Madame Récamier--Childhood of Madame Récamier described by M. Benjamin Constant--Letter to Madame Récamier from Lucien Bonaparte--Continuation of M. Benjamin Constant's narrative: Madame de Staël--Madame Récamier's journey to England--Madame de Staël's first journey to Germany--Madame Récamier in Paris--Plans of the generals--Portrait of Bernadotte--Trial of Moreau--Letters from Moreau and Masséna to Madame Récamier--Death of M. Necker--Return of Madame de Staël--Madame Récamier at Coppet--Prince Augustus of Prussia--Madame de Staël's second journey to Germany--The Château de Chaumont--Letter from Madame de Staël to Bonaparte--Madame Récamier and M. Mathieu de Montmorency exiled--Madame Récamier at Châlons--Madame Récamier at Lyons--Madame de Chevreuse--Spanish prisoners--Madame Récamier in Rome--Albano-Canova: his letters--The Albano fisherman--Madame Récamier in Naples--The Duc de Rohan-Chabot--King Murat: his letters--Madame Récamier returns to France--Letter from Madame de Genlis--Letters from Benjamin Constant--Articles by Benjamin Constant on Bonaparte's return from Elba--Madame de Krüdener--The Duke of Wellington--I meet Madame Récamier again--Death of Madame de Staël--The Abbaye-aux-Bois. We pass to the embassy to Rome, to Italy, the dream of my life. Before continuing my story, I must speak of a woman of whom we shall not lose sight again till the end of these Memoirs. A correspondence is about to open between us from Rome to Paris: it is necessary, therefore, to know to whom I am writing, how and at what period I became acquainted with Madame Récamier. She met, in the different ranks of society, persons, more or less celebrated, engaged upon the stage of the world: all offered her their worship. Her beauty mingles its ideal existence with the material facts of our history: a placid light illuminating a stormy picture. Let us resume once more the consideration of times gone by; let us endeavour, by the light of my setting sun, to trace a portrait on the sky where my night, which approaches, will soon spread its shadows. A letter published in the _Mercure_ after my return to France, in 1800, had attracted the attention of Madame de Staël. I was not yet struck off the list of Emigrants; _Atala_ drew me from my obscurity. Madame Bacciocchi (Élisa Bonaparte), at the request of M. de Fontanes, applied for and obtained my erasure. Madame de Staël had interested herself in this matter: I went to thank her. I cannot remember if it was Christian de Lamoignon or the author of _Corinne_[337] who introduced me to Madame Récamier, her friend; the latter was then living at her house in the Rue du Mont-Blanc. On emerging from my woods and the obscurity of my life, I was still quite timid; I scarce dared lift my eyes to a woman surrounded by adorers.