第953章

[40] "Correspondance，" note for M. Cretet， minister of the interior， April 12， 1808.

[41] Metternich， "Mémoires，" I.， 107 (Conversations with Napoleon，， 1810)： "I was surprised to find that this man， so wonderfully endowed， had such completely false ideas concerning England， its vital forces and intellectual progress. He would not admit any ideas contrary to his own， and sought to explain these by prejudices which he condemned." - Cf. Forsyth， "History of the Captivity of Napoleon at Saint-Helena，" III.， 306， (False calculations of Napoleon at Saint-Helena based on his ignorance of the English parliamentary system，)and Stanislas Girardin， III.， 296， (Words of the First Consul， Floreal 24， year XI， quoted above.)[42] Cf.， amongst other documents， his letter to Jerome， King of Westphalia， October 15， 1807， and the constitution he gives to that kingdom on that date， and especially titles 4 to 12： "The welfare of your people concerns me， not only through the influence it may exercise on your fame and my own， but likewise from the point of view of the general European system. . . . Individuals who have talent and are not noble must enjoy equal consideration and employment from you.

. . . Let every species of serfage and of intermediary lien between the sovereign and the lowest class of people be abolished. The benefits of the code Napoleon， the publicity of proceedings， the establishment of juries， will form so many distinctive characteristics of your monarchy." - His leading object is the suppression of feudalism， that is to say， of the great families and old historic authorities. He relies for this especially on his civil code： "That is the great advantage of the code； . . . it is what has induced me to preach a civil code and made me decide on establishing it." (Letter to Joseph， King of Naples， June 5， 1806.) - "The code Napoleon is adopted throughout Italy. Florence has it， and Rome will soon have it."(Letter to Joachim， King of the Two Sicilies， Nov. 27， 1808.) - " My intention is to have the Hanseatic towns adopt the code Napoleon and be governed by it from and after the 1st of January." - The same with Dantzic： "Insinuate gently and not by writing to the King of Bavaria， the Prince-primate， the grand-dukes of Hesse-Darmstadt and of Baden， that the civil code should be established in their states by suppressing all customary law and confining themselves wholly to the code Napoleon." (Letter to M. de Champagny， Oct. 31， 1807.) - " The Romans gave their laws to their allies. Why should not France have its laws adopted in Holland？ . . . It is equally essential that you should adopt the French monetary system." (Letter to Louis， King of Holland， Nov. 13， 1807.) - To the Spaniards： "Your nephews will honor me as their regenerator." (Allocution addressed to Madrid Dec. 9， 1808.) -"Spain must be French. The country must be French and the government must be French." (Roederer， III.， 529， 536， words of Napoleon， Feb.

11， 1809.) - In short， following the example of Rome， which had Latinized the entire Mediterranean coast， he wanted to render all western Europe French. The object was， as he declared， "to establish and consecrate at last the empire of reason and the full exercise， the complete enjoyment of every human faculty." (Mémorial.)