Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

8

9

to1 the republican banner of France, which still floated over his head. At some paces from him stood a boy, about fourteen years of age,2 dressed in a3 blue jacket without any mark of distinction, a small sword at his side, and two pistols in his belt. He looked upon the dying man with an expression of despair, blended with resignation, which imparted the conviction that he also had done with life." This vessel was L'Orient, the admiral ship of the expedition to Egypt; the dying man was her captain, Casabianca; the youth was his son. "Take 10 this child," said the captain to the lieutenant, "save yourself and him, and leave an old sailor, reduced to the value of a damaged cartouch, to 12 die alone." "Keep your distance," 18 said the young hero, "and save yourself; for me, this is 14 my place, I will not leave my father." "My son," said the dying man, casting upon his noble child a look which expressed all the happiness the human heart is capable of conceiving-" my son, I command you 15 to go." At this moment a frightful crash evinced the mastery 16 of the devouring element; the timbers 17 of the deck became burning hot.18 The lieutenant started forward 19 to seize the youth, who, presenting one of his pistols, threatened to lay him 20 at his feet if he attempted to touch him. "It is my duty to stay," he exclaimed: "go you; may you, but you have no time to lose."

Heaven bless
Then laying

1 To, vers-2 about fourteen years of age, d'environ quatorze ans3 dressed in a, vêtu d'une-4 at his, au—5 in, à— 6 with, de—7 he also had done with life, lui aussi, en avait fini avec la vie-8 to, "of”— 9 man, to be left out-10 take, emmenez-11 save yourself and him, sauvez-vous et sauvez le-12 to, to be left out-13 keep your distance, à distance 14 this is," it is here"-15 " thee"-16 evinced the mastery, annonça le triomphe-17 timbers, planches-18 burning hot, brûlantes de chaleur-19 started forward, s'élança-20 to lay him, de l'éten

dre.

WHAT A JUDGE SHOULD BE.

295

himself down beside his father, and throwing his 2 arms round him, he added—“ Bless me, my father."

DUCHESSE D'ABRANTÈS, "Mémoires."

WHAT A JUDGE SHOULD BE.

3

4

6

When the Executive power charged to institute the judiciary in the name of society calls a citizen to this eminent office, it addresses him thus: "Organ of the law, be like the law, impassible; you will be besieged by stormy passions,5 let them never ruffle your soul. Should my own errors, should the influences that beset me, and which it is so hard entirely to preclude, extort from me unjust orders, disobey these orders, resist 10 my seductions, resist my threats. As soon as you ascend the 11 tribunal, let your heart retain no vestige of either fear or hope. Be like the law, passionless."

8

9

The citizen replies: "I am a mere 12 man, and what you require of me is above humanity. You are too strong, and I am too weak: I shall succumb in this unequal struggle. You will misconceive 13 the motives of the resistance which you now prescribe, and will punish it. I cannot rise above my infirmities, if you do not protect me at once against myself and against you. Help, therefore, my weakness; free me from hope and from fear; promise that I shall not vacate my office,1

1 Laying himself down, se couchant-2 his, les.

14

3 Office, fonction-4 it addresses him thus, il lui dit-5 you will be, etc.......passions, toutes les passions frémiront autour de vous— 6 let them never ruffle, qu'elles ne troublent jamais 7 and which, etc.... ...preclude, et dont il est si malaisé de se garantir entièrement8 should......extort from me, si...... m'arrachent-9" disobey to"10" resist to"-11 as you ascend the, que vous monterez au-12 I am a mere, je ne suis qu'un-13 will misconceive, méconnaîtrez-14 I shall not vacate my office, je ne descendrai pas du tribunal.

unless I be convicted of having betrayed the duties which you impose upon me."1

The Executive hesitates; it is the nature of power to divest itself reluctantly of the exercise of its will. Enlightened at length by experience respecting its real interests, and subdued by the ever-increasing force of circumstances, it says to the judge—“ You shall be irremovable!"

ROYER-COLLARD.

PROCLAMATION TO THE FRENCH ARMY BEFORE

8

7

MILAN.

5

4

Soldiers ! you have rushed like a torrent from the top of the Apennines; you have overthrown, dispersed, everything that opposed your progress. Piedmont, delivered from Austrian tyranny, has followed her natural inclination for peace and friendship with France. Milan is yours, and the republican flag waves over all Lombardy. The Dukes of Parma and Modena owe their political existence to your generosity alone. The army which proudly threatened you finds no longer any barrier to secure it against your courage: the Po, the Ticino,10 and the Adda, have not stopped you for a single day; those highly-vaunted bulwarks of Italy have proved 11 insufficient; you have passed 12 them as rapidly as the Apennines.

9

11

1" You impose to me"-2 to divest itself, etc.......of, de se dessaisir lentement de-3 of circumstances, des choses.

4 Overthrown, calbuté-5 everything that opposed, tout ce qui s'opposait à-6 progress, marche-7 followed her......inclination for, s'est livré à ses sentiments......de-8 Milan is yours, Milan est à vous-9 to secure it, qui la rassure-10 Ticino, Tésin-11 proved, été -12 passed, franchis.

THE FRENCH ARMY BEFORE MILAN.

3

2

297

These1 successes have produced joy in the bosom of your country; your representatives have ordered a festival dedicated to your victories, which are celebrated in all the communes of the republic. There your fathers, your mothers, your wives, your sisters, your sweethearts, are rejoicing in your achievements, and boasting with pride that they belong to you. Yes, soldiers! you have done much; but is there nothing more left for you to do? 4 Shall it be said of us that we knew how to 5 conquer, but that we did not know how to follow up the victory? Shall posterity reproach you with having found a Capua in Lombardy?

8

Well!

But I see you already running to arms. let us set out! We have still forced marches to make, enemies to subdue, laurels to gather, injuries to revenge. Let those who have whetted the daggers of civil war in France, who have basely assassinated our ministers, who burned our ships at Toulon-let those tremble! The hour of vengeance has struck; but let not the people be alarmed; 10 we are friends of the people everywhere, and more particularly of the descendants of the Brutuses, the Scipios,11 and the great men whom we have taken for our 12 models. To re-establish the Capitol, to set up there with honour the statues of the heroes who rendered it celebrated; to rouse the Roman people, stupified 13 by several centuries of slavery-such will be the fruit of our victories. They will form an epoch with 14 posterity. You will have the immortal glory of chang

1 These, tant de-2 produced, porté-3 in, de-4 is there nothing more left for you to do? ne vous reste-t-il plus rien à faire ?-5 we knew how to, nous avons su-6 follow up, profiter de 7 with, de8 see note", p. 55-9 struck, sonné-10 let, etc.......alarmed, que les peuples soient sans inquiétude-" of the B., the S., des Brutus, des Scipion-12 for our, pour-13 stupified, engourdi-14 they will form an epoch with, elles feront époque dans.

ing the face of the finest portion of Europe. The French people, free, and respected by the whole world, will give to Europe a glorious peace, which will indemnify her for the1 sacrifices of all kinds that she has been making for the last six years. You will then return to your homes; and your fellow-citizens, pointing to you, will say, "He belonged to the army of

[ocr errors]

Italy."

NAPOLEON I.

THE LIBERTY OF MAN.

Man-materially so feeble, so diminutive, as compared with nature-feels and knows himself great by his intellect and by his liberty. "Man," says Pascal, "is only a reed, but he is a thinking reed. Were the universe to crush him,8 man would still be nobler than that which killed him; for the advantage the universe has over him, the universe knows not." 10 Let us add, that not only is the universe ignorant of its power, but it has not the disposal of it,11 and itself obeys irresistible laws as a 12 slave; whilst what little 13 I do, I do it because I choose; 14 and again, did I so choose,15 I should cease to do it, having in myself the power to commence, to suspend, to continue, or wholly to extinguish 16 the movement I have resolved to accomplish.

1 For the, des-2 sing.-3 for the last, depuis-4you will then return to your homes, vous rentrerez alors dans vos foyers-5 he belonged to, "he was of."

6 As compared with, en face de-7 "it is". 8 were the universe to crush him, quand l'univers l'écraserait-9 killed, tue-10 knows not, n'en sait rien-11 but it has not the disposal of it, mais qu'il n'en dispose pas-12 as a, en-13 what little, le peu que-14 I choose, je le veux-15 again, did I so choose, si je le veux encore—16 wholly to extinguish, de mettre à néant.

« AnteriorContinua »