NAPOLEON IN POTSDAM.
The unheard-of and never-expected event had taken place; the son of the
Corsican lawyer, the general of the Revolution, had defeated the
Prussian army, compelled the royal family to flee to the eastern
provinces, and now made his triumphal entry into their capital! On the
afternoon of the 24th of October he arrived in Potsdam; the royal palace
had to open its doors to him; the royal servants had to receive him as
reverentially as though he had been their sovereign!
Napoleon was now master of Prussia as well as of all Germany. But his
classic face remained as cold and calm in these days of proud triumph as
it had been in the days of adversity. His successes seemed to surprise
him as little as his early misfortunes had discouraged him. When
ascending the broad carpeted staircase, he turned to Duroc, his grand
marshal and beckoned him to his side. "Just notice, grand marshal," he
said, in so loud a voice that it resounded through the palace, "just
notice the strange coincidence. If I remember rightly, it is just a year
to-day since the fine-looking Emperor Alexander of Russia arrived here
in Potsdam, and paid a visit to the queen. Please ask the steward who
received us at the foot of the stairs, whether it is not so."
Duroc went away, and soon returned with the answer that his majesty had
not been mistaken; it was just a year to-day since the Emperor of Russia
arrived in Potsdam.
A faint smile overspread Napoleon's face. "I will occupy the same rooms
which Alexander then occupied," he said, passing on.
Duroc hastened back, to give the necessary orders. Napoleon walked down
the corridor with ringing, soldier-like footsteps, followed by his
marshals, and entered the large portrait-gallery of the Prussian
monarchs, who looked down on him with grave eyes.
The emperor paused in the middle of the hall and glanced over the
portraits with a gloomy air. "All those men had a high opinion of
themselves," he said, in a sullen tone; "they were proud of their high
birth and of their royal crown, and yet death has trampled them all in
the dust. I will now take upon myself the task of death: I will
annihilate this Prussia which dared to take up arms against me, and who
knows whether this gallery of Prussian kings will not close with
Frederick William III.? Nothing on earth is lasting, and sovereigns
now-a-days fall from their thrones as over-ripe apples from trees. The
crown of Prussia fell to the ground on the battle-fields of Jena and
Auerstadt!"
The portraits of the Prussian rulers looked down silently on the
triumphant conqueror, and neither his scornful voice, nor the haughty
glances with which he contemplated them, disturbed their tranquillity.
Not a voice answered these arrogant and insulting words; the marshals
stood silent and respectful, and still seemed to listen to the voice of
the oracle which had just announced to the portraits of the royal
ancestors of the present king the downfall of their house. But
Napoleon's brow, which had momentarily beamed with proud thoughts, was
again clouded. Joining his hands on his back, he crossed the hall to the
large central window, from which there was a fine and extensive view of
the lawn, with its old trees and splendid statues, and beyond, of the
Havel and its hilly banks. He gazed gloomily at this landscape, then
turned and looked again at the pictures, but only for a moment, as
though he would threaten them once more, and make them feel again the
angry glance of him who had come to dethrone their descendant and
appropriate his crown. Then he fixed his eyes on the portrait of a
handsome woman whose large blue eyes seemed to gaze at him, and her
crimson lips to greet him with a winning smile. Quite involuntarily, and
as if attracted by the beauty of this likeness, he approached and
contemplated it long and admiringly.
"Truly," he said, "that is a charming creature. That lady must have been
wondrously lovely, and at the same time surpassingly graceful and
high-spirited."
"Sire," said Duroc, who had followed him and overheard his words, "sire,
she is still wondrously lovely, and, as your majesty says, surpassingly
graceful and high-spirited. It is the portrait of Queen Louisa of
Prussia."
A dark expression mantled Napoleon's face, and, bending an angry glance
on Duroc, he said, "It is well known that you were always foolishly in
love with the Queen of Prussia, and, according to your statement, one
might believe there was no woman in the whole world so beautiful as she
is." He turned his back on the painting and stepped to the next one:
"And this, then, doubtless, is Frederick William III.?"
"Yes, sire, it is the portrait of the reigning king."
"Of the reigning king?" repeated the emperor, with a scornful smile. "It
is a very good-natured face," he added, looking at the full-sized
portrait; "and as I behold his gentle, timid air, I comprehend that he
allows himself to be directed by advisers, and follows the will of
others rather than his own. But this little King of Prussia is taller
than I thought!"
"Sire, he is about as tall as the Grand-duke of Berg," said Duroc.
"As Murat?" asked Napoleon. "It never seemed to me that he was as tall
as that. Is not Murat of my own height?"
"No, sire, he is higher than you!"
"You mean he is taller than I," said Napoleon, shrugging his shoulders.
"Height of stature is of no consequence. Frederick II. was much smaller
than his grand-nephew, and yet he was the greatest of Prussia's kings.
We will afterward pay him a visit at Sans-souci. Until then, adieu,
gentlemen. Come, Duroc, conduct me to the rooms of the Emperor
Alexander!"
He greeted the marshals with a quick nod, and then followed Duroc into
the long suite of halls and brilliant rooms which, only a year ago, had
been newly decorated and furnished with royal magnificence for the
reception of the czar.
"These kings and princes 'by the grace of God' live here very
pleasantly," muttered Napoleon in an undertone; "they know better how to
build and furnish their residences than to preserve them to their
children. Well, I am a good architect, and have come to reconstruct the
royal palace of Prussia. Do you think, Duroc, those ingrates will thank
me for it?"
"They will see that the lion must have his share," said Duroc, "and they
will, doubtless, be thankful if any thing is left to them. Sire, here we
are in the czar's bedroom! The steward told me every thing was arranged
in it precisely the same as in the days when the Russian emperor was
here. Nobody has slept in this bed since."
"I must sleep in it," said Napoleon, quickly, "and I believe I shall
sleep in the royal Prussian palace, and in the bed of the Russian
emperor, as comfortably as I did in the Tuileries and in the bed of
Louis XVI."
He threw his small three-cornered hat with a contemptuous gesture on the
bed, which was surmounted by a velvet canopy, embroidered with gold, and
then, his arms crossed behind him, commenced slowly pacing the room.
Duroc dared not disturb him, and turned toward the paintings and
engravings hanging on the walls. The emperor walked a long while gravely
and musingly; his brow grew more clouded, and he pressed his lips more
firmly together. Suddenly he paused before Duroc, and, being alone,
spoke to him no longer in the tone of a master, but with the
unreservedness of a friend.
"Legitimacy is a terrible power, Duroc," said he, hastily; "it is what I
cannot vanquish with all my cannon. Sovereigns and princes know it full
well, and that is the reason of their obstinacy. They oppose their
ancestors to my victorious eagles, and when, by virtue of my right as
conqueror, I enter their palaces and take possession of them, I find
there the proud company of their forefathers, who seem to look
scornfully down on me, and tell me, 'You are after all but an intruder
and usurper, while we are and shall remain here the rightful owners.' I
am sick and tired of playing this part of usurper. I shall overthrow all
dynasties, expel all legitimate sovereigns--and there shall be no other
throne than mine. I shall be at least the first legitimate monarch of
the new era!"
"And expelled princes will sit in some nook of your immense empire,"
said Duroc, laughing, "and sing to the people the same song of
legitimacy; and it will be listened to as one of the fairy stories of
childhood, in which they believe no more."
"But they shall believe in _my_ legitimacy!" exclaimed Napoleon,
quickly. "I will be the first of the Napoleonic sovereigns." His brow
was clouded again. "But it is true," he murmured, "in order to found a
dynasty, I need a son. I must have legitimate children. It will be no
fault of mine if circumstances compel me to divorce Josephine; for I
will not, like Alexander of Macedon, conquer exclusively for the benefit
of my generals. I need an heir to my empire."
"Sire, you have one in the son of the empress, noble King Eugène."
"No," exclaimed the emperor, gloomily, "the son of the Viscount de
Beauharnais cannot be heir to my throne. My blood does not flow in his
veins. Oh, why did the young Napoleon die! I had destined him to succeed
me, because he was of my blood, and a scion of my family.[12] Poor
Josephine! if her tears and prayers could have saved the child's life, I
should never have thought of taking another wife."
[Footnote 12: The oldest son of the King of Holland, Napoleon's brother,
and of Hortense, Josephine's daughter, had been declared Napoleon's
successor and adopted son. He died of croup, in 1805, in his seventh
year.]
"What!" exclaimed Duroc, in dismay, "your majesty thinks of repudiating
the empress!"
"My heart never will repudiate her," replied Napoleon, drawing a sigh.
"I shall always love her, for she deserves it. She is generous and
high-minded, good and graceful. I never loved another woman as I love
her--and never shall. Judge, therefore, what a cruel blow it will be to
my heart, should I be compelled to separate from her."
"If you should, sire," said Duroc, in a voice quivering with
emotion,--"if you repudiate the empress, you would thereby sign your own
death-warrant, and Josephine would not survive it."
"She will have to survive it like myself," exclaimed the emperor,
impetuously. "I shall suffer no less--nay, I shall suffer more than she,
for she never loved me as I love her. Her tears will fall for the lost
splendor of the throne--not for her husband. But I shall bewail the
beloved wife."
"No, sire," said Duroc, almost indignantly, "you are unjust. The empress
loves you--you alone. She accepted the crown reluctantly and with
tearful eyes, and will not weep when she loses it. She will mourn for
her husband only, whom she adores, and not for the crown which adorns
but also oppresses her brow."
"Ah, what a warm advocate the empress has!" exclaimed Napoleon, smiling.
"Do you really believe that she loves me so disinterestedly?"
"Sire, I am convinced of it, and so is your majesty. The empress loves
in you her dear Bonaparte, and not the emperor. She loves you more
ardently than any other woman could do. Sire, permit an old, well-tried
friend and servant to warn you. Do not banish Josephine from your heart,
for she is your guardian angel."
Napoleon did not reply immediately, but looked melancholy and
abstracted.
"It is true," he said, after a long pause, "Josephine brought success;
until I married her every thing around me was forbidding and dark. She
appeared like a sun by my side, and we rose together."
"Sire, all will darken again, if you suffer your sun to set."
"Ah, bah! these are nothing but fantastic dreams!" exclaimed Napoleon,
after a brief silence. "I am the architect of my fortune--I alone.
Josephine did not assist me in erecting my edifice; she only adorned it
with her smiling grace. I shall do what fate and my people have a right
to expect of me, but I do not say that it must be done immediately. I
have time enough to wait; for as yet I do not stand on the pinnacle to
which I am aspiring. My plans are not yet accomplished. I hope that I
shall not die at so early an age as my father. I need ten years more to
carry out my purposes. A sovereign ought not to set too narrow limits to
his wishes; but mine--they are boundless. Like the conqueror of Darius,
I must rule the world, and I hope that my desire will one day be
fulfilled. Nay, I feel convinced that I and my family will occupy all
the thrones of Europe. Then it will be time for me to have a wife who
will give an heir to my empire, and a son to my heart. Until then, my
friend, keep the matter secret; do not mention what I have told you. The
portraits of the old kings, with their surly faces, have impressed me
very disagreeably, and it is in defiance of them that I say, I will one
day have a wife--a daughter of the Cæsars--who will think it an honor to
bear a son to the modern Cæsar! When the time comes, however, I shall
remind you of this hour, and then request you, in the name of the
confidence which I have reposed in you, to prepare my poor, beloved
Josephine for the blow that is menacing her and myself, and which I then
shall ward off no longer. But a truce to these matters! Let us go to
Sans-souci. Come!"
"Sire, before your majesty has dined?"
"Ah, you are hungry, then? You would like to dine?"
"Sire, I believe all the gentlemen entertain the same desire. None of us
have tasted food for eight hours."
"Eight hours, and you are already hungry again? Truly, this German air
exerts a bad effect upon my brave marshals. Like the Germans, you want
to eat all the time. Well, let it so be; as we are in Germany, I will
comply with your wishes. Let us dine, therefore, and afterward go to the
country-palace of Frederick II. Be kind enough to issue your orders,
grand-marshal. Let the horses be ready; we shall set out as soon as we
have dined. Tell Roustan to come to me!"
Napoleon was now again the sovereign, and it was in this capacity that
he dismissed Duroc, who left the room with a respectful bow. Roustan,
who had already heard the order in the anteroom, glided past him, to
assist Constant in the emperor's toilet.