upon Napoleon, his most ambitious
attempts commanded the applauses of the nation. We boasted of his
profound political wisdom, we extolled his genius, we worshipped his
courage. When his fortune changed, then his political wisdom was
called treachery, his genius, ambition, and his courage,
fool-hardiness and infatuation.

Napoleon was not to be depressed by ingratitude or misfortune. He
re-assembled the feeble fragments of his armies, and proclaimed aloud
that he would conquer or die at the head of his soldiery. This
resolution only produced a momentary impression. The French, who so
lately believed that the happiness and salvation of France depended
only upon the life of Napoleon, now coolly considered that his death,
the fate which he was prepared to encounter, afforded the only means
of putting an end to the calamities of war, for peace otherwise
appeared unattainable.

Napoleon departed. He achieved prodigies, but to no effect. National
spirit no longer existed, and the nation had gradually sunk into that
state of insensibility so fatal to sovereigns, when the public mind
has no perception of their dangers, and abandons them to their
destiny.

France was thus affected when Napoleon consented to divest himself of
his crown[2]. The apathy of the nation drove him to this extremity;
for it deprived him of the means either of carrying on the war, or of
making peace.

[Footnote 2: Napoleon, according to the common
report, was frequently heard to repeat, after his
abdication, "I have been ruined by liberal ideas."
I do not think that he ever expressed himself in
this manner. I do not intend to doubt the
irresistible force which liberal ideas have now
acquired; but I do not think, that they contributed
to effect the first downfal of the imperial throne.
Nobody thought about liberal ideas at that period.
France had been trained to the government of
Napoleon, and his despotism gave rise to no
complaints. She was not free in the manner
according to which the nation now wishes to enjoy
liberty. But the liberty which France then
possessed was enough for the French. Napoleon would
often exercise unlimited authority, but the c