Chapter 77

PARIS, October, 1805.

MY LORD:--Many wise people are of the opinion that the revolution of another great Empire is necessary to combat or oppose the great impulse occasioned by the Revolution of France, before Europe can recover its long-lost order and repose. Had the subjects of Austria been as disaffected as they are loyal, the world might have witnessed such a terrible event, and been enabled to judge whether the hypothesis was the production of an ingenious schemer or of a profound statesman. Our armies under Bonaparte have never before penetrated into the heart of a country where subversion was not prepared, and where subversion did not follow.

How relatively insignificant, in the eyes of Providence, must be the independence of States and the liberties of nations, when such a relatively insignificant personage as General von Mack can shake them? Have, then, the Austrian heroes--a Prince Eugene, a Laudon, a Lasci, a Beaulieu, a Haddick, a Bender, a Clairfayt, and numerous other valiant and great warriors--left no posterity behind them; or has the presumption of General von Mack imposed upon the judgment of the Counsellors of his Prince? This latter must have been the case; how otherwise could the welfare of their Sovereign have been entrusted to a military quack, whose want of energy and bad disposition had, in 1799, delivered up the capital of another Sovereign to his enemies. How many reputations are gained by an impudent assurance, and lost when the man of talents is called upon to act and the fool presents himself.

Baron von Mack served as an aide-de-camp under Field-marshal Laudon, during the last war between Austria and Turkey, and displayed some intrepidity, particularly before Lissa. The Austrian army was encamped eight leagues from that place, and the commander-in-chief hesitated to attack it, believing it to be defended by thirty thousand men. To decide him upon making this attack, Baron von Mack left him at nine o'clock at night, crossed the Danube, accompanied only by a single Uhlan, and penetrated into the suburb of Lissa, where he made prisoner a Turkish officer, whom, on the next morning at seven o'clock, he presented to his general, and from whom it was learnt that the garrison contained only six thousand, men. This personal temerity, and the applause of Field-marshal Laudon, procured him then a kind of reputation, which he has not since been able to support. Some theoretical knowledge of the art of war, and a great facility of conversing on military topics, made even the Emperor Joseph conceive a high opinion of this officer; but it has long been proved, and experience confirms it every day, that the difference is immense between the speculator and the operator, and that the generals of Cabinets are often indifferent captains when in the camp or in the field.

Preceded by a certain celebrity, Baron von Mack served, in 1793, under the Prince of Coburg, as an adjutant-general, and was called to assist at the Congress at Antwerp, where the operations of the campaign were regulated. Everywhere he displayed activity and bravery; was wounded twice in the month of May; but he left the army without having performed anything that evinced the talents which fame had bestowed on him. In February, 1794, the Emperor sent him to London to arrange, in concert with your Government, the plans of the campaign then on the eve of being opened; and when he returned to the Low Countries he was advanced to a quartermaster-general of the army of Flanders, and terminated also this unfortunate campaign without having done anything to justify the reputation he had before acquired or usurped. His Sovereign continued, nevertheless, to employ him in different armies; and in January, 1797, he was appointed a Field-marshal lieutenant and a quartermaster-general of the army of the Rhine. In February he conducted fifteen thousand of the troops of this army to reinforce the army of Italy; but when Bonaparte in April penetrated into Styria and Carinthia, he was ordered to Vienna as a second in command of the levy 'en masse'.

Real military characters had already formed their opinion of this officer, and saw a presumptuous charlatan where others had admired an able warrior. His own conduct soon convinced them that they neither had been rash nor mistaken. The King of Naples demanding, in 1798, from his son-in-law, the Emperor of Germany, a general to organize and head his troops, Baron von Mack was presented to him. After war had been declared against France he obtained some success in partial engagements, but was defeated in a general battle by an enemy inferior in number. In the Kingdom of Naples, as well as in the Empire of Germany, the fury of negotiation seized him when he should have fought, and when he should have remembered that no compacts can ever be entered into with political and military earthquakes, more than with physical ones. This imprudence, particularly as he was a foreigner, excited suspicion among his troops, whom, instead of leading to battle, he deserted, under the pretence that his life was in danger, and surrendered himself and his staff to our commander, Championnet.

A general who is too fond of his life ought never to enter a camp, much less to command armies; and a military chief who does not consider the happiness and honour of the State as his first passion and his first duty, and prefers existence to glory, deserves to be shot as a traitor, or drummed out of the army as a dastardly coward. Without mentioning the numerous military faults committed by General von Mack during this campaign, it is impossible to deny that, with respect to his own troops, he conducted himself in the most pusillanimous manner. It has often been repeated that martial valour does not always combine with it that courage and that necessary presence of mind which knows how to direct or repress multitudes, how to command obedience and obtain popularity; but when a man is entrusted with the safety of an Empire, and assumes such a brilliant situation, he must be weak-minded and despicable indeed, if he does not show himself worthy of it by endeavouring to succeed, or perish in the attempt. The French emigrant, General Dumas, evinced what might have been done, even with the dispirited Neapolitan troops, whom he neither deserted, nor with whom he offered to capitulate.

Baron von Mack is in a very infirm state of health, and is often under the necessity of being carried on a litter; and his bodily complaints have certainly not increased the vigour of his mind. His love of life seems to augment in proportion as its real value diminishes. As to the report here of his having betrayed his trust in exchanging honour for gold, I believe it totally unfounded. Our intriguers may have deluded his understanding, but our traitors would never have been able to seduce or shake his fidelity. His head is weak, but his heart is honest. Unfortunately, it is too true that, in turbulent times, irresolution and weakness in a commander or a Minister operate the same, and are as dangerous as, treason.

THE ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS:

A stranger to remorse and repentance, as well as to honour Accused of fanaticism, because she refused to cohabit with him All his creditors, denounced and executed All priests are to be proscribed as criminals As everywhere else, supported injustice by violence As confident and obstinate as ignorant Bestowing on the Almighty the passions of mortals Bonaparte and his wife go now every morning to hear Mass Bonaparte dreads more the liberty of the Press than all other Bourrienne Bow to their charlatanism as if it was sublimity Cannot be expressed, and if expressed, would not be believed Chevalier of the Guillotine: Toureaux Complacency which may be felt, but ought never to be published Country where power forces the law to lie dormant Distinguished for their piety or rewarded for their flattery Easy to give places to men to whom Nature has refused parts Encounter with dignity and self-command unbecoming provocations Error to admit any neutrality at all Expeditious justice, as it is called here Extravagances of a head filled with paradoxes Feeling, however, the want of consolation in their misfortunes Forced military men to kneel before priests French Revolution was fostered by robbery and murder Future effects dreaded from its past enormities General who is too fond of his life ought never to enter a camp Generals of Cabinets are often indifferent captains in the field God is only the invention of fear Gold, changes black to white, guilt to innocence Hail their sophistry and imposture as inspiration He was too honest to judge soundly and to act rightly Her present Serene Idiot, as she styles the Prince Borghese Hero of great ambition and small capacity: La Fayette How many reputations are gained by an impudent assurance How much people talk about what they do not comprehend If Bonaparte is fond of flattery--pays for it like a real Emperor Indifference about futurity Indifference of the French people to all religion Invention of new tortures and improved racks Irresolution and weakness in a commander operate the same Its pretensions rose in proportion to the condescensions Jealous of his wife as a lover of his mistress Justice is invoked in vain when the criminal is powerful Labour as much as possible in the dark Love of life increase in proportion as its real value diminishes Marble lives longer than man May change his habitations six times in the month--yet be home Men and women, old men and children are no more Military diplomacy Misfortunes and proscription would not only inspire courage More vain than ambitious My maid always sleeps with me when my husband is absent My means were the boundaries of my wants Napoleon invasion of States of the American Commonwealth Nature has destined him to obey, and not to govern Not suspected of any vices, but all his virtues are negative Not only portable guillotines, but portable Jacobin clubs Nothing was decided, though nothing was refused Now that she is old (as is generally the case), turned devotee One of the negative accomplices of the criminal Opinion almost constitutes half the strength of armies Prelate on whom Bonaparte intends to confer the Roman tiara Prepared to become your victim, but not your accomplice Presumptuous charlatan Pretensions or passions of upstart vanity Pride of an insupportable and outrageous ambition Procure him after a useless life, a glorious death Promises of impostors or fools to delude the ignorant Prudence without weakness, and with firmness without obstinacy Saints supplied her with a finger, a toe, or some other parts Salaries as the men, under the name of washerwomen Satisfying himself with keeping three mistresses only Should our system of cringing continue progressively Sold cats' meat and tripe in the streets of Rome Step is but short from superstition to infidelity Sufferings of individuals, he said, are nothing Suspicion and tyranny are inseparable companions Suspicion is evidence They will create some quarrel to destroy you They ought to be just before they are generous "This is the age of upstarts," said Talleyrand Thought at least extraordinary, even by our friends Thought himself eloquent when only insolent or impertinent Two hundred and twenty thousand prostitute licenses Under the notion of being frank, are rude United States will be exposed to Napoleon's outrages Usurped the easy direction of ignorance Vices or virtues of all civilized nations are relatively the same Want is the parent of industry We are tired of everything, even of our existence Were my generals as great fools as some of my Ministers Which crime in power has interest to render impenetrable Who complains is shot as a conspirator With us, unfortunately, suspicion is the same as conviction Would cease to rule the day he became just