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第84节

burlesques-第84节

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footsteps。



〃Corporal Crane; of the Gendarmerie; is on the track of the


unfortunate young man。  His attempt will only serve to show the

folly of the pretenders; and the love; respect; regard; fidelity;

admiration; reverence; and passionate personal attachment in which

we hold our beloved sovereign。〃





〃SECOND EDITION!



〃CAPTURE OF THE PRINCE。



〃A courier has just arrived at the Tuileries with a report that

after a scuffle between Corporal Crane and the 'Imperial Army;' in

a water…barrel; whither the latter had retreated; victory has

remained with the former。  A desperate combat ensued in the first

place; in a hay…loft; whence the pretender was ejected with immense

loss。  He is now a prisonerand we dread to think what his fate

may be!  It will warn future aspirants; and give Europe a lesson

which it is not likely to forget。  Above all; it will set beyond a

doubt the regard; respect; admiration; reverence; and adoration

which we all feel for our sovereign。〃





〃THIRD EDITION。



〃A second courier has arrived。  The infatuated Crane has made

common cause with the Prince; and forever forfeited the respect of

Frenchmen。  A detachment of the 520th Leger has marched in pursuit

of the pretender and his dupes。  Go; Frenchmen; go and conquer!

Remember that it is our rights you guard; our homes which you march

to defend; our laws which are confided to the points of your

unsullied bayonets;above all; our dear; dear sovereign; around

whose throne you rally!



〃Our feelings overpower us。  Men of the 520th; remember your

watchword is Gemappes;your countersign; Valmy。〃





〃The Emperor of Russia and his distinguished family quitted the

Tuileries this day。  His Imperial Majesty embraced his Majesty the

King of the French with tears in his eyes; and conferred upon their

RR。 HH。 the Princes of Nemours and Joinville; the Grand Cross of

the Order of the Blue Eagle。〃





〃His Majesty passed a review of the Police force。  The venerable

monarch was received with deafening cheers by this admirable and

disinterested body of men。  Those cheers were echoed in all French

hearts。  Long; long may our beloved Prince be among us to receive

them!〃





CHAPTER II。



HENRY V。 AND NAPOLEON III。





Sunday; February 30th。



We resume our quotations from the Debats; which thus introduces a

third pretender to the throne:



〃Is this distracted country never to have peace?  While on Friday

we recorded the pretensions of a maniac to the great throne of

France; while on Saturday we were compelled to register the

culpable attempts of one whom we regard as a ruffian; murderer;

swindler; forger; burglar; and common pickpocket; to gain over

the allegiance of Frenchmenit is to…day our painful duty to

announce a THIRD invasionyes; a third invasion。  The wretched;

superstitious; fanatic Duke of Bordeaux has landed at Nantz; and

has summoned the Vendeans and the Bretons to mount the white

cockade。



〃Grand Dieu! are we not happy under the tricolor?  Do we not repose

under the majestic shadow of the best of kings?  Is there any name

prouder than that of Frenchman; any subject more happy than that of

our sovereign?  Does not the whole French family adore their

father?  Yes。  Our lives; our hearts; our blood; our fortune; are

at his disposal: it was not in vain that we raised; it is not the

first time we have rallied round; the august throne of July。  The

unhappy Duke is most likely a prisoner by this time; and the

martial court which shall be called upon to judge one infamous

traitor and pretender; may at the same moment judge another。  Away

with both! let the ditch of Vincennes (which has been already fatal

to his race) receive his body; too; and with it the corpse of the

other pretender。  Thus will a great crime be wiped out of history;

and the manes of a slaughtered martyr avenged!



〃One word more。  We hear that the Duke of Jenkins accompanies the

descendant of Caroline of Naples。  An ENGLISH DUKE; entendez…vous!

An English Duke; great heaven! and the Princes of England still

dancing in our royal halls!  Where; where will the perfidy of

Albion end?〃





〃The King reviewed the third and fourth battalions of Police。  The

usual heart…rending cheers accompanied the monarch; who looked

younger than ever we saw himay; as young as when he faced the

Austrian cannon at Valmy and scattered their squadrons at Gemappes。



〃Rations of liquor; and crosses of the Legion of Honor; were

distributed to all the men。



〃The English Princes quitted the Tuileries in twenty…three coaches…

and…four。  They were not rewarded with crosses of the Legion of

Honor。  This is significant。〃





〃The Dukes of Joinville and Nemours left the palace for the

departments of the Loire and Upper Rhine; where they will take the

command of the troops。  The Joinville regimentCavalerie de la

Marineis one of the finest in the service。〃





〃Orders have been given to arrest the fanatic who calls himself

Duke of Brittany; and who has been making some disturbances in the

Pas de Calais。〃





〃ANECDOTE OF HIS MAJESTY。At the review of troops (Police)

yesterday; his Majesty; going up to one old grognard and pulling

him by the ear; said; 'Wilt thou have a cross or another ration of

wine?'  The old hero; smiling archly; answered; 'Sire; a brave man

can gain a cross any day of battle; but it is hard for him

sometimes to get a drink of wine。'  We need not say that he had his

drink; and the generous sovereign sent him the cross and ribbon

too。〃





On the next day; the Government journals began to write in rather a

despondent tone regarding the progress of the pretenders to the

throne。  In spite of their big talking; anxiety is clearly

manifested; as appears from the following remarks of the Debats:



〃The courier from the Rhine department;〃 says the Debats; 〃brings

us the following astounding Proclamation:



〃'Strasburg; xxii。 Nivose: Decadi。 92nd year of the Republic; one

and indivisible。  We; John Thomas Napoleon; by the constitutions of

the Empire; Emperor of the French Republic; to our marshals;

generals; officers; and soldiers; greeting:



〃'Soldiers!



〃'From the summit of the Pyramids forty centuries look down upon

you。  The sun of Austerlitz has risen once more。  The Guard dies;

but never surrenders。  My eagles; flying from steeple to steeple;

never shall droop till they perch on the towers of Notre Dame。



〃'Soldiers! the child of YOUR FATHER has remained long in exile。

I have seen the fields of Europe where your laurels are now

withering; and I have communed with the dead who repose beneath

them。  They ask where are our children?  Where is France?  Europe

no longer glitters with the shine of its triumphant bayonets

echoes no more with the shouts of its victorious cannon。  Who could

reply to such a question save with a blush?And does a blush

become the cheeks of Frenchmen?



〃'No。  Let us wipe from our faces that degrading mark of shame。

Come; as of old; and rally round my eagles!  You have been subject

to fiddling prudence long enough。  Come; worship now at the shrine

of Glory!  You have been promised liberty; but you have had none。

I will endow you with the true; the real freedom。  When your

ancestors burst over the Alps; were they not free?  Yes; free to

conquer。  Let us imitate the example of those indomitable myriads;

and; flinging a defiance to Europe; once more trample over her;

march in triumph into her prostrate capitals; and bring her kings

with her treasures at our feet。  This is the liberty worthy of

Frenchmen。



〃'Frenchmen! I promise you that the Rhine shall be restored to you;

and that England shall rank no more among the nations。  I will have

a marine that shall drive her ships from the seas; a few of my

brave regiments will do the rest。  Henceforth; the traveller in

that desert island shall ask; 〃Was it this wretched corner of the

world that for a thousand years defied Frenchmen?〃



〃'Frenchmen; up and rally!I have flung my banner to the breezes;


'tis surrounded by the faithful and the brave。  Up; and let our

motto be; LIBERTY; EQUALITY; WAR ALL OVER THE WORLD!



〃'NAPOLEON III。



〃'The Marshal of the Empire; HARICOT。'





〃Such is the Proclamation! such the hopes that a brutal…minded and

bloody adventurer holds out to our country。  'War all over the

world;' is the cry of the savage demon; and the fiends who have

rallied round him echo it in concert。  We were not; it appears;

correct in stating that a corporal's guard had been sufficient to

seize upon the marauder; when the first fire would have served to

conclude his miserable life。  But; like a hideous disease; the

contagion has spread; the remedy must be dreadful。  Woe to those on

whom it will fall!



〃His Royal Highness the Prince of Joinville; Admiral of France; has

hastened; as we before stated; to the disturbed 

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