secure money from the Papal chests and he could rely,
too, on the vast spoil taken from Berne when the old constitution of
the Swiss was overthrown and a new Republic founded. He took Malta,
"the strongest place in Europe," and proceeded to occupy Alexandria in
1798. In the following February he marched on Cairo.

England's supremacy at sea destroyed the complete success of the plans
which Napoleon was forming. He had never thought seriously of the
English admiral Nelson till his own fleet was shattered by him in a
naval engagement at Aboukir. After that, he understood that he had to
reckon with a powerful enemy.

{175}

The Turks had decided to anticipate Napoleon's plan for securing Greece
her freedom by preparing a vast army in Syria. The French took the
town of Jaffa by assault, but had to retire from the siege of Acre.
The expedition was not therefore a success, though Napoleon won a
victory over the Turkish army at Aboukir. The English triumphed in
Egypt and were fortunate enough to win back Malta, which excluded
France from the Mediterranean. Napoleon eluded with difficulty the
English cruisers and returned to France, where he rapidly rose to
power, receiving, after a kind of revolution, the title of First
Consul. He was to hold office for ten years and receive a salary of
half a million francs. In reality, a strong monarchy had been created.
The people of France, however, still fancied themselves a free Republic.

War was declared on France by Austria and England in 1800, and the
First Consul saw himself raised to the pinnacle of military glory. He
defeated the Austrians at Marengo, while his only rival, Moreau, won
the great battle of Hohenlinden. At Marengo, the general whom Napoleon
praised above all others fell dead on the field of battle. The
conqueror himself mourned Desaix most bitterly, since "he loved glory
for glory's sake and France above everything." But "Alas! it is not
permitted to weep," Napoleon said, overcoming the weakness as he judged
it. He had done now with wars waged on a small scale, and would give
Europe a time of peace before venturing on vaster enterprises. The
victory of Marengo on June 14th, 1800, wrested Italy again from
Austria, who had regained possession and power in the peninsula. It
also saved France from invasion. Austria was obliged to accept an
armistice, a humiliation she had not {176} foreseen when she arrayed
her mighty armies against the First Consul