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-9 HISTORIE DE JULIUS CESAR."

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-9 HISTORIE DE JULIUS CESAR." This long announced work by the Emperor of the French, is on the point of appearing; and we have, in an- ticipation of the work itself, the Preface," published in the Moniievr, of Saturday evening last. From that pre- faI ce I we learn the Emperor's motive in undertaking the work which appears to be to vindicate Crosar from be- iug, as he is represented to us, already dreaming of the supreme power from early youth aud by insisting up. n an analogy between the missions of the Roman aud vapoleon Buonaparte, with a view to convince the world that the latter has been, also, greatly misrepresented. As alitcrary production, the Preface reflects credit 11 °„ its author and there are some parts of it which up I t .t ni obtain an universal assent; its opening sentences for T Historical truth ought to be no less sacred  religion. If the precepts of faith elevate our souls s Vve the interest of this world, the lessons of history, in their turn, in spiro us with the love of what is beautiful I just,-tlie hatred of that which opposes an obstacle &D.' f h 't" TI' 't }' II Ttlis progress of humanity." This is true. Equally ?"°? 't is that the facts should be produced with ri- orouS exactitude that political or social changes should bf 'iMlosophiciilly analysed that the piquant attraction  details iu the life of public men should not turn away Y MK. nart they have played In politics, and should not "? their providential mission to be forgotten. When f)is done. whatever we may think of Caaar. we fear the first Napoleon will not appear exactly in the light in which his imperial nephew is desirous of representing hiiii. When extraordinary facts bear witness to eminent cenins, hat can be more contrary," asks the imperial ^*ri" tcr's to good sense, than to attribute to it all the P''• and all the sentiments of mediocrity? What ? more erroneous. than not to recognise the pre- liDCnce of those privileged beings, who appear, from ?". »« time, in histry. like luminous beacons, dissipat- SL darknew of thcir?. and lighting up the future?" ?'h Mouses the Emperor deems Ca-sar, Charlemagne, d *X'ipolcon. to have been and his object is, 11 to prove th'itwhen Providence raises up such men, it is to trace out f,)r .?np)e the course they ought to pursue, to set the I of their genius upon a new era, and to accomplish the htair of several ages in a few years. Happy," he adds, » the nations who understand and follow them wretch- 1 thev who misconceive and strive against them They act like the .Tews-they crucify their Messiah."—This is ttron" language in the next paragraph we have its di- rect application. In effect," we are told, "neither the lurd'cr of Osar, nor the captivity of St. Helena, have Icon able irretrievably to destroy two popular causes, overthrown by a league, disguising itself under the mask of liberty. In killing Ccesar, Brutus plunged Rome into the horrors of a civil war; he did not prevent the reign of \ugustus, but he rendered those of Nero and Caligula possible. Neither has the ostracism of Napoleon by as- n'i .ted Europe, prevented the Empire from reviving; vet, nevertheless, how far are we from the great questions revived, the passions appeased, the legitimate satisfac- tion given to peoples by the first Empire Thus is daily verified since 1815, this prophecy of the captive of St. Helena How many conflicts, how much blood, how raanv years are not still requisite, before the good I desired to do humanity can be realized Historians do not view the career of Cesar in the lisht imparted to it by Napoleon and many deem that lie laid the foundation of most of the evils which subse- oiiciitlv overwhelmed the empire. The poet Dante, who was a true Italian patriarch, regarded his crossing the Rubicon as the first step in the downfall of his coun- ir)"; aud we see nothing of that gond" in his career, whose "definitive triumph" the Emperor thinks was ar- rested by his murderers. Their conduct in committing that crime, we condemn although, if we are to judge men by their acts,—and we cannot decide upon their mo- tive,-tliey were better friends to their country and man- kind than Cresar himself. Then, most certainly, there was but little "gool exhibited in the career of Napoleon. He might, and pro- bably did, desire to do good to humanity." But, as already observed, we cannot judge men by their inten- tions, of which we know nothing; their Ctcts, which in- fluence, for good or evil, the fortunes of those around them, must speak for them; and Napoleon's public acts say little for him. Amhition nnimatcli him; he aggran. (lizeineutof himself was liis first passion next, that of the members of his family, if they would be subservient to his will. But he tolerated no resistance t > his views; hence his conduct to Louis and Lucien, when contrasted with his treatment of Jerome and Joseph. To be the despotic Emperor of France, and the Dictator of Europe was his end and aim and to that object he sacrificed every thing and every body,—wife, relatives, and friends. That Divine Piovidence had an object in sending both Cesar and Napoleon into the world, there is no doubt; and they carried that object out, as far as they were per- mitted by our All-wise Ruler. Bit that we are to con- sider their career as one, in which all people ought to have given way, and submitted to them, and that it was "wretched to strive against them," we cannot believe though Napoleon III. asserts it.

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