The Life Of Napoleon Bonaparte Illustrated Edition PDF Download

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: if. It was while he commanded at Paris that Napoleon became acquainted with Madame de Beauharnais. After the disarming of the Sections, a youth ten or twelve years of age presented himself to the staff to solicit the return of a sword which had belonged to his father, formerly a general in the service of the Republic. This youth was Eugene Beauharnais, afterwards Viceroy of Italy. Napoleon, touched by the nature of his petition and by his boyish eagerness, granted his request. Eugene burst into tears when he beheld his father's sword. The General, pleased with his sensibility, behaved so kindly to him that his mother thought herself obliged to wait on him the next day to thank him for his attention. Every one has heard of the extreme grace of the Empress Josephine, and of her sweet and captivating manners. Napoleon was struck at this first interview. Their acquaintance soon became more tender and intimate; and it was not long before they were married.1 This connection proved fortunate and happy for both parties; and well perhaps would it have been, had it also proved lasting! which of us two is the fattest 3 This repartee turned the laugh against her, and the mob dispersed. 1 In March, 1796. ? Madame Beauharnais was by birth a Creole of St. Domingo. Her name originally was Marie-Joseph Rose Tascher de la Pagerie. When a child, a black sorceress had foretold that she should be one day more than a queen. Her husband had been a general in the Republican armies, and had fought valiantly in the battl s on the Rhine; but merely on suspicion as being noble, had been arrested and suffered death four days before the fall of Robespierre. His wife had been thrown into prison also, where she became acquainted with Madame Fontenai, afterwards Madame Tallien, through whom she was...