; he expressed himself plainly on this point in
after years, but at this period considered it justifiable and necessary
as a means of abolishing what remained of feudal authority.

Austria had been the first to feel the iron hand of Napoleon. His first
important military achievement, and what is generally conceded to be the
greatest in his entire military career, was his campaign against the
Austrians in Italy, which took place in the spring of 1796, shortly
after his marriage. His victories over them first gave him fame, not
only in France, but throughout Europe. Within a month from the time that
he took command in the Italian campaign, he won six victories over them,
giving the French army the command of the whole range of the Alps.
Within a year he had driven the Austrians out of Italy, many thousands
of prisoners were taken, ten thousand men had been killed or wounded,
fifty-five pieces of cannon had been taken, besides rich provinces,
which he looted to enrich France. He pursued his campaign into Austria,
getting to within ninety miles of Vienna with his army, where he
dictated terms of peace to the Emperor, which were highly advantageous
to France. Appalled by these catastrophies, the court was even preparing
to flee from Vienna and was arranging for the safe carriage of the
treasure, when the Emperor accepted Napoleon's terms. The humiliation to
Austria was accentuated by the fact that her armies were nearly twice
that of France. They were also in good condition, while the French
armies were ragged and half starved. With this inferior equipment
Bonaparte humbled the most haughty nation in Europe in the space of a
year. He defeated them again in 1800, at Marengo, and was at all times
their arch-enemy.

All this happened some years before the period of which we are writing.
Beethoven regarded Napoleon as a liberator, a savior, on account of his
success in restoring order out of chaos in France. It showed
considerable moral courage on his part to come out so plainly for
Napoleon. A broader question than patriotism, however, was here
involved. Patriotism seeks the good of a small section. Altruism
embraces the good of all, thus including patriotism.

The idea of writing the symphony to Napoleon may have been suggested to
Beethoven by General Bernadotte, who was then the Ambassador of the
French at Vienna. He and Count Moritz Lichnowsky were intimate friends
and saw a good deal of Beethoven at that time. The three y