gust to the rule of a dynasty proud of sharing the
blood of the haughtiest of all the royal houses of Europe, and
consequently more likely to make common cause with the little band of
hereditary sovereigns than with the people. Finally, the title, "King of
Rome," put an end to the fond hopes of the Italians, who had been taught
by Napoleon to expect that, after his death, their country should
possess a government separate from France; nor could the same title fail
to excite some bitter feelings in the Austrian court, whose
heir-apparent under the old empire had been styled commonly "The King of
the Romans." For the present, however, both at home and abroad, the
event was naturally looked on as adding much strength to the throne of
Napoleon.

He, thus called on to review with new seriousness the whole condition
and prospects of his empire, appears to have felt very distinctly that
neither could be secure, unless an end were, by some means, put to the
war with England. However he might permit himself to sneer at his great
enemy in his public addresses from the throne, and in his bulletins,
Napoleon had too much strength of mind not to despise those who, in any
of their private communications, had the meanness to affect acquiescence
in such views. When Denon brought him, after the battle of Wagram, the
design of a medal representing an eagle strangling a leopard, Buonaparte
rebuked and dismissed the flatterer. "What," said he, "strangling the
leopard! There is not a spot of the sea on which the eagle dares show
himself. This is base adulation. It would have been nearer the truth to
represent the eagle as choked by the leopard."

He sent a private messenger to London to ascertain from personal
communication with the Marquess Wellesley, then minister for foreign
affairs, on what terms the English government would consent to open a
formal negotiation; but this attempt was baffled by a singular
circumstance. Fouche, having derived new audacity from the results of
his extraordinary conversation with Josephine, on the subject of the
divorce, had ventured to send a dependent of his own to London, for the
purpose of sounding Lord Wellesley on the question of preliminaries; not
doubting that could he give distinct information on this head to his
master, without having in any degree compromised the imperial dignity,
the service would be considered as most valuable. But Lord Wellesley,
beset, at the same time, and on the same very d