236 M. Arago's Historical Eloge of Joseph Fourier. 



Fourier obeyed the order he had just received. He had 

 only proceeded a very short distance in the direction of Greno- 

 ble, when he was arrested by some hussars and taken to the 

 head quarters at Bourgoin. The Emperor, who was at the time 

 stretched out on a large map with a pair of compasses in his 

 hand, said, on seeing him enter, " Well, Prefect I did you also 

 declare war against me P"*" " Sire, my oaths rendered it my duty 

 to do so."" " A duty did you say ? and do you not see that in 

 Dauphiny no one is of your opinion ? Do not suppose, how- 

 ever, that your plan of operations frightened me much. I 

 was only sorry to see among my adversaries, an Egyptian^ a 

 man who had eaten bread with me whilst bivouacking, — an 

 old friend."" 



It pains me to add, that after these kind words came the fol- 

 lowing : " How, moreover, could you forget, M. Fourier, that I 

 have made you what you are ?" 



You will regret along with me, gentlemen, that a timidity, 

 so natural in the circumstances of the case, prevented our fel- 

 low-member from protesting immediately and forcibly against 

 this confusion, which the powerful of the earth continually 

 wish to establish between the perishable goods of which they 

 are the dispensers, and the noble fruits of the intellect. Fou- 

 rier was Prefect and Baron through the Emperor : he was one 

 of the glories of France through his own genius. 



On the 9th March, in a moment of passion, Napoleon, by a 

 decree dated from Grenoble, ordered Fourier to quit the terri- 

 tory of the 7th Military ^Division within five days, under pe- 

 nalty of being arrested and treated as an enemy of the nation. 

 The next day our fellow-member left the conference of Bour- 

 goin with the office of Prefect of the Rhone and the title of 

 Count, for the Emperor still bestowed honours in this manner 

 after his return from Elba. 



These unexpected testimonials of favour and confidence were 

 little relished by our fellow-member ; but he did ndt dare to 

 refuse them, although he saw quite distinctly the immense im- 

 portance of the events in which chance called him to enact a 

 part. 



What do you think of my enterprise ? said the Emperor to 

 him on the day of his departure from Lyons. Sire, replied 

 Fourier, I believe that you will fail. If one fanatic is met with 



