CHAPTER LIII.

L’HOMME ROUGE--NAPOLEON’S SUPERSTITION.

This ends the caricatures for the year 1813, at the close of which Napoleon was in Paris. Wellington and Soult were fighting their prolonged duel in Spain, to the great advantage of the former. One after another did the French garrisons surrender, until, at the close of the year, Santona alone remained to the French. His troops, shut up in garrison in Germany and Prussia, were in very evil case, from hardships and sickness. St. Cyr abandoned Dresden, and all the garrison were made prisoners of war. Stettin surrendered, and the Dutch revolted; whilst at home the life-blood of the nation was being drained by a new conscription of 300,000 men, and the taxes were increased by one half.

And here, as well as at any other place, I may introduce Napoleon’s familiar spirit, ‘_l’Homme Rouge_.’ The belief in ‘the red man,’ in connection with the Emperor, was very widely spread; but details of his personal appearance, and the times of his visits, are rarely to be met with, and are invariably contradictory. Napoleon’s success had been so marvellous, that it is easily to be imagined it was popularly ascribed to supernatural agency.

In a small and very rare French book,[34] is an account of ‘_The little red and green men, or the genius of Evil triumphing over the genius of Good_. Many persons, astonished at the success of Buonaparte in all which he undertook, asked by what tutelary divinity he was protected?

‘Some said, It is Europe which is being destroyed by itself, an effect natural to every country, over-populated, and too flourishing--Was it not thus with Egypt, Greece, Judea, and Rome? Others, less philosophic, but easier given to conjecture, said, When he was in Egypt he several times absented himself from his staff.--Somebody generally came to him before he fought a battle, or undertook any enterprise.

‘He frequently repeated, _God has given me the strength and the will to overcome all obstacles_. There was something supernatural ... and thenceforth endless questions were asked of those who were with him in the Egyptian expedition. At length, by dint of research, a part of the truth was discovered, which is as follows:--

‘On the eve of the battle of the Pyramids, Buonaparte, at the council which was held in the morning, formally opposed the proposition to give battle. In the afternoon of that day, having gone, with some of the officers of his suite, to make a reconnaissance, and having approached one of the monuments of the pride of the Pharaohs,[35] he suddenly saw, coming out from it, a little man clothed in a long red robe, his head being adorned with a pointed cap of the same colour, after the manner of the priests of Isis, or the Chaldean sages, known under the name of Magi. He carried a little ring in his hand.

‘This mysterious man only said these words to him: “Approach, young man, and learn the high destinies to which you are called, if you wish to be prudent and wise.”

‘Immediately, Buonaparte, as if he had been drawn by a supernatural force, descended from his horse, and followed him into the interior of the pyramid, where he remained more than an hour.

‘The officers of his suite, at first, paid little attention to this _rencontre_, taking the red man to be one of those charlatans, with which the world abounds, to the detriment of science and real knowledge; they were even astonished that their general, to whom they accorded so much merit, lost precious time in interviewing a wretched cheat; but, when they saw Buonaparte come out, all radiant with joy, saying to them, “Friends, let us give battle; we shall conquer!” and when they saw, that in spite of the inferiority of their forces, they should gain the most complete victory, they could only think of _the red man_. Is he a God? Is he a Genius? That was what they asked.

‘Thenceforth the French, in Egypt, only marched from victory to victory, until the departure of Napoleon for France.

‘We believe that all the deeds with which _the red man_ has been credited are only fables which conjecturors have invented; but, at least, in him they discover the emblem of a good Genius, who pointed out to Buonaparte what he ought to do to assure at least the love and gratitude of the people. But an evil Genius, whom they suppose to have been clothed in green, appeared to him at St. Cloud, at the time of the 18th Brumaire, and gave him counsels, which prevailed, for the misfortune of the world, over those of _the red man_, and led him to his ruin.’

Balzac, in a delicious booklet,[36] in which an old soldier gives the history of his beloved Emperor, makes him say, ‘There is one thing which it would be unjust, if I did not tell you: In Egypt, in the Desert, near Syria, THE RED MAN appeared to him, in the mountain of Moses, to tell him, “All went well.”

‘Then at Marengo, on the evening of the Victory, he saw, standing before him, the Red Man, who said to him:

‘“Thou shalt see the world at thy feet, and thou shalt be Emperor of the French, King of Italy, Master of Holland, Sovereign of Spain, Portugal, the Illyrian Provinces, Protector of Germany, Saviour of Poland, First Eagle of the Legion of Honour.”

‘This Red Man, do you see, was his idea, his own: a kind of lackey, who helped him, as many say, to communicate with his star. I, myself, have never believed that but the Red Man is a veritable fact, and Napoleon has spoken of him himself, and has said that he visits him in troublous moments, and that he stays at the palace of the Tuileries, in the upper apartments. Then at his Coronation, Napoleon saw him, in the evening, for the third time, and they were in deliberation about many things. Then the Emperor went straight to Milan to crown himself King of Italy....

‘At length we found ourselves, one morning, encamped at Moskowa.[37] It was there that I gained the Cross, and I take the liberty of saying that it was a cursed battle! The Emperor was uneasy: he had seen the Red Man, who said to him:

‘“My child, thou art going too fast, men will fail thee, and friends will betray thee.”’

And the old soldier, almost at the end of his story, says, ‘The remainder is sufficiently well known. The Red Man passed over to the Bourbons, like a scoundrel, as he is. France is crushed,’ &c.

It is needless to say that this legend was known in England, and was not lost sight of by the satirist.

Poor Bonaparte, now, every day, Endeavoured to be wondrous gay; To concerts, plays, and balls, he went, To hide, it seems, his discontent. Folks thought hostilities would cease, For gaiety’s a sign of peace. But soon, alas! returned his gloom, And now our hero kept his room. One day he wish’d to be alone, And said he was at home to none, When suddenly there came a knock, Which dealt around a dreadful shock-- His counsellor of State, ’tis said, Saw a tall man dressed all in red! ‘Your business, Sir?’--‘A secret that-- I must see Bonaparte, that’s flat’-- ‘He’s not at home,’ was the reply, The red man answer’d--‘that’s a lie!’ The Counsellor to Boney ran, Apprising Nap of this red man-- How very great the Emp’ror’s dread-- ‘Art sure? and was he dress’d in red?’ Affecting then a kind of grin-- ‘No matter--shew the red man in.’ The red man, tho’, as people say, Ne’er waited to be shewn the way, For in he bolted--and, what’s more, Immediately he clos’d the door-- The Counsellor of State, so shock’d His ear, then, at the keyhole cock’d, And tho’ the red, tall, man he fear’d, This conversation he o’erheard-- ‘Well, Emp’ror Boney--pray how do you? This is my third appearance to you, At Egypt once--next at Wagram-- You must remember who I am.’ ‘Yes, I remember, but what is it Has now induced this sudden visit?’ ‘What is it! Nap, how can you ask? Have you accomplish’d, pray, your task? Four years, I for that purpose granted, It was the very time you wanted; And then I said--and say it now-- No longer time wou’d I allow; ’Twas quite sufficient, as you said, And solemnly a vow you made, That either Europe you’d subdue, Or peace shou’d in that time ensue; I told you, if I tricks foresaw, That my protection I’d withdraw, And therefore am I come again To tell you but three months remain; If Europe then, you have not got, Or peace confirm’d--you’ll go to _pot_.’ Our hero seem’d quite panic struck, ‘Alas!’ said he, ‘I’ve had no luck-- I can’t in three months undertake An honourable peace to make-- A longer period, therefore, fix, Let the three months, I pray, be six.’ ‘It cannot be--I’ll grant no more’-- Nap followed him unto the door-- ‘Five months, I’m sure, you may allow’-- ‘I won’t--mark well your sacred vow, One or the other you must do-- Or else, depend on it you’ll rue.’ ‘Then grant _four_ months.’--‘It cannot be-- Conquer, or be at peace, in _three_-- Such was the task you undertook’-- Then giving a contemptuous look, ‘_Three months_--no longer--so good-bye’-- He said--nor waited a reply. With indignation Boney burn’d, While to his cab’net he return’d-- And there, as many people say, He sullenly remain’d all day.

The English gave Napoleon the character of being very superstitious, and I believe, even now, ‘Napoleon’s Book of Fate,’ and ‘Napoleon’s Dream Book,’ are procurable.

In 1795 it is said that Napoleon paid a visit to a sorcerer named Pierre le Clerc, and expressed some doubt of his power. ‘You are wrong,’ said the magician, ‘to doubt my art. I know more than you probably imagine. There was a prophecy of a certain Count Cagliostro, uttered ten years ago, on the French Revolution, which was not then thought of. This announced that a Corsican voted or elected by the people, would finish it, probably by a Dictatorship.’ Napoleon left the old man, and, it is said, did not visit him again until the eve of the fateful 18th Brumaire.

The seer gave him a number of cards, on each of which he was to write one letter of the question he wanted to ask, which was: ‘What will become of the Corsican Napoleon Bonaparte, general, on account of the _Coup d’Etat_ risked by him, at Paris, the 18th Brumaire, 1799?’ These cards were well mixed and handed to the conjurer, who, after some manipulation, settled on thirteen cards, having the letters B, O, P, P, I, A, I, B, I, P, A, U, F, each of which letters he interpreted as the commencement of a Latin word; and, on this basis, he constructed the following sentence: ‘Bis Oriens, Populi Princeps, In Altum Incedit; Bis Incidit; Per Anglos Ultima Fata,’--or, He rises twice Prince of the People, and hovers over the heights; twice he falls; his last fatality will come from the English.

Napoleon then took fresh cards, and wrote: ‘Josephine Marie Rose de Tascher de la Pagerie, wife of the General Napoleon Bonaparte.’ Of these Pierre le Clerc selected three letters, H, E, A, which he interpreted as ‘Herois Extinctus Amor,’--or, Love extinguishes itself in the heart of a hero.

There was a curious article in the ‘Frankfurter Journal’ of September 21, 1870, on the influence of the letter M on the life of Napoleon: ‘Marbeuf was the first to recognise the genius of Napoleon at the Military College. Marengo was the first great battle won by General Bonaparte, and Melas made room for him in Italy. Mortier was one of his best generals, Moreau betrayed him, and Marat was the first martyr to his cause. Maria Louisa shared his highest fortunes; Moscow was the abyss of ruin into which he fell. Metternich vanquished him in the field of diplomacy. Six marshals (Massena, Mortier, Marmont, Macdonald, Murat, Moncey) and twenty-six generals of division under Napoleon had the letter M for their initial. Marat, Duke of Bassano, was his most trusted counsellor. His first battle was that of Montenotte, his last Mont St. Jean, as the French term Waterloo. He won the battles of Millesimo, Mondovi, Montmirail, and Montereau; then came the storming of Montmartre. Milan was the first enemy’s capital, and Moscow the last, into which he entered victorious. He lost Egypt through Menou, and employed Miellis to take Pius VII. prisoner. Mallet conspired against him; Murat was the first to desert him, then Marmont. Three of his ministers were Maret, Montalivet, and Mallieu; his first chamberlain was Montesquieu. His last halting place in France was Malmaison. He surrendered to Captain Maitland of the _Bellerophon_, and his companions at St. Helena were Montholon and his valet Marchand.’