, becausethereisalwaysmoreprofitinsayingillthangood, attributedtomeseveralworksonBonaparte; amongothers, 'LesMemoiressecretsd'unHommequinel'apasquitte', parM.B— -, and 'MemoiressecretssurNapoleonBonaparte, —, and 'LePrecisHistoriquesurNapoleon'., theabsurditiesandinconceivablesillinesswithwhichtheyabound, donotpermitamanofhonourandcommonsensetoallowsuchwretchedrhapsodiestobeimputedtohim.Ideclaredin1816, andatlaterperiodsintheFrenchandforeignjournals, thatIhadnohandinthosepublications, andIhereformallyrepeatthisdeclaration.
Butitmaybesaidtome, Whyshouldweplacemoreconfidenceinyouthaninthosewhohavewrittenbeforeyou?
, nodisgracetofear, , washenotalsoliabletopayhistributetotheweaknessofhumannature? IspeakofNapoleonsuchasIhaveseenhim, knownhim, , heard, wrote, andthoughtatthetime, , !—howmanymeasures, contrarytomyviews, tomyprinciples, andtomycharacter!—whilethebestintentionswereincapableofovercomingdifficultieswhichamostpowerfulanddecidedwillrenderedalmostinsurmountable.
, circumstances, differenceofsituation, changeoftemperament, andage,—, andtoestablishanopinionforposterity.
ThereadermustnotexpecttofindintheseMemoirsanuninterruptedseriesofalltheeventswhichmarkedthegreatcareerofNapoleon; nordetailsofallthosebattles, , andwhichisnotsupportedbyofficialdocuments.