Napoleon's Letters to Josephine, 1796-1812
letter to the Emperor of Austria on March 20 (No. 17,496). The letter
of this date to Josephine is missing, but is referred to by
D'Avrillon. It began, "My dear Josephine, I have a son. I am _au
comble de bonheur_."
_Eugene._--Josephine much appreciated this allusion. "Is it possible,"
she said, "for any one to be kinder than the Emperor, and more anxious
to mitigate whatever might be painful for me at the present moment, if
I loved him less sincerely? This association of my son with his own is
well worthy of him who, when he likes, is the most fascinating of all
men." She gave a costly ring to the page who brought the letter.
On the previous day Eugene had arrived at Navarre,--sent by the
Emperor. "You are going to see your mother, Eugene; tell her I am sure
that she will rejoice more than any one at my happiness. I should have
already written to her if I had not been absorbed by the pleasure of
watching my boy. The moments I snatch from his side are only for
matters of urgent necessity. This event, I shall acquit myself of the
most pleasant of them all by writing to Josephine."
No. 4.
Written in November 1811.
_As fat as a good Normandy farmeress._--Madame d'Abrantes, who saw her
about this time, writes: "I observed that Josephine had grown very
stout[92] since the time of my departure for Spain. This change was at
once for the better and the worse. It imparted a more youthful
appearance to her face; but her slender and elegant figure, which had
been one of her principal attractions, had entirely disappeared. She
had now decided _embonpoint_, and her figure had assumed that matronly
air which we find in the statues of Agrippina, Cornelia, &c. Still,
however, she looked uncommonly well, and she wore a dress which became
her admirably. Her judicious taste in these matters contributed to
make her appear young much longer than she otherwise would. The best
proof of the admirable taste of Josephine is the marked absence of
elegance shown by Marie Louise, though both Empresses employed the
same milliners and dressmakers, and Marie Louise had a large sum
allotted for the expenses of her toilet."
St. Amand says that 1811 was for Josephine a happy year, compared to
those which followed.
SERIES P
No. 1.
Written from Konigsberg (M. Masson, in _Josephine Repudiee_, says
Dantzig; but on June 11th Napoleon writes to Eugene, "I shall be at
Konigsberg to-morrow," where his correspondence is dated from
henceforward). A day or two later he writes the King of Rome's
governess that he trusts to hear soon that the fifteen months old
child has cut his first four teeth.
No. 2.
_Gumbinnen, June 20th._--From this place and on this date goes forth
the first bulletin of the _Grande Armee_. It gives a _resume_ of the
causes of the war, dating from the end of 1810, when English influence
again gained ascendency.
On July 29th he writes Hortense from Witepsk to congratulate her on
her eldest son's recovery from an illness. A week later he writes his
librarian for some amusing novels--new ones for choice, or old ones
that he has not read--or good memoirs.
Josephine meanwhile has permission to go to Italy. Owing to her
grandson's illness she defers starting till July 16th. Through
frightful weather she reaches Milan _via_ Geneva on July 28th, and has
a splendid reception. On the 29th she writes to Hortense: "I have
found the three letters from Eugene, the last one dated the 13th; his
health is excellent. He still pursues the Russians, without being able
to overtake them. It is generally hoped the campaign may be a short
one. May that hope be realised!" Two days later she announces the
birth of Eugene's daughter Amelia, afterwards Empress of Brazil.
Towards the end of August Josephine goes to Aix and meets the Queen of
Spain with her sister Desiree Bernadotte, the former "kind and amiable
as usual," the latter "very gracious to me"--rather a new experience.
From Aix she goes to Pregny-la-Tour, on the Lake of Geneva, and shocks
the good people in various ways, says M. Masson, especially by
innuendoes against Napoleon; and he adds, "if one traces back to their
source the worst calumnies against the morals of the Emperor, it is
Josephine that one encounters there." She gets to Malmaison October
24th. Soon after his return from Moscow Napoleon pays her a visit, and
about this time she begins to see the King of Rome, whose mother has
always thought more of her daily music and drawing lessons than of
whether she was making her son happy or not.
1812 closed in gloom, but 1813 was in itself terribly ominous to so
superstitious a woman as Josephine. Thirteen is always unlucky, and
moreover the numbers of 1813 add up to 13; also the doom-dealing year
began on a Friday. Every one felt the hour approaching. As Napoleon
said at St. Helena: "The star grew pale; I felt the reins slipping
from my hand, and I could do no more. A thunderbolt could alone have
saved us, and every day, by some new fatality or other, our chances
diminished. Sinister designs began to creep in among us; fatigue and
discouragement had won over the majority; my lieutenants became lax,
clumsy, careless, and consequently unfortunate; they were no longer
the men of the commencement of the Revolution, nor even of the time of
my good fortune. The chief generals were sick of the war; I had gorged
them too much with my high esteem, with too many honours and too much
wealth. They had drunk from the cup of pleasure, and wished to enjoy
peace at any price. _The sacred fire was quenched._"
Up to August Fortune had smiled again upon her favourite. With
conscripts for infantry and without cavalry he had won Lutzen,
Bautzen, and Dresden; and even so late as September Byron was writing
that "bar epilepsy and the elements he would back Napoleon against the
field." But treachery and incompetence had undermined the Empire, and
Leipsic (that battle of giants, where 110,000 soldiers were killed and
wounded) made final success hopeless. In 1814 his brothers Lucien and
Louis rallied to him, and Hortense was for the only time proud of her
husband. She thinks if he had shown less suspicion and she less pride
they might have been happy after all. "My husband is a good Frenchman
... he is an honest man." Meanwhile, Talleyrand is watching to guide
the _coup de grace_. Napoleon makes a dash for Lorraine to gather his
garrisons and cut off the enemy's supplies. The Allies hesitate and
are about to follow him, as per the rules of war. Talleyrand, the only
man who could ever divine Napoleon, sends them the message, "You can
do everything, and you dare nothing; dare therefore _once_!" Hortense
is the only _man_ left in Paris, and in vain she tries to keep Marie
Louise, whose presence would have stimulated the Parisians to hold the
Allies at bay. It is in vain. Unlike Prussia or Austria who fought
for months, or Spain who fought for years, after their capitals were
taken:--
"Like Nineveh, Carthage, Babylon and Rome,
France yields to the conqueror, vanquished at home."
After Marmont's betrayal Napoleon attempts suicide, and when he
believes death imminent sends a last message to Josephine by
Caulaincourt, "You will tell Josephine that my thoughts were of her
before life departed."
It was on Monday, May 23rd, that Josephine's illness commenced, after
receiving at dinner the King of Prussia and his sons (one afterwards
Wilhelm der Greise, first Emperor of Germany). Whether the sore throat
which killed her was a quinsy or diphtheria[93] is difficult to prove,
but the latter seems the more probable. Corvisart, who was himself ill
and unable to attend, told Napoleon that she died of grief and worry.
Before leaving for the Waterloo campaign Napoleon visited Malmaison,
and there, as Lord Rosebery reminds us, allowed his only oblique
reproach to Marie Louise to escape him: "Poor Josephine. Her death, of
which the news took me by surprise at Elba, was one of the most acute
griefs of that fatal year, 1814. She had her failings, of course; _but
she, at any rate, would never have abandoned me_."
FOOTNOTES
[92] Mlle. d'Avrillon says that during the Swiss voyage Josephine
found it desirable, for the first time, to "wear whalebone in
her corsets."
[93] The same question may be asked respecting the death of
Montaigne.
APPENDIX (1)
A REPUTED POEM BY NAPOLEON I.
LE CHIEN, LE LAPIN, ET LE CHASSEUR.
FABLE.--_Composee a l'age de 13 ans, par_ NAPOLEON I.
Cesar, chien d'arret renomme,
Mais trop enfle de son merite,
Tennait arrete dans son gite
Un malheureux lapin de peur inanime.
"Rends-toi!" lui cria-t-il, d'une voix de tonerre
Qui fit au loin trembler les peuplades des bois.
"Je suis Cesar, connu par ses exploits,
Et dont le nom remplit toute la terre."
A ce grand nom, Jeannot Lapin,
Recommandant a Dieu son ame penitente,
Demande d'une voix tremblante:
"Tres-serenissime matin,
Si je me rends quel sera mon destin?"
"Tu mourras." "Je mourrai!" dit la bete innocente.
"Et si je fuis?" "Ton trepas est certain."
"Quoi!" reprit l'animal qui se nourrit de thym,
"Des deux cotes je dois perdre la vie!
Que votre auguste seigneurie
Veuille me pardonner, puisqu'il me faut mourir,
Si j'ose tenter de m'enfuir."
Il dit, et fuit en heros de garenne.
Caton l'aurait blame; je dis qu'il n'eut pas tort.
Car le chasseur le voit a peine
Qu'il l'ajuste, le tire--et le chien tombe mort
Que dirait de ceci notre bon La Fontaine?
Aide-toi, le ciel t'aidera.
I'approuve fort cette methode-la.
APPENDIX (2)
GENEALOGY OF THE BONAPARTE FAMILY
Many more or less fictitious genealogies of the Bonapartes have been
published, some going back to mythical times. The first reliable
record, however, seems to be that of a certain Bonaparte of Sarzana,
in Northern Italy, an imperial notary, who was living towards the end
of the thirteenth century, and from whom both the Corsican and the
Trevisan or Florentine Bonapartes claim their origin. From him in
direct line was descended Francois de Sarzana, who was sent to Corsica
in 1509 to fight for the Republic of Genoa. His son Gabriel, having
sold his patrimony in Italy, settled in Ajaccio, where he bore the
honourable title of Messire, and where, being left a widower, he
assumed the tonsure and died Canon of the cathedral.
From him an unbroken line of Bonapartes, all of whom in turn were
elected to the dignity of Elder of Ajaccio, brings us to Charles
Bonaparte Napoleon, father of the Emperor.
APPENDIX (3)
REPUTED LETTERS OF NAPOLEON TO JOSEPHINE. TAKEN FROM THE MEMOIRS
OF MADAME DUCREST.
The author asked the advice of Monsieur Frederic Masson about
these Letters, to which he at once received the courteous reply, "Il
faut absolument rejeter les Lettres publiees par Regnault Varin[94] et
reproduites par Georgette Ducrest; pas une n'est authentique." No one
who has read much of Napoleon's correspondence can in fact believe for
a moment in their authenticity. They are interesting, however, as
showing the sort of stuff which went to form our grandfathers'
fallacies about the relations of Napoleon and Josephine. Madame
Ducrest occasionally played and sang for Josephine after the
divorce. Her father was a nephew of Madame de Genlis. Madame
Ducrest married a musical composer, M. Bochsa, the then celebrated
author of _Dansomanie_ and _Noces de Gamache_. He afterwards
deserted her, and her voice having completely failed, she was
compelled to write her Memoirs to earn sustenance thereby. Of these
Memoirs M. Masson has said,[95] that "in the midst of apocryphal
documents, uncontroverted anecdotes, impossible situations, are yet
to be found some first-hand personal observations."