ON THE 28TH of May Napoleon left Dresden, where he had been spending three weeks surrounded by a court that included princes, dukes, kings, and even one emperor. Before his departure, Napoleon took a gracious leave of the princes, kings, and emperor deserving of his favour, and sternly upbraided the kings and princes with whom he was displeased. He made a present of his own diamonds and pearls— those, that is, that he had taken from other kings—to the Empress of Austria. He tenderly embraced the Empress Marie Louise—who considered herself his wife, though he had another wife still living in Paris— and left her, so his historian relates, deeply distressed and hardly able to support the separation. Although diplomatists still firmly believed in the possibility of peace, and were zealously working with that object, although the Emperor Napoleon, with his own hand, wrote a letter to the Emperor Alexander calling him “Monsieur mon frère,” and assuring him with sincerity that he had no desire of war, and would always love and honour him, he set off to join the army, and at every station gave fresh commands, hastening the progress of his army from west to east. He drove a travelling carriage, drawn by six horses and surrounded by pages, adjutants, and an armed escort, along the route by Posen, Thorn, Danzig, and K?nigsberg. In each of these towns he was welcomed with enthusiasm and trepidation by thousands of people.

The army was moving from west to east, and he was driven after it by continual relays of six horses. On the 10th of June he overtook the army and spent the night in the Vilkovik forest, in quarters prepared for him on the property of a Polish count.

The following day Napoleon drove on ahead of the army, reached the Niemen, put on a Polish uniform in order to inspect the crossing of the river, and rode out on the river bank.

When he saw the Cossacks posted on the further bank and the expanse of the steppes—in the midst of which, far away, was the holy city, Moscow, capital of an empire, like the Scythian empire invaded by Alexander of Macedon—Napoleon surprised the diplomatists and contravened all rules of strategy by ordering an immediate advance, and his troops began crossing the Niemen next day.

Early on the morning of the 12th of June he came out of his tent, which had been pitched that day on the steep left bank of the Niemen, and looked through a field-glass at his troops pouring out of the Vilkovik forest, and dividing into three streams at the three bridges across the river. The troops knew of the Emperor's presence, and were on the lookout for him. When they caught sight of his figure in his greatcoat and hat standing apart from his suite in front of his tent on the hill opposite, they threw up their caps and shouted, “Vive l'Empereur!” And one regiment after another, in a continuous stream, flowed out of the immense forest that had concealed them, and split up to cross the river by the three bridges. “We shall make some way this time. Oh, when he takes a hand himself things begin to get warm!…Name of God!… There he is!… Hurrah for the Emperor! So those are the Steppes of Asia! A nasty country it is, though. Good-bye, Beauché; I'll keep the finest palace in Moscow for you. Good-bye! good-luck!… Have you seen the Emperor? Hurrah for the Emperor! If they make me Governor of the Indies, Gérard, I'll make you Minister of Cashmere, that's settled. Hurrah for the Emperor! Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah! The rascally Cossacks, how they are running. Hurrah for the Emperor! There he is! Do you see him? I have seen him twice as I am seeing you. The little corporal…I saw him give the cross to one of the veterans.…Hurrah for the emperor!” Such was the talk of old men and young, of the most diverse characters and positions in society. All the faces of those men wore one common expression of joy at the commencement of a long-expected campaign, and enthusiasm and devotion to the man in the grey coat standing on the hill opposite.

On the 13th of June Napoleon mounted a small thoroughbred Arab horse and galloped towards one of the bridges over the Niemen, deafened all the while by shouts of enthusiasm, which he obviously endured simply because they could not be prevented from expressing in such shouts their love for him. But those shouts, invariably accompanying him everywhere, wearied him and hindered his attending to the military problems which beset him from the time he joined the army. He rode over a swaying bridge of boats to the other side of the river, turned sharply to the left, and galloped in the direction of Kovno, preceded by horse guards, who were breathless with delight and enthusiasm, as they cleared the way before him. On reaching the broad river Niemen, he pulled up beside a regiment of Polish Uhlans on the bank.

“Vive l'Empereur!” the Poles shouted with the same enthusiasm, breaking their line and squeezing against each other to get a view of him. Napoleon looked up and down the river, got off his horse, and sat down on a log that lay on the bank. At a mute sign from him, they handed him the field-glass. He propped it on the back of a page who ran up delighted. He began looking at the other side, then, with absorbed attention, scrutinised the map that was unfolded on the logs. Without raising his head he said something, and two of his adjutants galloped off to the Polish Uhlans.

“What? what did he say?” was heard in the ranks of the Polish Uhlans as an adjutant galloped up to them. They were commanded to look for a fording-place and to cross to the other side. The colonel of the Polish Uhlans, a handsome old man, flushing red and stammering from excitement, asked the adjutant whether he would be permitted to swim across the river with his men instead of seeking for a ford. In obvious dread of a refusal, like a boy asking permission to get on a horse, he asked to be allowed to swim across the river before the Emperor's eyes. The adjutant replied that probably the Emperor would not be displeased at this excess of zeal.

No sooner had the adjutant said this than the old whiskered officer, with happy face and sparkling eyes, brandished his sabre in the air shouting “Vive l'Empereur!” and commanding his men to follow him, he set spurs to his horse and galloped down to the river. He gave a vicious thrust to his horse, that floundered under him, and plunged into the water, making for the most rapid part of the current. Hundreds of Uhlans galloped in after him. It was cold and dangerous in the middle in the rapid current. The Uhlans clung to one another, falling off their horses. Some of the horses were drowned, some, too, of the men; the others struggled to swim across, some in the saddle, others clinging to their horse's manes. They tried to swim straight across, and although there was a ford half a verst away they were proud to be swimming and drowning in the river before the eyes of that man sitting on the log and not even looking at what they were doing. When the adjutant, on going back, chose a favourable moment and ventured to call the Emperor's attention to the devotion of the Poles to his person, the little man in the grey overcoat got up, and summoning Berthier, he began walking up and down the bank with him, giving him instructions, and casting now and then a glance of displeasure at the drowning Uhlans who had interrupted his thoughts.

It was no new conviction for him that his presence in any quarter of the earth, from Africa to the steppes of Moscow, was enough to impress men and impel them to senseless acts of self-sacrifice. He sent for his horse and rode back to his bivouac.

Forty Uhlans were drowned in the river in spite of the boats sent to their assistance. The majority struggled back to the bank from which they had started. The colonel, with several of his men, swam across the river and with difficulty clambered up the other bank. But as soon as they clambered out in drenched and streaming clothes they shouted “Vive l'Empereur!” looking ecstatically at the place where Napoleon had stood, though he was no longer there, and at that moment thought themselves happy.

In the evening between giving two orders—one for hastening the arrival of the counterfeit rouble notes that had been prepared for circulation in Russia, and the other for shooting a Saxon who had been caught with a letter containing a report on the disposition of the French army—Napoleon gave a third order for presenting the colonel, who had quite unnecessarily flung himself in the river, the order of the Légion d'Honneur, of which he was himself the head. Quos vult perdere, dementat.

五月二十九日，拿破仑离开逗留了三个星期的德累斯顿，在那里，亲王、公爵、国王，甚至还有一个皇帝在他周围组成了一个宫廷。临走之前，拿破仑亲切抚慰那些值得关怀的亲王、国王和皇帝，对那些他不满意的国王和亲王予以申斥，他把自己私有的，也就是从其他的国王那里拿来的珍珠和钻石送给奥国皇后并温柔地拥抱玛丽亚·路易莎皇后。正如他的历史学家所说，他留给她伤心的别离生活，她——这个叫玛丽亚·路易莎的女人，他把她当作妻子，尽管他在巴黎另有妻室——好像不能忍受。虽然外交家们仍坚信和平的可能性并为达到此目的而孜改不倦地努力工作，虽然拿破仑皇帝亲自给亚历山大皇帝写信，称他为Mon－sieur　mon　frère①并诚恳地保证他不希望战争，他永远爱他，尊敬他——可他仍动身追赶军队，每到一站都发出新的命令，催促军队由西向东快速挺进。他坐着套着六匹马的四轮旅行轿式马车，在一群少年侍从、副官和卫队的簇拥下，沿着通往波森、托仑、但泽和肯尼斯堡的大道向前进发。每到一个城市都有成千上万的人怀着激动欣喜的心情迎接他。

军队由西向东推进，而他也乘坐着替换的六套马车由西向东奔驰。六月十日，他赶上了军队，在维尔科维斯基森林——一座以波兰伯爵命名的庄园中人们为他准备的住处里过夜。

第二天，拿破仑乘坐四轮马车，越过军队，抵达涅曼河，为了察看渡河地点，他换上波兰制服，来到河岸上。

看到河对岸的哥萨克（Les　Cosaques）和广阔的草原（Lessteppes），就在那片草原的中央是Moscou　la　ville　sainte②就像斯基夫斯基一样，那是亚历山大·马其顿去过的那个国家的首都——拿破仑下令进攻。无论从战略上还是外交上考虑，这都事与愿违，出人意料之外，第二天，他的军队开始横渡涅曼河。

①法语：陛下，我的兄弟（仁兄大人）。

②法语：莫斯科圣城。

十二日一大早，他走出那天搭在涅曼河左岸陡崖上的帐篷，用望远镜眺望从维尔科维森林涌出的由自己的军队组成的洪流，注入到架设在涅曼河上的三座浮桥上。部队官兵知道皇帝来了，他们用眼睛寻找他，而当发现山上帐篷前面一个远离随从们的身穿常礼服的戴着帽子的人影时，都把自己的帽子抛向空中，高呼：“Vive　I'Empereur！”①于是，一个接一个，川流不息地从一直隐蔽他们的大森林里涌出来，散开，沿着三座浮桥穿越到河对岸。

①法语：皇帝万岁！

“是皇帝吗？哦！他亲自出马，事情可来劲了。现在我们出发了！真的……那就是他……皇帝万岁！噍，亚细亚草原……可那是一个讨厌的国家。再见，波塞。我会在莫斯科留一个最好的宫殿，如果人们选我作印度总督，我将封你作克什米尔大臣……万岁！那就是皇帝！你看见他了吗？我见过他两次，就像现在看见你一样。一个小军士……我见过他给一个老兵戴十字勋章……皇帝万岁！”年老人和年轻人的声音交谈着，他们的性格各异，社会地位极不相同。在所有这些人的脸上都有一种共同的表情，那就是对久已期待的征战终于开始的喜悦和对那个站在山头、身穿灰色常礼服的人的狂热和忠诚。

六月十三日，人们为拿破仑牵来一匹不大的阿拉伯纯种马。他骑上马就奔向一座横架在涅曼河上的浮桥，河畔不断响起狂热的欢呼声，显然，他之所以能忍受这些欢呼只是因为他无法禁止人们用这种呼声来表达对他的爱戴；但这些到处伴随他的欢呼声使他苦恼，使他不能专心考虑自他来到军队就萦绕心头的军事问题。他驰过一座用小船搭成的浮桥，到达河对岸，然后急转弯向左，朝着科夫诺方向飞奔，他的那些兴高采烈、乐得透不过气来的近卫猎骑兵疾驰在他前面为他在部队中开出一条通道。奔到宽阔的维利亚河，他在波兰枪骑兵团附近停下来。

“万岁！”波兰人也热烈地呼喊起来，他们乱了队形，你拥我挤地想要看见他。拿破仑仔细观察那条河，然后下了马，在河岸上一根圆木上坐下来。他默默地一挥手，有人递上一副望远镜，他把望远镜放在一个欢欢喜喜跑过来的少年侍从的背上，开始察看河对岸。然后他埋头细看摊在几根圆木之间的地图。他头也不抬地说了句什么，他的两个副官就向波兰枪骑兵驰去。“什么？他说什么？”当一个副官驰到波兰枪骑兵跟前，在队伍里可以听到这些声音。

命令寻觅一个过河的浅滩，波兰枪骑兵上校，涨红着脸，激动得语无伦次。一位相貌堂堂的老人，向副官请求是否允许他不用找浅滩就带领自己的枪骑兵泅水过河。他像一个请求允许骑马的小孩似的，生怕遭到拒绝，期望当着皇帝的面游过河去。副官说，皇帝大概反感这种过分的忠诚。

副官语音一落，这位胡髭浓密的老军官喜形于色，两眼发亮，高举军刀，大呼“万岁！”于是命令枪骑兵跟他走。他用马刺刺了一个马，就朝河边驰去。他凶狠地猛撞坐下踌躇不前的马，扑通一声跳入水中，游向急流深处。几百名枪骑兵都随后跳进水里，河中央和急流又冷又可怕。枪骑兵们互相抓挠，纷纷从马上掉入水中。一些马淹死了，而人也淹死了。余下的奋力向前游向河对岸，虽然半（俄）里外就有一个渡口，他们仍以在那个人的注视下泅水过河和淹死在这条河里为骄傲，而那个坐在圆木上的人甚至连看也没有看他们做了些什么。当那个副官回来后，找了一个适当的时机提请皇帝注意波兰人对皇帝的忠心，这位身着灰色常礼服的小个子站起来，把贝尔蒂埃叫到身边，与他一起在河岸漫步，给他下达指示，偶尔也不满意地望望那些分散他注意力的淹死的枪骑兵。

对他来说早已有一种信念：他发现他在世界所有地方，从非洲到莫斯科维亚草原，都同样会令人大大吃惊，使人们陷入忘我的疯狂状态。他招来自己的座骑，骑上马驰回自己的驻地去了。

虽然派去了救助的船，仍有约四十名枪骑兵淹死了。大多数人被河水冲回到原来的岸边。上校和几个人游过了河，艰难地爬上对岸。但他们刚一上岸，湿透的军服还滴着晶晶的水流，就高呼：“万岁！”神情激动地望着那个拿破仑站过而现在已经离开的地方，那时他们认为自己很幸福。

傍晚，拿破仑发布了两道命令：一是命令尽快把已准备好的伪造的俄罗斯纸币送来以便输入俄罗斯，一是命令枪毙一个撒克逊人，因为在截获的他的一封信里有关于向法国军队发布的命令的情报，而后又发布了第三道命令——把那个毫不必要游过河的波兰上校编入拿破仑自任团长的荣誉团（Légion　d'honneur）。

Quos　vult　perdere——dementat．①

①法语：要谁毁灭——先使其失去理智。