The mighty cause of this dangerous movement is not merely hatred of the French， and impatience of a foreign yoke， but rather in the misfortunes of the day， in the total ruin of all classes， in over-taxation， consisting of war levies， the maintenance of troops， soldiers traversing the country， and every sort of constantly renewed vexation. . . . At Hanover， Magdebourg， and in the principal towns of my kingdom， owners of property are abandoning their dwellings and vainly trying to dispose of them at the lowest prices. . . . Misery everywhere presses on families； capital is exhausted； the noble， the peasant， the bourgeois， are crushed with debt and want. . . . The despair of populations no longer having anything to lose， because all has been taken away， is to be feared." - De Pradt， p.73. (Specimen of military proceedings in allied countries.) At Wolburch， in the Bishop of Cujavie's chateau， "I found his secretary， canon of Cujavie， decorated with the ribbon and cross of his order， who showed me his jaw， broken by the vigorous blows administered to him the previous evening by General Count Vandamme， because he had refused to serve Tokay wine， imperiously demanded by the general； he was told that the King of Westphalia had lodged in the castle the day before， and had carted away all this wine."[122] Fievée， "Correspondance et relations avec Bonaparte， de 1802 à1813，" III.， 82. (Dec. 1811)， (On the populations annexed or conquered)： "There is no hesitation in depriving them of their patrimony， their language， their legislatures， in disturbing all their habits， and that without any warrant but throwing a bulletin des lois at their heads (inapplicable). . . . How could they be expected to recognize this， or even become resigned to it？ . . . Is it possible not to feel that one no longer has a country， that one is under constraint， wounded in feeling and humiliated？ . . . Prussia， and a large part of Germany， has been so impoverished that there is more to gain by taking a pitchfork to kill a man than to stir up a pile of manure."[123] "Correspondance，" letter to King Joseph， Feb. 18， 1814. "If Ihad signed the treaty reducing France to its ancient limits， I should have gone to war two years after - Marmont， V.， 133 (1813)： "Napoleon， in the last years of his reign， always preferred to lose all rather than to yield anything."[124] M. de Metternich， II.， 205.
[125] Words of Richelieu on his death-bed： "Behold my judge，" said he， pointing to the Host， "the judge who will soon pronounce his verdict.
I pray that he will condemn me， if， during my ministry， I have proposed to myself aught else than the good of religion and of the State."[126] Miot de Melito， "Mémoires，"II.， 48， 152.
[127] "Souvenirs，" by Gaudin， duc de Ga？te (3rd vol. of the "Mémoires，" p.67).
[128] M. de Metternich， II.， 120. (Letter to Stadion， July 26， 1807.)[129] Ibid.， II.， 291. (Letter of April 11， 1809.)[130] Ibid.， II.， 400. (Letter of Jan.17， 1811.) In lucid moments， Napoleon takes the same view. Cf. Pelet de la Lozère， "Opinions de Napoleon au conseil d'etat，" p. 15 ： "That will last as long as I do.
After me， however， my son will deem himself fortunate if he has 40，000francs a year." - (De Ségur， "Histoire et Mémoires，" III.， 155.) ：
"How often at this time (1811) was he heard to foretell that the weight of his empire would crush his heir！" "Poor child，" said he， regarding the King of Rome， "what an entanglement I shall leave to you！" From the beginning he frequently passed judgment on himself and foresaw the effect of his action in history." On reaching the isle of Poplars， the First Consul stopped at Rousseau's grave， and said： 'It would have， been better for the repose of France， if that man had never existed.' 'And why， citizen Consul？' 'He is the man who made the French revolution.' 'It seems to me that you need not complain of the French revolution！' 'well， the future must decide whether it would not have been better for the repose of the whole world if neither myself nor Rousseau had ever lived.' He then resumed his promenade in a revery." - Stanislas Girardin； "Journal et Mémoires，" III.， Visit of the French Consul to Ermenonville.
[131] Marmont， "Mémoires，" III.， 337. (On returning from Wagram.)[132] On this initial discord， cf. Armand Lefèvre， "Histoire des Cabinets de l'Europe，" vol.VI.