506 . De Bourrienne’s Memoirs. [May, 
with the most influential personages of the day, and opened a wide field to the 
exercise of his political views. He remained at Paris but twelve days after: 
his marriage with her, which took place on the 9th of March, 1796. Through- 
out the whole of this union, the greatest cordiality ever prevailed, if we except 
some slight differences that will occasionally disturb the harmony of the best 
assorted matches. Bonaparte never to my knowledge afforded real cause for 
discontent to his wife. Madame Bonaparte possessed many charming and 
excellent qualities. None that enjoyed the advantage of knowing her, ever 
complained of her conduct towards them. As she never forgot any of her , 
friends, arrived at the summit of power, she contrived to retain the affections 
of all. Her character might have been tainted with something of frivolity, but 
she was an obliging and a sincere friend. The exercise of benevolence was 
with her a sort of moral necessity—a second nature: but as she generally 
obeyed the impulse of the moment, her protection was not unfrequently be- 
stowed on undeserving objects. She had a decided taste for luxury and extra- 
vagance. This propensity, nurtured by idleness, had grown into a confirmed 
habit, and was almost always exercised without discrimination, and without 
real necessity. What scenes have I not witnessed when the time came round 
for paying bills ! (of which, by the way, it was her custom to declare only the 
half.) How many tears might not a little more frankness on such occasions 
have spared her ! 
“ When fortune placed the imperial diadem on her brow, Josephine told all. 
who had the complaisance to listen to her, that this extraordinary event had 
been predicted. It is necessary here to observe, that she placed implicit faith 
in the rhapsodies of fortune-tellers. At this I often ventured to express my 
amazement. On such occasions she was always the first to laugh at her own 
credulity, without, however, abandoning it. The prediction was certainly in 
this instance realised ; but there is reason to suspect that the natural order of 
things was reversed, and that in this case, as in many others, the event gave 
birth to the prophecy.” 
_ We gratify the reader with the substance of one of M. de Bourrienne’s 
anecdotes relative to the directory. It affords us pleasure to be able to 
give our fashionables an idea of the elegance of the manners and the eti- . 
quette observed in those revolutionary days. M. Barras had, it would 
appear, a quarrel with M. Carnot. The latter found it convenient to 
league himself with the deputies who were at that time denominated 
Clichians, and M. Barras had now and then a tiff on this subject with 
his honorable coadjutor, M. Carnot. On the occasion of one of their al- 
tercations, it. seems, (though M. de Bourrienne does not exactly say so,) 
that M. Carnot thought proper to reproach M. Barras with the mas- 
sacres that had taken place in the south. We give the other “ honorable 
gentleman’s” reply in the original, our pen being much too courteous, and, 
withal too patriotic, to shock the reader’s eye with an English version. 
“ Tais-toi, tu es un infame brigand ; il n’y a pas un pou de ton corps 
qui ne soit en droit de te cracher au visage.”—-Our readers may imagine 
if poor M. Carnot had a word to answer to such a specimen of elegance, 
concision, and energy. Indeed it would have been utterly impossible 
for him to surpass such an exquisite morceau. 
We continue our extracts :-— 
“ During his sojourn at Montebello, Bonaparte made an excursion to the 
Lake of Como, and on his return occupied himself with a project for the orga- 
nization of the states of Venice, Genoa and the Milanese. One of his observa- 
tions on this occasion, I shall not readily forget; ‘Good God! how scarce 
men have become! Italy contains eighteen millions of souls, and I can 
scarcely find two men.’ ” 
In the estimation of an observer of the world, the justice of Bona- 
parte’s reproach dwindles into’a common-place remark. Speaking of 
