ldiers at whose head he had marched into Madrid, combined with
disdain for his own pompousness and with fury at his subsequent
cruelty, goes far to account for much that was disastrous to French
prestige and to France in the sequel.

[Footnote 22: For a discussion of this letter see Murat, by
Murat, Paris, 1897, p. 139. Rosebery: The Last Phase, pp. 10
and 11.]

In order to secure the Spanish crown it was now necessary that both
the quarreling factions should be removed from the scene of their
scandalous intrigues. Perhaps it would be possible, perhaps not.
Napoleon set out on April second for Bayonne, accompanied by his
Empress with a stately suite, and the adroit Savary was despatched to
Madrid. Savary's memoirs indicate that his instructions for this
memorable journey were very vague: the Emperor wished to see whether
the Bourbons merited dethronement; in other words, whether they could
be uncrowned. For himself, Savary naively declared that much of his
own participation in the subsequent events was mere accident. Murat
had obeyed both his verbal and his implied instructions. According to
the former, Charles and his consort were in the Escorial, treated with
all honor, but prisoners. Godoy, also, was aware that he must soon
appear at Bayonne. But Murat had gone further, for he had slyly
suggested to Napoleon that Ferdinand should appear at the same
rendezvous. Beauharnais told Ferdinand to his face that he ought to
meet Napoleon half-way on his journey, in order the better to make his
peace.

This hint was quietly conveyed to Savary before his departure, and he
was at the same time intrusted with a letter to Murat expressing a
desire that the Prince of Asturias should either remain at Madrid or
come out to meet the Emperor, who intended not to enter Spain for the
present, but to wait at Bayonne. The careful plan worked admirably. No
one knows on conclusive evidence what Savary said to Ferdinand, what
hopes he held out, what promises he made in his master's name; but on
April tenth the young King placed Madrid under the administration of a
junta and set out, expecting to meet Napoleon at Burgos. He had been
easily moved to this course, for Murat had so far coldly refused to
recognize him, while Savary was prodigal of obsequiousness and
addressed him as king. His ministers Escoiquiz and Cavallos declare,
in their justificatory writings, that in addition to the impression
produced by his c