the origins of contemporary france-5-第12章
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we have only to refer to the resignation of Louis; the retirement of
Lucien; and the resistances of Fesch; they alone could stem the will
of Napoleon and sometimes break a lance with him。 …Passion;
sensuality; the habit of considering themselves outside of rules; and
self…confidence combined with talent; super abound among the women; as
in the fifteenth century。 Elisa; in Tuscany; had a vigorous brain;
was high spirited and a genuine sovereign; notwithstanding the
disorders of her private life; in which even appearances were not
sufficiently maintained。〃 Caroline at Naples; 〃without being more
scrupulous than her sisters;〃 better observed the proprieties; none of
the others so much resembled the Emperor; 〃with her; all tastes
succumbed to ambition〃; it was she who advised and prevailed upon her
husband; Murat; to desert Napoleon in 1814。 As to Pauline; the most
beautiful woman of her epoch; 〃no wife; since that of the Emperor
Claude; surpassed her in the use she dared make of her charms; nothing
could stop her; not even a malady attributed to the strain of this
life…style and for which we have so often seen her borne in a litter。〃
… Jerome; 〃 in spite of the uncommon boldness of his debaucheries;
maintained his ascendancy over his wife to the last。〃 … On the
〃pressing efforts and attempts〃 of Joseph on Maria Louise in 1814;
Chancelier Pasquier; after Savary's papers and the evidence of M。 de
Saint…Aignan; gives extraordinary details。 … 〃Mes souvenirs sur
Napoléon; 346; by the count Chaptal: 〃Every member of this numerous
family (Jér?me; Louis; Joseph; the Bonaparte sisters) mounted thrones
as if they had recovered so much property。〃
'43' Burkhardt; 〃Die Renaissance in Italien;〃 passim。 … Stendhal;
〃Histoire de la peinture en Italie〃(introduction); and〃 Rome; Naples;
et Florence;〃 passim。 … 〃 Notes par le Comte Chaptal〃: When these
notes are published; many details will be found in them in support of
the judgment expressed in this and the following chapters。 The
psychology of Napoleon as here given is largely confirmed by them。
'44' Roederer; III; 380 (1802)。
'45' Napoleon uses the French word just which means both fair;
justifiable; pertinent; correct; and in music true。
'46' 〃Mémorial。〃
'47' De Pradt; 〃Histoire de l'Ambassade dans la grande…duché de
Varsovie en 1812;〃 preface; p。 X; and 5。
'48' Roederer; III。; 544 (February 24; 1809)。 Cf。 Meneval; 〃Napoléon
et Marie…Louise; souvenirs historiques;〃 I。; 210…213。
'49' Pelet de la Lozère;〃 Opinions de Napoléon au conseil d'état;〃
p。8。 … Roederer; III。; 380。
'50' Mollien; 〃Mémoires;〃 I。; 379; II。; 230。…Roederer; III。; 434。 〃He
is at the head of all things。 He governs; administrates; negotiates;
works eighteen hours a day; with the clearest and best organized head;
he has governed more in three years than kings in a hundred years。〃 …
Lavalette; 〃Mémoires;〃 II。; 75。 (The words of Napoleon's secretary on
Napoleon's labor in Paris; after Leipsic) 〃He retires at eleven; but
gets up at three o'clock in the morning; and until the evening there
is not a moment he does not devote to work。 It is time this stopped;
for he will be used up; and myself before he is。〃… Gaudin; Duc de
Ga?te; 〃Mémoires;〃 III。 (supplement); p。75。 Account of an evening in
which; from eight o'clock to three in the morning; Napoleon examines
with Gaudin his general budget; during seven consecutive hours;
without stopping a minute。 …Sir Neil Campbell; 〃Napoléon at
Fontainebleau and at Elbe;〃 p。243。 〃Journal de Sir Neil Campbell a'
l'ile d'Elbe〃: I never saw any man; in any station in life; so
personally active and so persistent in his activity。 He seems to take
pleasure in perpetual motion and in seeing those who accompany him
completely tired out; which frequently happened in my case when I
accompanied him。 。 。 Yesterday; after having been on his legs from
eight in the morning to three in the afternoon; visiting the frigates
and transports; even to going down to the lower compartments among the
horses; he rode on horseback for three hours; and; as he afterwards
said to me; to rest himself。〃
'51' The starting…point of the great discoveries of Darwin is the
physical; detailed description he made in his study of animals and
plants; as living; during the whole course of life; through so many
difficulties and subject to a fierce competition。 This study is
wholly lacking in the ordinary zoologist or botanist; whose mind is
busy only with anatomical preparations or collections of plants。 In
every science; the difficulty lies in describing in a nutshell; using
significant examples; the real object; just as it exists before us;
and its true history。 Claude Bernard one day remarked to me; 〃We
shall know physiology when we are able to follow step by step a
molecule of carbon or azote in the body of a dog; give its history;
and describe its passage from its entrance to its exit。〃
'52' Thibaudeau; 〃Mémoires sur le Consulat;〃 204。 (Apropos of the
tribunate): 〃They consist of a dozen or fifteen metaphysicians who
ought to be flung into the water; they crawl all over me like vermin。
'53' Madame de Rémusat; I。; 115: 〃He is really ignorant; having read
very little and always hastily。〃 … Stendhal; 〃Mémoires sur Napoleon〃:
〃 His education was very defective。 。 。 。He knew nothing of the
great principles discovered within the past one hundred years;〃 and
just those which concern man or society。 〃For example; he had not
read Montesquieu as this writer ought to be read; that is to say; in a
way to accept or decidedly reject each of the thirty…one books of the
'Esprit des lois。' He had not thus read Bayle's Dictionary nor the
Essay on the Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith。 This ignorance of the
Emperor's was not perceptible in conversation; and first; because he
led in conversation; and next because with Italian finesse no question
put by him; or careless supposition thrown out; ever betrayed that
ignorance。〃 … Bourrienne。 I。; 19; 21: At Brienne; 〃unfortunately for
us; the monks to whom the education of youth was confided knew
nothing; and were too poor to pay good foreign teachers。 。 。 。 It
is inconceivable how any capable man ever graduated from this
educational institution。〃 … Yung; I。; 125 (Notes made by him on
Bonaparte; when he left the Military Academy): 〃Very fond of the
abstract sciences; indifferent to others; well grounded in mathematics
and geography。〃
'54' Roederer; III。; 544 (March 6; 1809); 26; 563 (Jan。 23; 1811; and
Nov。 12; 1813)。
'55' Mollien; I。; 348 (a short time before the rupture of the peace of
Amiens); III。; 16: 〃It was at the end of January; 1809; that he wanted
a full report of the financial situation on the 31st of December; 1808
。 。 。 。 This report was to be ready in two days。〃 … III。; 34: 〃A
complete balance sheet of the public treasury for the first six months
of 1812 was under Napoleon's eyes at Witebsk; the 11th of August;
eleven days after the close of these first six months。 What is truly
wonderful is; that amidst so many different occupations and
preoccupations 。 。 。 。 he could preserve such an accurate run of
the proceedings and methods of the administrative branches about which
he wanted to know at any moment。 Nobody had any excuse for not
answering him; for each was questioned in his own terms; it is that
singular aptitude of the head of the State; and the technical
precision of his questions; which alone explains how he could maintain
such a remarkable ensemble in an administrative system of which the
smallest threads centered in himself。〃
'56' 200 years after the death of Napoleon Sir Alfred Ayer thus
writes in 〃LANGUAGE; TRUTH AND LOGIC〃: 'Actually; we shall see that
the only test to which a form of scientific procedure which satisfies
the necessary condition of self…consistency is subject; is the test of
its success in practice。