The Memoirs of François René Vicomte de Chateaubriand sometime Ambassador to England. volume 3 (of 6): Mémoires d'outre-tombe volume 3Chateaubriand, François-René, vicomte de
History
The Memoirs of François René Vicomte de Chateaubriand sometime Ambassador to England. volume 3 (of 6): Mémoires d'outre-tombe volume 3
Chateaubriand, François-René, vicomte de
Chateaubriand, François-René, vicomte de, 1768-1848
"Let the King keep his word; let him stay in his capital.
The National Guard is on our side. Let us make sure of
Vincennes. We have the arms and the money; with the money
we shall overcome weakness and cupidity. If the King leaves
Paris, Paris will admit Bonaparte; Bonaparte master of
Paris is master of France. The army has not gone over to
the enemy as a whole; several regiments, many generals and
officers have not yet betrayed their oaths: if we hold
firm, they will remain faithful. Let us disperse the Royal
Family, let us keep only the King. Let Monsieur go to the
Havre, the Duc de Berry[250] to Lille, the Duc de Bourbon to
the Vendée, the Duc d'Orléans to Metz; Madame la Duchesse
and M. le Duc d'Angoulême[251] are already in the South.
Our different points of resistance will prevent Bonaparte
from concentrating his forces. Let us barricade ourselves
in Paris. Already the national guards of the neighbouring
departments are coming to our aid. Amid this movement, our
old Monarch, protected by the will of Louis XVI., will remain
peacefully seated on his throne at the Tuileries, with the
Charter in his hand; the diplomatic body will range itself
round him; the two Chambers will meet in the two wings of the
Palace; the King's Household will encamp in the Carrousel
and in the Tuileries Gardens. We shall line the quays and
the water-terrace with guns: let Bonaparte attack us in this
position; let him carry our barricades one by one; let him
bombard Paris, if he please and if he have mortars; let him
make himself odious to the whole population, and we shall see
the result of his enterprise! Let us resist for but three
days, and victory is ours. The King, defending himself in
his palace, will arouse universal enthusiasm. Lastly, if he
must die, let him die worthy of his rank; let Napoleon's
last exploit be to cut an old man's throat. Louis XVIII., in
sacrificing his life, will win the only battle he will have
fought; he will win it for the benefit of the freedom of the
human race."
Thus I spoke: one is never entitled to say that all is lost so long as
one has attempted nothing. What could have been finer than an old son
of St. Louis overthrowing, with Frenchmen, in a few moments, a man whom
all the confederate kings of Europe had taken so many years to lay low?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account