The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1878-09-12
Napoleon and Wieland.

III tHe autumn VI IOOC, Sblnc VI iHC
princes then assembled at the Congress
of ErfRrt, came for few days to visit
the court of Weimar, and, among them
Napoleon. He was accompanied by Il
troupe of French players, who borrowed
the theatre, and, on the 9th of October,
exhibited in it Voltaire's Death of Caesar.
Wieland went to see this tragedy, in
which Talma was to. perform, and sat
as usual in a private side box of the
second tier, reserved for the ducal fam
lily, to which he had been attached as
preceptor. Napoleon observed him
there, and inquired who was the venera-
bic old man with the black velvet Ca
lotte. This was the usual costume of
Wieland, who, not liking to wear wig,
and being exposed by the badness of his
crown to colds of the head, had adopted
circular cap resembling that of the
Catholic priests. After having been in
formed by the Prince Primate that this
was Wieland, Napoleon signitied a wish
to see him after the play; and Wieland
accordingly was ushered to the ball
room, which was to he the next place Of
rendezvous. In one of Wieland's letters
the following account is given of the
interview:
81 had not been many minutes there
before Napoleon came across the room
toward me; the duchess then presented
me to him regularly, and he addressed
me afAbly, with some words OF compli-
ment, looking me steadily in the eye.
Few mortals have appeared to me so
rapidly to see through man at lance
he instantly perceived that, nothwith-
standing my own celebrity, was plain,
unassuming old man; and, as he seemed
DESTROYS of making forever good i'm
preston upon me, he at once assumed
the form best adapted to attain his end.
never saw man in appearance calmer,
palmer, milder, or more unassuming. No
trace about him of the consciousness that
he was great monarch. He talked to
me like an old acquaintance with his
equal; and, what was very rare with him,
chatted with me exclusively an entire
hour and half to the great surprise of
all present. AT length, about midnight,
| began to feel an Inconvenience from
standing SO long, and took the liberty of
requesting his mojesty's permission to
Withdraw. Alice donc,' said he, in II
very friendly tone, bon soi'.'"
The more remarkable traits of our in
terview were these The previous play
having drawn our conversation upon
julius Caesar, Napoleon observed that he
was one of the greatest characters in
universal history; and, indeed he adj
ded, would have been without excep
ton. the greatest, but for one blunder.'
| was about to inquire to what anecdote
he alluded, when he seemed to read the
question in my eye, and continued:
Caesar knew the men who wanted to get
rid of him, and he ought to have been
rid of them first If Napoleon could
read all that passed in my inner mind he
would have perceived me saying: Such
a blunder would never be laid to your
charge.
From Cesar our conversation turned
to the Romans; he praised warmly their
military and political system. The
Greeks, on the contrary, seemed to stand
low in his opinion. THE eternal scutlle
between their little republics was not
formed" he said, to evolve anything
great But the Romans were always
intent upon grand purposes, and thus
created the mighty colossus which be-
strobe the world pleaded for the art
and literature of the Greeks; he treated
both with contempt, and said they only
served to dispute about. He preferred
Ossian to Homer. In poetry he pre-
ferred to value only the sublime and en-
ergetic and pathetic writers, especially
the tragic poets; but OF Arioste he spoke
in some such terms AS Cardinal Hippo
Tito, of EST, did; not aware, however,
think, that in this he was giving me a
box on the ear. For anything humorous
he seemed to have no liking; and, not
withstanding the flattering friendship of
his apparent manner, he repeatedly
struck inc as if cast from bronze.
AT length, however, he had put me so
much at my ease that | asked him how
it came about that the public worship,
which he had reformed in France, had
not been rendered more philosophic and
more on par with the spirit of the times.
MY dear Wieland Che replied, worship
is not made for philosophers; they neltLer
believe in me nor my priesthood. As
for those who do believe, you can give
them, or leave them, wonders enough.
If had to make q religion for phiIoso-
pliers, it would be just the reverse In
this tone the conversation went on for
some time, and Bonaparte professed SO
much skepticism as to question whether
Jesus Christ ever existed. This odds
Wieland) is very quotidian skepticism;
and in his free-thlnking | saw nothing to
admire but the openness with which he
exposed it,"
Bonapartc sent shortly afterward to
Wielaud a brevet of admission into has
legion of honor.