508 
P A R I S 
and the duke of Angouleme was ordered to proceed from 
Bordeaux to Nifmes. The duke of Berri was likewife about 
to join the army ; but the marfhals Macdonald and St. Cyr 
entreated him to relinquifli the defign, alluring him that 
his interference would be the death-warrant of his family. 
This prince had been unable to reconcile himfelf to the 
generals of Bonaparte and the formerenemiesof his houfe, 
and had rendered himfelf unpopular by fome indifcreet 
and contemptuous language which he had ufed towards 
the molt meritorious of the marfhals. 
Monfieur and the duke of Orleans arrived at Lyons, 
where they were joined by marfhal Macdonald. The ma¬ 
jority of the inhabitants were favourable to Napoleon, but 
a ftrong party of royalifts yet remained at Lyons; and 
many of the young men of the principal families formed 
themfelves into a guard of honour for the immediate pro¬ 
tection of Monfieur. On the next day the troops of the 
garrifon were reviewed. Monfieur harangued them. 
Hedwelt on the virtues of Louis, and on the oath of fi¬ 
delity which they had taken ; and he painted in lively co¬ 
lours the perfidious character and atrocious projects of 
Bonaparte. His own efcort, and the guard of honour, 
replied with the acclamations of “The king for ever !” 
but the troops of the line maintained a mournful and ob- 
ftinate filence. Monfieur then addrefled the colonel of 
the 13th dragoons, and afked him what were the feelings, 
what the intentions, of his regiment. “ Interrogate them,” 
laid the officer, “ they will frankly reply to you.” Mon¬ 
fieur addrefled thefoldier who was neareft to him : “ Are 
you well paid ?” “ Yes, my lord.”—“ Will you fight for 
the king?” “No my lord.”—“For whom, then, will 
you fight ? “ For Napoleon.”—The prince difmounted, 
lie proceeded through the ranks, and accofted every indi¬ 
vidual whole perlon he recolleCted. At length he came 
to an old foldier, covered with fears, and decorated with 
three medals. “ Well, comrade !” faid he, “ a brave fol- 
dier, like you, cannot hefitate to cry the king forever!” 
“You deceive yourfelf,” anfwered the dragoon roughly: 
“ no foldier will fight againft his father; and my cry will 
be The emperor for ever !” 
^Macdonald would not yet defpair. The advanced guard 
of the rebels had reached the fuburbs of La Guilloterie. 
Macdonald ordered two battalions of infantry to proceed 
againft them, and placed himfelf at their head. As they 
crofted the bridge that led to the fuburb, a reconnoitring 
party of the 4th huflars, w hich had joined Napoleon at 
Grenoble, appeared, followed by fome fquadrons, and by 
a tumultuous populace fhouting “The emperor forever!” 
The moment was decifive. The troops on each fide rufhed 
forward—not to imbrue their hands in each others blood, 
but to give each other the fraternal embrace. 
Macdonald precipitated himfelf among them. His me¬ 
naces andliis entreaties were alike unheard. The voice 
of authority was difregarded. They forgot their alle¬ 
giance, and increafed the army of the invader. “ We 
know nothing of the king,” they exclaimed as he pointed 
to the ftandard of Louis, and urged them not to abandon 
it, “ we never knew him ; and you alone, who have taken 
an oath to him which our hearts difavow', will be culpable 
if you ceafe to be faithful to him. Napoleon was torn 
from us by treafon, but he w'as never abfent from our af¬ 
fections ; and, as his noble enterprife has again reftored 
him to us, it is to him that we ought to preferve an oath, 
which to him alone we have taken. To obey the king, 
and difobey the emperor, that only would be diflionour 
and perjury. To quit the ftandard of the king, and join 
the ranks of the emperor, is the belt proof which we can 
give of our fidelity.” In this moment of fhameful dere¬ 
liction of their duty they however, exhibited an honour¬ 
able feeling which it is pleafing to record. The marfhal 
was furrounded by the rebels, and made prifoner. The 
troops which had deferted him no fooner perceived this 
than they flew to his refeue, declared that they would 
defend him at the hazard of their lives, conducted him 
fafely within the gates, and returned to join the follow¬ 
ers of Napoleon. 
All was evidently loft, and Monfieur haftily quitted 
Lyons : even the guard of honour now forfook him, and 
one horfeman alone had fufficient courage and fidelity to 
attend him. 
Napoleon entered Lyons on the evening of the 9th. 
Next morning he reviewed the whole of his army, which 
now aflumed a formidable appearance. During that re¬ 
view he exhibited one of thofe traits of greatnefs which 
are ftrangely mingled in his character with fo many bafe 
and unworthy qualities. The guard of honour, which 
had been formed for the protection of Monfieur, prefented 
itfelf before him, and entreated that they might be per¬ 
mitted to become his perfonal efcort. “Your conduCt 
towards the comte d’Artois,” replied he, “ allures me 
what I ffiould expeCt from you, if I fuftained a reverfe 
of fortune.” He difmifled them with contempt ; and 
ordered a crofs of the legion of honour to be tranlinitted 
to the faithful trooper who had accompanied the count. 
Napoleon had now nothing to dread; and, being com¬ 
pelled to halt at Lyons to refrefli his haraffed troops, he 
aflumed all the imperial ftate, and began to iflue his pro¬ 
clamations and decrees, as if he were already reinftated 
on the throne. His reception in the fecond town of 
France juftified this prefumption. He mixed with the 
people in the ftreets, and at the ball which was given to 
him at the town-houfe, with the fame unfufpicious con¬ 
fidence which had marked his former progrels, and which 
was no lefs apparent during his advance upon the capital. 
It was confidently reported by the partifans of the 
Bourbons, that numerous troops were advancing from 
the fouth to furround Bonaparte and cut off his retreat. 
The king, however, placed little reliance on this intelli¬ 
gence, to which the greateft importance was attached by 
his imprudent and infatuated courtiers. In fait, what 
reliance could he place on the profeffions of any of his 
troops after the defections of Grenoble and Lyons? He 
was more fully juftified in this diftruft by the intelligence 
which he had juft received of the conduCt of the garri¬ 
fon of Lille. Count Erlon had endeavoured to feduce 
the troops, to abandon the caufe of the monarch. He 
had partially fucceeded, when marlhal Mortier, difeover- 
ing the plot, caufed him to be put under arrelt. He was 
immediately tried and condemned to death : he was led 
to the fquare of the citadel; his eyes were bandaged; a 
file of foldiers were drawn up before him ; their pieces 
were prefented, and the fatal word was momentarily ex¬ 
pected ; when the troops fuddenly rofe againft Mortier, 
and declared Erlon commander of the fortrefs. Erlon, 
however, fpeedily relealed the marfhal, and fent him to 
Paris. 
It was in oppofition to the advice of the princes of his 
family, that Louis had convened the tw’b chambers. 
Thefe milguided men had been unable to relinquifli the 
lofty ideas of the kingly prerogative in which they had 
been educated. They wiflied to have feen the fovereign 
aflume a dictatorial power, for which the prefent criiis 
would have formed fome colourable excufe, and which 
might have prepared the way for the future extenfion of 
the monarch’s prerogative. But Louis, who was the vic¬ 
tim of bad counfels, and a cruel concurrence of circum- 
ftances, and not of his own ambition, was now' perfectly 
convinced, that, even if the pretenfions of Bonaparte 
were cruflied, there would be no lecurity for himfelf and 
his family, but in the ItriCt obfervance of the conltitu- 
tion which he had fworn to refpeCt. 
The two chambers having met on the 9th of March, 
after fome preliminary bufinefs, they both voted loyal ad- 
drefles to the king. 
The government now began, in earneft, their efforts to 
flop the progfefs of Bonaparte ; and troops were collected 
from all quarters to proceed againft him. Great prepara¬ 
tions were alfo made to collect a formidable army at Me- 
lun, 
