Memoirs of Napoleon, vol 6 | Page 6

life. It is perhaps at this epoch of his career that he
most brought into play those principles of duplicity and dissimulation
which are commonly called Machiavellian. Never were trickery,
falsehood, cunning, and affected moderation put into play with more
talent or success.
In the month of March hereditary succession and a dynasty were in
everybody's mouths. Lucien was the most violent propagator of these
ideas, and he pursued his vocation of apostle with constancy and
address. It has already been mentioned that, by his brother's confession;
he published in 1800 a pamphlet enforcing the same ideas; which work
Bonaparte afterwards condemned as a premature development of his
projects. M. de Talleyrand, whose ideas could not be otherwise than
favourable to the monarchical form of government, was ready to enter
into explanations with the Cabinets of Europe on the subject. The
words which now constantly resounded in every ear were "stability and
order," under cloak of which the downfall of the people's right was to
be concealed. At the same time Bonaparte, with the view of disparaging
the real friends of constitutional liberty, always called them ideologues,
--[I have classed all these people under the denomination of Ideologues,
which, besides, is what specially and literally fits them,--searchers after
ideas (ideas generally empty). They have been made more ridiculous

than even I expected by this application, a correct one, of the term
ideologue to them. The phrase has been successful, I believe, because it
was mine (Napoleon in Iung's Lucien, tome ii. p, 293). Napoleon
welcomed every attack on this description of sage. Much pleased with a
discourse by Royer Collard, he said to Talleyrand, "Do you know,
Monsieur is Grand Electeur, that a new and serious philosophy is rising
in my university, which may do us great honour and disembarrass us
completely of the ideologues, slaying them on the spot by reasoning?"
It is with something of the same satisfaction that Renan, writing of
1898, says that the finer dreams had been disastrous when brought into
the domain of facts, and that human concerns only began to improve
when the ideologues ceased to meddle with them (Souvenirs, p.
122).]--
or terrorists. Madame Bonaparte opposed with fortitude the influence
of counsels which she believed fatal to her husband. He indeed spoke
rarely, and seldom confidentially, with her on politics or public affairs.
"Mind your distaff or your needle," was with him a common phrase.
The individuals who applied themselves with most perseverance in
support of the hereditary question were Lucien, Roederer, Regnault de
St. Jean d'Angely, and Fontanel. Their efforts were aided by the
conclusion of peace with England, which, by re-establishing general
tranquillity for a time, afforded the First Consul an opportunity of
forwarding any plan.
While the First Consul aspired to the throne of France, his brothers,
especially Lucien, affected a ridiculous pride and pretension. Take an
almost incredible example of which I was witness. On Sunday, the 9th
of May, Lucien came to see Madame Bonaparte, who said to him,
"Why did you not come to dinner last Monday?"--"Because there was
no place marked for me: the brothers of Napoleon ought to have the
first place after him."-- "What am I to understand by that?" answered
Madame Bonaparte. "If you are the brother of Bonaparte, recollect
what you were. At my house all places are the same. Eugene world
never have committed such a folly."
--[On such points there was constant trouble with the Bonapartist

family, as will be seen in Madame de Remusat's Memoirs. For an
instance, in 1812, where Joseph insisted on his mother taking
precedence of Josephine at a dinner in his house, when Napoleon
settled the matter by seizing Josephine's arm and leading her in first, to
the consternation of the party. But Napoleon, right in this case, had his
own ideas on such points, The place of the Princess Elisa, the eldest of
his sisters, had been put below that of Caroline, Queen of Naples. Elisa
was then only princess of Lucca. The Emperor suddenly rose, and by a
shift to the right placed the Princess Elisa above the Queen. 'Now,' said
he, 'do not forget that in the imperial family I am the only King.' (Iung's
Lucien, tome ii. p. 251), This rule he seems to have adhered to, for
when he and his brothers went in the same carriage to the Champ de
Mai in 1815, Jerome, titular King of Westphalia, had to take the front
seat, while his elder brother, Lucien, only bearing the Roman title of
Prince de Canino, sat on one of the seats of honour alongside Napoleon.
Jerome was disgusted, and grumbled at a King having to give way to a
mere Roman Prince, See Iung's Lucien, tome ii. p, 190.]--
At this period, when the Consulate for life