On Napoleon’s return to Paris the Pope, who was still at Fontainebleau, determined to accede to an arrangement, and to sign an act which the Emperor conceived would terminate the differences between them.  But being influenced by some of the cardinals who had previously incurred the Emperor’s displeasure Pius vii. disavowed the new Concordat which he had been weak enough to grant, and the Emperor, who then had more important affairs on his hands, dismissed the Holy Father, and published the act to which he had assented.  Bonaparte had no leisure to pay attention to the new difficulties started by Pius vii.; his thoughts were wholly directed to the other side of the Rhine.  He was unfortunate, and the powers with whom he was most intimately allied separated from him, as he might have expected, and Austria was not the last to imitate the example set by Prussia.  In these difficult circumstances the Emperor, who for some time past had observed the talent and address of the Comte Louis de Narbonne, sent him to Vienna, to supersede M. Otto; but the pacific propositions of M. de Narbonne were not listened to.  Austria would not let slip the fair opportunity of taking revenge without endangering herself.

Napoleon now saw clearly that since Austria had abandoned him and refused her contingent he should soon have all Europe arrayed against him.  But this did not intimidate him.

Some of the Princes of the Confederation of the Rhine still remained faithful to him; and his preparations being completed, he proposed to resume in person the command of the army which had been so miraculously reproduced.  But before his departure Napoleon, alarmed at the recollection of Mallet’s attempt, and anxious to guard against any similar occurrence during his absence, did not, as on former occasions, consign the reins of the National Government to a Council of Ministers, presided over by the Arch-Chancellor.  Napoleon placed my successor with him, M. Meneval, near the Empress Regent as Secretaire des Commandemens (Principal Secretary), and certainly he could not have made a better choice.  He made the Empress Maria Louisa Regent, and appointed a Council of Regency to assist her.

—­[Meneval, who had held the post of Secretary to Napoleon from the time of Bourrienne’s disgrace in 1802, had been nearly killed by the hardships of the Russian campaign, and now received an honourable and responsible but less onerous post.  He remained with the Empress till 7th May 1815, when, finding that she would not return to her husband, he left her to rejoin his master.]—­

CHAPTER XXVIII.

1813.