om the same cannon which killed Moreau. If it were so, no one
could have ascertained the fact; but Napoleon's imagination was always
ready to welcome a tale that savoured of fatality.

From Rheims, where he remained for three days to refresh his unfortunate
followers, he despatched at length full powers to Caulaincourt to
conclude _any treaty_, which should secure the immediate evacuation of
the old French territory, and a mutual restoration of prisoners. Maret,
(Duke of Bassano,) however, wrote--by the same messenger--at much
greater length; informing the plenipotentiary that the Emperor would
refuse to ratify _any treaty_ whatever--if, in the interim, events
should have taken a turn in his favour. It is to be doubted whether
Caulaincourt would have ventured to act, on instructions thus qualified,
with the decision which the emergency required. But he was not put to
the proof. The Allies had determined to negotiate no more, ere the
despatch of Rheims reached him.

Throughout this crisis of his history, it is impossible to survey the
rapid energy of Napoleon--his alert transitions from enemy to enemy, his
fearless assaults on vastly superior numbers, his unwearied resolution,
and exhaustless invention--without the highest admiration which can
attend on a master of warfare. But it is equally impossible to suppress
astonishment and indignation in following, or rather attempting to
follow, the threads of obstinacy, duplicity, pride, and perfidy, which,
during the same period, complicated, without strengthening, the tissue
of his negotiations. It is only when we fix our eyes on the battles and
marches of this wonderful campaign, that we can hesitate to echo the
adage:--_Whom God hath doomed to destruction, he first deprives of
reason._

To complete our notion of the energies of Napoleon--he had all through
this, the most extraordinary of his campaigns, continued to conduct,
from his perpetually changing headquarters, the civil business of his
empire. He occupied himself largely with such matters during his stay at
Rheims; but it was there that the last despatches from the
home-department at Paris were destined to reach him; and, before he
could return his answer, there came couriers upon couriers--with tidings
which would have unmanned any other mind, and which filled his with
perplexity. On the one side, Blucher had profited by his departure,
crushed down the feeble opposition of the corps left at Soissons, and
repassed