These compliments were far from displeasing to the First Consul, who had no objection to flattery though he despised those who meanly made themselves the medium of conveying it to him.  Duroc once told me that they had all great difficulty in preserving their gravity when the cure of a parish in Abbeville addressed Bonaparte one day while he was on his journey to the coast.  “Religion,” said the worthy cure, with pompous solemnity, “owes to you all that it is, we owe to you all that we are; and I, too, owe to you all that I am.”

—­[Not so fulsome as some of the terms used a year later when Napoleon was made Emperor.  “I am what I am,” was placed over a seat prepared for the Emperor.  One phrase, “God made Napoleon and then rested,” drew from Narbonne the sneer that it would have been better if the Deity had rested sooner.  “Bonaparte,” says Joseph de Maistre, “has had himself described in his papers as the ’Messenger of God.’  Nothing more true.  Bonaparte comes straight from heaven, like a thunderbolt.” (Saints-Benve, Caureries, tome iv. p. 203.)]

CHAPTER XX.

1803.

Presentation of Prince Borghese to Bonaparte—­Departure for Belgium Revival of a royal custom—­The swans of Amiens—­Change of formula in the acts of Government—­Company of performers in Bonaparte’s suite—­Revival of old customs—­Division of the institute into four classes—­Science and literature—­Bonaparte’s hatred of literary men —­Ducis—­Bernardin de Saint-Pierre—­Chenier and Lemercier—­ Explanation of Bonaparte’s aversion to literature—­Lalande and his dictionary—­Education in the hands of Government—­M. de Roquelaure, Archbishop of Malines.

In the month of April 1803 Prince Borghese, who was destined one day to become Bonaparte’s brother-in-law by marrying the widow of Leclerc, was introduced to the First Consul by Cardinal Caprara.

About the end of June Bonaparte proceeded, with Josephine, on his journey to Belgium and the seaboard departments.  Many curious circumstances were connected with this journey, of which I was informed by Duroc after the First Consul’s return.  Bonaparte left Paris on the 24th of June, and although it was not for upwards of a year afterwards that his brow was encircled with the imperial-diadem, everything connected with the journey had an imperial air.  It was formerly the custom, when the Kings of France entered the ancient capital of Picardy, for the town of Amiens to offer them in homage some beautiful swans.  Care was taken to revive this custom, which pleased Bonaparte greatly, because it was treating him like a King.  The swans were accepted, and sent to Paris to be placed in the basin of the Tuileries, in order to show the Parisians the royal homage which the First Consul received when absent from the capital.