This variety of our occupations and pleasures， this excessive employment of body and mind gave value to existence， and made time pass with extraordinary rapidity."[35] "Correspondance de Napoléon，" I. Proclamation of March 27， 1796：
' Soldiers， you are naked and poorly fed. The government is vastly indebted to you； it has nothing to give you. . . . I am going to lead you to the most fertile plains in the world； rich provinces， large cities will be in your power； you will then obtain honor， glory， and wealth." - Proclamation of April 26， 1796： - "Friends， I guarantee that conquest to you！" - Cf. in Marmont's memoirs the way in which Bonaparte plays the part of tempter in offering Marmont， who refuses， an opportunity to rob a treasury chest.
[36] Miot de Melito， I.， 154. (June， 1797， in the gardens of Montebello.) "Such are substantially the most remarkable expressions in this long discourse which I have recorded and preserved."[37] Miot de Melito， I. 184. (Conversation with Bonaparte， November 18， 1797， at Turin.) "I remained an hour with the general tête-à-tête.
I shall relate the conversation exactly as it occurred， according to my notes， made at the time."[38] Mathieu Dumas， " Mémoires，" III.， 156. "It is certain that he thought of it from this moment and seriously studied the obstacles， means， and chances of success." (Mathieu Dumas cites the testimony of Desaix， who was engaged in the enterprise)： "It seems that all was ready， when Bonaparte judged that things were not yet ripe， nor the means sufficient." - Hence his departure. "He wanted to get out of the way of the rule and caprices of these contemptible dictators， while the latter wanted to get rid of him because his military fame and influence in the army were obnoxious to them.
[39] Larevellière-Lepaux (one of the five directors on duty)， "Mémoires，" II.， 340. "All that is truly grand in this enterprise， as well as all that is bold and extravagant， either in its conception or execution， belongs wholly to Bonaparte. The idea of it never occurred to the Directory nor to any of its members. . . . His ambition and his pride could not endure the alternative of no longer being prominent or of accepting a post which， however eminent， would have always subjected him to the orders of the Directory."[40] Madame de Rémusat， I.， 142. "Josephine laid great stress on the Egyptian expedition as the cause of his change of temper and of the daily despotism which made her suffer so much."- "Mes souvenirs sur Napoleon，" 325 by the count Chaptal. (Bonaparte's own words to the poet Lemercier who might have accompanied him to the Middle East and there would have learned many things about human nature)： "You would have seen a country where the sovereign takes no account of the lives of his subjects， and where the subject himself takes no account of his own life. You would have got rid of your philanthropic 'notions."[41] Roederer， III.， 461 (Jan. 12， 1803)[42] Cf. "The Revolution，" Vol. p. 773. (Note I.， on the situation， in 1806， of the Conventionalists who had survived the revolution.) For instance， Fouché is minister； Jeanbon-Saint-André， prefect； Drouet (de Varennes)， sub-prefect； Chépy (of Grenoble)， commissary-general of the police at Brest； 131 regicides are functionaries， among whom we find twenty one prefects and forty-two magistrates. - Occasionally， a chance document that has been preserved allows one to catch "the man in the act." ("Bulletins hebdomadaires de la censure， 1810 and 1814，"published by M. Thurot， in the Revue Critique， 1871)： "Seizure of 240copies of an indecent work printed for account of M. Palloy， the author. This Palloy enjoyed some celebrity during the Revolution， being one of the famous patriots of the Faubourg Saint-Antoine. The constituent Assembly had conceded to him the ownership of the site of the Bastille， of which he distributed its stones among all the communes. He is a bon vivant， who took it into his head to write out in a very bad style the filthy story of his amours with a prostitute of the Palais-Royal. He was quite willing that the book should be seized on condition that he might retain a few copies of his jovial production. He professes high admiration for， and strong attachment to His Majesty's person， and expresses his sentiments piquantly， in the style of 1789."[43] Mémorial，" June 12， 1816.
[44] Mathieu Dumas， III.， 363 (July 4， 1809， a few days before Wagram). - Madame de Rémusat，" I.， 105： "I have never heard him express any admiration or comprehension of a noble action." - I.， 179：
On Augustus's clemency and his saying， "Let us be friends， Cinna，" the following is his interpretation of it： "I understand this action simply as the feint of a tyrant， and approve as calculation what Ifind puerile as sentiment."- "Notes par le Comte Chaptal"： "He believed neither in virtue nor in probity， often calling these two words nothing but abstractions； this is what rendered him so distrustful and so immoral. . . . He never experienced a generous sentiment； this is why he was so cold in company， and why he never had a friend. He regarded men as so much counterfeit coin or as mere instruments."[45] M. de Metternich， "Mémoires，" I.， 241. - "Madame de Rémusat，" I.， 93： "That man has been so harmful (si assommateur de toute vertu...)to all virtue." - Madame de Sta？l， "Considerations sur la Revolution Fran？aise， " 4th part， ch. 18. (Napoleon's conduct with M. de Melzi， to destroy him in public opinion in Milan， in 1805.)[46] Madame de Rémusat， I.， 106； II.， 247， 336： "His means for governing man were all derived from those which tend to debase him. .