PARIS. 
526 
Soldier, I derive all from the people. In profperity, in 
adverfity, on the field of battle, in council, on the throne, 
and in exile, France has been the foie and conftant objeft 
of my thoughts and aftions. Like Codrus king of Athens, 
I facrificed myfelf for my people, in the hope of realizing 
the promife given to preferve to France her natural inte¬ 
grity, her honours, and her rights. Indignation at feeing 
thofe facred rights, acquired by twenty years of viftory, 
difavowed, and loft for ever; the cry of French honour 
tarnifhed, and the wifhes of the nation, have replaced me 
upon that throne which is dear to me, becaule it is the 
palladium of the independence, the honour, and the rights, 
of the people. Frenchmen, in traverfing, amidft the 
public joy, the different provinces of the empire to reach 
my capital, I had reafon to rely on a lading peace. Na¬ 
tions are bound by treaties concluded by their govern¬ 
ments, whatever they may be. My thoughts were then 
all occupied with the means of eftablifhing our liberty 
by a conftitution conformable to the will and interefts of 
the people. I convoked the Champ de Mai. I foon 
learned that the princes who have difregarded all princi¬ 
ples, who have trampled on the fentiments and deareft 
interefts of fo many nations, wifli to make war againll us. 
They meditate the increafing of the kingdom of the Ne¬ 
therlands, by giving it as barriers all our northern fron¬ 
tier places ; and to make up the quarrels which ftill divide 
them, by fharing among themfelves Lorraine and Alface. 
It was neceflary therefore to prepare for war. However, 
before perfonally expofing myfelf to the rifk of battles, 
my firft care was to give, without delay, a Conftitution 
to the nation. The people has accepted the act which I 
prefented to it. 
“Frenchmen, when we have repelled thefe unjuft ag- 
greffions, and Europe fhall be convinced of what is due 
to the rights and independence of 28,000,000 of French, 
a folemn law, enacted according to the forms prefcribed 
by the Conftitutional Aft, fhall combine the different 
difpofitions of our conftitutions that are now fcattered. 
“'Frenchmen, you are about to return into your de¬ 
partments. Tell the citizens, that circumftances are ar¬ 
duous ; that with union, energy, and perfeverance, we 
fhall come off victorious from that ftruggle of a great 
people with its oppreffors ; that future generations will 
feverely fcrutinize our conduft ; that a nation has loft 
every thing when it has loft its independence. Tell them, 
that the foreign kings whom I railed to the throne, or 
who are indebted to me for the prefervation of their 
crowns; who all, in the time of my profperity, courted 
my alliance and the proteftion of the French people ; are 
now aiming all their blows at my perfon. If I did not 
fee that it is againft the country that they are direfted, I 
would place at their difpofal this life againft which they 
manifeft fuch animofity. But tell the citizens alfo, that, 
while the French fhall retain for me the fentiments of love 
of which they give me fo many proofs, this rage of our 
enemies will be impotent. 
“ Frenchmen, my will is that of the people : my rights 
are its rights : my honour, my glory, my happinefs can 
never be diftinft from the honour, the glory, and the hap¬ 
pinefs, of France.” 
The archbifhop of Bourges, officiating as grand almo¬ 
ner, then approached the throne, and, kneeling, prefented 
the New Teftament to the emperor, who took the oath in 
thefe terms : “ I fwear to obferve the conftitutions of the 
empire, and to caufe them to be obferved.” This was 
followed by an oath of obedience to the conftitution, and 
of fidelity to the emperor, pronounced by the arch-chan¬ 
cellor, and repeated by the whole alfembly. 
After Te Deum was fung, the prefidents of the electo¬ 
ral colleges advanced to receive the eagles deftined for 
the national guards of their refpeftive departments. Na¬ 
poleon, in prefenting them, fpoke as follows: “Soldiers 
of the national guard of the empire, foldiers of the army 
and navy; I confide to you the imperial eagle with the 
national colours j fwear to defend it at the price of your 
blood againft the enemies of the country and of this 
throne! Swear that it fhall always be your watch-word ; 
fwear !" 
Univerfally-repeated cries of “ We fwear it,” refounded 
throughout the inclofure. In the midft of thefe accla¬ 
mations, and furrounded by the eagles of all the armed 
corps of France, the emperor went with his whole reti¬ 
nue to place himfelf on the elevated throne in the middle 
of the Champ de Mars, where, as colonel of the national 
guard of Paris, and of the imperial guard, he gave the 
eagles to the prefidents of the departments and of the fix 
arrondiffements, and to the chiefs of his guard. All the 
troops marched in battalions and fquadrons, and fur- 
rounded the throne, the officers ftanding in the firft line. 
The emperor faid : “ Soldiers of the national guard of 
Paris, Soldiers of the imperial guard! I confide to you 
the imperial eagle with the national colours. You fwear 
to perifh, if neceflary, to defend it againft the enemies 
of the country and of the throne.” (The whole army, 
aflembled around the throne, was within hearing, and 
interrupted the emperor with a thoufand times repeated 
cries of ‘ We fwear it!’) “You fwear never to acknowledge 
any other rallying fign.” (Unanimous cries again re¬ 
founded of ‘ We fwear it!’ The drums beat, and filence 
was reftored.) “You, foldiers of the national guard of 
Paris, fwear not to fuffer the enemy to pollute again the 
capital of the great nation. It is to your valour that I 
fhall confide it.” (Cries of ‘ We fwear it !’ were again 
repeated.) “And you, foldiers of the imperial guard, 
you fwear to furpafs yourfelves in the campaign that is 
about to open, and to die all of you rather than fuffer 
foreigners to come and diftate laws to the country.” The 
acclamations, the fhouts of “ We fwear it!” refounded 
again, and were repeated throughout the whole extent of 
the Champ de Mars. 
The compofition of fuch addreffes as thefe is certainly 
Napoleon’s forte; and he never delivered them but they 
had their full efleft of infpiring or reviving the love of the 
foldiery to his perfon. The fpeftacle being finiflied, he 
re-afcended his carriage, and returned to the Tuileries 
in the fame ftate and order of procefllon that he came. 
Thus ended the ceremony; but it mull not be forgot¬ 
ten, that on that day and the next, amufements, fuch as 
theatricals, rope-dancing, horfemanfhip, afcenfior. of 
balloons, &c. were given gratis. Along the avenue of 
the Champs Elyfees, thirty-fix fountains flowing with 
wine, and twelve buffets for the diftribution of patties, 
pullets, faufages, &c. were placed. 
On the following day the chamber of reprefentatives 
commenced its fittings. Their firft bufinefs was to eleft 
a prefident. The choice fell on Lanjuinais, who had 
been a member of the old convention, and who, in the 
preceding year, had been peculiarly aftive in drawing 
up the lilt of crimes committed by Bonaparte, and which 
was officially publiflied as the junification of his dethrone¬ 
ment. La Fayette had the greateft number of votes next 
to him. This was fufficient to fhow that the members 
were aftuated by a very different fpirit from what had 
ever before appeared among them during the former 
reign of Napoleon; and that they regarded him only in 
the light of the chief magiftrate of the ftate, whom they 
were not bound to obey, or even refpeft, except in fo far 
as he confcientioufly difcharged the duties of his office. 
In the fitting of the 4th of June, the day the prefident 
was chofen, this fpirit was firft made manifeft. The cham¬ 
ber of reprefentatives had intimated to him their wifh to 
have the official lift of the chamber of peers : to this ex- 
preffed wifh an official anfwer was fent from the minifter 
of the interior, fignifying that the lift of the peers would 
not bepublifhed till after the regular opening of thefeflion : 
upon this a member rofe with warmth, and propofed that 
the chamber, in reply to this letter, fhould declare that 
it would not conftitute itfelf till the lift was communicated. 
This, however, was over-ruled. 
In the fitting of the following day, the minute of the 
election 
