Napoleon's Letters To Josephine Part 34

No. 56.

TO THE EMPRESS, AT PARIS.

_Osterode_, _March 17, 1807_, 10 P.M.

I have received yours of March 5th, from which I see with pleasure that you are well. My health is perfect. Yet the weather of the past two days has been cold again; the thermometer to-night has been at 10, but the sun has given us a very fine day.

Adieu, dear. Very kindest regards to everybody.

Tell me something about the death of that poor Dupuis; have his brother told that I wish to help him.

My affairs here go excellently.--Yours ever,

NAPOLEON.

No. 57.

_March 25th.--Abolition of slave trade in Great Britain by Parliament._

TO THE EMPRESS, AT PARIS.

_March 25, 1807._

I have received your letter of March 13th. If you really wish to please me, you must live exactly as you live when I am at Paris. Then you were not in the habit of visiting the second-rate theatres or other places. You ought always to go into the Royal box. As for your home life: hold receptions there, and have your fixed circles of friends; that, my dear, is the only way to deserve my approbation.

Greatness has its inconveniences; an Empress cannot go where a private individual may.

Very best love. My health is good. My affairs prosper.

NAPOLEON.

No. 58.

TO THE EMPRESS, AT PARIS.

_Osterode_, _March 27, 1807_, 7 P.M.

_My Dear_,--Your letter pains me. There is no question of your dying.

You are in good health, and you can have no just ground for grief.

I think you should go during May to St. Cloud; but you must spend the whole month of April at Paris.

My health is good. My affairs prosper.

You must not think of travelling this summer; nothing of that sort is feasible. You ought not to frequent inns and camps. I long as much as you for our meeting and for a quiet life.

I can do other things besides fight; but duty stands first and foremost. All my life long I have sacrificed everything to my destiny--peace of mind, personal advantage, happiness.

Adieu, dear. See as little as possible of that Madame de P----. She is a woman who belongs to the lowest grade of society; she is thoroughly common and vulgar.

NAPOLEON.

I have had occasion to find fault with M. de T----. I have sent him to his country house in Burgundy. I wish no longer to hear his name mentioned.

No. 59.

TO THE EMPRESS, AT PARIS.

_Osterode, April 1, 1807._

_My Dear_,--I have just got your letter of the 20th. I am sorry to see you are ill. I wrote you to stay at Paris the whole month of April, and to go to St. Cloud on May 1st. You may go and spend the Sundays, and a day or two, at Malmaison. At St. Cloud you may have your usual visitors.

My health is good. It is still quite cold enough here. All is quiet.

I have named the little princess Josephine.[23] Eugene should be well pleased.--Yours ever,

NAPOLEON.

No. 60.

TO THE EMPRESS, AT PARIS.

_Finckenstein, April 2, 1807._

_My Dear_,--I write you a line. I have just moved my headquarters into a very fine chateau, after the style of Bessieres', where I have several fireplaces, which is a great comfort to me; getting up often in the night, I like to see the fire.

My health is perfect. The weather is fine, but still cold. The thermometer is at four to five degrees.

Adieu, dear.--Yours ever,

NAPOLEON.

No. 61.

TO THE EMPRESS, AT PARIS.

_Finckenstein_, _April 6, 1807_, 3 P.M.

_My Dear_,--I have received your letter, from which I see you have spent Holy Week at Malmaison, and that your health is better. I long to hear that you are thoroughly well.

I am in a fine chateau, where there are fireplaces, which I find a great comfort. It is still very cold here; everything is frozen.

You will have seen that I have good news from Constantinople.