Atteno’clockthe’maitred’hotel’entered，andannouncedbreakfast，saying，’TheGeneralisserved."Wewenttobreakfast，andtherepastwasexceedinglysimple.Heatealmosteverymorningsomechicken，dressedwithoilandonions.Thisdishwasthen，Ibelieve，called’pouletalaProvencale’;butourrestaurateurshavesinceconferreduponitthemoreambitiousnameof’pouletalaMarengo.’
Bonapartedranklittlewine，alwayseitherclaretorBurgundy，andthelatterbypreference.Afterbreakfast，aswellasafterdinner，hetookacupofstrongcoffee.
——[M.BrillatdeSavarin，whosememoryisdeartoallgourmands，hadestablished，asagastronomicprinciple，that"hewhodoesnottakecoffeeaftereachmealisassuredlynotamenoftaste."——
Bourrienne.]——
Ineversawhimtakeanybetweenhismeals，andIcannotimaginewhatcouldhavegivenrisetotheassertionofhisbeingparticularlyfondofcoffee.Whenheworkedlateatnightheneverorderedcoffee，butchocolate，ofwhichhemademetakeacupwithhim.Butthisonlyhappenedwhenourbusinesswasprolongedtilltwoorthreeinthemorning.
AllthathasbeensaidaboutBonaparte’simmoderateuseofsnuffhasnomorefoundationintruththanhispretendedpartialityforcoffee.Itistruethatatanearlyperiodofhislifehebegantotakesnuff，butitwasverysparingly，andalwaysoutofabox;andifheboreanyresemblancetoFredericktheGreat，itwasnotbyfillinghiswaistcoat—
pocketswithsnuff，forImustagainobservehecarriedhisnotionsofpersonalneatnesstoafastidiousdegree.
Bonapartehadtworulingpassions，gloryandwar.Hewasnevermoregaythaninthecamp，andnevermoremorosethanintheinactivityofpeace.
Plansfortheconstructionofpublicmonumentsalsopleasedhisimagination，andfilledupthevoidcausedbythewantofactiveoccupation.Hewasawarethatmonumentsformpartofthehistoryofnations，ofwhosecivilisationtheybearevidenceforagesafterthosewhocreatedthemhavedisappearedfromtheearth，andthattheylikewiseoftenbearfalse—witnesstoremoteposterityoftherealityofmerelyfabulousconquests.Bonapartewas，however，mistakenastothemodeofaccomplishingtheobjecthehadinview.Hisciphers，histrophies，andsubsequentlyhiseagles，splendidlyadornedthemonumentsofhisreign.
Butwhydidhewishtostampfalseinitialsonthingswithwhichneitherhenorhisreignhadanyconnection;as，forexampletheoldLouvre？Didheimaginethattheletter，"N"whicheverywhereobtrudeditselfontheeye，hadinitacharmtocontroverttherecordsofhistory，oralterthecourseoftime？
——[WhenLouisXVIII.returnedtotheTuileriesin1814hefoundthatBonapartehadbeenanexcellenttenant，andthathehadlefteverythinginverygoodcondition.]——
Bethisasitmay，Bonapartewellknewthatthefineartsentaillastinggloryongreatactions，andconsecratethememoryofprinceswhoprotectandencouragethem.Heoftenerthanoncesaidtome，"Agreatreputationisagreatpoise;themorethereismade，thefartheroffitisheard.
Laws，institutions，monuments，nations，allfall;butthenoisecontinuesandresoundsinafterages."Thiswasoneofhisfavouriteideas."Mypower，"hewouldsayatothertimes，"dependsonmyglory，andmygloryonmyvictories.MypowerwouldfallwereInottosupportitbynewgloryandnewvictories.ConquesthasmademewhatIam，andconquestalonecanmaintainme."Thiswasthen，andprobablyalwayscontinuedtobe，hispredominantidea，andthatwhichpromptedhimcontinuallytoscattertheseedsofwarthroughEurope.Hethoughtthatifheremainedstationaryhawouldfall，andhewastormentedwiththedesireofcontinuallyadvancing.Nottodosomethinggreatanddecidedwas，inhisopinion，todonothing."Anewly—bornGovernment，"saidhetome，"mustdazzleandastonish.Whenitceasestodothatitfalls."Itwasvaintolookforrestfromamanwhowasrestlessnessitself.
HissentimentstowardsFrancenowdifferedwidelyfromwhatIhadknownthemtobeinhisyouth.HelongindignantlycherishedtherecollectionoftheconquestofCorsica，whichhewasoncecontenttoregardashiscountry.Butthatrecollectionwaseffaced，anditmightbesaidthathenowardentlylovedFrance.Hisimaginationwasfiredbytheverythoughtofseeinghergreat，happy，andpowerful，and，asthefirstnationintheworld，dictatinglawstotherest.HefanciedhisnameinseparablyconnectedwithFrance，andresoundingin，theearsofposterity.Inallhisactionshelostsightofthepresentmoment，andthoughtonlyoffuturity;so，inallplaceswhereheledthewaytoglory，theopinionofFrancewaseverpresentinhisthoughts.AsAlexanderatArbelapleasedhimselflessinhavingconqueredDariusthaninhavinggainedthesuffrageoftheAthenians，soBonaparteatMarengowashauntedbytheideaofwhatwouldbesaidinFrance.BeforehefoughtabattleBonapartethoughtlittleaboutwhatheshoulddoincaseofsuccess，butagreatdealaboutwhatheshoulddoincaseofareverseoffortune.
ImentionthisasafactofwhichIhaveoftenbeenawitness，andleavetohisbrothersinarmstodecidewhetherhiscalculationswerealwayscorrect.Hehaditinhispowertodomuch，forheriskedeverythingandsparednothing.Hisinordinateambitiongoadedhimontotheattainmentofpower;andpowerwhenpossessedservedonlytoaugmenthisambition.
Bonapartewasthoroughlyconvincedofthetruththattriflesoftendecidethegreatestevents;thereforehewatchedratherthanprovokedopportunity，andwhentherightmomentapproached，hesuddenlytookadvantageofit.Itiscuriousthat，amidstalltheanxietiesofwarandgovernment，thefearoftheBourbonsincessantlypursuedhim，andtheFaubourgSt.Germainwastohimalwaysathreateningphantom.
Hedidnotesteemmankind，whom，indeed，hedespisedmoreandmoreinproportionashebecameacquaintedwiththem.Inhimthisunfavourableopinionofhumannaturewasjustifiedbymanyglaringexamplesofbaseness，andheusedfrequentlytorepeat，"Therearetwoleversformovingmen，——interestandfear."Whatrespect，indeed，couldBonaparteentertainfortheapplicantstothetreasuryoftheopera？Intothistreasurythegaming—housespaidaconsiderablesum，partofwhichwenttocovertheexpensesofthatmagnificenttheatre.Therestwasdistributedinsecretgratuities，whichwerepaidonorderssignedbyDuroc.
IndividualsofverydifferentcharacterswereoftenseencatchingthelittledoorintheRueRameau.TheladywhowasforawhilethefavouriteoftheGeneral—in—ChiefinEgypt，andwhosehusbandwasmaliciouslysentback—bytheEnglish，wasafrequentvisitortothetreasury.Onanoccasionwouldbeseenassembledthereadistinguishedscholarandanactor，acelebratedoratorandamusician;onanother，thetreasurerwouldhavepaymentstomaketoapriest，acourtesan，andacardinal.
OneofBonaparte’sgreatestmisfortuneswas，thatheneitherbelievedinfriendshipnotfeltthenecessityofloving.HowoftenhaveIheardhimsay，"Friendshipisbutaname;Ilovenobody.Idonotevenlovemybrothers.PerhapsJoseph，alittle，fromhabitandbecauseheismyelder;andDuroc，Ilovehimtoo.Butwhy？Becausehischaracterpleasesme.Heissternandresolute;andIreallybelievethefellownevershedatear.Formypart，IknowverywellthatIhavenotruefriends.AslongasIcontinuewhatIam，ImayhaveasmanypretendedfriendsasIplease.Leavesensibilitytowomen;itistheirbusiness.
Butmenshouldbefirminheartandinpurpose，ortheyshouldhavenothingtodowithwarorgovernment."
InhissocialrelationsBonaparte’stemperwasbad;buthisfitsofill—
humourpassedawaylikeacloud，andspentthemselvesinwords.Hisviolentlanguageandbitterimprecationswerefrequentlypremeditated.
Whenhewasgoingtoreprimandanyonehelikedtohaveawitnesspresent.Hewouldthensaytheharshestthings，andlevelblowsagainstwhichfewcouldbearup.Buthenevergavewaytothoseviolentebullitionsofrageuntilbeacquiredundoubtedproofsofthemisconductofthoseagainstwhomtheyweredirected.InscenesofthissortIhavefrequentlyobservedthatthepresenceofathirdpersonseemedtogivehimconfidence.Consequently，ina’tete—a—tete’interview，anyonewhoknewhischaracter，andwhocouldmaintainsufficientcoolnessandfirmness，wassuretogetthebetterofhim.HetoldhisfriendsatSt.
Helenathatheadmittedathirdpersononsuchoccasionsonlythattheblowmightresoundthefarther.Thatwasnothisrealmotive，orthebetterwaywouldhavebeentoperformthesceneinpublic.Hehadotherreasons.Iobservedthathedidnotlikea’tete—a—tete’;andwhenheexpectedanyone，hewouldsaytomebeforehand，"Bourrienne，youmayremain;"andwhenanyonewasannouncedwhomhedidnotexpect，asaministerorageneral;ifIrosetoretirehewouldsayinahalf—
whisper，"Staywhereyouare."Certainlythiswasnotdonewiththedesignofgettingwhathesaidreportedabroad;foritbelongedneithertomycharacternormydutytogossipaboutwhatIhadheard.Besides，itmaybepresumed，thatthefewwhowereadmittedaswitnessestotheconferencesofNapoleonwereawareoftheconsequencesattendingindiscreetdisclosuresunderaGovernmentwhichwasmadeacquaintedwithallthatwassaidanddone.
BonaparteentertainedaprofounddislikeofthesanguinarymenoftheRevolution，andespeciallyoftheregicides.Hefelt，asapainfulburden，theobligationofdissemblingtowardsthem.HespoketomeintermsofhorrorofthosewholehecelledtheassassinsofLouisXVI，andhewasannoyedatthenecessityofemployingthemandtreatingthemwithapparentrespect.HowmanytimeshashenotsaidtoCambaceres，pinchinghimbytheear，tosoften，bythathabitualfamiliarity，thebitternessoftheremark，"Mydearfellow，yourcaseisclear;ifevertheBourbonscomebackyouwillbehanged！"AforcedsmilewouldthenrelaxthelividcountenanceofCambaceres，andwasusuallytheonlyreplyoftheSecondConsul，who，however，ononeoccasionsaidinmyhearing，"Come，come，havedonewiththisjoking."
OnethingwhichgaveBonapartegreatpleasurewheninthecountrywastoseeatall，slenderwoman，dressedinwhite，walkingbeneathanalleyofshadedtrees.Hedetestedcoloureddresses，andespeciallydarkones.
Tofatwomenhehadaninvincibleantipathy，andhecouldnotendurethesightofapregnantwoman;itthereforerarelyhappenedthatafemaleinthatsituationwasinvitedtohisparties.Hepossessedeveryrequisiteforbeingwhatiscalledinsocietyanagreeableman，exceptthewilltobeso.Hismannerwasimposingratherthanpleasing，andthosewhodidnotknowhimwellexperiencedinhispresenceaninvoluntaryfeelingofawe.Inthedrawing—room，whereJosephinedidthehonourswithsomuchgraceandaffability，allwasgaietyandease，andnoonefeltthepresenceofasuperior;butonBonaparte’sentranceallwaschanged，andeveryeyewasdirectedtowardshim，toreadhishumourinhiscountenance，whetherheintendedtobesilentortalkative，dullorcheerful.
Heoftentalkedagreatdeal，andsometimesalittletoomuch;butnoonecouldtellastoryinamoreagreeableandinterestingway.Hisconversationrarelyturnedongayorhumoroussubjects，andneverontrivialmatters.Hewassofondofargumentthatinthewarmthofdiscussionitwaseasytodrawfromhimsecretswhichhewasmostanxioustoconceal.Sometimes，inasmallcircle，hewouldamusehimselfbyrelatingstoriesofpresentimentsandapparitions.Forthishealwayschosethetwilightofevening，andhewouldpreparehishearersforwhatwascomingbysomesolemnremark.Ononeoccasionofthiskindhesaid，inaverygravetoneofvoice，"Whendeathstrikesapersonwhomwelove，andwhoisdistantfromus，aforebodingalmostalwaysdenotestheevent，andthedyingpersonappearstousatthemomentofhisdissolution."
Hethenimmediatelyrelatedthefollowinganecdote："AgentlemanoftheCourtofLouisXIV.wasinthegalleryofVersaillesatthetimethattheKingwasreadingtohiscourtiersthebulletinofthebattleofFriedlingengainedbyVillars.Suddenlythegentlemansaw，atthefartherendofthegallery，theghostofhisson，whoservedunderVillars.Heexclaimed，’Mysonisnomore！’andnextmomenttheKingnamedhimamongthedead."
WhentravellingBonapartewasparticularlytalkative.Inthewarmthofhisconversation，whichwasalwayscharacterisedbyoriginalandinterestingidea，hesometimesdroppedhintsofhisfutureviews，or，atleast，hesaidthingswhichwerecalculatedtodisclosewhathewishedtoconceal.Itookthelibertyofmentioningtohimthisindiscretion，andfarfrombeingoffended，heacknowledgedhismistake，addingthathewasnotawarehehadgonesofar.HefranklyavowedthiswantofcautionwhenatSt.Helena.
Wheningoodhumourhisusualtokensofkindnessconsistedinalittlerapontheheadoraslightpinchoftheear.Inhismostfriendlyconversationswiththosewhomheadmittedintohisintimacyhewouldsay，"Youareafool"——"asimpleton"——"aninny"——"ablockhead."These，andafewotherwordsoflikeimport，enabledhimtovaryhiscatalogueofcompliments;butheneveremployedthemangrily，andthetoneinwhichtheywereutteredsufficientlyindicatedthattheyweremeantinkindness.
Bonapartehadmanysingularhabitsandtastes.Wheneverheexperiencedanyvexation，orwhenanyunpleasantthoughtoccupiedhismind，hewouldhumsomethingwhichwasfarfromresemblingatune，forhisvoicewasveryunmusical.Hewould，atthesametime，seathimselfbeforethewriting—table，andswingbackinhischairsofarthatIhaveoftenbeenfearfulofhisfalling.
Hewouldthenventhisill—humourontherightarmofhischair，mutilatingitwithhispenknife，whichheseemedtokeepfornootherpurpose.Ialwaystookcaretokeepgoodpensreadyforhim;for，asitwasmybusinesstodecipherhiswriting，IhadastronginterestindoingwhatIcouldtomakeitlegible.
ThesoundofbellsalwaysproducedinBonapartepleasurablesensations，whichIcouldneveraccountfor.WhenwewereatMalmaison，andwalkinginthealleyleadingtotheplainofRuel，howmanytimeshasthebellofthevillagechurchinterruptedourmostseriousconversations！
Hewouldstop，lestthenoiseofourfootstepsshoulddrownanyportionofthedelightfulsound：HewasalmostangrywithmebecauseIdidnotexperiencetheimpressionshedid.Sopowerfulwastheeffectproduceduponhimbythesoundofthesebellsthathisvoicewouldfalterashesaid，"Ah！thatremindsmeofthefirstyearsIspentatBrienne！Iwasthenhappy！"Whenthebellsceasedhewouldresumethecourseofhisspeculations，carryhimselfintofuturity，placeacrownonhishead;anddethronekings.
Nowhere，exceptonthefieldofbattle，didIeverseeBonapartemorehappythaninthegardensofMalmaison.AtthecommencementoftheConsulateweusedtogothereeverySaturdayevening，andstaythewholeofSunday，andsometimesMonday.Bonaparteusedtospendaconsiderablepartofhistimeinwalkingandsuperintendingtheimprovementswhichhehadordered.Atfirstheusedtomakeexcursionsabouttheneighbourhood，butthereportsofthepolicedisturbedhisnaturalconfidence，andgavehimreasontofeartheattemptsofconcealedroyalistpartisans.
DuringthefirstfourorfivedaysthatBonapartespentatMalmaisonheamusedhimselfafterbreakfastwithcalculatingtherevenueofthatdomain.Accordingtohisestimatesitamountedto8000francs."Thatisnotbad！"saidhe;"buttoliveherewouldrequireauincomeof30，000
livres！"Icouldnothelpsmilingtoseehimseriouslyengagedinsuchacalculation.
Bonapartehadnofaithinmedicine.Hespokeofitasanartentirelyconjectural，andhisopiniononthissubjectwasfiredandincontrovertible.Hisvigorousmindrejectedallbutdemonstrativeproofs.
Hehadlittlememoryforpropername，words，ordates，buthehadawonderfulrecollectionoffactsandplaces.Irecollectthat，ongoingfromParistoToulon，hepointedouttometenplacescalculatedforgreatbattles，andheneverforgotthem.Theywerememorandaofhisfirstyouthfuljourneys.
Bonapartewasinsensibletothecharmsofpoeticharmony.Hehadnotevensufficienteartofeeltherhythm，ofpoetry，andhenevercouldreciteaversewithoutviolatingthemetre;yetthegrandideasofpoetrycharmedhim.HeabsolutelyworshippedCorneille;and，oneday，afterhavingwitnessedaperformanceof’Cinna’，hesaidtome，"IfamanlikeCorneillewerelivinginmytimeIwouldmakehimmyPrimeMinister.ItisnothispoetrythatImostadmire;itishispowerfulunderstanding，hisvastknowledgeofthehumanheart，andhisprofoundpolicy！"AtSt.
Helenahesaidthath？wouldhavemadeCorneilleaprince;butatthetimehespoketomeofCorneillehehadnothoughtofmakingeitherprincesorkings.
GallantrytowomenwasbynomeansatraitinBonaparte’scharacter.
Heseldomsaidanythingagreeabletofemales，andhefrequentlyaddressedtothemtherudestandmostextraordinaryremarks.Toonehewouldsay，"Heavens，howredyourelbowsare！"Toanother，"Whatanuglyheaddressyouhavegot！"Atanothertimehewouldsay，"YourdressisnoneofthecleanestDoyoueverchangeyourgown？Ihaveseenyouinthattwentytimes！"Heshowednomercytoanywhodispleasedhimonthesepoints.HeoftengaveJosephinedirectionsabouthertoilet，andtheexquisitetasteforwhichshewasdistinguishedmighthavehelpedtomakehimfastidiousaboutthecostumeofotherladies.Atfirsthelookedtoeleganceaboveallthings：atalaterperiodheadmiredluxuryandsplendour，buthealwaysrequiredmodesty.Hefrequentlyexpressedhisdisapprovalofthelow—neckeddresseswhichweresomuchinfashionatthebeginningoftheConsulate.
Bonapartedidnotlovecards，andthiswasveryfortunateforthosewhowereinvitedtohisparties;forwhenhewasseatedatacard—table，ashesometimesthoughthimselfobligedtobe，nothingcouldexceedthedulnessofthedrawing—roomeitherattheLuxembourgortheTuileries.
When，onthecontrary，hewalkedaboutamongthecompany，allwerepleased，forheusuallyspoketoeverybody，thoughhepreferredtheconversationofmenofscience，especiallythosewhohadbeenwithhimininEgypt;asforexample，MongeandBerthollet.HealsolikedtotalkwithChaptalandLacphede，andwithLemercier，theauthorof’Agamemnon’.
Bonapartewasseentolessadvantageinadrawing—roomthanattheheadofhistroops.Hismilitaryuniformbecamehimmuchbetterthanthehandsomestdressofanyotherkind.Hisfirsttrialsofdress—coatswereunfortunate.Ihavebeeninformedthatthefirsttimeheworeonehekeptonhisblackcravat.Thisincongruitywasremarkedtohim，andhereplied，"Somuchthebetter;itleavesmesomethingofamilitaryair，andthereisnoharminthat."Formyownpart，Ineithersawtheblackcravatnorheardthisreply.
TheFirstConsulpaidhisownprivatebillsverypunctually;buthewasalwaystardyinsettlingtheaccountsofthecontractorswhobargainedwithMinistersforsuppliesforthepublicservice.Heputoffthesepaymentsbyallsortsofexcusesandshufflings.Hencearoseimmensearrearsintheexpenditure，andthenecessityofappointingacommitteeofliquidation.Inhisopinionthetermscontractorandrogueweresynonymous.Allthatheavoidedpayingthemheregardedasajustrestitutiontohimself;andallthesumswhichwerestruckofffromtheiraccountsheregardedassomuchdeductedfromatheft.ThelessaMinisterpaidoutofhisbudgetthemoreBonapartewaspleasedwithhim;
andthisruinoussystemofeconomycanaloneexplainthecreditwhichDecressolongenjoyedattheexpenseoftheFrenchnavy.
OnthesubjectofreligionBonaparte’sideaswereveryvague.
"Myreason，"saidhe，"makesmeincredulousrespectingmanythings;buttheimpressionsofmychildhoodandearlyyouththrowmeintouncertainty."Hewasveryfondoftalkingofreligion.InItaly，inEgypt，andonboardthe’Orient’andthe’Muiron’，Ihaveknownhimtotakepartinveryanimatedconversationsonthissubject.
Hereadilyyieldedupallthatwasprovedagainstreligionastheworkofmenandtime：buthewouldnothearofmaterialism.Irecollectthatonefinenight，whenhewasondeckwithsomepersonswhowerearguinginfavourofmaterialism，Bonaparteraisedhishandtoheavenand，pointingtothestars，said，"Youmaytalkaslongasyouplease，gentlemen，butwhomadeallthat？"Theperpetuityofanameinthememoryofmanwastohimtheimmortalityofthesoul.Hewasperfectlytoleranttowardseveryvarietyofreligiousfaith.
AmongBonaparte’ssingularhabitswasthatofseatinghimselfonanytablewhichhappenedtobeofasuitableheightforhim.Hewouldoftensitonmine，restinghisleftarmonmyrightshoulder，andswinginghisleftleg，whichdidnotreachtheground;andwhilehedictatedtomehewouldjoltthetablesothatIcouldscarcelywrite.
Bonapartehadagreatdisliketoreconsideranydecision，evenwhenitwasacknowledgedtobeunjust.Inlittleaswellasingreatthingsheevincedhisrepugnancetoretrograde.AninstanceofthisoccurredintheaffairofGeneralLatour—Foissac.TheFirstConsulfelthowmuchhehadwrongedthatgeneral;buthewishedsometimetoelapsebeforeherepairedhiserror.Hisheartandhisconductwereatvariance;buthisfeelingswereovercomebywhatheconceivedtobepoliticalnecessity.
Bonapartewasneverknowntosay，"Ihavedonewrong："hisusualobservationwas，"Ibegintothinkthereissomethingwrong."
Inspiteofthissortoffeeling，whichwasmoreworthyofanill—
humouredphilosopherthantheheadofagovernment，Bonapartewasneithermalignantnorvindictive.Icannotcertainlydefendhimagainstallthereproacheswhichheincurredthroughtheimperiouslawofwarandcruelnecessity;butImaysaythathehasoftenbeenunjustlyaccused.NonebutthosewhoareblindedbyfurywillcallhimaNerooraCaligula.
IthinkIhaveavowedhisfaultswithsufficientcandourtoentitlemetocreditwhenIspeakinhiscommendation;andIdeclarethat，outofthefieldofbattle，Bonapartehadakindandfeelingheart.Hewasveryfondofchildren，atraitwhic...完整阅读请扫描二维码下载丁香书院APP免费看：