Napoleon and the Queen of Prussia

by L. Mühlbach

  CHAPTER XLI.

  THE FESTIVITIES OF ERFURT AND WEIMAR.

  Festivities were succeeded by festivities, amusements by amusements, andthese days of Erfurt glided by in friendship, pleasure, and love.Napoleon was the host. It was he who received the Emperor of Russia, thekings, the dukes, and the princes, with their legions of courtiers andcavaliers, and treated all the members of these different petty courtswith imperial munificence. In return there were universal manifestationsof homage and devotion. The kings and princes every morning attended hislevee. He arranged the entertainments that were to take place, anddesignated those who were to participate in them. All bowed to him, eventhe Emperor Alexander himself. The most cordial feeling prevailedbetween the two emperors. They were always seen arm in arm, like twoloving youths, jealous of every minute that separated them. At thedinner-table, at the theatre, at the balls and concerts, they alwayscame together into the proud society that awaited them. At dinner,Napoleon, playing the polite and obliging host, always had Alexanderplaced at his right. At the theatre, directly behind the orchestra, weretwo gilded easy-chairs on a small platform, and the two emperors wereenthroned on them near each other; on the floor behind this stood foursmall arm-chairs, occupied by the Kings of Bavaria, Wuertemberg, Saxony,and Westphalia; and in the rear, on common chairs, sat the dukes,princes, counts, and the large array of cavaliers and courtiers. Thequeens and princesses were seated in the proscenium-boxes on both sidesof the stage, and the ladies of the _haute-volee_ in their rich toiletsand wealth of jewelry filled the first tier.

  Napoleon kept the promise he had made to Talma: that celebrated actorplayed before a pit of kings, and it was, perhaps, this fact, or theexpectant face of Napoleon, whose eyes were on him, or the presence ofAlexander, who was never weary of praising him--it was probably all thisthat enkindled the actor's enthusiasm. Never before had Talma playedmore effectively--never before had he assumed such a dignity forenthroned greatness, or better studied its bearing in adversity. Hisexpression of hatred, love, and grief, in his impersonations, were nevermore famous than in these gala-days of Erfurt. A sort of inspirationpervaded the great artist, and his enthusiasm infected the spectators,especially Alexander, who was carried away by Talma's passion in therepresentation of "Oedipus." When the actor exclaimed, "The friendshipof a great man is a boon of the gods!" the Russian emperor bent overNapoleon, and seizing his hand pressed it against his breast. A murmurof applause was heard; all appeared astonished at this publicdemonstration; even Oedipus on the stage seemed to be impressed, and hisvoice trembled. Napoleon alone remained grave and calm, not a featurechanged or betrayed the satisfaction that his heart could not but feelat this moment; he thanked Alexander only by a glance, and his attentionseemed to be again directed to the stage.

  Late at night Napoleon found, as usual, a letter from his ministerChampagny. "Old Romanzoff insists on the prompt fulfilment of thepromises of Tilsit," wrote the minister. "Constantinople--nothing butConstantinople--seems to the stubborn Russian an equivalent for Spain. Ibelieve the peremptory orders only of his master will subdue thisobstinacy."

  "Ah," murmured Napoleon, crumpling the paper in his hand, "I must put astop to this. We must arrive at a definite result. I shall utter thedecisive word to-morrow!"

  On the following morning the kings and princes appeared in vain in theanteroom of the Emperor Napoleon to attend his levee. He had risen at anunusually early hour, and, allured by the sunny autumnal morning,visited his friend Alexander, who had just risen when Napoleon,unannounced, entered with a smiling face.

  "Ah," exclaimed Alexander, rushing toward him with a cry of exultation,and embracing him affectionately, "sire, I dreamed of you all night; youwere here at my side, while I was sleeping, and all seemed bright, butwhen I opened my eyes and did not see you, the room appeared dark,although the sun was shining. But now you are here, and my dreams arerealized."

  Napoleon's face suddenly turned gloomy, and the smile disappeared fromhis lips. "I also had a dream," he said, gravely. "It seemed to me asthough I lay on a bed of flowers, and two stars were twinkling above me,and as they came nearer I saw that they were not stars, but bright eyesbeaming in a manly face, and looking at me with tenderness. I wasfascinated. I raised myself as if borne on angel-wings, and stretchedout my arms toward the approaching form. Suddenly I uttered a scream;the friend had been changed into a wolf that rushed toward me, andfixing his eyes on mine, tore my breast and fed upon my heart. Oh, I wasin horrible pain--not imaginary but real--for I screamed so loudly thatConstant, my _valet de chambre_, hastened from the adjoining room andawakened me. Even now that I think of it I tremble, and sadness fills mysoul." He bent his head on his breast, and, folding his hands behindhim, paced the room slowly.

  Alexander looked smilingly at him, but approaching, said: "Sire, whythis melancholy? In truth, when looking at you, one might think, myaugust friend, that you believed in dreams."

  "I do," exclaimed Napoleon, quickly raising his head. "Dreams arerevelations from on high! Had Julius Caesar believed in his dreams, andin the prophecies of the astrologers, he would not have fallen by thedaggers of assassins."

  "But how will your majesty interpret the dream that tormented you lastnight?" asked Alexander.

  Napoleon bent a strange look on his frank countenance. "Alexander," hesaid, in a low voice, "could you ever transform yourself into a wolf,and tear out my heart?"

  "I, Napoleon, I?" ejaculated Alexander, starting back in dismay. "Yourmajesty, then, does not believe in my friendship, in the profoundadmiration for you that fills my soul? All I have said and done has thenbeen in vain! Instead of having won your esteem, your majesty distrustsme, and believes the follies of the imagination in sleep rather than theprotestations of reason, interest, and friendship!"

  "No, no," said Napoleon, affectionately, and almost touched by theprofound grief depicted in Alexander's countenance, "I believe that yourmajesty returns a little the love I feel for you. I believe in yournoble heart, in spite of all dreams."

  "And I swear to your majesty that you may believe in me," exclaimedAlexander. "My whole policy, the new course upon which I have entered,will prove to you, more convincingly than words, sire, that I am mostanxious to establish a firm alliance between Russia and France; oh,believe me, sire, I gladly acknowledge you as my superior; allpromptings of jealousy are extinct in my heart; and when, in the face ofthe enormous territorial aggrandizements of Franco, I desire anenlargement of Russia, too, I do so not for my sake, but in order tosatisfy my people, that they may bear more patiently your operations inSpain. For my part, I approve all you have done in that country. KingCharles and his son Ferdinand have abundantly deserved their presentfate by their incapacity and baseness, and I do not pity them. But onemust comprehend the system of the great Napoleon as clearly andthoroughly as I do, to be able to pass over the great catastrophes whichyour majesty has caused the world to witness. My people, and, above all,my nobility, have not yet progressed so far as that, and hence theattention of the Russians should be turned to important changes in theOrient that they may look more indifferently at what you are undertakingin the Occident. As for myself, I am your most faithful friend, and Ihave proved it to your majesty by becoming the enemy of your enemies. Inaccordance with your wishes, I have declared war against England, andshall probably soon have to do the same against Austria, for I shallrequire her in the most energetic manner to explain why she is secretlyarming; and, if her explanations should not be satisfactory, draw thesword against her. Then, I suppose, your majesty will believe in myfriendship?"

  "Oh, I believe in it now," exclaimed Napoleon, pressing the profferedhand of Alexander. "For this friendship is my hope. United, we shall beable to carry out the grand schemes which we formed at Tilsit. Stridingacross the world, we shall lay it at our feet, and one day there will beonly two thrones; but in the beginning we must proceed carefully. Ittook the Creator six days to make the world, and each day, most likely,comprehended a vast number of our years. We shall create our
world insix years, and then we shall look at it, and pronounce it 'very good.'But caution is indispensable, for our empires labor under many burdens.You are waging war in Finland, and I am doing so in Spain. Prudenceadvises us not to increase these embarrassments by seeking at thismoment for Russia an aggrandizement which would fill the world withastonishment, and reecho like a war-cry throughout Europe. Let thedissolution of Turkey and her annexation to Russia be the keystone ofour creation, the last work of the sixth day. Let us erect the newempires on solid foundations, which all the storms of this world may notshake!"

  "When Constantinople is mine, I shall not be afraid," exclaimedAlexander, ardently.

  "Constantinople belongs to the sixth day of creation," said Napoleon,"but we are only at the second. Tilsit was the first, Erfurt is thesecond."

  "And on the second day you take from me what you promised on the first?"asked Alexander, whose brow was losing its serenity.

  "No, I only want to secure it to you," said Napoleon--"to give a firmbase to the edifice of our future. If your majesty should takepossession of Turkey to-day, one-half of Europe would arm to-morrow totake it from you, and at this moment Russia is unable to brave so manyenemies. Austria would rise against you, for, whatever offers you mightmake, she would prefer war to a partition of Turkey. England would seeher commerce endangered, and enter into the contest from calculations ofself-interest. Besides, Turkey herself would wage war with thefanaticism of her menaced nationality. Where are the armies which yourmajesty could oppose to the united forces of England, Austria, andTurkey? It is true, you have an army on the Danube, sufficiently strongto oppose Turkey, but too weak if the whole nation should rise. Yourprincipal army is in Finland, and you have no troops to war againstAustria. I alone, therefore--for, as a matter of course, I shall remainyour faithful ally--I should have to struggle with Austria, England,Spain, and, perhaps, with the whole of Germany. To be sure, I might doso, for I have sufficient power to cope with all my enemies. But wouldit be wise to enter at once into enterprises so vast? And what for? Topursue a chimerical project which, how grand so ever it may be, is notattainable at this time."

  "Alas!" sighed Alexander, "I see that your majesty is right, and thatmountain difficulties rise between me and my cherished project! I shallhave to return empty-handed to my ancestors, and when Peter the Greatasks me, 'What have you done to fulfil my will? Where are the provincesthat you have added to my empire?' I must hang my head in confusion andsay that--"

  "No," exclaimed Napoleon, in a loud and solemn voice; "you will proudlyraise your head and reply: 'Look at Russia! I have made her great athome and abroad. I have given to my people civilization and culture, andadded to my empire new provinces which promote its greatness and powermore substantially than Constantinople itself would have done. Thepossession of that city is a dream. I have annexed to my country realprovinces.' That is what you will reply to your great ancestor, sire,provided you go to him before having arrived at your sixth day ofcreation."

  Alexander was speechless for a moment, as if fascinated by Napoleon'scountenance, beaming with energy and determination.

  "What provinces does your majesty allude to?" he asked, dreamily.

  "They lie at the feet of Russia, and seem only to wait for your majestyto pick them up. Moldavia and Wallachia you will present as new crownjewels to your empire. They are substantial realities in place ofvisionary wishes; solid possessions far more important thanConstantinople."

  "That is true," exclaimed Alexander. "I have myself thought so for along time, but I dare not avow it, because I was afraid your majestywould not agree with me."

  "France knows no envy," said the emperor, "and Napoleon loves his friendAlexander; he will gladly grant to him what he desires, and what isattainable. Take Moldavia and Wallachia, sire!"

  "You grant them to me," exclaimed Alexander, "and it is no emptypromise, but a definite and immutable agreement?"

  "I say, sire, take them at once, and woe to those who would dare touchyour new possessions!"

  "I thank you, sire," Alexander said. "You have given me a proof of yourfriendship to-day, and old Romanzoff will have to acknowledge that he iswrong in thinking that you only intended to amuse us with idle promises.Ah, he is a hard head, and I believe your Minister Champagny cannot getalong with him very well."

  "That is so," exclaimed Napoleon, laughing, and Alexander joinedheartily in his mirth.

  "He will now demand guaranties," said Alexander, still laughing. "He isso distrustful that he believes in no words, though from heaven. My oldRomanzoff believes only in black and white."

  "We will so guarantee Moldavia to him," said Napoleon.

  "Oh, not for my sake," exclaimed Alexander, carelessly. "Your majesty'sword is amply sufficient for me; let Romanzoff and Champagny quarrelabout the formalities."

  "I will come to the assistance of poor Champagny," said Napoleon, "ifyour majesty, in return, will be kind enough to make stubborn Romanzoffsomewhat more tractable. You have already occupied these provinces; itwill, therefore, be easy for you to annex them. France will give herconsent by a formal treaty, and not only engage to recognize thisannexation so far as she herself is concerned, but also to compelTurkey, Austria, and England, to acknowledge it. Your majesty,therefore, will break the armistice with Turkey, and advance your armyto the foot of the Balkan, then to Adrianople, and, if need be, toConstantinople, in order to wrest these territories from the Porte. Incase Austria should intervene, we shall both declare war against her. Asfor England, we are already at war with her. It will only be necessaryfor me to give her a bloody defeat in Spain to render her insensible toany enterprises we may enter into on the continent. All this westipulate not only verbally, but in writing. Will that satisfy yourmajesty?"

  "Me? I am satisfied with your majesty's word," exclaimed Alexander.

  "Well, then," said Napoleon, with a smile, "the question is: Will yourminister be satisfied?"

  "Of course, he will; and, moreover, I shall command him to raise nofurther objections. Let Champagny and Romanzoff draw up the treaty; itwill then be merely necessary for us to sign it, and the whole matter issettled. Our friendship will have been rendered more intimate andlasting by new bonds, which nothing in the world will be able tobreak."

  "As to our other plans," said Napoleon, "we shall never lose sight ofthem. Every day we draw nearer to their fulfilment. There is yet a vastfuture before us in which to accomplish our purposes with regard to theOrient, and to remodel its political affairs. Romanzoff is aged, andhence, impatient to enjoy what he desires. But you are young: you canwait."

  "Romanzoff is a Russian of the old school," said Alexander, smiling. "Hehas passions and inclinations from which I am free. I attach a highervalue to civilizing than enlarging my empire. Hence, I desire theprovinces of the Danube more for my nation than for myself. I shall beable to wait patiently until our plans can be carried into effect. Butyou, my noble friend, you ought to enjoy in tranquillity the greatthings which you have accomplished, and no longer expose yourself to thedanger of war. Have you not obtained glory and power enough? Alexanderand Caesar gained no more laurels than you! Be happy, and let us leavethe execution of our projects to the future."

  "Yes, let us do so," replied Napoleon. "I am also longing for repose. Iam tired of conquest; it has charms for me no longer, and battle-fieldsseem to me what they are--the graveyards of brave men prematurely takenfrom their country and their families. No more war! Peace with the wholeworld, made more desirable by the friendship of Alexander!" He offeredhis hand with that smile which no one could withstand. "Oh!" hecontinued, "I am so happy at having at length arrived at anunderstanding with you, and strengthened our alliance, that I wish yourmajesty had some desire that I might grant, and which it would bedifficult for me to fulfil. Is there nothing at all that you coulddemand of me?"

  "Yes, sire, there is," responded Alexander, "and I have both a wish anda prayer to address your majesty. Sire, my ally, the poor King ofPrussia, and his noble consort, are still li
ving in exile. I saw them,with your consent, on passing through Koenigsberg, and confess that Ipromised to intercede for them, and procure an alleviation of theirunfortunate condition."

  "An alleviation of their unfortunate condition!" exclaimed Napoleon,frowning. "Do they not owe their present fate entirely to themselves?Why do they not pay punctually the contributions which I have imposedupon them?"

  "Sire, because they cannot! Prussia, exhausted, and reduced to one-halfof her former territory, is unable to pay war contributions amounting toone hundred and fifty millions of dollars, in the short space of twoyears, and to feed, besides, a French army of forty thousand men. Yourmajesty ought to be magnanimous, and restore at least a semblance ofindependence to my poor ally, by putting an end to the occupation."

  "If I do so, Prussia would think no longer of fulfilling her obligationsto me," exclaimed Napoleon. "Instead of paying the war contributions,she would be foolish enough to rise in open hostility against me. QueenLouisa hates me; she will never cease to intrigue against me, and toinstigate her husband to pursue a course hostile to me. She surroundsherself and her husband by men who share her sentiments, and areplotting to revolutionize Prussia--nay, all Germany. There is, forinstance, a certain Baron von Stein, whom the king appointed minister atthe request of the queen, and who is nothing but a tool in the hands ofthis intriguing woman. That Stein is a bad and dangerous man; he is atthe head of secret societies, and I shall immediately take steps torender him harmless. He and the queen alone make Prussia oppose me, andrefuse paying the stipulated contributions."

  "Sire," said Alexander, almost imploringly, "I repeat to your majesty,Prussia is unable to pay the enormous amount which has even beenincreased after the conclusion of the treaty of Tilsit, and, moreover,in the short space of two years. Oh, your majesty, the fate of the royalfamily of Prussia is truly pitiable and weighs down my soul withremorse. Do for my sake what you are unwilling to do for the sake ofPrussia. Let me not return without consolation to that mourning royalfamily. Let me enjoy the triumph of proving to them that my words andintercession were able to obtain from your majesty what neither thequeen's letter, nor all the solicitations of Prince William, and of thePrussian diplomatists, had been able to accomplish! Oh, sire, you see Iam vain, and would like to demonstrate your friendship for me."

  Napoleon's countenance grew milder while Alexander was impressivelyuttering these words. "Sire," he said, "who could withstand your graceand magnanimity? I wished a few minutes ago to be allowed to grant yousome request, difficult for me to fulfil, in order to give you a proofof my regard! Well, your majesty has really asked something verydifficult for me to grant. But I will comply for your sake, sire! I willdeduct twenty millions from the sum to be paid by Prussia, extend thetime in which the contributions are to be paid from two to three years,and withdraw my troops and officials in the course of six months. Isyour majesty satisfied with this, and will you regard it as a proof ofmy friendship?"

  "It is a proof of your friendship and generosity, and I thank yourmajesty," exclaimed Alexander. "Oh, how happy I shall be when on myreturn I announce these glad tidings to the royal couple! Ah, my poorallies have suffered a great deal, and if your majesty does not object,I should like to invite King Frederick William and his consort, nextwinter, to spend a few weeks at St. Petersburg. Does your majestyapprove?"

  Napoleon cast a quick and searching glance at Alexander. "I do notassume to decide whom your majesty should hospitably receive," he said,"and I confide in your friendship--you are henceforth my ally. Get theKing of Prussia to join this alliance, as the latter induced you to jointhe alliance against me; that would indeed greatly promote the welfareof Frederick William, and put an end to the intrigues of his queen. Butnow, sire, a truce to politics and business! We are agreed and shall beunited in peace as in war. Our business is accomplished, and the days westill spend here must be exclusively devoted to pleasure and friendlyintercourse. The Duke of Weimar would like to receive us for a few daysat his capital, to arrange a chase and a ball. Suppose we go thitherthis afternoon and spend two days? Would it be agreeable to you?"

  "I would accompany your majesty anywhere, were it into Orcus," exclaimedAlexander. "Let us go to Weimar!"

  "And if you please, sire, to Jena also. I should like to show thebattle-field to your majesty."

  "And I should like to learn from your majesty how to win such laurels. Ifollow you as a pupil."