11th.—The Emperor read this morning the article entitled Egypt, in the
Encyclopedia, and made some notes from it which cannot fail to be of
service to him for his Campaign of Egypt. This circumstance gave him a
great deal of pleasure; and he repeated several times in the course of
the day how much he was delighted with the progress he had made. He is
now sufficiently advanced to read without assistance.
About four o’clock I accompanied the Emperor into the garden: we
walked by ourselves for some time, but were afterwards joined by the
rest of the company. The weather was very mild. The Emperor remarked
the calmness of our solitude. It was Sunday, and no workmen were to be
seen. He added that we could not, at least, be accused of dissipation,
or of the ardent pursuit of pleasure; in fact, it is difficult to
imagine a state of greater uniformity, or a more complete absence of
every sort of amusement.
The Emperor endures this mode of life admirably. He surpasses us all
in equality and serenity of temper. He says, himself, that it would be
difficult to be more philosophic and tranquil than he is.—He retires
to bed at ten o’clock, and does not rise, that is to say, does not go
out, before five or six o’clock, so that he was never more than four
hours out of doors; like a prisoner who is led from his cell once a
day to breathe the fresh air. But then how intense is the occupation
of each day! how various are the thoughts which occupy his mind during
his long solitary hours! With regard to mental exertion, the Emperor
said he felt as capable of bearing it as he had ever been; that he did
not feel himself worn out or withered in any respect. He was
astonished himself at the slight impression that had been made on him
by all the late events in which he had been the principal actor. It
was like lead which had passed over marble. The spring might have been
for a moment compressed, but it had not been broken, and had risen
again with all its elasticity. He did not think any one in the world
knew better than himself how to yield to necessity; this, he said, was
the real triumph of reason and strength of mind.
The hour for our ride had now arrived. As the Emperor was going to
meet the calash, he happened to see little Hortense, Madame Bertrand’s
daughter, whom he is very fond of. He called her to him, caressed her
two or three times, and took her out in the carriage along with little
Tristan de Montholon. During the drive, the Grand Marshal, who had
been looking over the papers, gave an account of some bons-mots and
caricatures he had found among them. One possessed a good deal of
point. The picture consisted of two actions; one represented Napoleon
giving to the Princess of Hasfield, with directions to commit it to
the flames, the letter whose disappearance saved her husband;
underneath was written, _Tyrannical Act of an Usurper_. The companion
was quite of another character. We described to the Emperor a great
number of the caricatures with which we had been inundated after the
restoration. Some of them afforded him great amusement. One in
particular made him smile: it referred to a change of dynasty.
The Emperor observed that, if caricatures sometimes avenge misfortune,
they form a continual annoyance to power. “I think I have had my share
of them,” said he. He then desired us to describe some of those which
had been made upon him, and very much approved of one as being in good
taste. It was a sketch representing George III. on the coast of
England, throwing an enormous beet-root, in a great passion, at the
head of Napoleon, who was on the opposite shore, and saying, “Go, and
be made sugar.”