M. Arago's Biographical Memoir of James Watt. 291 



the crowd of courtiers who were the witnesses of this scene ; 

 those very individuals who, from step to step, had gone so far 

 in their adulation as to tell their master, and apparently with- 

 out exciting his astonishment or rebuke, that " When God 

 had created Napoleon, he felt need of repose ?" 



What, then, were the words which went so straight — so 

 pointedly to the heart of Napoleon ? They were the follow- 

 ing : " In our camp, where, far from the calamities of the 

 interior, the national glory was preserved unsullied, sprung 

 up another kind of eloquence till then unknown in modern 

 times. Concerning it there can be no dispute. When, in 

 ancient authors, we read the harangues of the most renowned 

 captains, we are usually called to admire only the genius of 

 the historian. But here the heart-stirring addresses still exist, 

 and may be collected without trouble. These beautiful pro- 

 clamations emanated from the army of Italy ; where the con- 

 queror of Lodi and Arcole, whilst creating a new art of war, 

 gave existence also to military eloquence, of which he will 

 ever remain the model." On the 28th of February, the day 

 subsequent to the celebrated meeting, the particulars of which 

 I have now traced, the Moniteur, with its accustomed fidelity, 

 published the Emperor's answer to the discourse of Chenier. 

 It was cold, formal, and insignificant, and had, in short, all the 

 characters, others might say, all the qualities of an official do- 

 cument. It made no allusion to the incident I have related ; 

 — miserable concession to predominating opinion, and the 

 susceptibilities of the Staff. 



The master of the world, to avail myself of Pliny's expres- 

 sion, yielding for a moment to his real feelings, lowered his 

 fasces before the literary compliment paid to him by the Aca- 

 demy. 



These reflections, upon the comparative merit of the philoso- 

 pher or author, and the warrior, although they have been sug- 

 gested to me chiefly by what is said, and what passes, around us, 

 will not be wholly inapplicable to the native coimtry of Watt. 

 I lately travelled extensively throughout both England and 

 Scotland. The kindness I received authorized me to ask 

 questions, so searching, distinct, and direct, that, in other 

 circumstances, they would have been excusable only in the 



