Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte — Complete. Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne

in a hasty manner, "Allons nous coucher."

      It was at the Luxembourg, in the salons of which the adorable Josephine so well performed the honours, that the word 'Madame' came again into use. This first return towards the old French politeness was startling to some susceptible Republicans; but things were soon carried farther at the Tuileries by the introduction of 'Votre Altesse' on occasions of state ceremony, and Monseigneur in the family circle.

      If, on the one hand, Bonaparte did not like the men of the Revolution, on the other he dreaded still more the partisans of the Bourbons. On the mere mention of the name of those princes he experienced a kind of inward alarm; and he often spoke of the necessity of raising a wall of brass between France and them. To this feeling, no doubt, must be attributed certain nominations, and the spirit of some recommendations contained in the notes with which he was supplied on the characters of candidates, and which for ready reference were arranged alphabetically. Some of the notes just mentioned were in the handwriting of Regnault de St. Jean d'Angély, and some in Lucien Bonaparte's.

      —[Among them was the following, under the title of "General

       Observations": "In choosing among the men who were members of the

       Constituent Assembly it is necessary to be on guard against the

       Orleans' party, which is not altogether a chimera, and may one day

       or other prove dangerous.

       "There is no doubt that the partisans of that family are intriguing

       secretly; and among many other proofs of this fact the following is

       a striking one: the journal called the 'Aristargue', which

       undisguisedly supports royalism, is conducted by a man of the name

       of Voidel, one of the hottest patriots of the Revolution. He was

       for several months president of the committee of inquiry which

       caused the Marquis de Favras to be arrested and hanged, and gave so

       much uneasiness to the Court. There was no one in the Constituent

       Assembly more hateful to the Court than Voidel, so much on account

       of his violence as for his connection with the Duke of Orleans,

       whose advocate and counsel he was. When the Duke of Orleans was

       arrested, Voidel, braving the fury of the revolutionary tribunals,

       had the courage to defend him, and placarded all the walls of Paris

       with an apology for the Duke and his two sons. This man, writing

       now in favour of royalism, can have no other object than to advance

       a member of the Orleans family to the throne."—Bourrienne.]—

      At the commencement of the First Consul's administration, though he always consulted the notes he had collected, he yet received with attention the recommendations of persons with whom he was well acquainted; but it was not safe for them to recommend a rogue or a fool. The men whom he most disliked were those whom he called babblers, who are continually prating of everything and on everything. He often said—"I want more head and less tongue." What he thought of the regicides will be seen farther on, but at first the more a man had given a gage to the Revolution, the more he considered him as offering a guarantee against the return of the former order of things. Besides, Bonaparte was not the man to attend to any consideration when once his policy was concerned.

      As I have said a few pages back, on taking the government into his own hands Bonaparte knew so little of the Revolution and of the men engaged in civil employments that it was indispensably necessary for him to collect information from every quarter respecting men and things. But when the conflicting passions of the moment became more calm and the spirit of party more prudent, and when order had been, by his severe investigations, introduced where hitherto unbridled confusion had reigned, he became gradually more scrupulous in granting places, whether arising from newly-created offices, or from those changes which the different departments often experienced. He then said to me, "Bourrienne, I give up your department to you. Name whom you please for the appointments; but remember you must be responsible to me."

      What a list would have been which should contain the names of all the prefects, sub-prefects, receivers-general, and other civil officers to whom I gave places! I have kept no memoranda of their names; and indeed, what advantage would there have been in doing so? It was impossible for me to have a personal knowledge of all the fortunate candidates; but I relied on recommendations in which I had confidence.

      I have little to complain of in those I obliged; though it is true that, since my separation from Bonaparte, I have seen many of them take the opposite side of the street in which I was walking, and by that delicate attention save me the trouble of raising my hat.