—­[While Bourrienne, belonging to the Malmaison company, considered that the acting at Neuilly was indecent, Lucien, who refused to act at Malmaison, naturally thought the Malmaison troupe was dull.  “Hortense and Caroline filled the principal parts.  They were very commonplace.  In this they followed the unfortunate Marie Antoinette and her companions.  Louis XVI., not naturally polite, when seeing them act, had said that it was royally badly acted” (see Madame Campan’s Life of Marie Antoinette, tome i. p. 299).  “The First Consul said of his troupe that it was sovereignly badly acted”. . .  Murat, Lannes, and even Caroline ranted.  Elisa, who, having been educated at Saint Cyr, spoke purely and without accent, refused to act.  Janot acted well the drunken parts, and even the others he undertook.  The rest were decidedly bad.  Worse than bad—­ ridiculous” (Iung’s Lucien’s, tome ii. p. 256).  Rival actors are not fair critics.  Let us hear Madame Junot (tome ii. p. 103).  “The cleverest of our company was M. de Bourrienne.  He played the more dignified characters in real perfection, and his talent was the more pleasing as it was not the result of study, but of a perfect comprehension of his part.”  And she goes on to say that even the best professional actors might have learnt from him in some parts.  The audience was not a pleasant one to face.  It was the First Consul’s habit to invite forty persons to dinner, and a hundred and fifty for the evening, and consequently to hear, criticise, and banter us without mercy” (Memoirs of Duchesse d’Abrantes, tome ii. p. 108). ]—­

Bonaparte took great pleasure in our performances.  He liked to see plays acted by persons with whom he was familiar.  Sometimes he complimented us on our exertions.  Although I was as much amused with the thing as others, I was more than once obliged to remind him that my occupations left me but little time to learn my parts.  Then he would assume his coaxing manner and say, “Come, do not vex me!  You have such a memory!  You know that it amuses me.  You see that these performances render Malmaison gay and animated; Josephine takes much pleasure in them.  Rise earlier in the morning.—­In fact, I sleep too much; is not that the cafe—­Come, Bourrienne, do oblige me.  You make me laugh so heartily!  Do not deprive me of this pleasure.  I have not over much amusement, as you well know.”—­“All, truly!  I would not deprive you of any pleasure.  I am delighted to be able to contribute to your amusement.”  After a conversation of this sort I could not do less than set about studying my part.