IthasbeengenerallysupposedthatNapoleonwasabelieverinthedoctrineofpredestination.ThefollowingconversationwithLasCasesclearlydecidesthatpoint."Pray，"saidhe，"amInotthoughttobegiventoabeliefinpredestination？"——"Yes，Sire;atleastbymanypeople."——"Well，well！letthemsaywhattheyplease，onemaysometimesbetemptedtosetapart，anditmayoccasionallybeuseful.Butwhataremen？Howmucheasierisittooccupytheirattentionandtostriketheirimaginationsbyabsurditiesthanbyrationalideas！Butcanamanofsoundsenselistenforonemomenttosuchadoctrine？Eitherpredestinationadmitstheexistenceoffree—will，oritrejectsit.
Ifitadmitsit，whatkindofpredeterminedresultcanthatbewhichasimpleresolution，astep，aword，mayalterormodifyadinfinitum？
Ifpredestination，onthecontrary，rejectstheexistenceoffree—willitisquiteanotherquestion;inthatcaseachildneedonlybethrownintoitscradleassoonasitisborn，thereisnonecessityforbestowingtheleastcareuponit，forifitbeirrevocablydecreedthatitistolive，itwillgrowthoughnofoodshouldbegiventoit.Youseethatsuchadoctrinecannotbemaintained;predestinationisbutawordwithoutmeaning.TheTurksthemselves，theprofessorsofpredestination，arenotconvincedofthedoctrine，forinthatcasemedicinewouldnotexistinTurkey，andamanresidinginathirdfloorwouldnottakethetroubleofgoingdownstairs，butwouldimmediatelythrowhimselfoutofthewindow.
Youseetowhatastringofabsurditiesthatwilllead？"
Thefollowingtraitsarecharacteristicoftheman.Inthecommonintercourseoflife，andhisfamiliarconversation，Napoleonmutilatedthenamesmostfamiliartohim，evenFrenchnames;yetthiswouldnothaveoccurredonanypublicoccasion.HehasbeenheardmanytimesduringhiswalkstorepeatthecelebratedspeechofAugustusinCorneille’stragedy，andhehasnevermissedsaying，"Takeaseat，Sylla，"insteadofCinna.Hewouldfrequentlycreatenamesaccordingtohisfancy，andwhenhehadonceadoptedthemtheyremainedfixedinhismind，althoughtheywerepronouncedproperlyahundredtimesadayinhishearing;buthewouldhavebeenstruckifothershadusedthemashehadalteredthem.Itwasthesamethingwithrespecttoorthography;ingeneralhedidnotattendtoit，yetifthecopieswhichweremadecontainedanyfaultsofspellinghewouldhavecomplainedofit.OnedayNapoleonsaidtoLasCases，"Yourorthographyisnotcorrect，isit？"
Thisquestiongaveoccasiontoasarcasticsmilefromapersonwhostoodnear，whothoughtitwasmeanttoconveyareproach.TheEmperor，whosawthis，continued，"AtleastIsupposeitisnot，foramanoccupiedwithimportantpublicbusiness，aminister，forinstance，cannotandneednotattendtoorthography.Hisideasmustflowfasterthanhishandcantracethem，hehasonlytimetodwelluponessentials;hemustputwordsinletters，andphrasesinwords，andletthescribesmakeitoutafterwards."Napoleonindeedleftagreatdealforthecopyiststodo;
hewastheirtorment;hishandwritingactuallyresembledhieroglyphics——
heoftencouldnotdecipherithimself.LasCases’sonwasonedayreadingtohimachapterofTheCampaignofItaly;onasuddenhestoppedshort，unabletomakeoutthewriting."Thelittleblockhead，"saidNapoleon，"cannotreadhisownhandwriting."——"Itisnotmine，Sire."——
"Andwhose，then？"——"YourMajesty’s."——"Howso，youlittlerogue;doyoumeantoinsultme？"TheEmperortookthemanuscript，triedalongwhiletoreadit，andatlastthrewitdown，saying，"Heisright;Icannottellmyselfwhatiswritten."HehasoftensentthecopyiststoLasCasestoreadwhathehadhimselfbeenunabletodecipher.
WearenowapproachingthelastmelancholyepochofNapoleon’slife，whenhefirstfelttheravagesofthatmaladywhichfinallyputaperiodtohisexistence.Occasionalmanifestationsofitspresencehadbeenexhibitedforsomeyears，buthisusualhealthalwaysreturnedaftereveryattack，anditsfatalnaturewasnotsuspected，althoughNapoleonhimselfhadseveraltimessaidthatheshoulddieofascirrhusinthepylorus，thediseasewhichkilledhisfather，andwhichthephysiciansofMontpelierdeclaredwouldbehereditaryinhisfamily.Aboutthemiddleoftheyear1818itwasobservedthathishealthgrewgraduallyworse，anditwasthoughtproperbyO’MearatoreporttotheGovernorthestateinwhichhewas.EvenontheseoccasionsNapoleonseizedtheopportunityforrenewinghisclaimtothetitleofEmperor.HeinsistedthatthephysicianshouldnotsendanybulletinwhateverunlesshenamedhiminitbyhisImperialdesignation.O’MearaexplainedthattheinstructionsofhisGovernmentandtheordersofSirHudsonLoweprohibitedhimfromusingtheterm;butitwasinvain.Aftersomedifficultyitwasagreeduponthattheword"patient"shouldbeusedinsteadofthetitleofGeneral，whichcausedsomuchoffence，andthissubstitutiongotridofthedifficulty.
O’MearaafterwardsproposedtocallintheassistanceofDr.Baxter，theprincipalmedicalofficeroftheisland，butthisofferNapoleonrefusedatonce，allegingthat，although"itwastruehelookedlikeanhonestman，hewastoomuchattachedtothathangman"（Lows），healsopersistedinrejectingtheaidofmedicine，anddeterminedtotakenoexerciseout—
of—doorsaslongasheshouldbesubjectedtothechallengeofsentinels.
Toarepresentationthathisdeterminationmightconvertacurabletoafatalmalady，hereplied，"IshallatleasthavetheconsolationthatmydeathwillbeaneternaldishonourtotheEnglishnationwhosentmetothisclimatetodieunderthehandsof"
AnimportantincidentinNapoleon’smonotonouslifewastheremovalofO’Meara，whohadattendedhimashisphysicianfromthetimeofhisarrivalontheisland.Theremovalofthisgentleman，wasoccasionedbythesuspicionofsimilarconducttothatwhichbroughtaboutthedismissalofLasCasestwentymonthspreviously，namely，thecarryingonsecretcorrespondencewithpersonsoutoftheisland.Napoleoncomplainedbitterlyofthelossofhismedicalattendant，thoughhehadmostassuredlyveryseldomattendedtohisadvice，andrepelledasaninsulttheprofferedassistanceofDr.Baxter，insinuatingthattheGovernorwishedtohavehislifeinhispower.SometimeafterDr.
Stokes，anavalsurgeon，wascalledin，butwithdrawnandeventuallytriedbycourt—martialforfurnishinginformationtotheFrenchatLongwood.AfterthisNapoleonexpressedhisdeterminationtoadmitnomorevisitsfromanyEnglishphysicianwhatever，andCardinalFeschwasrequestedbytheBritishMinistrytoselectsomephysicianofreputationinItalywhoshouldbesenttoSt.HelenatoattendonNapoleon.ThechoicefellonDr.Antommarchi，ayoungsurgeon，whowasaccordinglysenttoSt.HelenaincompanywithtwoCatholicpriests，theAbbesBuonavitaandVignale，andtwodomestics，incompliancewiththewishofNapoleontothateffect.Thepartyreachedtheislandon10thSeptember1819.
OnhisfirstvisittheEmperoroverwhelmedAntommarchiwithquestionsconcerninghismotherandfamily，thePrincessJulie（wifeofJoseph），andLasCases，whomAntommarchihadseeninpassingthroughFrankfort，expatiatedwithsatisfactionontheretreatwhichhehadatonetimemeditatedinCorsica，enteredintosomediscussionswiththedoctoronhisprofession，andthendirectedhisattentiontothedetailsofhisdisorder.WhileheexaminedthesymptomstheEmperorcontinuedhisremarks.Theyweresometimesserious，sometimeslively;kindness，indignation，gaiety，wereexpressedbyturnsinhiswordsandinhiscountenance."Well，doctor！"heexclaimed，"whatisyouropinion？AmI
totroublemuchlongerthedigestionofKings？"——"Youwillsurvivethem，Sire."——"Aye，Ibelieveyou;theywillnotbeabletosubjecttothebanofEuropethefameofourvictories，itwilltraverseages，itwill.
proclaimtheconquerorsandtheconquered，thosewhoweregenerousandthosewhowerenotso;posteritywilljudge，Idonotdreaditsdecision."——"Thisafter—lifebelongstoyouofright.Yournamewillneverberepeatedwithadmirationwithoutrecallingthoseingloriouswarriorssobaselyleaguedagainstasingleman.Butyouarenotnearyourend，youhaveyetalongcareertorun."——"No，Doctor！Icannotholdoutlongunderthisfrightfulclimate."——"Yourexcellentconstitutionisproofagainstitsperniciouseffects."——"Itoncedidnotyieldtothestrengthofmindwithwhichnaturehasendowedme，butthetransitionfromalifeofactiontoacompleteseclusionhasruinedall.
Ihavegrownfat，myenergyisgone，thebowisunstrung."Antommarchididnottrytocombatanopinionbuttoowell—founded，butdivertedtheconversationtoanothersubject."Iresignmyself，"saidNapoleon，"toyourdirection.Letmedicinegivetheorder，Isubmittoitsdecisions.
Ientrustmyhealthtoyourcare.IoweyouthedetailofthehabitsI
haveacquired，oftheaffectionstowhichIamsubject.
"ThehoursatwhichIobeytheinjunctionsofnatureareingeneralextremelyirregular.Isleep，IeataccordingtocircumstancesorthesituationinwhichIamplaced;mysleepisordinarilysoundandtranquil.IfpainoranyaccidentinterruptitIjumpoutofbed，callforalight，walk，settowork，andfixmyattentiononsomesubject;
sometimesIremaininthedark，changemyapartment，liedowninanotherbed，orstretchmyselfonthesofa.Iriseattwo，three，orfourinthemorning;Icallforsomeonetokeepmecompany，amusemyselfwithrecollectionsorbusiness，andwaitforthereturnofday.Igooutassoonasdawnappears，takeastroll，andwhenthesunshowsitselfI
reenterandgotobedagain，whereIremainalongerorshortertime，accordingasthedaypromisestoturnout.Ifitisbad，andIfeelirritationanduneasiness，IhaverecoursetothemethodIhavejustmentioned.Ichangemyposture，passfrommybedtothesofa，fromthesofatothebed，seekandfindadegreeoffreshness.Idonotdescribetoyoumymorningcostume;ithasnothingtodowiththesufferingsI
endure，andbesides，Idonotwishtodepriveyouofthepleasureofyoursurprisewhenyouseeit.Theseingeniouscontrivancescarrymeontonineorteno’clock，sometimeslater.Ithenorderthebreakfasttobebrought，whichItakefromtimetotimeinmybath，butmostfrequentlyinthegarden.EitherBertrandorMontholonkeepmecompany，oftenbothofthem.Physicianshavetherightofregulatingthetable;itisproperthatIshouldgiveyouanaccountofmine.Well，then，abasinofsoup，twoplatesofmeat，oneofvegetables，asaladwhenIcantakeit，composethewholeservice;halfabottleofclaret;whichIdilutewithagooddealofwater，servesmefordrink;Idrinkalittleofitpuretowardstheendoftherepast.Sometimes，whenIfeelfatigued，I
substitutechampagneforclaret，itisacertainmeansofgivingafilliptothestomach."
ThedoctorhavingexpressedhissurpriseatNapoleon’stemperance，hereplied，"InmymarcheswiththearmyofItalyIneverfailedtoputintothebowofmysaddleabottleofwine，somebread，andacoldfowl.Thisprovisionsufficedforthewantsoftheday，——ImayevensaythatIoftenshareditwithothers.Ithusgainedtime.Ieatfast，masticatelittle，mymealsdonotconsumemyhours.Thisisnotwhatyouwillapprovethemost，butinmypresentsituationwhatsignifiesit？Iamattackedwithalivercomplaint，amaladywhichisgeneralinthishorribleclimate."
Antommarchi，havinggainedhisconfidence，nowbecamecompanionaswellasphysiciantotheEmperor，andsometimesreadwithhim.Heeagerlyturnedoverthenewspaperswhentheyarrived，andcommentedfreelyontheircontents."Itisamusing，"hewouldsay，"toseethesagemeasuresresortedtobytheAlliestomakepeopleforgetmytyranny！"Ononeoccasionhefeltmorelanguidthanordinary，andlightingonthe’Andromache’ofRacine;hetookupthebook，begantoread，butsoonletitdropfromhishands.Hehadcometothefamouspassagewherethemotherdescribesherbeingallowedtoseehersononceaday.
Hewasmoved，coveredhisfacewithhishands，and，sayingthathewastoomuchaffected，desiredtobeleftalone.Hegrewcalmer，fellasleep，andwhenheawoke，desiredAntommarchitobecalledagain.Hewasgettingreadytoshave，andthedoctorwascurioustowitnesstheoperation.Hewasinhisshirt，hisheaduncovered，withtwovaletsathisside，oneholdingtheglassandatowel，theothertherestoftheapparatus.TheEmperorspreadthesoapoveronesideofhisface，putdownthebrush，wipedhishandsandmouth，tookarazordippedinhotwaterandshavedtherightsidewithsingulardexterity."Isitdone，Noverraz？"——"Yes，Sire."——"Well，then，faceabout.Come，villain，quick，standstill."Thelightfellontheleftside，which，afterapplyingthelather，heshavedinthesamemannerandwiththesamedexterity.Hedrewhishandoverhischin."Raisetheglass.AmIquiteright？"——
"Quiteso."——"Notahairhasescapedme：whatsayyou？"——"No，Sire，"
repliedthevaletdechambre."No！IthinkIperceiveone.Liftuptheglass，placeitinabetterlight.How，rascal！Flattery？YoudeceivemeatSt.Helena？Onthisrock？You，too，areanaccomplice."Withthishegavethembothaboxontheear，laughed，andjokedinthemostpleasantmannerpossible.
AnalmostincredibleinstanceofthedeterminationoftheexilestomakeasmanyenemiesastheypossiblycouldwasexhibitedtoAntommarchionhisarrivalatLongwood.HestatesthatbeforehewaspermittedtoenteronhisfunctionsassurgeonhewasrequiredtotakeanoaththathewouldnotcommunicatewiththeEnglish，andthathewouldmoreespeciallyavoidgivingthemtheleastinformationrespectingtheprogressofNapoleon’sdisorder.Hewasnotallowedtoseehisillustriouspatientuntiltheoathwastaken.AfterexactingsuchanoathfromhisphysiciantheattendantsofBonapartehadlittlerighttocomplain，astheydid，thattherealstateofhisdisorderwaspurposelyconcealedfromtheworldbytheEnglishGovernment.Itismorethanprobablethattheconstantattemptsobservedtothrowmysteryandsecrecyaroundthemmusthavetendedtocreatethesuspicionofescape，andtoincreasetheconsequentrigouroftheregulationsmaintainedbytheGovernor.
SoonafterthearrivalofthepriestsNapoleondetermined，wemaysupposepartlyinjest，toelevateoneofthemtothedignityofbishop，andhechoseforadiocesetheJumna."ThelastboxbroughtfromEuropehadbeenbrokenopen，"saysAntommarchi;"itcontainedthevasesandchurchornaments."Stop，"saidNapoleon，"thisisthepropertyofSt.Peter;
haveacarewhotouchesit;sendfortheabbes——buttalkingoftheabbes，doyouknowthattheCardinal[Fesch]isapoorcreature？Hesendsmemissionariesandpropagandists，asifIwereapenitent，andasifawholestringoftheirEminenceshadnotalwaysattendedatmychapel.
Iwilldowhatheoughttohavedone;Ipossesstherightofinvestiture，andIshalluseit.AbbeBuonavitawasjustenteringtheroom，`Igiveyoutheepiscopalmitre.’——’Sire！’——’Irestoreittoyou;youshallwearitinspiteoftheheretics;theywillnotagaintakeitfromyou.’——
’But，Sire！’——’IcannotaddtoitsorichabeneficeasthatofValencia，whichSuchethadgivenyou，butatanyrateyourseeshallbesecurefromthechancesofbattles.IappointyouBishopof——letmesee——oftheJumna.Thevastcountriesthroughwhichthatriverflowswereonthepointofenteringintoalliancewithme——allwasinreadiness，allweregoingtomarch.WewereabouttogivethefinishingblowtoEngland."
ThespeechconcludedwithanordertoCountMontholontoprocurethenecessarydressfortheabbeinordertostrikewithawealltheheretics.Theupshotofthewholewas，thatthescarletandvioletcolouredclothesnecessarytofurnishthenewbishopwiththeonlyvaluableportionofhistemporalities，hisdress，couldnotbeprocuredintheisland，andtheabberemainedanabbeinspiteoftheinvestiture，andthewholefarcewasforgotten.
WeoccasionallyseetheExileinbettermoods，whenhelistenedtothevoiceofreason，andthoughtlessoftheannoyancesinseparablefromthestatetowhichhisambition，orashehimselfalwaysaverred，hisdestiny，hadreducedhim.Hehadforalongtimedebarredhimselffromallexercise，having，asheexpressedit，determinednottoexposehimselftotheinsultofbeingaccompaniedonhisridebyaBritishofficer;orthepossibilityofbeingchallengedbyasentinel.Onedaywhenhecomplai...完整阅读请扫描二维码下载丁香书院APP免费看：