[14] Miot de Melito， II.， 33： "The day I arrived at Bocognano two men lost their lives through private vengeance. About eight years before this one of the inhabitants of the canton had killed a neighbor， the father of two children. . . . On reaching the age of sixteen or seventeen years these children left the country in order to dog the steps of the murderer， who kept on the watch， not daring to go far from his village. . . . Finding him playing cards under a tree， they fired at and killed him， and besides this accidentally shot another man who was asleep a few paces off. The relatives on both sides pronounced the act justifiable and according to rule." Ibid.， I.， 143： "On reaching Bastia from Ajaccio the two principal families of the place， the Peraldi and the Visuldi， fired at each other， in disputing over the honor of entertaining me.
[15] Bourrienne，" Mémoires，" I.， 18， 19.
[16] De Ségur， "Histoire et Mémoires，" I，， 74.
[17] Yung， I.， 195. (Letter of Bonaparte to Paoli， June 12， 1789)；I.， 250 (Letter of Bonaparte to Buttafuoco， January 23 1790).
[18] Yung， I.， 107 (Letter of Napoleon to his father， Sept. 12， 1784)； I.， 163 (Letter of Napoleon to Abbé Raynal， July， 1786)； I.， 197 (Letter of Napoleon to Paoli， June 12， 1789). The three letters on the history of Corsica are dedicated to Abbé Raynal in a letter of June 24， 1790， and may be found in Yung， I.， 434.
[19] Read especially his essay "On the Truths and Sentiments most important to inculcate on Men for their Welfare" (a subject proposed by the Academy of Lyons in 1790). Some bold men driven by genius. .
. . Perfection grows out of reason as fruit out of a tree. . . .
Reason's eyes guard man from the precipice of the passions. . .
The spectacle of the strength of virtue was what the Lacedaemonians principally felt. . . . Must men then be lucky in the means by which they are led on to happiness？ . . . . My rights (to property) are renewed along with my transpiration， circulate in my blood， are written on my nerves， on my heart. . . . Proclaim to the rich -your wealth is your misfortune， withdrawn within the latitude of your senses. . . . Let the enemies of nature at thy voice keep silence and swallow their rabid serpents' tongues. . . .
The wretched shun the society of men， the tapestry of gayety turns to mourning. . . . Such， gentlemen， are the Sentiments which， in animal relations， mankind should have taught it for its welfare."[20] Yung， I.， 252 (Letter to Buttafuoco). "Dripping with the blood of his brethren， sullied by every species of crime， he presents himself with confidence under his vest of a general， the sole reward of his criminalities." - I.， 192 (Letter to the Corsican Intendant， April 2， 1879). "Cultivation is what ruins us" - See various manuscript letters， copied by Yung， for innumerable and gross mistakes in French. - Miot de Melito， I.， 84 (July， 1796). "He spoke curtly and， at this time， very incorrectly." - Madame de Rémusat， I.， 104.
"Whatever language he spoke it never seemed familiar to him； he appeared to force himself in expressing his ideas."- Notes par le Comte Chaptal (unpublished)， councillor of state and afterwards minister of the interior under the Consulate： "At this time， Bonaparte did not blush at the slight knowledge of administrative details which he possessed； he asked a good many questions and demanded definitions and the meaning of the commonest words in use. As it very often happened with him not to clearly comprehend words which he heard for the first time， he always repeated these afterwards as he understood them； for example， he constantly used section for session， armistice for amnesty， fulminating point for culminating point， rentes voyagères for 'rentes viagères，' etc."[21] De Ségur， I.， 174[22] Cf. the "Mémoires" of Marshal Marmont， I.， 15， for the ordinary sentiments of the young nobility. "In 1792 I had a sentiment for the person of the king， difficult to define， of which I recovered the trace， and to some extent the power， twenty-two years later； a sentiment of devotion almost religious in character， an innate respect as if due to a being of a superior order. The word King then possessed a magic， a force， which nothing had changed in pure and honest breasts. . . . This religion of royalty still existed in the mass of the nation，， and especially amongst the well-born， who， sufficiently remote from power， were rather struck with its brilliancy than with its imperfections. . . . This love became a sort of worship."[23] Bourrienne， "Mémoires，' I. 27. - Ségur， I. 445. In 1795， at Paris， Bonaparte， being out of military employment， enters upon several commercial speculations， amongst which is a bookstore， which does not succeed. (Stated by Sebastiani and many others.)[24] "Mémorial，" Aug. 3， 1816.
[25] Bourrienne， I.， 171. (Original text of the "Souper de Beaucaire.")[26] Yung， II.， 430， 431. (Words of Charlotte Robespierre.) Bonaparte as a souvenir of his acquaintance with her， granted her a pension， under the consulate， of 3600 francs. - Ibid. (Letter of Tilly， chargé d'affaires at Genoa， to Buchot， commissioner of foreign affairs.) Cf. in the "Mémorial，" Napoleon's favorable judgment of Robespierre.
[27] Yung， II.， 455. (Letter from Bonaparte to Tilly， Aug. 7， 1794.) Ibid.， III.， 120. (Memoirs of Lucien.) "Barras takes care of Josephine's dowry， which is the command of the army in Italy." Ibid.， II.， 477. (Grading of general officers， notes by Schérer on Bonaparte.) "He knows all about artillery， but is rather too ambitious， and too intriguing for promotion."[28] De Ségur， I.， 162. - La Fayette， "Mémoires，" II.， 215.