STATE PAPERS. 



623 



war, and he made propositions of 

 peace. From that time, with that 

 view into futurity which outstrips 

 eveats, and discriminates them even 

 in the causes that are to produce 

 them, he had foreseen all the blood 

 that was to ilow on the fields of Ma- 

 rengo and 1 lohenlinden ; and insen- 

 siblc to these presages, which held 

 out to France, and to its brave ar- 

 my, fresh lauicls and new con- 

 quests, he listened only to wisdom 

 and humanity, which give a sanction 



to glory, but dictate sacrifices. 



The same principle inspired him with 

 the same magnanimity ; when called 

 upon to take the reins of govern- 

 ment, he united the title of first 

 consul to his reputation as a general, 

 and the authority of the chief magis- 

 tracy to the unlimited ascendancy 

 of the glory which he had acquired. 

 On all sides he addressed the lan- 

 guage of peace, and he succeeded in 

 making himself understood. After 

 peace had been restored to the Con- 

 tinent, there yet remained an enemy 

 to France. On the 2 1th of Janua- 

 ry, year 8, he made a proposal of 

 peace to the king of England. The 

 generous conqueror of the year 5, 

 the first consul, pacificator of the 

 year 8, could not be deficient in the 

 same magnanimous moderation in 

 the person of the august sovereign, 

 to whom heaven has confided our 

 destinies. The degrees of power, 

 the diversity of situations, produce 

 no change in those eminent qualities 

 "which may justly be styled the vir- 

 tues of character: and the emperor 

 was bound for the third time to pro- 

 pose peace, in order to prove, that 

 it was not idly he had uttered, on a 

 solemn occasion, these never-to-be- 

 forgotten words, " Soldiers, as first 

 consul, I had but one sentiment ; as 

 •mperor, 1 can cntcrtaia no other," 



It is two years since war has been 

 declared, and it has not been practi- 

 cable to commence it. All its oper- 

 ations have been preparatory in pro- 

 jects; but the moment having ar- 

 rived when the prosecution of it 

 must produce real events, and give 

 birth to the most terrible chances, 

 the emperor thought that it was es- 

 sential to the principle of that poli- 

 tical religion, which, without doubt, 

 draws down upon the thoughts and 

 efforts of just and generous princes 

 the assistance of heaven, to do every 

 tiling in his power to prevent great 

 calamities by making peace. — I am 

 directed to communicate to you the 

 letter which, with this view of mode- 

 ration and humanity, his majesty the 

 emperor has thou^^ht proper to write 

 to his majesty the king of Great 

 Britain : (Here he read the letter of 

 Napoleon to the king of England.) 

 In estimating the advantages of our 

 position, and in reflecting on that 

 unanimous display of affection and 

 respect, which during the late cir- 

 cumstances exhibited to us the whole 

 of France absolutely disposed to 

 devote itself to maintain the honour 

 of the French name, the glory of the 

 throne, and the power of the empire, 

 \ shall not conceal that, being the 

 only person admitted, as minister, 

 to the participation of that determi- 

 nation, I ought, in order to appre- 

 ciate it fully, to regard it less with a 

 view to itself, to its heroic principle 

 — to contemplate \i rather as a result 

 of character, than as the application 

 of a maxim of state. If any other 

 prince had communicated to me such 

 a disposition, I should have felt, 

 that the power of my office and my 

 personal devotion would impose on 

 me the duty of opposing it by my 

 advice. And, in fact, what is our 

 situfttioQ? And on which side are 



the 



