CHAPTER XXXIX. GEORGE THE THIRD (CONCLUDED), WE must now return to Napoleon. The contest henceforth became of an entirely military nature. Austria, Russia, Prussia, Italy, and Naples, had submitted to the conqueror, and he now turned his attention to Spain and Portugal. In 1807, Junot, one of his generals, drove the Portuguese royal family to take refuge in the Brazils; and then, by an act of the basest treachery, Napoleon made himself master of Spain. Having, under professions of friendship, induced the king of that country, and his son, prince Ferdinand, to meet him at Bayonne, he sent them both prisoners to Italy, and caused his brother, Joseph Buonaparte, to be crowned in Spain. Another brother, Louis, he made king of Holland; Pope himself was a prisoner in France. evident that nothing but universal dominion would satisfy the gigantic ambition of this "enemy of mankind"; but his treacherous dealing with the Spanish king led eventually to his own ruin. Spain revolted and the It was DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 395 against him, and Joseph was far too weak a king to reconcile his new subjects to his usurped authority. Now I am going to introduce you, my dear children, to the greatest general who has ever commanded British troops;—the duke of Wellington, the liberator of Europe, and proud may every Englishman feel at the mention of his name. At the time of which I am writing he was sir Arthur Wellesley. He had already greatly distinguished himself in India, and was, in 1808, sent into Spain with an army, to humble the power of Napoleon. It has been said that great occasions call forth great men-talents which might have lain inactive in quiet times, spring up and become conspicuous, when strong necessity gives a motive, and an opportunity for their exertion. "This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes." Wellington (for I prefer to call him by the name his victories have won for him) was eminently fitted for the arduous task assigned him. His strength of constitution, steadiness of nerve, and unflinching courage, have procured him the title of the Iron Duke; his perseverance and energy enabled him to carry out any plan which he had once determined to be practicable; as he once said, when an obstacle was started to the fulfilment of one of his commands, "If it will not do one way, we must try another; for I never in my life gave up anything I once undertook." His unaffected simplicity of character (an especial mark of a truly great mind) preserved him from becoming puffed up and conceited by the praises which were lavished on him by those who had been delivered from tyranny and oppression by his victories. "The events of war are in the hands of Providence," was his reply to a public address of congratulation and thanks ;*—a reply which cannot fail to remind us of David's Psalm, beginning, "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give the glory." What, indeed, can human talent and strength accomplish, without the blessing of the Lord of Hosts? Sir Arthur Wellesley defeated Junot at Vimeira; and in the same year, 1808, the gallant sir John Moore gained a battle at Corunna, over Marshal Soult, but lost his own life in the engagement; and at night, when all was quiet, his soldiers dug a grave upon the ramparts, and buried him there, wrapped in his military cloak. In 1809, sir Arthur Wellesley was victorious at Talavera, and was for this service created viscount * Captain Sherer's " 'Military Memoirs of the Duke of Wellington." DEATH OF THE PRINCESS AMELIA. 397 Wellington of Talavera. At the end of this year, Napoleon took the extraordinary step of divorcing himself from his amiable and faithful wife, the empress Josephine, to gratify his ambition by a royal alliance. In three months after, he married Marie Louise, daughter of the emperor of Austria, who disgraced himself by giving her in marriage to the usurper. In 1810, lord Wellington defeated Soult at Albuera, and fought his way to Madrid, but was obliged again to abandon that city, and remain for a time in Portugal. In the month of November, in the same year, the good old king George was again attacked by his mental malady, and never more recovered his reason. The great anxiety he had so long endured, combined with the sorrow occasioned him by the death of his tenderly beloved daughter, the princess Amelia, were the causes of this sad affliction and the excellent sovereign whose noble spirit had roused the nation to resist the destructive ambition of Napoleon, was unconscious of the triumph of his armies, not a gleam of reason ever again visiting his darkened mind. For some years before this, he had become totally blind, and it was a touching sight to behold the venerable monarch feeling his way with a stick, and closely attended by some of his children, who carefully guarded his steps from danger. But after his last mental attack, the queen, with proper delicacy, and good feeling, never allowed him to be seen, except by the members of his own family. He was not, however, forgotten by his people, who truly loved their "good old king,” and remembered him in their prayers. George, prince of Wales, was made regent, and retained that office during the remainder of his father's life. No change was made by him in the administration of government. Mr. Perceval, who had succeeded Mr. Fox as prime-minister, continued in office till 1812, when he was shot by a man named Bellingham, from some motive of private revenge. Lord Liverpool succeeded him, and shared the chief power with lord Castlereagh. The successful career of Napoleon was now drawing to a close. Some time before, he had made a treaty with the emperor of Russia, in which they had agreed to divide the dominion of Europe between them; but they could not long agree in their "unholy compact," as it has well been called; and a quarrel arose between them, which terminated in war. Napoleon led an army of 500,000 men into Russia, and they made their way as far as Moscow, the ancient |