pletely crazy. He will ruin us all, numerous as we are, and all will end in some frightful catastrophe.'"
And the curious fact is that even Napoleon himself takes, "in lucid moments," as Taine put it, "the same view."
"'It will last as long as I do. After me, however, my son may deem himself fortunate if he has 40,000f. a year.' How often at this time (1811) was he heard to foretell that the weight of his Empire would crush his heir. 'Poor child,' said he, looking at the King of Rome, 'what an entanglement I shall leave you.'"
XXVIII.
HIS OBSTINATE EGOTISM.
But it was only in lucid moments that Napoleon was able to see this clearly; as a rule he was the slave of his imagination; and no disaster, no combination of Kings, no superiority of forces, could abate his self-confidence or curtail his schemes. Almost to the last he persisted in believing that everything would end as he desired.
And, in the meantime, how is it with France? At last, even the inexhaustible courage and patience of the people are coming to an end. But Napoleon persists. The more the people groan, the more
