Later， at St. Helena， he falls into a melting mood over "the French people whom he loved so dearly."[134] The truth is， he loves it as a rider loves his horse； as he makes it rear and prance and show off its paces， when he flatters and caresses it； it is not for the advantage of the animal but for his own purposes， on account of its usefulness to him； to be spurred on until exhausted， to jump ditches growing wider and wider， and leap fences growing higher and higher； one ditch more， and still another fence， the last obstacle which seems to be the last， succeeded by others， while， in any event， the horse remains forcibly and for ever， what it already is， namely， a beast of burden and broken down. - For， on this Russian expedition， instead of frightful disasters， let us imagine a brilliant success， a victory at Smolensk equal to that of Friedland， a treaty of Moscow more advantageous than that of Tilsit， and the Czar brought to heel. As a result the Czar is probably strangled or dethroned， a patriotic insurrection will take place in Russia as in Spain， two lasting wars， at the two extremities of the Continent， against religious fanaticism， more irreconcilable than positive interests， and against a scattered barbarism more indomitable than a concentrated civilization. At best， a European empire secretly mined by European resistance； an exterior France forcibly superposed on the enslaved Continent；[135] French residents and commanders at St. Petersburg and Riga as at Dantzic， Hamburg， Amsterdam， Lisbon， Barcelona， and Trieste. Every able-bodied Frenchman that can be employed from Cadiz to Moscow in maintaining and administering the conquest. All the able-bodied youth annually seized by the conscription， and， if they have escaped this， seized again by decrees.[136] The entire male population thus devoted to works of constraint， nothing else in prospect for either the cultivated or the uncultivated， no military or civil career other than a prolonged guard duty， threatened and threatening， as soldier， customs-inspector， or gendarme， as prefect， sub-prefect， or commissioner of police， that is to say， as subaltern henchman and bully restraining subjects and raising contributions， confiscating and burning merchandise， seizing grumblers， and ****** the refractory toe the mark.[137] In 1810， one hundred and sixty thousand of the refractory were already condemned by name， and， moreover， penalties were imposed on their families to the amount of one hundred and seventy millions of francs In 1811 and 1812the roving columns which tracked fugitives gathered sixty thousand of them， and drove them along the coast from the Adour to the Niemen； on reaching the frontier， they were en-rolled in the grand army； but they desert the very first month， they and their chained companions， at the rate of four or five thousand a day.[138] Should England be conquered， garrisons would have to be maintained there， and of soldiers equally zealous. Such is the dark future which this system opens to the French， even with the best of good luck. It turns out that the luck is bad， and at the end of 1812 the grand army is freezing in the snow；Napoleon's horse has let him tumble. Fortunately， the animal has simply foundered； "His Majesty's health was never better"；[139]
nothing has happened to the rider； he gets up on his legs， and what concerns him at this moment is not the sufferings of his broken-down steed， but his own mishap； his reputation as a horseman is compromised； the effect on the public， the hooting of the audience， is what troubles him， the comedy of a perilous leap， announced with such a flourish of trumpets and ending in such a disgraceful fall. On reaching Warsaw[140] he says to himself， ten times over：
"There is only a step from the sublime to the ridiculous."The following year， at Dresden， he exposes still more foolishly， openly， and nakedly his master passion， the motives which determine him， the immensity and ferocity of his pitiless pride.
"What do they want of me？" said he to M. de Metternich.[141] " Do they want me to dishonor myself？ Never！ I can die， but never will Iyield an inch of territory！ Your sovereigns， born to the throne， may be beaten twenty times over and yet return to their capitals： I cannot do this， because I am a parvenu soldier. My domination will not survive the day when I shall have ceased to be strong， and， consequently， feared."In effect， his despotism in France is founded on his European omnipotence； if he does not remain master of the Continent，" he must settle with the corps législatif.[142] Rather than descend to an inferior position， rather than be a constitutional monarch， controlled by parliamentary chambers， he plays double or quits， and will risk losing everything.
"I have seen your soldiers，" says Metternich to him， "they are children. When this army of boys is gone， what will you do then？"At these words， which touch his heart， he grows pale， his features contract， and his rage overcomes him； like a wounded man who has made a false step and exposes himself， he says violently to Metternich：
"You are not a soldier You do not know the impulses of a soldier's breast！ I have grown up on the battle-field， and a man like me does not give a damn for the lives of a million men！ "[143]