Italy, whence he had been summoned on this melancholy duty. The con- duct of her children, and especially of her son, has been misrepresented, as if the latter had laboured to persuade the empress to consent to a divorce, against which, both as a woman and a princess, she was pre- pared to oppose every obstacle. Her struggles we have already described ; and only by her own remon- strances were her children prevented from at once abandoning all and following their mother into Italy, where, and not in France, it was first proposed she should in future reside. Eugene's first interview was with his mother ; afterward he saw Napoleon, who replied to his question as to the final certainty of the divorce by tenderly pressing his hand. " Sire, in that case, permit me to quit your service." " How !" interrupted the emperor, " would you, Eu- gene Beauharnais, my adopted son, leave me]"- THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 359 " Yes, sire ; the son of her who is no longer empress cannot remain viceroy. I will follow my mother into her retreat. She must now find her consolation in her children." " Eugene, you know the stern ne- cessity which urges this measure : yet you will quit 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 1" Na- poleon is represented as having had tears in his eyes on pronouncing these words. Eugene was also greatly moved, and they retired together. The self- denying devotion of Josephine carried her even so far, as not only to persuade her children to witness her own renouncement of the crown, but to be pres- ent at the coronation of her successor. " The em- peror," said she, " is your benefactor, your more than father, to whom you are indebted for every thing, and, therefore, owe a boundless obedience." Her own example furnished a most affecting illustration of this sentiment. The Emperor of Austria, at the request of his daughter, had directed inquiries to be made respecting the religious ceremonial of marriage between Napoleon and Josephine, as already de- scribed. Maria Louisa had declared that she would, after such marriage, regard an alliance with the French emperor as a sacrilegious union. Josephine evaded the consequence by referring to the Moniteur, where she knew the religious celebration had not been inserted. "The fatal day" at length arrived. On the 15th of December, the imperial council of state was con- vened, and for the first time officially informed of the intended separation. On the morrow, the whole of the imperial family assembled in the grand saloon at the Tuileries. All were in grand costume. Na- poleon's was the only countenance which betrayed emotion, but ill concealed by the drooping plumes 360 MEMOIRS OF of his hat of ceremony. He stood motionless as a statue ; his arms crossed upon his breast, without uttering a single word. The members of his family were seated around, showing in their expression less of sympathy with so painful a scene than of satis- faction that one was to be removed who had so long held influence, gently exerted as it had been, over their brother. In the centre of the apartment was placed an armchair, and before it a small table, with a writing apparatus of gold. All eyes were directed to that spot, when a door opened, and Josephine, pale, but calm, appeared, leaning on the arm of her daughter, whose fast-falling tears showed that she had not attained the resignation of her mother. Both were dressed in the simplest manner. Jose- phine's dress, of white muslin, exhibited not a single ornament. All rose on her entrance. She moved slowly and with wonted grace to the seat prepared for her, and, her head supported on her hand, with the elbow resting on the table, listened to the read- ing of the act of separation. Behind her chair stood Hortense, Avhose sobs were audible ; and a little far- ther on, towards Napoleon, Eugene, trembling, as if incapable of supporting himself. Josephine heard in composure, but with tears coursing each other down her cheeks, the words that placed an eternal barrier between her and greatness, and, bitterer still, between affection and its object. This painful duty over, the empress appeared to acquire a degree of resolution from the very effort to resign with dignity the realities of title for ever. Pressing for an in- stant the handkerchief to her eyes, she rose, and with a voice which, but for a slight tremor, might have been called firm, pronounced the oath of accept- ance ; then, sitting down, she took the pen from the hand of Count St. Jean-d'Angely, and signed. The mother and daughter now retired as they had en- tered, followed immediately by Eugene, who appears to have suffered most severely of the three ; for he THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 361 ' had^rio sooner gained the space between the folding- doors which opened into the private cabinet than he fell lifeless on the floor, and was recovered, not * without difficulty, by the attentions of the usher of the cabinet and his own aids-de-camp. The sad interests of the day had not yet been ex- hausted. Josephine had remained unseen, sorrow- ing in her chamber, till Napoleon's usual hour of retiring to rest. He had just placed himself in bed, silent and melancholy, while his favourite attendant waited only to receive orders, when suddenly the private door opened, and the empress appeared, her hair in disorder, and her face swollen with weeping. Advancing with a tottering step, she stood, as if irresolute, about a pace from the bed, clasped her hands, and burst into an agony of tears. Delicacy a feeling as if she had now no right' to b<- there seemed at first to have arrested her prog ess; but forgetting every thing in the fulness of her grief, she threw herself on the bed, clasped her husband's neck, and sobbed as if her heart had been breaking. Na- poleon also wept while he endeavoured to console her, and they remained for some time locked in each other's arms, silently mingling their tears together, until the emperor, perceiving Constant in waiting, dismissed him to the antechamber. After an inter- view of about an hour, Josephine parted for ever with the man whom she had so long and so tenderly loved. On seeing the empress retire, which she did still in tears, the attendant entered to remove the lights, and found the chamber silent as death, and Napoleon so sunk among the bedclothes as to be / invisible. Next morning he still showed the marks of suffering, as throughout the whole of these afflict- ing transactions. At eleven Josephine was to bid adieu to the Tuileries, never to enter the palace more. The whole household assembled on the stairs and in the vestibule, in order to obtain a last look of a mistress whom they had loved, and who, Hh 362 MEMOIRS OF to use an expression of one present, " carried with her into exile the hearts of all that had enjoyed the happiness of access to her presence." Josephine ap- peared, leaning on the arm of one of her ladies, and veiled from head to foot. She held a handkerchief to her eyes, and moved forward amid silence, at first uninterrupted, but to which almost immediately suc- ceeded a universal burst of grief. Josephine, though not insensible to this proof of attachment, spoke not ; but, instantly entering a close carriage with six horses, drove rapidly away, without casting one look backwards on the scene of past greatness and de parted happiness. Henceforward, Josephine's life passed alternately at Malmaison and Navarre, and, gliding away in an equal tenor of benevolent exertion and elegant em- ployment, offers but few incidents. A description of one day is the account of all. The villa of Mal- maison, to which she first retired, from its vicinity to Paris, might be regarded as her residence of cere- mony. Here she received the visits, almost the homage, of the members of the court of Napoleon and Maria Louisa; for it was quickly discovered, that however unpleasant they might be to her new rival, such visits were recommendations to the emperor's favour. A little after nine these receptions took place, and from the visiters of the morning were retained, or previously invited, some ten or twelve guests to breakfast at eleven. From the personages present being always among the most distinguished in Parisian society, and appearing only in uniform or official costume, these morning parties were equally agreeable and brilliant. After breakfast, the empress adjourned to the saloon, where she con- versed for about an hour, or walked in the delightfu gallery adjoining, which contained many of the mas- terpieces of painting and sculpture. Of these, a few were ancient, but the greater number were the works of living artists, the most distinguished of whom THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 363 were not without obligations to the patronage of Josephine; and while Gros, Girodet, Guerin, with their pencils, Spontini, Mehul, Paer, Boiedlieu, with their voice or lyre, Fontanes, Armtulfr, Andrieu, Le- mercier, with their pen or conversation, and Canova, with his chisel, adorned the gallery or the parties of Malnraison, they ranked among the personal friends of the mistress of the retreat. The arrival of the carriages was the signal for the departure of the morning visiters ; and after a drive of a couple of hours in the park, the empress and her suite re- tired to dress for dinner, to which never less than from twelve to fifteen strangers bat down. The evening passed in amusement, conversation, and music, and was always very gay, owing to the num- ber of visiters from Paris. At eleven, tea, ices, and sweetmeats were served, and at midnight the em- press retired. The apartments in which these re- unions took place were elegant and spacious, the furniture being covered with needlework, on a ground of white silk, wrought by the empress and her la- dies; but the residence altogether was small, an inconvenience still further increased through Jose- phine's veneration of every thing that had been Napoleon's. The apartment which he had occupied remained exactly as he had left it; she would not suffer even a chair to be moved, and, indeed, very rarely permitted any one to enter, keeping the key herself, and dusting the articles with her own hands. On the table was a volume of history, with the page doubled down where he had finished reading ; beside it lay a pen, with the ink dried on the point, and a map of the world, on which he was accustomed to point out his plans to those in his confidence, and which still showed on its surface many marks of his impatience. These Josephine would allow to be touched on no account. By the wall stood Napo- leon's camp-bed, without curtains ; and above con- tinued to hang such of his arms as he had placed 364 MEMOIRS OF were flung there. On different pieces of furniture were flung various portions of apparel, just as he had used them last ; for, among his other extraordinary ways, he had a practice, on retiring to rest, of flinging rather than taking off his clothes, casting down a coat here, a vest there, usually pitching his watch into the bed, and his hat and shoes into the farthest corner of the apartment. Josephine's own bedchamber, to which she re- moved after the divorce, was extremely simple, draped only with white muslin, its sole ornament being the gold toilet service already mentioned, and which, with a noble generosity, she refused to con- sider as private property, till Napoleon sent it after her, together with many other valuables left behind in like manner. The following letter, addressed to her superintendent, on the subject of arrangement at Malmaison, furnishes a pleasing specimen of Jose- phine's taste : " Profit by my absence, dear F , and make haste to dismantle the pavilion of the acacias, and to trans- fer my boudoir into that of the orangery. I should wish the first apartment of the suite, and which serves for an anteroom, to be painted light green, with a border of lilacs. In the centre 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 centre of the apartment there must be a large flower-stand con- stantly filled with fresh flowers in their season, and in each angle a bust of a French philosopher. I par- ticularly mention that of Rousseau, which place be- tween 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 coloured light blue, with a border of ranunculus and polyanthus. Ten large engravings from the Gallery of the Musee, and twenty THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 365 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 chaises longues^iih corresponding covers, a secretaire, a small bureau, and a large toilet-glass are articles you will not for- get. In the centre place a large table always cov- ered 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 study, 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 says sufficient to remind you of three hundred volumes of my small edition." But time, the only balm for wounds such as hers, was required before Josephine could freely give her- self up to retirement. In detailing her life at Mal- maison, therefore, we have anticipated; describing rather what it subsequently became than as it was immediately on the divorce. For long after that event she did little but weep ; and so severe had been her sufferings, that it was six months before her sight recovered from the effects of inflammation and swell- ing of the eyes. The first circumstance which pro- duced something like a change for the better was her removal to Navarre, the restoring and embellish- ment of which became at once a source of amuse- ment and a means of benevolence. This, formerly a royal residence, and celebrated by Delille for the magnificent beauties of its park, had been visited by the usual consequences of the Revolution, and, when purchased by the ex-empress, was in a state of nearly complete dilapidation. The chateau itself, or, as it was called, palace, though small, is delightfully situ- ated, surrounded and overhung by the romantic forest of Evreux. The park, of great extent, was traversed 366 MEMOIRS or by beautiful streams and intersected by lakes, which, being partly artificial, had become putrescent marshes from the neglect of the watercourses. A million francs (41, 600/.)> advanced by Napoleon on her ie- tired allowance, were expended in the first instance ; the marshes were drained, the roads through the forest repaired, public buildings erected; by which means, with planting and agriculture, Josephine en- joyed the satisfaction of spreading comfort and fer- tility over a neighbourhood where formerly reigned extreme misery. At Navarre Josephine lived a much more retired and, to her, more agreeable mode of life, because freer from etiquette, than at Malmaison. Though almost never without visiters of the highest rank, and though constantly surrounded with all the pomp and attendance of a court, her courtiers were for the most part old and valued friends, with whom she lived rather in society than as mistress and depend- ants. The following was the general plan of the day : At ten o'clock breakfast was served ; and it was the duty of the ladies and chamberlains in at- tendance to be in the saloon to receive her majesty, who was exact to a minute in all such arrangements. ** I have never," she used to say, " kept any one waiting for me half a minute, when to be punctual depended on myself. Punctuality is true politeness, especially in the great." From the saloon the em- press immediately passed into the breakfast-room, followed by her court, according to their rank; naming herself those who were to sit on her right and left. Both at breakfast and dinner the repast consisted of one course only, every thing except the dessert being placed on the table at once. The em- press had five attendants behind her chair, and those who sat down with her one each. Seven officials of different ranks performed the ordinary service of the table. After breakfast, which was never pro- longed beyond three-quarters of an hour, the empress, with her ladies, retired to a long room named the THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 367 gallery, adorned with pictures and statues, and com- manding a beautiful prospect, where they continued to employ themselves in various elegant or useful works, while the chamberlain in attendance read aloud to the party. At two, when the weather per- mitted, the ladies rode out in three open carriages, each with four horses, Madame u'Arberg, lady of honour, one of the ladies in waiting, and a distin- guished visiter always accompanying the empress. In this manner passed two hours in examining im- provements, and freely conversing with every one who desired any thing, when the party returned, and all had the disposal of their time till six o'clock, the hour of dinner. This repast concluded, the evening, till eleven, was dedicated to relaxation, the empress playing at backgammon, piquet, or casino with the personages of her household, or guests whom she named for that honour, or conversing generally with the whole circle. When^ strangers were present, no money was played for ; but at other times, a small sum served to give interest to the game. The younger ladies, whether members of the household or visiters, of whom there were always several, often many, whose education Josephine thus completed by retaining them near her person, usually adjourned to a small saloon off the drawing-room, where a harp and piano invited either to music or the dance under the control of some experienced matron. Some- times, however, this slight restraint was forgotten, and the noise of the juvenile party somewhat incom- moded their seniors in the grand apartment. On these occasions, the lady of honour, who had the charge of the whole establishment, and was, more- over, a strict disciplinarian, would hint the necessity of repressing the riot; but Josephine always op- posed this. " Suffer, my dear Madame d'Arberg," she would say, " both them and us to enjoy, while we may, that delightful innocency of mirth which comes from the heart and goes to the heart." At eleven, tea was served, and the visiters retired ; but 368 MEMOIRS OF the empress generally remained for an hour longer, conversing with her ladies. " These conversations," says one who frequently bore a part in them, " af- forded the best means of judging of the strength of her understanding and the goodness of her heart She loved to give herself up, without reserve, to the pleasure of this confidential intercourse, but would sometimes check herself in the midst of an interest- ing recital, observing, ' I know that every thing I say is reported to the emperor, a circumstance ex- tremely disagreeable, not in itself so much as in the consequent restraint which it imposes.' Napoleon, in fact, had intelligence within a few hours of every thing which was done or said at Malmaison and Na- varre. I know not that the member of our circle who thus played the spy was ever suspected, but certain it is, such an official existed." On this sub- ject, we may remark, that the same system prevailed also at St. Cloud and the Tuileries ; but what was most singular, besides the regular police established by Napoleon a ad Josephine for mutual surveillance, some one member of the court had gratuitously as- sumed the office of secret reporter. Within a few hours the emperor or empress received information of whatever had occurred of a particular nature in the conduct of either, which the one might be deemed desirous of concealing from the other. These com- munications came by the ordinary letter-office at- tached to the palaces, were evidently by the same hand, and yet the writer remained undetected. The following document presents an agreeab e view of Josephine's resignation, and completes the picture just sketched of her ordinary mode of life during the whole period of her retreat : Josephine to Napoleon (from Navarre). " 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 it?, tender and affectionate contents These* indeed, do not in THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 369 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 sweets of a love that is shared, and all the suffering of one that is so no longer; after having exhausted all the pleasures that supreme power can confer, and the happiness of beholding the man whom I loved enthusiastically admired, is there aught else, save repose, to be de- sired ] What illusions can now remain for me 1 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 chil- dren, the possibility of being able still 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 anywhere else ; for I enjoy more completely the society of the for- mer, and form a thousand projects which may prove useful to the latter, and 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 laboured to annihilate, I shall diffuse comfort around me ; and the benedictions of the poor will afford me infinitely more pleasure than the feigned adulations 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). 370 MEMOIHS OF 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 dispositions. He shall be intrusted with distributing my alms-deeds in Evreux ; and as he visits the indi- gent himself, I shall be assured that my charities are properly bestowed. "I cannot sufficiently thank you, sire, for the liberty you have permitted me of choosing the mem- bers of my household, all of whom contribute to the pleasure of a delightful society. One circumstance alone gives me pain, namely, the etiquette of cos- tume, 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 in the toilet of these gentlemen ; but I believe you are wrong in thinking they would, for one minute, forget the respect due to the woman who was your companion. Their respect for your- self, joined to the sincere attachment they bear to me (which I cannot doubt), secures me against the danger of being ever obliged to recall what it is your wish they sheuld remember. My most honourable 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 immor- tality. " I expect Eugene. I doubly long to see him ; for he will doubtless bring me a new pledge of your remembrance ; and I can question him at my ease of a thousand things concerning which I desire to be informed, but cannot inquire of you ; things, too, of which you ought still less to speak to me. My daughter will come also, but later, her health not permitting her to travel at this season. 1 beseech you, sire, to recommend that she take care of her- self; and insist, since I am to remain here, that she do every thing possible to spare me the insupporta- ble anxiety I feel under any increase of her ill health. The weakness in her chest alarms me beyond all THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 371 expression. I desire Corvisart to write me his opinion without reserve. " My circle is at ^his time somewhat more nume- rous than usual, there being several visiters, besides many of the inhabitants of Evreux and the environs, whom I see,' of course. I am pleased with their manners, and with their admiration of you, a par- ticular in which, as you know, I am not easily satis- lied ; in short, I muTmyself 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 dis- tance from court. Besides you there is nothing there 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 consti- tutes 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 besn stormy and often sad." The first event of importance which broke in upon this tranquillity, was the birth of the King of Rome on the 26th March, 1.811. With more than even ths usual share of self-devotedness which be- longs exclusively to woman's attachment, Josephine could not forget that she had been a wife and an empress. The announcement, therefore, of the hap- piness of a rival in each of these capacities, though her habitual prudence and respect for Napoleon repressed all external signs, could not but bo ex- tremely painful. It happened that her whole house- hold were in Evreux at a grand entertainment given by the prefect, at the moment when the news reached,that functionary, with orders for rejoicings. The party returned immediately to the palace, where Josephine had remained with the Princess d'Arberg, her lady of honour. "I confess," says Madame* Decrest, then a youthful visiter at Navarre, " that 372 MEMOIRS OF my boundless affection for Josephine caused me violent sorrow, when I thought that she who occu- pied her place was now completely happy. Know- ing as yet but imperfectly the grandeur of soul which characterized the empress, her entire denial of self, and absolute devotion to the happiness of the emperor, 1 imagined there must still remain in her so much of the woman as would excite bitter regret at not having been the mother of a son so ardently desired. I judged like a frivolous person of the gay world, who had never known cares be- yond those of a ball. On arriving at the palace, where the first comers had spread the news, I learned how to appreciate one who had so long been the cherished companion, often the counsellor, and always the true friend of Napoleon. I beheld every face beaming with joy, and Josephine's more radiant than any, for all but reflected her satisfaction. No sooner had the party from the carriages entered the saloon, than she eagerly inquired what details we had learned. ' I do regret,' she continued to repeat, * being so far distant from Paris : at Malmaison I could have had information every half hour ! I greatly rejoice that the painful sacrifice which I made for France is likely to be useful, and that her future destiny is now secure. How happy the em- peror must be ! One thing alone makes me sad ; namely, not having been informed of that happiness by himself: but then he has so many orders to give* so many congratulations to receive. Young ladies, we must do here as elsewhere ; there must be a fete to solemnize the accomplishment of so many vows. I will give you a ball. And, as the saloons are small, I will have the hall of the guards floored above the marble ; for the whole city of Evreux must come to rejoice with us : I can never have too many people on this occasion. Make your pre- parations ; get ready some of my jewels ; I must not, in the present case, continue to receive my visiters in a bonnet de nuit. As for you, gentlemen. THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 373 I require for this once your grand costume.' I have added nothing," says our agreeable authority, " to these words of Josephine ; only they were not all uttered in regular succession. Her majesty's pleas- ing countenance was, if possible, more than usually open and frank in its expression while she spoke, and never, in my opinion, did she show herself moie worthy of the high fortune she had enjoyed." The omission, however, in not despatching an especial messenger to Navarre, seems to have greatly pained Josephine ; for the same night she wrote the following delicate, yet touching, letter to Napoleon : " Navarre, March 20-21, 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 be- coming 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 learn the birth of the King of Rome from yourself, and not from the sound of the cannon of Evreux, or the courier of the pre- fect ; 1 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 cannot be more tenderly devoted to you than I ; but she has been enabled to contribute more towards your happiness, li 374 MEMOIRS OF 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 cannot ask more than a place in your affection, far removed from that occupied by the Empress Maria Louisa. Not till you shall 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 doubt not my sin- cerity, when I here say, that, far from feeling afflic- tion at a sacrifice necessary to 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 have but one regret, in not having yet done enough to prove to you 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 T shall have circumstan- tial details of the great event which assures 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 resemble 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." On the morrow, Eugene arrived at Malmaison, and from him Josephine obtained the details about which she had felt such anxiety. For a time, the most serious apprehensions had been entertained for the life of both mother and child. Napoleon continued to walk backwards and forwards in the saloon ad- joining the imperial bedchamber ; but, amid the most agitating fears, he showed his presence of mind and THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 375 wonderful command of himself, by giving to Dubois* the only direction which left a chance to the em- press. " Treat my wife as you would a shopkeeper's in the Rue St. Denis." The danger becoming still more pressing, a fear arose that either the empress or her infant must be sacrificed. " Save my wife !" exclaimed Napoleon ; " the rest affects me little." ""Assuredly," says our authority, one who heard the viceroy's account, " Eugene would not have ventured such a recital of Napoleon's love for Maria Louisa, had he not known that his mother had frankly resigned her claims to what she considered the necessities of the state." How unjustly, there- fore, have those judged her, who say that she regretted the emperor more than the husband. The viceroy further assured Josephine, that the emperor had said to him, on departing, " You are going to see your mother, ^Eugene ; tell her, that I am cer- tain she will rejoice more than any one at my good fortune. 1 would have written to her already, had I not been completely absorbed in the pleasure of looking upon my son. I tear myself from him only to attend to the most indispensable duties. This evening, I will discharge the sweetest duty of all I will write to Josephine." Accordingly, about eleven o'clock the same even- ing, the folding-doors were opened in great form, and the announcement, " from the emperor," ushered in one of his own pages, bearer of a letter from Napoleon. Josephine recognised the youth, after a lapse of two years, and, concealing her own anxiety, conversed with him on his family, for she perceived that, from fear of losing the emperor's billet, he had so secured it about his person as to render its re- covery a work of some time. The empress retired to read this ardently desired communication ; and, on re-entering the saloon, after an absence of half an hour, it was easy to perceive that she had been weeping, and that the viceroy, who had accom- * A celebrated accoucheur who attended Maria Louisa. 376 MEMOIRS OF panied her, exhibited also much emotion. * dared not," says one who was present, " question the empress ; but, observing our curiosity, she had the condescension to gratify us with a sight of the letter; it consisted of about ten or twelve lines, traced on one page, and was, as usual, covered with blots. I do not exactly remember the commence- ment, but the conclusion was, word for word, ' This infant, in concert with our Eugene, will constitute my happiness and that of France.' * Is it possible,' remarked the empress, Mo be more amiable? or could any thing be better calculated to sooth what- ever might be painful in my thoughts at this mo- ment, did I not so sincerely love the emperor 1 This uniting of my son with his own is indeed worthy of him, who, when he wills, is the most delightful of men. This it is which has so much moved me.' Calling, then, for the messenger, Josephine said, ' For the emperor, and for yourself giving the page a letter, and a small morocco case, containing a diamond brooch, value five thousand francs (two hundred guineas). This, indeed, was the present intended for the messenger should the child be a girl, a \ one of twelve thousand francs for a boy ; but, with her usual good taste, she made this altera- tion, fearing that peo-ie might talk rather of her munificence than sat' -faction. Exactly in the same style of splendid propriety was given the entertain- ment which she had promised to her little court." Josephine had even carried her compliance so far as to attempt an intercourse with Maria Louisa. Napoleon, too, encouraged this correspondence, a?,d spoke to his young bride on the subject. " But the latter," to use Josephine's own words, "rejected this proposal with such manifest dissatisfaction, that it was not renewed. I am feorry for it ; her presence would have given me no uneasiness, and I might have bestowed good counsel as to the best means of pleasing the emperor." Upon the present occa- sion, another effort was made, and, unless we are THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 377 mistaken, the reader will discover much nobleness in the following letter : Josephine to Maria Louisa. "MADAM, While you were only the second spouse of the emperor, I deemed it becoming to maintain silence towards your majesty; that reserve, I think, may be laid aside, now that you are become the mother of an heir to the empire. You might have had some difficulty in crediting the sincerity of her whom, perhaps, you regarded as a rival ; you will give faith to the felicitations of a Frenchwoman, for you have bestowed a son upon France. Your amiableness and sweetness of disposition have gained you the heart of the emperor ; your benevo- lence merits the blessings of the unfortunate; the birth of a son claims the benedictions of all France. How amiable a people how feeling how deserving of admiration are the French ! To use " an expres- sion which paints them exactly ' they love to love /' Oh ! how delightful, then, to be loved by them ! It is upon this facility, and, at the same time, steadi- ness of affection, that the partisans of their ancient kings have so long rested their expectations ; and here their trust is not without reason. Whatever may happen, the name of Henri IV., for instance, will always be reverenced. It must be confessed, however, that the Revolution, without corrupting the heart, has greatly extended the intelligence, and rendered the spirits of men more exacting. Under our kings, they were satisfied with repose now they demand glory. These, madam, are the two bless- ings, the foretaste of which you have been called to give to France. She will enjoy them in perfection under your son, if to the manly virtues of his sire he join those of his august mother, by which they may be tempered." Though the preceding pages have presented a 878 MEMOIRS OF general view of Josephine's manner of life during the interesting years of its close, the remaining portion of these memoirs might be almost indefi- nitely prolonged. A more particular account of her retirement would furnish anecdotes of her inter- course with most of the marked individuals of the times, who in turn appeared in the saloon of Mal- maison, or shared in the solitude of Navarre. Materials, too, are abundant and authentic ; but in- teresting as these would be, we omit them with less regret than the details that might be given of Jose- phine's unwearied beneficence, gentleness, and re- signation. Her character had always been pecu- liarly distinguished for those softer qualities which constitute the amiable woman; and now, in the season of comparative adversity, her life read one continuous lesson of practical virtue. Out of an in- come of 125,000/. per annum, a sum by no means large, with an imperial title, and establishment con- forming, to be supported, between four and five thousand a-year were expended in charity in the neighbourhood of Navarre alone ; this is exclusive of the sums disbursed to the poor at Malmaison, and throughout, the whole of France, for whenever mis- fortune was known to Josephine, its claims met with sympathy and relief. Nor was this a thought- less profusion, as some have represented, or produc- tive of embarrassment in her family concerns. Her charities were confided to competent and pious men, while her own sorrows had taught discrimina- tion; and the slight disorder at first occasioned by the injudicious purchases of an agent at Navarre, 4;he waste of her attendants, too apt to forget the diminished resources of their mistress, and, it may be, her own inexperience of a limited income, was quickly restored, the establishments at Malmaison and Navarre being latterly distinguished alike for economy as for elegance. But the goodness which consists in merely dis- tributing money, however judiciously applied, migh THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 379 be deemed no great virtue in one of so benevolent a temperament, and long accustomed to command an influence so extensive. It is, therefore, upon an in- nate kindliness of heart, an attuning of the whole moral affections to sympathize with sorrow and mis- fortune, that we claim for our subject her title of " the excellent Josephine." The benevolence which regards the feelings of inferiors, which respects and pities while it relieves, as it is infinitely the rarest, so it is by far the most exalted charity. This had always appeared predominant in her conduct, but never more than during the period now under con- sideration. The empress is never known to have used one harsh expression towards any in her little court ; but, in the case of real offence, she used to punish the fault by not speaking to the delinquent for a length of time proportioned to the cause of dis- pleasure. So effectual did this prove, that there is no instance of the necessity of a repeated infliction. The household, which was' thus controlled, be it re- membered, was one of imperial magnificence ; for Napoleon would suffer nothing to be changed in the regal state to which she had been accustomed in the Tuileries, and even added twelve pages after the establishment had been completed. Her immediate circle consisted of tried friends, a circumstance which gave a tenderness to the intercourse at Na- varre rarely to be found in courts. The following extract from one of her letters on this subject is pleasing : "You will find with me the gentlest and most agreeable society. Some of my ladies are kind and good ; they have not always been happy, and will therefore sympathize in your melancholy without forcing you to be gay ; others will beguile you of your sorrows by the charms of their wit ; and with the gentlemen of my court you may converse on those acquirements which you have cultivated with pleasure and success. Some young persoas.in.whom 380 MEMOIRS OF I am interested will study along with your amiable daughter ; she will increase their knowledge by com- municating her own, and will receive in return les- sons in music and accomplishments not otherwise accessible in the chateau of her deceased father. Thus, many advantages concur to decide you to come and live with me ; and I venture to believe that your affection will reckon among these inducements the certainty of thus contributing to render my retreat more pleasing. Hitherto, I have been surrounded by all imaginable proofs of regard. I have received visits from the whole of Napoleon's court. It is known that he desires I should be treated always as empress ; and besides, people wish to see with their own eyes how I support my new situation. When they shall have been able to say several times before Napoleon that they have been at Malmaison, and shall have fully examined my countenance, and criti- cised my manners, they will cease to come eight leagues to visit a person who can no longer do any thing for them, and I shall be left alone with my true friends, of whom I will that you augment the num- ber. These words / will have escaped me ; it is the consequence of a habit which I shall correct ; but one of my habits I shall never resign, that of lov- ing you faithfully. Come, and believe in the attach- ment of " JOSEPHINE." Among a circle thus selected, Josephine would hardly fail of securing as large a share of happiness as her circumstances permitted to expect. She in turn exhausted every means of pleasing, in order to render their voluntary retreat agreeable to her friends ; a retreat, however, recompensed by salaries equal to those at the imperial court, and which fur- ther conciliated Napoleon's approval. The young ladies mentioned by the empress, orphans, in several instances, of ancient houses, whose parents she had known, received not only a most accomplished edu- cation, but a dowry also from their excellent patron- THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 381 ess, wno watched over their establishment in life with parental solicitude. To the ladies of the court generally she was in the constant habit of giving presents, studying, at the same time, to do this in such a way as might take away all unpleasant sense of obligation. On her own birthday, for example, and the new year, a lottery of jewelry was estab- lished at Navarre or Malmaison; as the empress distributed the tickets, she contrived to influence the course of fortune, and it was not till after the draw- ing had ceased that the ladies were surprised to find they had all obtained prizes. When any of her ladies were sick, Josephine was ever by the bed of the pa- tient ; and to cheer the hours of confinement, instead of the usual sitting-room, the morning parties for reading or work were transferred to the apartments of the convalescent so soon as the physician gave permission. Similar attentions were bestowed on even her inferior attendants, whose habitual com- plaint on falling ill was, that they should be so long before seeing their mistress. " Do not let that dis- tress you," she would say ; " I will come often to see you." Thus she actually passed a portion of every day for two months in the room of Madame d'Avrillon, her femme-de-chambre, whose thigh had been fractured by a fall, during some amusements upon the ice on one of the lakes at Navarre. But it would be vain, within our present limits, to attempt a description of Josephine's active benevolence in favour of the unfortunate, or her feeling considera- tion for all who approached her person : Comme nos cceurs, joignons nos voix Chantons 1'auguste Josephine ; Aux fleurs tju'i naissent sous ses lois Sa main ne laisse pas U'dpme. Parfout la suit de ses bienfaita Ou 1'esperance ou la meuioire ; De Josephine pour jamais Vive le nom! vive la gloire ! From their separation, the correspondence between Napoleon and Josephine continued undiminished in 382 MEMOIRS OF respect and affection. Notes from the emperor arrived weekly at Navarre or Malmaison, and he never returned from any journey or long absence without seeing the " illustrious solitary." No sooner had he alighted, than a messenger, usually his own confidential attendant, was despatched to Malmaison. " Tell the empress I am well, and desire to hear that she is happy." The reserve, or rather jealousy, of Maria Louisa, indeed, would have prohibited, as a matter of course, any communication with his son. Josephine, however, did frequently see the child, though secretly ; for so Napoleon had resolved, both in compliance with her own request, and because he himself seemed thence to derive a pleasure. These meetings took place at Bagatelle, a royal pavilion near Paris, Napoleon and Madame de Montesquieu, governess to the young prince, being the sole confi- dants. At first, these interviews were frequent, and always most affecting on Josephine's part ; but after- ward, as the boy grew up, and the danger of dis- covery consequently augmented, they became more rare, and were finally discontinued altogether. The following are extracts from a letter written by Jose-, phine to Napoleon after the last of these meetings : i " Assuredly, sire, it was not mere curiosity which led me to desire to meet the King of Rome ; I wished to examine his countenance to hear the sound of his voice, so like your own to behold you caress % son on whom centre so many hopes and to repay him the tenderness which you lavished on my own Eugene. When you recall how dearly you loved mine, you will not be surprised at my affection for the son of another, since he is yours likewise, nor deem either false or exaggerated sentiments which you have so fully experienced in your own heart. The moment I saw you enter, leading the young Napoleon in your hand, was, unquestionably, one of f the happiest of my life. It effaced for a time the recollection of all that had preceded ; for never have 'I received from you a more touching mark of affec THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 383 tion. It is more \ it is one of esteem of sincere attachment. Still, I am perfectly sensible, sire, that those meetings which afford me so much pleasure cannot be frequently renewed ; and I must not so far intrude on your compliance as to put it often under contribution. Let this sacrifice to your domestic tranquillity be one proof more of my desire to see you happy." In every thing Napoleon continued to act with the same confiding tenderness as in the case of his son. All the private griefs in which Josephine had shared, and the sorrows to which she had ministered, were still disclosed to her as before their separation. Wit- ness the following letter : 4 SIRE, The indisposition which has given you some uneasiness on my account has left no bad effects, and I am almost tempted to bless the dis- pensation, as the cause of my receiving a billet, which proves you continue always to cherish the same interest in my well-being. This certainty of your attachment will contribute to re-establish a health which is already better. What you say re- specting your family disputes afflicts me so much the more that I cannot, as formerly, endeavour to recon- cile them. 1 have laid down as a law never to meddle with what concerns your sisters ; and I be- lieve, were I to fail in this self-imposed rule of con- duct, my representations would be ill received. I have never been loved by these personages, who in- terest me deeply, since your happiness depends in part upon their conduct. " Envy and jealousy, unfor- tunately, were the sentiments I inspired ; and now that I am deprived of a power, the cause of their umbrage, resentment still remains at having been so long obliged to conceal their jealousy. I believe you exaggerate their faults towards you, a necessary consequence of the affection you bear them. They ove you sincerely, but not with hat exaltation of sentiment you require in every thing ; and they feel 384 MEMOIRS OF not, therefore, the chagrin they may cause you. The Queen of Naples, for instance, was forced, not only to receive the Princess of Wales, while travelling through her states, hut to observe all the honours due to that title. You would have blamed her had she acted otherwise ; for her royal highness was un- fortunate, a claim more urgent than even illustrious birth. Why, then, impute it as a crime to have re- ceived an afflicted woman, accused, perhaps, through injustice and calumny ] Separated from a husband and from a child who loved her, had she not whereof to complain ] and why, then, deny her the sad con solation of an honourable hospitality ] Be assured, therefore, that in all this there was nothing of politi- cal contrivance, no intention to brave you.* Your sister o-f Naples may be ambitious, but she overflows with tenderness for you, and is too proud of the title of your sister ever to do any thing which might render her unworthy thereof. As to the Princess Pauline, she is a pretty child, whom all of us have taken pleasure in spoiling; we need not, then, be surprised or offended at her absurdities. W'ith her, indulgence always succeeds better than a severity, which we are forced to lay aside whenever we look upon her ravishing beauty. Do not chide her, then ; recall her gently, and she will reform. Joseph is obliged to manage the Spaniards, a circumstance which fully explains the kind of opposition in which you are often placed. Time will bring back union be- tween you, by consolidating a power opposed by many obstacles in this its commencement. When you are better satisfied with your family, dp not fail to inform me ; none, sire, can more rejoice in the good under- standing that ought to prevail there. Adieu. Calm your head, allow your heart to act ; there I hold a place which I desire to maintain, and will eternally merit by an affection without limits." * This passage refers to the late Queen Caroline, who played a thou- sand absurdities at the court of Joachim Murat. THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 885 Tlie personal intercourse between Napoleon and Josephine, though not unfrequent, was conducted with the most decorous attention to appearances. Their last interview but one took place before he left Paris for the Russian campaign. This enterprise the ex-empress had contemplated with well-grounded alarm, and repeatedly solicited a meeting. The em- peror at length arrived at Malmaison ; he was in a caleche, which drew up at the park-gate, and, with becoming delicacy, his repudiated wife received his visit in the garden. Seating themselves on a circu- lar bench, within sight of the windows of the saloon, but beyond hearing, they continued in animated con- versation for above two hours. The courtiers, con- cealed behind the window-drapery, endeavoured to divine, from the changing expression of the speakers, the subject of their discourse. Josephine spoke at first anxiously, and almost in alarm ; the emperor replied with eager confidence, and seemed by de- grees to reassure her, for it was evident that she felt satisfied with his arguments. In all probability the conversation turned upon the intended expedition against Russia. At length Napoleon rose, kissed the empress's hand, and walked with her to his car- riage. During the rest of the day, Josephine appear- ed perfectly satisfied, and more than once repeated to her ladies that she had never seen the emperor in better spirits, adding, " How I regret my inability to do any thing for that fortunate of the earth /" Such was her expression ; a few months sufficed to make the misfortunes of Napoleon a by-word among the nations. The campaign of Moscow began, that of Saxony completed, the disasters of the empire, and the allies entered France. One hurried and distressful inter- view, on the return of the fugitive, was the last of personal intercourse; but even in the midst of the tremendous struggle that followed, Napoleon found leisure to think of Josephine ; or, rather, the thoughts Kk 386 MEMOIRS OF of her whose idea had mingled with the dreams < youthful glory, had imparted sweeter interest to first success, and who had been abandoned in the height of prosperity, regained intenser power in the time of reverse. His letters to Josephine were frequent and more affectionate than ever ; while hers, written by every opportunity, were perused, under all cir- cumstances, with a promptitude which showed clearly the pleasure or the consolation that was expected ; in fact, it had always been observed, that letters from Navarre and Malmaison were torn rather than broken open, and read, whatever else might be retarded. But as misfortunes thickened around, correspondence became impossible ; and in March, 1814, the empress, then residing at Malmai- son, had already been many days without word from the army, the last letter which she had received being dated from Brienne, after the battle which was fought there on the 29th of January. In this uncer- tainty, she had one morning taken her usual station in a summer-house overlooking the road to Paris, to watch for intelligence, when she perceived " a sister of charity" passing under the window. Knowing that these pious females had proved of great service to the wounded French, the empress entered into conversation, and learned that the good nun was going to Paris to apply for a portion of contraband English cottons which had been ordered to be dis- tributed to the hospitals. " We have many wounded officers with us," said she, " and have no sheets." " Sister," replied the empress, " you do not know the minister; return, and leave the affair to me." The religious willingly acquiesced, for her presence was needed at the hospital ; but had not proceeded far when she returned. " Pardon the curiosity which brings me back; I w r ould know who it is that so kindly interposes in our behalf. I may guess, but " " Yes," answered the empress, with a sweet yet melancholy senile, " I am poor Josephine ; say no- hing to any one " " No. certainly," returned the THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 387 nun. " Excuse me once more ; our lint and band- ages are almost exhausted; would your majesty deign " " Say no more ; we will make some for you here." Henceforth the elegant employments of the morning were laid aside, arid the fair hands at Malmaison daily occupied in forming bandages and scraping lint. But it was impossible to remain almost in the midst of conflicting armies ; the flight of the imperial family to Blois alarmed her exceed- ingly ; and on the 29th of March, at eight in the morn- ing, she departed, nearly in despair, for Navarre. Already the formidable cry " Cossacks !" had sounded repeatedly in her ears, when, after travelling about thirty miles, the pole of her carriage broke, and at the same moment a troop of horsemen appeared at a distance. Josephine, in her distraction, taking these, which were French hussars, for Cossacks or Prussians, began to fly across the fields, in the midst of heavy rain, and had thus proceeded a considerable distance before her attendants discovered the mis- take. The carriage being speedily repaired, the journey terminated without further accident. The empress had scarcely spoken on the road, but, on entering the palace, recollection seemed to over- power her ; she sunk on a seat, 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 that must now agitate his breast ! Oh, if he had listened to me !" During this short stay at Navarre, the empress wrote a great deal, taking no relaxation beyond a ride in the park, always alone in the morning, and another after dinner with some one of her ladies. Any conversation in which she indulged ran con- stantly upon the state of France and Napoleon, of whom at this time she seemed to take a melancholy delight in relating anecdotes ; but every such con- versation, like a reminiscence of concentrated grief, concluded with the remark, " Ah ! had he listened to me !" Her only pleasure during this period of pain- 388 MEMOIRS OF ful uncertainty was, to shut herself up alone, and read the letters lately received from the emperor, which she hadcarefully packed up and brought from Malmaison. The last of these, dated, as we have said, from Brienne, she always kept in her bosom. This cherished document, after giving an account of the engagement, concluded with the following 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 ex- perience, 1 several times said in my own mind, ' I have sought *o meet death in many conflicts I can no longer fear it ; to me, death would now be a bless- ing but I would once more see Josephine.' " All uncertainty at length vanished on receipt of the following letter ; and Josephine perceived how vain had been her hopes of Napoleon retrieving his fortunes : To the Empress Josephine, at Malmaison. " FontainUeau, April 16, 1814. " DEAR JOSEPHINE, I wrote to you on the 8th of this month (it was a Friday), and perhaps you have not received my letter. Hostilities still continued ; possibly it may have been intercepted ; at present, the communications must be re-established. I have formed my resolution ; I have no doubt this billet will reach you. I will not repeat what I said to you : then I lamented my situation ; now I con- gratulate myself thereon. My head and spirit are freed from an enormous weight. My fall is great, but at least it is useful, as men say. In my retreat 1 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 THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 389 all betrayed me yes, all. I except from this num- ber the good Eugene, so worthy of you and of me. Adieu, my dear Josephine ; be resigned, as I am, and ever remember him who never forgot andnevei will forget you. Farewell, Josephine. " NAPOLEON." 44 P.S. I expect to hear from you at Elba: I am not very well." The perusal of this letter overwhelmed Josephine with grief and consternation, but recovering from her stupor, she exclaimed, with impassioned energy, " 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 for- saken. Well, I at least will not abandon him. I might be dispensed with while he was happy now, I am sure he expects me." Tears came to her relief, and, after a pause, she added, with more com- posure, addressing M. de Beaumont, her chamber- lain, " I. may, however, interfere with his arrange- ments. You will remain here with me till intelli- gence be received from the allied sovereigns they will respect her who was the wife of Napoleon." These expectations were not deceived; the Empe- ror Alexander sent assurances of his friendly inten- tions, and the other allies united in a request that she would return to Malmaison. Though moved by these attentions, she hesitated for some time, from respect to her husband, and yielded only when she found that high family interests might suffer by her refusal. Meanwhile, ever anxious about him who had so long occupied every thought, she addressed the following note to Alexander : "SIRE, My heart responds to the duty of ex- pressing my perfect gratitude to your majesty. I never can forget, that, having scarcely arrived in Paris (for I will not say entered), you deigned to Kktt 390 MEMOIRS OF think of me. Amid the misfortunes which, affect my country, this regard would prove almost a con- solation to me, could it be extended to a person whom it was formerly permitted me to name with pride. You, too, sire, then united the same name with expressions of august friendship. To recall to you a sentiment once participated is to remind you of all that such a remembrance demands. In a soul like yours the recollection will never be effaced." In one day after her re-establishment at Malmai- son, Josephine found herself restored to all the importance of her rank: a guard of honour was appointed for her protection, her property had been respected, and her little court, elegant as ever, she now saw frequented by some of the most marked personages of Europe. The Emperor of Ru-ssia presented himself an early visiter at Malmaison; Josephine received the emperor in the gallery, and, with her wonted grace, expressed how much she felt on the occasion. " Madam," replied Alexander, " 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." Those illustrious person- ages then withdrew from their attendants, and con- versed anxiously and earnestly alone. Afterward they passed into the garden, where they were joined by Hortense, who had arrived from Paris, and the emperor, giving a note to each lady, the conversa- tion, in which there can be no doubt the subject of Napoleon was frequently introduced, seemed to become more and more interesting. The King of Prussia also visited at Malmaison, and even the Bourbons showed attention; and the empress was to have been presented to Louis. Her children, also, Had been graciously received ; Hortense's honoui THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 391 as queen were confirmed, and Eugene's rank as marshal of France offered, but declined. Nothing, however, could render Josephine insensible to the fall of her husband. The following letter expresses sentiments equally respectful and tender : To the Emperor Napoleon, at Elba. " SIRE, Now only can I calculate the whole ex- tent of the misfortune of having beheld my union with you ( dissolved bylaw; now do I indeed lament being* no more than your friend, who can but mourn over a misfortune great as it is unexpected. It is not the loss of a throne that I regret on your ac- count ; I know from myself how such a loss may be endured; but my heart sinks at the grief you must have experienced on separating from the old companions of your glory. You must have regretted, not only your officers, but the soldiers, whose countenances even, names, and brilliant deeds in arms you could recall, and all of whom you could not recompense; for they were too numerous. To leave heroes like them, deprived of their chief, who so often shared in their toils, must have struck your soul with unutterable grief; in that sorrow espe- cially do I participate. " You will also have to mourn over the ingrati- tude and falling away of friends, on whom you deemed you could confide. Ah ! sire, why cannot I fly to you ! why cannot I 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 new force ! I have been on the point of quitting France to follow your foot- steps, 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, contrary to all appearance, I am the only one who will fulfil her duty, nothing shall detain me, and I will go to the only place where hence- forth there can be happiness for me, since I shall 392 MEMOIRS OF 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 senti- ments for you are to be proved, and for actions your consent is necessary. JOSEPHINE." " Malmaison has been respected ; I am there sur- rounded with attentions by the foreign sovereigns, but had much rather not remain." The unhappy Josephine had now been so long exposed to agitating changes, that, though imme- diately after the divorce she had improved in personal appearance, her health had become extremely pre- carious. New anxieties, in addition to the distress- ing events which had just occurred, began to alarm her. It was*now the commencement of May, and the appointments fixed by the treaty of Fontainbleau had not been paid ; the distress occasioned by this very unwarrantable neglect of an obligation which ought to have been especially held sacred by the French government, will be readily conceived by the reader acquainted with Josephine's tastes and be- nevolent dispositions. Sometimes she would allow an expression of censure to escape against Napo- leon, but would instantly retract, " No, no ! he is unhappy, he must be in want himself, I will sell my jewels, and send him money !" About the same time she resolved to make her will, a subject on / which she had previously wished to consult Napo- leon, and now the faithful creature sent a draft to Elba, " Make your remarks, sire ; you cannot doubt they will be held sacred by me, or that I rejoice in this opportunity of showing my devotion at a time when others fall away from their obedience." This instrument was never completed, which afterward proved a source of great misfortune to Josephine's most loved retainers, none of whom were rewarded as she intended, or as their fidelity merited. All these grievances preyed upon Josephine's THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 393 spirits, but without producing any appearance of dis- ease till the 4th of May, when she dined at St. Leu with Hortense, Eugene, and the Emperor of Russia. On returning to Malmaison, she felt a general unea- siness, which, however, yielded to some gentle medi- cine, and the empress resumed her ordinary occu- pations, though evidently without the usual enjoy- ment. Some clays after, Lord Beverley, with his two sons, breakfasted at Malmaison ; and to' this noble- man Josephine expressed herself warmly on the generosity of the English, who at that time, she said, alone spoke of Napoleon in a becoming manner. She complained bitterly of the ingratitude of those who, not satisfied with abandoning his falling for- tunes, overwhelmed his memory with calumny. On the 10th, Alexander,, with several distinguished for- eigners, dined at Malmaison. Josephine, despite a headache and cold shiverings, which she laboured to conceal, did the honours of the table, and in the eve- ning attempted even to take part in a game of "prison- ers," on the beautiful lawn in front of her residence. How many painful associations must have connected themselves with this amusement ! Both mind and body unfitted her for such exercise, and she was con- strained to become a spectator, but with such an al- tered appearance as to excite the alarm of her guests. To their anxious inquiries, however, she continued to reply with a faint smile, which belied the assur- ance, "that she was only fatigued, and would be well to-morrow." To-morrow came, but Josephine was evidently worse ; and for fourteen days, her com- plaint, without assuming any definite form, or ren- dering absolute confinement necessary, was fre- quently attended at night with fainting, and some- times a wandering of the mind, more from anxiety than delirium. On the 24th, the empress had a slight attack of sore throat, but otherwise rallied so much as to insist on receiving the Emperor of Russia and the King of Prussia, who were engaged to dine with her on that day. She did accordingly appear, bu 394 MEMOIRS OF was forced to retire, and Hortense, who never lef Malmaison during her mother's illness, took herpla at table. Thenceforward the disease assumed a mos alarming- character of gangrenous quinsy, and it progress became fearfully rapid. On the morning of the 25th, Alexander returned, and, filled with anx iety at the alteration in Josephine's appearance, re quested permission to send his own physician. Thi the empress declined; but from that day she was attended by her own and the two physicians attachec to the households of her son and daughter. On the night of the 26-27th, a blister was applied between the shoulders, and sinapisms to the feet ; but though these gave some relief from pain, they effected no impression on the disease. Still Josephine, with the same angelic sweetness which had marked her whole life, endeavoured, by concealing her suffering, to sooth the anxiety of her surrounding friends. From the morning of the 26th, she appears to have been perfectly sensible of her danger ; for, looking then steadily upon the physician, and perceiving his alarm she silently pressed his hand in token of conscious ness and acquiescence. She even took an interes in her former occupations ; and on the 27th, when informed that the celebrated flower-painter Redoubte had come to draw two favourite plants in flower, she sent for him, extended her hand, then pushed him gently away, saying, " You must not catch my sore throat, for next week" (this was on Wednesday) "'. hope to see you advanced with a fresh masterpiece/ The preceding night had passed in a lethargic sleep and at ten in the morning of the 28th, the physicians after consulting, deemed it proper to prepare Eugene and Hortense for the final change. From those two cherished beings, whom she had loved so truly, Jo- sephine heard a communication which thus lost all its bitterness. With pious resignation, she received the last rites of the Romish faith from the ministration ptor, for the parish cler- j absent. Late on I of her grandchildren's precepto gyman of Ruel haj)Denpd to be ; THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 395 same day the Emperor Alexander arrived, and was shown into the chamber of the sufferer, now evi- dently approaching the goal of all her sorrows. By the bed of their mother knelt Eugene andHortense, too deeply moved to address the emperor ; but at sight of a monarch whom she regarded with grati- tude, Josephine seemed to acquire renewed strength, made a sign for all to approach, and said, "At least I shall die regretted ; I have always desired the hap- piness 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." These were her last words ; for she fell immediately after into a slumber, which continued, interrupted by a scarcely-audible sigh, till half-past eleven on the morning of the 29th of May, when her gentle spirit calmly passed to a world of love and peace. At midday, on the 2d of June, 1814, the funeral moved forward from Malmaison, and at five in the evening the body of the Empress of France was con- signed to an humble tomb in the village church of Ruel. To obtain even this privilege of being laid in the interior of the consecrated place required no small exertion on the part of her son. Those who then rightfully occupied a throne which she had filled in meekness, and not willingly, ought to have offered no opposition to any respect that could be paid to one whose dying words we have just quoted; whose remains, while they lay in state, were visited by twenty thousand of the people of France ; and whose funeral procession was voluntarily closed by two thousand poor, who had tasted of her bounty, or cherished her memory. The body had been first embalmed, and finally deposited in a double coffin of lead and sycamore ; but a spirit of jealousy or of mean adulation prevented the engraving of any in- scription on the plate of gilt silver which occupied the centre panel of the latter. The funeral was otherwise conducted with proper magnificence > 396 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. commissioners from the sovereigns of Russia an Prussia headed the procession, which was compose of many foreign princes, marshals, generals, and officers of the French and allied armies. The mili- tary, formed in two lines from Malmaison to Rue], consisted of Russian hussars and the national guards of France. The chief mourners were Prince Eu- gene, the Grand Duke of Baden, Marquis de Beau- harnais (brother-in-law), Count de Tascher (nephew), Count de Beauharnais (cousin), and the grandchil- dren of the deceased empress. The funeral oration was pronounced by the Archbishop of Tours, while the Bishops of Evreux'and Versailles read prayers. Queen Hortense, who had previously been conveyed thither, continued at her devotions in one of the chapels during the whole of the ceremony ; but when all but her brother had left the church, they knelt long together beside the grave. The spot is now marked by a monument of white marble, represent- ing the empress in imperial robes, kneeling, and bear the simple, yet touching inscription, EUGENE AND HORTENSE TO JOSEPHINE. With the facts of the volume before the reader, a detailed summary of character would be here super fluous. Few women ever passed through such extra ordinary changes of fortune, and none has displayec more patient endurance under trials and reverses, o more affecting self-distrust and singleness of hear when surrounded by greatness. To those who in the preceding pages have contemplated Josephine in private life, the recollection will often arise of that one being whose mild virtues and gentle kindness are the subject of their deepest regret or sweetest gratitude. THE END,,