Napoleon's face, however, was strangely mild and winning to-day, and yet radiant with dignity and grandeur. It was the face of a conqueror who does not intend to treat those whom he has subjugated with arrogance and rigor, but desires to win their affection by gentleness and love. Hence, his eyes had only mild and kind glances, and on his finely-formed lips there was playing that smile which the Empress Josephine said was the sunbeam of his face, and irresistible to any woman.
Nor was the electress able to withstand this smile and this kind bearing of Napoleon. She had expected to find in the emperor an ardent enemy of her native England, and he now paid a glowing and eloquent tribute to the English, to their country, to their institutions and character. Napoleon had been described to her as a barbarian, taking interest only in warfare and every thing connected with it; and now she found him to be an admirer of the English poets, and heard him expatiate enthusiastically on Ossian, some of whose most magnificent verses he recited to her in a French translation.
The stern features of the electress gradually began to relax; the smile gradually returned to her lips, and she bent her proud head more graciously to the "upstart" Napoleon.
"Oh, sire!" she exclaimed, joyfully, and for the first time she did not avoid addressing him with the title due to his rank--"oh, sire, he who admires the English poets so enthusiastically cannot possibly be an enemy of England!"
"I am not by any means," said Napoleon, smiling; "I know no enmity whatever; peace is the sole aim of my efforts, and I believe Fate has sent me to mankind for the purpose of establishing eternal peace. It is true, I have to conquer peace by wars and commotions, but I shall conquer it, and you, princess, you and your husband must help me to do so. I intrust to your hands a noble task, which the high-minded and proud daughter of England is worthy of, and the German elector will not hinder the noble endeavors of his wife, especially as the honor and welfare of Germany are at stake."
"I am ready and willing to do for Germany what I can, and whatever your majesty may command me to do," exclaimed the elector. "Will your majesty now tell me what I must do?"
"You must conclude an alliance with France, in order to save Germany," said the emperor, almost sternly.
"Sire, I have not the power to conclude such an alliance--I am unable to do so," said the elector, sighing.
"Your state can if you cannot," said Napoleon, quickly.
"But the representatives of my people will not consent."
"I shall protect you against these representatives of your people.
You will tell them, besides, that you have saved Wurtemberg by becoming my ally. For he who is not for me is against me, and I shall annihilate those who are against me, and their states shall fall to ruin. Those, however, who are for me I shall elevate, and it seems to me I see already a royal crown on the noble brow of the electress. I suppose," asked Napoleon, turning again with a smile toward the electress, "your royal highness would not be dissatisfied if you should become the queen of your people; it would be agreeable to you to be called 'your majesty,' and if it were only because it would remind you in so pleasant a manner of your royal parents who are addressed with the same title?"
"Oh, sire," exclaimed the electress, with radiant eyes, and unable to conceal her joy--"oh, sire, you are right, it would remind me most pleasantly of my paternal home and of England."
"But would not a royal crown crush my state which is too small for it?" asked the elector.
"Well, we shall enlarge it so as to render it able and worthy to support a royal crown," exclaimed Napoleon, hastily. "I believe I shall have the power and opportunity to bestow on my ally, the elector of Wurtemberg, some aggrandizements in Germany to compensate and reward him for the auxiliaries which he is to furnish to me.
Besides, your task is a truly grand one. You shall assist me in subduing Austria, that arrogant Austria which would like to treat all Germany as her property, and who considers all German princes as her servants and vassals."
"You are right," said the elector, vehemently; "Austria constantly endeavors to meddle with my prerogatives in an unbecoming and arrogant manner. She would like to degrade us to the position of vassals who must always be ready to obey their emperor, but who, when they are themselves in danger, never can count on the assistance and support of their emperor."
"Let us, then, dispel Austria's illusion as though she were your master," said Napoleon, smiling. "Become my ally, and believe me, we shall have the power to teach the Emperor of Austria to respect the KING of Wurtemberg, my ally. Will you be my ally for that purpose?
Will you assist me, as a German prince, in delivering Germany from the yoke Austria has laid around her neck?"
"Sire, I am ready to save Germany with my life-blood!" exclaimed the elector, "and as your majesty has come to deliver Germany from Austria, it would be a crime for any German prince to withhold his assistance from you. Hence, I accept your alliance. Here is my hand!
I shall stand by you with my troops and with my honor!" [Footnote:
The whole account of this interview is strictly historical. Vide "Memoirs of General de Wolzogen," and Hausser's "History of Germany," vol. ii. p. 613. The Elector of Wurtemberg became the third German ally of the French emperor, the Electors of Bavaria and Baden having preceded him. He furnished ten thousand German troops to Napoleon.]
