His imperial pipe-dreams has devoured many more. Between 1804 and 1815 he has had slaughtered 1，700，000 Frenchmen， born within the boundaries of ancient France，[144] to which must be added， probably， 2，000，000 men born outside of these limits， and slain for him， under the title of allies， or slain by him under the title of enemies. All that the poor， enthusiastic， and credulous Gauls have gained by entrusting their public welfare to him is two invasions； all that he bequeaths to them as a reward for their devotion， after this prodigious waste of their blood and the blood of others， is a France shorn of fifteen departments acquired by the republic， deprived of Savoy， of the left bank of the Rhine and of Belgium， despoiled of the northeast angle by which it completed its boundaries， fortified its most vulnerable point， and， using the words of Vauban， "made its field square，" separated from 4，000，000 new Frenchmen which it had assimilated after twenty years of life in common， and， worse still， thrown back within the frontiers of 1789， alone， diminished in the midst of its aggrandized neighbors， suspected by all Europe， and lastingly surrounded by a threatening circle of distrust and rancor.
Such is the political work of Napoleon， the work of egoism served by genius. In his European structure as in his French structure this sovereign egoism has introduced a vice of construction. This fundamental vice is manifest at the outset in the European edifice， and， at the expiration of fifteen years， it brings about a sudden downfall： in the French edifice it is equally serious but not so apparent； only at the end of half a century， or even a whole century， is it to be made clearly visible； but its gradual and slow effects will be equally pernicious and they are no less sure.
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[1] See my "Philosophy of Art" for texts and facts， Part II.， ch. VI.
- Other analogies， which are too long for development here， may be found， especially in all that concerns the imagination and love. "He was disposed to accept the marvelous， presentiments， and even certain mysterious communications between beings. . . . I have seen him excited by the rustling of the wind， speak enthusiastically of the roar of the sea， and sometimes inclined to believe in nocturnal apparitions； in short， leaning to certain superstitions." (Madame de Rémusat， I.， 102， and III.， 164.) - Meneval (III.， 114) notes his "crossing himself involuntarily on the occurrence of some great danger， on the discovery of some important fact." During the consulate， in the evening， in a circle of ladies， he sometimes improvised and declaimed tragic "tales，" Italian fashion， quite worthy of the story-tellers of the XVth and XVIth centuries. (Bourrienne， VI.， 387， gives one of his improvisations. Cf. Madame de Rémusat， I.， 102.) - As to love， his letters to Josephine during the Italian campaign form one of the best examples of Italian passion and "in most piquant contrast with the temperate and graceful elegance of his predecessor M. de Beauharnais." (Madame de Rémusat， I.， 143). - His other amours， simply physical， are too difficult to deal with； I have gathered some details orally on this subject which are almost from first hands and perfectly authentic. It is sufficient to cite one text already published： "According to Josephine， he had no moral principle whatever； did he not seduce his sisters one after the other？
" - "I am not a man like other men， he said of himself， "and moral laws and those of propriety do not apply to me." (Madame de Rémusat， I.， 204， 206.) - Note again (II.， 350) his proposals to Corvisart. -Such are everywhere the sentiments， customs， and morality of the great Italian personages of about the year 1500.
[2] De Pradt， "Histoire de l'ambassade dans le grand-duché de Varsovie，" p.96. "with the Emperor， desire springs out of his imagination； his idea becomes passion the moment it comes into his head."[3] Bourrienne， II.， 298. - De Ségur， I.， 426.
[4] Bodin， "Recherches sur l'Anjou，" II.， 325. - " Souvenirs d'un nonagénaire，" by Besnard. - Sainte-Beuve， "Causeries du Lundi，"article on Volney. - Miot de Melito， I.， 297. He wanted to adopt Louis's son， and make him King of Italy. Louis refused， alleging that this marked favor would give new life to the reports spread about at one time in relation to this child." Thereupon， Napoleon， exasperated， "seized Prince Louis by the waist and pushed him violently out of the room." - " Mémorial，" Oct.10， 1816. Napoleon relates that at the last conference of Campo-Fermio， to put an end to the resistance of the Austrian plenipotentiary， he suddenly arose， seized a set of porcelain on a stand near him and dashed it to the floor， exclaiming， "Thus will I shatter your monarchy before a month is over！" (Bourrienne questions this story.)[5] Varnhagen von Ense， "Ausgewahlte Schriften，" III.， 77 (Public reception of July 22， 1810). Napoleon first speaks to the Austrian Ambassador and next to the Russian Ambassador with a constrained air， forcing himself to be polite， in which he cannot persist. "Treating with I do not know what unknown personage， he interrogated him， reprimanded him， threatened him， and kept him for a sufficiently long time in a state of painful dismay. Those who stood near by and who could not help feeling a dismayed， stated later that there had been nothing to provoke such fury， that the Emperor had only sought an opportunity to vent his ill-humor； that he did it purposely on some poor devil so as to inspire fear in others and to put down in advance any tendency to opposition. Cf. Beugnot， "Mémoires，" I.， 380， 386， 387. - This mixture of anger and calculation likewise explains his conduct at Sainte Helena with Sir Hudson Lowe， his unbridled diatribes and insults bestowed on the governor like so many slaps in the face.
