with the consent of the government of Sardinia, were purchased in Piedmont, the greater part of the troopers were mounted; so that the condition of the army of Italy became worthy of its spirit and prowess.

At Cherasco Bonaparte was visited by the minister and the son of the king of Sardinia, who expressed, and probably felt great admiration for the young conqueror. The delicacy and good faith of his proceedings in relation to the execution of the terms of the armistice; and his forbearance to countenance the revolutionary projects of the inhabitants, in the province within which his principal force was encamped, gave peculiar satisfaction to the court of Turin, and made their military misfortunes less painful. His moderation in this instance was the more remarkable, as it was in opposition to the counsels of some of his generals, and to the letter of his instructions.

It will not escape the reader's observation that this was not the only point in regard to which Bonaparte had deviated from the instructions of the directory. Instead of acting principally against the Austrians, he had directed his force chiefly against the Sardinians. Instead of penetrating to the right towards Tortona, he had advanced to the left upon Turin. And in place of refusing an armistice, he had granted one. This line of conduct, although it argued a fearlessness of responsibility, and a generous disdain like that of Alexander, to steal a victory, may at first view appear insubordinate and unwarrantable. To this conclusion, however, are opposed the contradictory nature of the instructions themselves, the effectual manner in which had been accomplished the success of the French arms, and more than all, the consideration, that in every position in which Bonaparte had been previously employed, his ability to serve his country, had been proved to transcend the limits of his authority. At Toulon, though only a chief of battalion, with the sanction of Gasparin and the acquiescence of Dugommier, he commanded the siege. In the campaign of 1794, with the approbation of the deputies, though he was only a brigadier general, he directed the operations of general Dumerbion and his whole army. At Paris, in 1795, in the presence and with the applause of the convention, he treated their commander in chief and their commissaries as mere nullities, while he defended themselves against the insurgents. So that if he exceeded his instructions in the campaign of Monte

134

THE LIFE OF THE EMPEROR NAPOLEON.

[CHAP. VI.] notte, he had usurped command in the insurrection of Vendemiaire, in the campaign of Saorgio, and at the siege of Toulon. On each of these occasions he had overflowed the ordinary channels of duty with a flood of courage, patriotism and talent; and on all of them, an exuberance of public good had sprung from his excess of authority. Hitherto this prodigality of service had been accepted by the government as the bounty of genius; nor were the directory in the present instance so unjust as to adopt a new rule of construction, and pronounce his conduct to be the encroachment of ambition.

At this time, as neither the settled animosity of factions nor the organized enmity of governments, had breathed malignant slanders on Bonaparte's name, his character and exploits commanded the admiration of all Europe. And having, as we have seen, in the short space of fifteen days, shaken and upheld one kingdom, humbled and spared one monarch, established the subsistence, renovated the discipline, equipped the cavalry, supplied the artillery, recruited the strength, and fortified the rear of his army, he resolved to carry the war into the heart of Lombardy; and single handed, to brave the utmost might of that imperial house, whose hatred was destined to be an instrument of his elevation, and whose love, to be a cause of his downfal (21).

CHAPTER VII.

From the 28th of April to the 14th of May 1796.

Objects of Bonaparte-Doubts and opinions of his officers-Proclamation of Cherasco-Its effect-He confers with his officers-Overcomes their objections-Puts his troops in motion-Repairs to Tortona-His courtesyRemarkable letters to the directory-His brother Joseph-Movements of Beaulieu-He passes the Po at Valenza-Stratagem, secrecy, and prudence of Bonaparte-Positions of Beaulieu to defend the passage of the PoBonaparte's march to Placentia-Passes the Po-Measures of BeaulieuCombat of Fombio- Affair of Codogno-Death of general Laharpe— Armistice of Placentia-Combat of Casal Pusterlengo-Beaulieu retreats to Lodi-Bonaparte defeats his rear guard-Battle of Lodi-Capture of Pizzighitone-Surrender of Cremona—Serrurier guards the line of the Adda -Augereau occupies Pavia Massena marches for Milan - Reflections -Anecdote of a Hungarian captain.

Had it accorded with the personal disposition of Bonaparte to extort immoderate concessions from the king of Sardinia, it would not have suited his military plans. To expel the Austrians from Italy, to revive the national spirit of that country, and interpose its amity or independence as a safeguard to the oft endangered frontier of his own; to "bear to a distance the glory of the French people," were his great objects. Intent upon these, upon the instantaneous pursuit of Beaulieu, the passage of the Po, and the possession of Mantua, he was disinclined to waste his time or his strength, in wringing excessive advantages from a minor prince, whose destruction was not necessary, and whose despair, both the position and the history of his country, proved might be dangerous.

But a spirit less adventurous and a temper less forbearing, prevailed to some extent in his army. While the conferences of Cherasco were yet unfinished, several of his generals took occasion to suggest, that before a further advance into Italy was

attempted, it would be prudent to complete the subjugation of Piedmont. They likewise intimated a conviction that their force was not adequate to a successful invasion of Lombardy; an enterprise, to the proposal of which, the soldiers, though elated by a succession of victories, listened with surprise, but not with enthusiasm.

These appearances of doubt and hesitation were too much at variance with Bonaparte's determined spirit and extensive views, not to engage his prompt and earnest attention. Wherefore, to infuse fresh ardour into his men, to counteract the cautious opinions of his officers, and at the same time to eradicate from his army all tendency to insubordination and license, as well as to confirm the prudent and pacific inclinations of the cabinet of Turin, he issued, the day before the armistice was signed, the following proclamation. Its vivid style and stimulating topics, the persuasive warmth of its exhortations, the haughty vehemence of its threats, so different from the cold and technical language of other modern generals, will remind the reader of those classical harangues, by which, under the same Italian sky, the Roman Consuls are represented, to have controlled the turbulence or exalted the courage of their legions.

"Soldiers! In fifteen days you have gained six victories, taken twenty one stands of colours, fifty five pieces of artillery, several strong fortresses, and conquered the most fertile part of Piedmont; you have made fifteen thousand prisoners, and killed and wounded more than ten thousand men. Before this campaign, you contended for barren rocks, which though illustrated by your courage, were unprofitable to your country. Your services now make you rivals of the victorious armies of Holland and the Rhine. You were destitute of every thing, but your valour has supplied all deficiencies. You have won battles without cannon, passed rivers without bridges, made forced marches without shoes, bivouacked without liquor and often without bread. None but republican phalanxes, soldiers of liberty, could have endured what you have undergone. For your fortitude, thanks are due to you; to you and to her other conquering armies, your grateful country will owe her prosperity; and if, by wresting *Toulon from the foe, you gave an earnest of the immortal campaign of 1794, your recent exploits foretell one still more gloriThe two armies which lately attacked you with so much

ous.

1. confidence, fly affrighted before you. The unprincipled men who ridiculed your distress, and secretly rejoiced at the fancied triumph of your enemies, are now confounded and trembling with fear.

"But soldiers! it is not to be concealed, that since much remains to be done, you have as yet done nothing. Neither Turin nor Milan is ours; and the assassins of Basseville still trample on the ashes of the conquerors of Tarquin.

"At the commencement of the campaign, you were totally unprovided; you are now furnished with every thing you want; for a number of the enemy's magazines have fallen into our possession, and our heavy artillery is brought up. Your condition being thus improved, France has a right to expect from you great services. Will you justify her hopes? The greatest obstacles to your progress are already doubtless surmounted. But you have still battles to fight, cities to capture, and rivers to traverse. Is there one among you whose courage fails, who would prefer returning to the summits of the Alps and Appennines, there to suffer the aggressions of a slavish soldiery? No; in the ranks of the victors of Montenotte, Millesimo, Dego, and Mondovi, there is not one so spiritless. You all burn with a desire to bear to a distance the glory of the French people; you long to humble the proud kings, who dared to threaten us with chains; you are impatient to dictate a triumphant peace which shall compensate France for her immense sacrifices; and each of you desires, when returning to his native hamlet, to be able to say with a just pride, I belonged to the army which conquered Italy.

"This conquest, my friends I promise you; but there is one condition with which you must swear to comply. It is to respect the people whom you deliver from bondage, to repress the horrible practice of pillage, in which certain wretches, instigated by our enemies, have indulged. Unless you abstain from this practice, you will be the scourge, not the deliverers of Italy; the reproach, not the pride of France. Your country will disown you, and your victories, your valour, your success, the blood of your brother soldiers, who have fallen in battle, all will be lost, even your honour and fame. As to myself and the generals who enjoy your confidence, we shall blush to command men, without discipline, without self-denial, and who ackowledge no right save that