Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. XXIII.—April, 1852.—Vol. IV.: NoneVarious
General
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. XXIII.—April, 1852.—Vol. IV.: None
Various
American literature -- Periodicals; Civilization -- Periodicals; Culture -- Periodicals
our genius? upon _force_. Jesus Christ alone founded his empire upon
love. And at this moment millions of men would die for him. I die before
my time, and my body will be given back to earth, to become food for
worms. Such is the fate of him who has been called the great Napoleon.
What an abyss between my deep misery and the eternal kingdom of Christ,
which is proclaimed, loved, and adored, and which is extending over the
whole earth! Call you this dying? Is it not living rather? The death of
Christ is the death of a God!"
At the time of the invasion of Egypt, Napoleon regarded all forms of
religion with equal respect. And though he considered Christianity
superior, in intellectuality and refinement, to all other modes of
worship, he did not consider any religion as of divine origin. At one
time, speaking of the course which he pursued in Egypt, he said, "Such
was the disposition of the army, that in order to induce them to listen
to the bare mention of religion, I was obliged to speak very lightly on
the subject; to place Jews beside Christians, and rabbis beside bishops.
But after all it would not have been so very extraordinary had
circumstances induced me to embrace Islamism. But I must have had good
reasons for my conversion. I must have been secure of advancing at least
as far as the Euphrates. Change of religion for private interest is
inexcusable. But it may be pardoned in consideration of immense
political results. Henry IV. said, _Paris is well worth a mass_. Will it
then be said that the dominion of the East, and perhaps the subjugation
of all Asia, were not worth a _turban and a pair of trowsers_? And in
truth the whole matter was reduced to this. The sheiks had studied how
to render it easy to us. They had smoothed down the great obstacles,
allowed us the use of wine, and dispensed with all corporeal
formalities. We should have lost only our small-clothes and hats."
Of the infidel Rousseau, Napoleon ever spoke in terms of severe
reprobation. "He was a bad man, a very bad man," said he, "he caused the
revolution." "I was not aware," another replied, "that you considered
the French Revolution such an unmixed evil." "Ah," Napoleon rejoined,
"you wish to say that without the revolution you would not have had me.
Nevertheless, without the revolution France would have been more happy."
When invited to visit the hermitage of Rousseau, to see his cap, table,
great chair, &c., he exclaimed, "Bah! I have no taste for such
fooleries. Show them to my brother Louis. He is worthy of them."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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