The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1827-09-26
WHOLE No. 2S4s.

| what would have been the fate of the author OF
| the BeggGr's Opera, had he written it for the
French Opera Comique.
/ But no light, which reason or information
selfish ambition, which made Napoleon de.
sire that the whole administration of the whole
world should not only remotely, but even di.
rectiy and Immediately, depend on his ow,,
pleasure. When he distributed kingdoms to
his brothers, it was under the express under
standing that they were to follow in every
thing the course of politics which he should
dictate; and after all he seemed only to create
dependent states for the purpose of resuminG
then- lie dethroned his brother Louis for re-
tusing to countenance the expressions, which
IN the name of France, he imposed on Hol-
land; and he had thoughts of removing Josepli
! from Spain, when he saw of what a fair and
goodiy realm he had pronounced him king. In
dS H5ePhSg n bbo g5HR lab s.
cry realm which he conquered, he brought his
powerful mind to the level of that of the spoil
ed child who will not be satisfied without hold
ing in its own hand whatever has caught, his
eye. The system, grounded on ambition SO
lnordnate, carried with it in its excess the
principles of its own ruin. The runner who
will never stop for repose must at last fall
down with fatigue. Had Napolean succeeded
both in Spain and Russia, he would not have
rested until he had found elsewhere the disas-
1 tiers of Baylen and of Moscow.
/ The consequence of the unius:ifable aggrcs-
sions Of the French Emperor were an unlimited
extent of slaughter, fire, and human misery, all
arising from the ambition of oI.o n1Saa, 80
taqs' rrluUGnded mischief, seemed on the Contra
rY, to Justify and take pride in the ravage which
he had occasional. This ambition, equally in
satIable and lncurable, justified Europe in secur-
ing his person, as if it had been that of lu
matte, whose misguided rage not directed
| against an individual, but against civilized
world, which, well nigh overcome by him, and
escaping with difficulty had a natural right TO
be guaranteed against repetition of the frantic
exploits of being who seemed guided by
more than human passion, and capable of en-
ploying in execution Of his purpose more than
human strength.
The same egotisIn, the same spirit of selt-de-
f5eDtlon. which marked Napoleon during his
!oii9 anu ISL career of success, followed him
! iiito aofersity, lie ff~--e4 apologies for The
use ct his little company of followers, as he
had formerly manufactured bulletins for the
Great Nation. Those to whom those excuses
were addressed, Las Cases and the other gen.
tlemen OF Napoleons suite being too much de-
voted to him, and too generous to dispute, after
hiS tall, doctrines which it would have been
dangerous to controyert during his power, re-
celved whatever ne said as truths delivered by
prophet, and set down doubtless to the seer 3
inspiration what could by no effort be reconcil-
e ed TO truth. The horrid evils which afflicted
: Europe during the years of his success, were
/ represented to others, and perks
r, mind, as consequences whies5Rer p A1ecenlpel
10 nelther wished nor contemplated, but WhitT
d were necessarily and unalterably attached 10
l. the execution of the great plans which the
9 Man OF Destiny had been called upon earth TO
i perform, resembling far the lurid and fear
}, inspiring train pursuing the rapid course of a
: brilliant comet, which tho laws Of the universe
: have projected through the painless armament
he faH Of
character, which seem to have sprung, not
J, like the general evils of war, from the execu-
ton OF great and calculated plans of a political
or military kind, but must have had their
source IN temper naturally passionate and
, Vlndlcuye. The Duke d'Enghien's murder
was at the head of this list gratuitous act of
5 treachery and cruelty, which being undeniable
led Napoleon to be believed capable of other
crimes OF secret and bloody characterize
: the murder Of Pichegru and Of Wright of
+ the splrlting away Mr., Windham, who was
; never afterwards heard of, and Of other actions
OF similar atrocity. We pause before charging
; him with any of those which have not been
| distinctly proved. For while it is certain that
ne had love Of personal vengeance, proper, it
Is said, to his country, it is equally certain that,
} vehement by temperament he was lenient and
calm by policy, and that, if he had INDUCED
the former disposition, the security with which
, he might have done SO, together with ready
} agency of this fatal police, would have made
, his age resemble that of one of the Roman
c emperoTs. he was made sensible, too late, of
T the general odium drawn upon him by the
o murder OF the Duke dEnghien, and does not
t seem to have been disposed to incur farther
! risks of popular hatred in prosecution of his
n personal resentment. The records of this pol
Q ice, however, and the prosecutions experienced
! by those whom Napoleon considered as his
e personal enemies, show that, by starts at least
Q nature resumed her bent, and he, upon whom
there was no restraint, save his respect for
public opinion, gave way to the temptation OF
ayenglng his private injuries He remarked il
6 as a weakness in the character of his favorite
: Cesar, that he suffered his enemies to remain in
Q possession of the power 10 Diure him, and
g the reporter of the observation could not help
: acknowledging in his heart, when he looked on
. the person before him, that he was unlikely &c
e fall into such an error
When Napoleon laid aside reserve and spoke
: what were probably his true sentiments, he en-
r deavored to justify those acts of his govern
d ment which transgressed the rules of Justice
# and morality, by political necessity, and rea.
o sons of state, or, in other words, by tho pres.
f sure of his own interest. This; however, was
: plea, the full benefit of which he reserved to
/ vlndicate his own actions, never permitting at
to be used by any other sovereign lie consid-
. eied himself privileged in transgressing the
law of nations, when his interests required it,,
. DuI pleadeu as warmly upon lne validity O
: public law, when alleging it had been infringe1
by other states, if he himself had in all in
stances respected its doctrines as inviolable
But although Napoleon sometimes referred
to state necessity as the ultimate source of ac-
! tons otherwise unjustifable, no more frequent
{ ly endeavored to disguise his errors by denial.
, or excuse them by apologies which had no ex-
istence. His habits of concealing truth, and
Q inventing falsehood, had become so strong,
- that his very last will and testament bears tho
' grossest marks of his deceptive system. He
y AYERS, that the Duke dEnghien was convicted
i by his own confession of having maintained
Q sixty assassins in France for the purpose Of
: numbering Napoleon. The examination of the
3 Duke bears express denial Of this charge
}. instead of confession; nor was there The
r slightest attempt made to contradict him by