red that he aided his opinions by forty pieces of artillery, and
by Colonel Murat at the head of his dragoons. There was no resisting
such a philosopher; the Directory was established forthwith, and the
sacred cause of the minority triumphed, in like manner, when the General
was convinced of the weakness of the Directory, and saw fully the
necessity of establishing a Consulate, what were his arguments? Moreau,
Lannes, Murat, Berthier, Leclerc, Lefebvre--gentle apostles of the
truth!--marched to St. Cloud, and there, with fixed bayonets, caused it
to prevail. Error vanished in an instant. At once five hundred of its
high-priests tumbled out of windows, and lo! three Consuls appeared to
guide the destinies of France! How much more expeditious, reasonable,
and clinching was this argument of the 18th Brumaire, than any one that
can be found in any pamphlet! A fig for your duodecimos and octavos!
Talk about points, there are none like those at the end of a bayonet;
and the most powerful of styles is a good rattling "article" from a
nine-pounder.

At least this is our interpretation of the manner in which were always
propagated the Idees Napoleoniennes. Not such, however, is Prince
Louis's belief; and, if you wish to go along with him in opinion, you
will discover that a more liberal, peaceable, prudent Prince never
existed: you will read that "the mission of Napoleon" was to be the
"testamentary executor of the revolution;" and the Prince should have
added the legatee; or, more justly still, as well as the EXECUTOR, he
should be called the EXECUTIONER, and then his title would be complete.
In Vendemiaire, the military Tartuffe, he threw aside the Revolution's
natural heirs, and made her, as it were, ALTER HER WILL; on the 18th of
Brumaire he strangled her, and on the 19th seized on her property, and
kept it until force deprived him of it. Illustrations, to be sure, are
no arguments, but the example is the Prince's, not ours.

In the Prince's eyes, then, his uncle is a god; of all monarchs, the
most wise, upright, and merciful. Thirty years ago the opinion had
millions of supporters; while millions again were ready to avouch the
exact contrary. It is curious to think of the former difference of
opinion concerning Napoleon; and, in reading his nephew's rapturous
encomiums of him, one goes back to the days when we ourselves were as
loud and mad in his dispraise. Who does not remember his own personal
hatred and horror, twenty-