politics.  The climate was better for him than that of England, and the possibilities for exercise greater than could there have been allowed.  Books there were in abundance—­2,700 of them at last:  he had back files of the “Moniteur” for his writings, and copies of “The Times” came regularly from Plantation House:  a piano had been bought in England for L120.  Finally there were the six courtiers whose jealous devotion, varying moods, and frequent quarrels furnished a daily comedietta that still charms posterity.

What then was wanting?  Unfortunately everything was wanting.  He cared not for music, or animals, or, in recent years, for the chase.  He himself divulged the secret, in words uttered to Gallois in the days of his power:  “Je n’aime pas beaucoup les femmes, ni le jeu—­enfin rien:  je suis tout a fait un etre politique!”—­He never ceased to love politics and power.  At St. Helena he pictured himself as winning over the English, had he settled there.  Ah! if I were in England, he said, I should have conquered all hearts.[576] And assuredly he would have done so.  How could men so commonplace as the Prince Regent, Liverpool, Castlereagh, and Bathurst have made head against the influence of a truly great and enthralling personality?  Or if he had gone to the United States, who would have competed with him for the Presidency?

As it was, he chose to remain indoors, in order to figure as the prisoner of Longwood,[577] and spent his time between intrigues against Lowe and dictation of Memoirs.  On the subject of Napoleon’s writings we cannot here enter, save to say that his critiques of Caesar, Turenne, and Frederick the Great, are of great interest and value; that the records of his own campaigns, though highly suggestive, need to be closely checked by the original documents, seeing that he had not all the needful facts and figures at hand; and that his record of political events is in the main untrustworthy:  it is an elaborate device for enhancing the Napoleonic tradition and assuring the crown to the King of Rome.

We turn, then, to take a brief glance at his last years.  The first event that claims notice is the arrest of Las Cases.  This subtle intriguer had soon earned the hatred of Montholon and Gourgaud, who detested “the little Jesuit” for his Malvolio-like airs of importance and the hints of Napoleon that he would have ceremonial precedence over them.  His rapid rise into favour was due to his conversational gifts, literary ability, and thorough knowledge of the English people and language.  This last was specially important.  Napoleon very much wished to learn our language, as he hoped that any mail might bring news of the triumph of the Whigs and an order for his own departure for England.  His studies with Las Cases were more persevering than successful, as will be seen from the following curious letter, written apparently in the watches of the night:  it has been recently re-published by M. de Brotonne.