The Twin Lieutenants | Page 2

Westphalia; he now acted to displace Joseph and place Marat.
The precautions were taken.
A secret article of the treaty of Tilsit authorized the Emperor of Russia to take Finland, and the Emperor of the French to take Spain.
There now only remained an occasion to be found.
The occasion was not slow to present itself,
Murat was staying at Madrid with secret instructions. King Charles IV. complained to Murat of big quarrels with his son, who was endeavoring to make him abdicate, and who had succeeded him under the name of Ferdinand VII. Murat counseled King Charles IV. to call in his ally. Napoleon. Charles IV., who had nothing to lose, gratefully accepted the arbitrage, and Ferdinand VIII., who was not the strongest, consented with uneasiness.
Murat urged them gently toward Bayonne, where Napoleon awaited them. Once under the lion's claw, all was done for them. Charles IV. abdicated in favor of Joseph, declaring that Ferdinand VII, was unworthy to reign. Then Napoleon laid his right hand upon the father, his left upon the son; sending the former to Compeigne, the other to the Chateau of Valencais.
If this performance was agreed to by Russia, which had its recompense, it in no way satisfied England, which had gained only the Continental system. So the latter kept her eyes upon Spain, and held herself in readiness to take advantage of the first insurrection, which beside, was not slow to burst out.
The 27th of May, 1808, the day of St. Ferdinand, ten different places were in insurrection, and particularly Cadiz, where the insurgents Seized upon the French fleet, which had taken refuge there after the disastrous encounter at Trafalgar.
Then, in less time than a month, all over Spain, was spread the following catechism:
"Who art thou, my child?"
"Spaniard, by the grace of God."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean to say that I am a good man."
"Who is the enemy of our felicity?"
"The Emperor of the French."
"Who is this Emperor of the French?"
"A wicked man, the source of all evil, the destroyer of all good, the focus of all vices."
"How many natures has he?"
"Two: human nature and diabolical nature.''
"How many Emperors of the French are there?"
"One, alone, in three deceitful persons."
"What are they called?"
"Napoleon, Murat, and Manuel Godoi."
"Which of the three is the worst?"
"They are all equally bad."
"From what is Napoleon derived?"
"From sin."
"And Murat?"
"From Napoleon."
"And Godoi?"
"From the combination of the two."
"What is the spirit of the first?"
"Pride and despotism."
"Of the second?"
"Rapine and cruelty
"Of the third?"
"Cupidity, treachery, and ignorance."
"Who are the French?"
"Anciently Christians, now become heretics."
"What torture deserves the Spaniard who fails in his duties?"
"The death and the infamy of a traitor."
"How ought the Spanish to conduct themselves?"
"According to the precepts of Our Lord, Jesus Christ."
"What will deliver us form our enemies?"
"Trust in each other and arms."
"Is it a sin to put a Frenchman to death?"
"No, father; on the contrary, one gains heaven by slaying one of these heretic dogs."
In the above lie singular principles; but they were in harmony with the savage ignorance of the people who invoked them.
There followed a general rising which resulted in the capitulation of Baylen, signed the 22nd of July, 1808.
On the 31st of the same month, an English army disembarked in Portugal.
On the 21st of August took place the Battle of Vimiero, which cost the French a dozen pieces of cannon, and fifteen hundred men slain or wounded: finally, on the 30th, the convention of Cintra stipulated the evacuation of Portugal by Junot and his army.
The effect of this news had been terrible in Paris.
To reverse it, Napoleon knew but one remedy, his presence.
Fortune still accompanied him. The land of Spain, in its turn, saw the wonders of Rivoli, the Pyramids, Marengo, Austerlitz, Jena and Friedland.
He shook the hand of the Emperor Alexander, assured himself of the dispositions of Prussia and Austria, that the new King of Saxe watched over Dresden, waiting till the new King of Westphalia, Hesse-Cassel, brought him from Germany eight thousand veterans, touched Paris in passing to announce to the legislative body that soon the eagles would be planted upon the towers of Lisbon, and forthwith set off for Spain.
He arrived at Tolosa on the 4th of November. On the 10th Marshal Soult, aided by General Mouton, made himself master of Burgos, took twenty cannon, killed three thousand Spaniards, and took an equal number of prisoners.
On the 12th, Marshal Victor defeated the army of Romana and Blake at Espinosa, killed eight thousand men, ten generals, making twelve thousand prisoners, and capturing fifty cannon.
The 23rd saw Marshal Lannes destroy the army of Palafox and Castanos, gaining thirty guns and three thousand prisoners, and slaying or drowning four thousand men at Tudela.
The road to Madrid is open ! Enter the city of Philip the Fifth, sire. Are you not the heritor of Louis XIV., and do you not know the way