l take the image of the Blessed
Virgin, and one hundred and fifty pieces of cannon, and put an end to
the business at once!'"

It has been remarked, as a purely local singularity, that most of these
proclamations were in the scriptural style, and highly poetical in their
character.

At the same time, a sort of balloon of prodigious size was constructed
by command of Alexander, not far from Moscow, under the direction of a
German artificer. The destination of this aerial machine was to hover
over the French army, to single out its chief, and destroy him by a
shower of balls and fire. Several attempts were made to raise it, but
without success, the springs by which the wings were to be worked always
breaking.

Rostopchin, nevertheless, affecting to persevere in the plan, is said to
have caused a great quantity of rockets and other combustibles to be
prepared. Moscow itself was destined to be the great infernal machine,
the sudden nocturnal explosion of which was to destroy the emperor and
his army. Should the enemy escape this danger, he would at least no
longer have an asylum or resources; and the horror of this tremendous
calamity, charged to his account, as had been the disasters of Smolensk,
Viazma, and other towns, would not fail to rouse the whole of
Russia.[138]

Adverse, therefore, to any treaty, this governor foresaw that in the
populous capital, which the Russians themselves style the oracle, the
exemplar of the whole empire, Napoleon would have recourse to the weapon
of revolution, the only one that would be left him to accomplish his
purpose. For this reason he resolved to raise a barrier of fire between
that great captain and all weaknesses, from whatever quarter they might
proceed, whether from the throne or from his countrymen, either nobles
or senators; and more especially between a population of serfs and the
soldiers of a free nation; in short, between the latter and that mass of
artisans and tradesmen who form in Moscow the commencement of an
intermediate class; a class for which the French Revolution was
especially brought about.

All the preparations were made in silence, without the knowledge either
of the people, the proprietors of all classes, or perhaps of their
emperor. The nation was ignorant that it was sacrificing itself. This is
so strictly true, that, when the moment for execution arrived, we heard
the inhabitants who had fled to the churches execrating this
destruction. Those who beh