1830.] Constant's Memoirs of Buonaparte. 179 



" ' Many of them/ replied Cambaceres, ' intend to be present at the first 

 representation of the new piece, and to hiss it most unmercifully should it 

 fail to amuse them/ " 



" ' Should any citizen act so indecorously, he shall on the instant be shewn 

 to the other side of the door by the grenadiers of my consular guard.' 



" ' But suppose the grenadiers hiss too ?' 



" ' I am not afraid of that : my brave lads will march to Notre Dame in the 

 same spirit as at Cairo they went to the mosque. They will watch my coun- 

 tenance, and observing the decent gravity of their general, they will take their 

 cue from me with ' Comrades, eyes right !' 



f( ' I fear,' observed Joseph, ' that the general officers will be less accom- 

 modating. I have just quitted Augereau, who is furious against what he calls 

 your capucin gambadoes. It will be no easy task to entice him, and some 

 others that I could name, to the bosom of holy mother church.' 



<f ( Pshaw ! that's Augereau's way. He is a loud-tongued, empty babbler, 

 who, if he had some twentieth country cousin to provide for, would send him 

 to-morrow to a monastery, that I might afterwards appoint him my chaplain. 

 By the way,' said the first consul, turning to his colleague, f when does your 

 brother take possession of his see of Rouen ? Do you know that he has the 

 finest archbishopric in all France ? He will be cardinal before the expiration of 

 a twelvemonth. The matter is already arranged.' Cambaceres answered 

 with a respectful inclination of the head, and from that moment, his demeanour 

 in regard to the first consul resembled the fawning assiduity of a courtier, 

 rather than the frank independence of a coadjutor in office. 



" The first renewed celebration of divine worship at Notre Dame afforded 

 a singular exhibition. The church was crowded with spectators, frivolously 

 assembled, as for a theatrical representation : the military in particular seemed 

 to consider the service in the light of a burlesque mummery, not of a religious 

 solemnity. They who during the revolution had contributed to the overthrow 

 of the rites now re-established by the first consul, could with difficulty conceal 

 their indignation and chagrin. In the solemn chaunt of the Te Dcum, the lower 

 orders of the people could discern merely an additional aliment offered for 

 the gratification of their idle curiosity. The middle classes, however, con- 

 tained a number of pious individuals, who, having deeply regretted the sup- 

 pression of the devotional practices in the observance of which they had been 

 educated, were overjoyed at the unexpected restoration of ancient customs. 

 Besides, the return to a better order of things had been effected without the 

 slightest manifestation of superstition or of rigour, calculated to alarm even the 

 most uncompromising advocates of toleration. The clergy were moderate in 

 their demands, anathematized none, and the representative of the holy father, 

 the cardinal legate, was universally beloved, except by a few bigoted old 

 priests, for the liberality of his opinions, the suavity of his manners, and his 

 sterling good sense. The first consul was ever on excellent terms with this 

 prelate, who had completely captivated him by the charms of his conver- 

 sation. 



ff Independently of religious considerations, it cannot be denied that the 

 populace welcomed with joy the repose and the solemnity of the long-forgotten 

 sabbath day. The divisions of the republican calendar had been arranged 

 with more theoretical skill, than attention to the comforts of the people, and 

 at the epoch of its first introduction, I well recollect the expression of a cele- 

 brated wit; ' these innovators,' said he, ' have to deal with a couple of ene- 

 mies that will never yield an inch of ground, beard, and clean shirt ;' in 

 allusion to the discontent of the lower orders, who, as the interval from one 

 decadi to another was rather long, were thus curtailed of the customary exhi- 

 bition of their Sunday finery, and holiday persons, f neat, trimly dress'd.' 



We select some passages from the lengthy details on the subject of 

 Napoleon's personal appearance and private habits. Our readers will 

 readily excuse the omission of certain particulars which to the valet-de- 



Z 2 



