1829.] ‘De Bourrienne’s Memoirs. 507 
‘a country represented by its own historians, and the public prints as 
overflowing with superior talent, a woman* of no ordinary mind has ob- 
served :—“ Since the elevation of my husband has afforded me the op- 
portunity of personal acquaintance with men appointed to the most 
important posts, nothing has occasioned me more surprise than the me- 
diocrity of talent which universally prevails: it surpasses all that the 
imagination can conceive, and is observable in the meanest clerk—in the 
minister—in the general—in the ambassador. Were I not personally 
convinced of the fact, I could never have believed my species so poor 
and worthless.” 
Who does not recollect the memorable reply of Oxenstiern to his son, 
who wished to excuse himself, on account of his youth, from being pre- 
sent at the congress at Munster? “ Go, my son, and see with your owh 
eyes what a small share of wisdom governs mankind.” 
The following is M. de Bourrienne’s delineation of Berthier’s cha- 
racter :-—. 
“ Berthier was a man replete with sentiments of honour, courage, and 
probity, and with regard to business, possessed the qualities of method and regu- 
larity. Bonaparte’s esteem for him was the result of habit rather than of inclina- 
tion. In conferring a favour Berthier was not affable, and his refusals were 
always harsh and blunt. His character, morose even to selfish rudeness, 
‘without increasing the number of his enemies, was not calculated to attach to 
him many friends. He was perfectly acquainted with the stations of regi- 
ments, the names of their officers, and their numerical force. He was always 
ready, night and day, and dietated with precision all orders depending on the 
general order. His devotion to Bonaparte was besides excessive. In short, 
‘to sum up the measure of his military merit, he was an excellent staff-officer. 
But there we must stop; even he himself aspired to no greater eulogy. He 
was not a man that could with advantage to himself be removed from the 
narrow circle of ideas rendered familiar to him by assiduous application and 
constant habit. So excessive was his admiration of Bonaparte, that he never 
suffered himself to give him advice, or even to reason internally on his plans. 
Berthier’s capacity was of a second-rate order, and could only be adapted to the 
occupations in which he was habitually employed. He was not a man of 
strong mind, and the reputation which he enjoyed was merely the result of 
the friendship with which Bonaparte regarded him, and was exaggerated by 
the frequent appearance of his name in bulletins and official despatches. 
“ For my part, I loved Berthier, and thought him an excellent man. Not- 
withstanding the intimate terms on which we were together, particularly in 
Egypt, I could never cure him of a habit which he had contracted of biting 
his nails in conversation—a habit which rendered his pronunciation extremely 
indistinct. 
« Bonaparte was in many respects the creature of habit, and liked to be sur- 
rounded by those with whom custom had familiarized him. He hated new 
faces. Berthier loved him, executed his orders with precision ; and those qua- 
lities covered a multitude of defects, and redeemed his mediocrity of talent.” 
“ A sort of analogy exists between great men and celebrated places. It was 
not an indifferent spectacle to behold Bonaparte in contemplation of the spot 
where, in 1476, Charles of Burgundy, surnamed the Bold, witnessed the over- 
throw of his soldiers by the Swiss. Bonaparte had slept the evening before at 
Moudon, where the most marked honours had been paid him, as had been the 
case throughout all the places which he had visited. An accident having 
happened to his carriage in the morning, we continued our route on foot, 
accompanied only by a few officers and an escort of dragoons. Bonaparte, an 
* Madame Roland. 
3 T 2 
