Vizier's army, was chased beyond the Desert without making any resistance. The French army had not 100 men killed or wounded; but killed 15,000 of the enemy, and took their tents, baggage, and artillery.

An entire change now took place in Kleber; he applied himself seriously to the amelioration of the state of the army and of the country; but on the 14th of June, 1800, he fell by the dagger of a wretched fanatic.

Had he been living in the following campaign, when the English army landed at Aboukir, it would have been destroyed; few of the English would ever have re-embarked, and the French would have possessed Egypt.

SIX NOTES

ON THE WORK INTITLED

THE FOUR CONCORDATS,*

PRINTED IN 1818.

I. Concordat of 1801.-II. Pamphlets printed in London.HI. Abduction of the Pope.-IV. Council of 1811.V. Bulls of Institution.-VI. State Prisons.

THIS work is no libel: although it is not free from erroneous ideas, it contains a far greater number which are rational, and worthy of consideration.

NOTE I.--CONCORDAT OF 1801.

VOL. II. PAGE 90.

"When Napoleon found himself involved in religious disputes, perpetually increasing in number; when, after having laboured in hopes of conciliating all parties, he found he had only sown the seeds of disorder; when, after having reckoned on the support of the clergy, he discovered that he had created only dissatisfaction and distrust; he began to inquire into the

* Les Quatre Concordats.

causes of a result so different from that which he had conceived his efforts calculated to produce; and meditating over the evil fruits of his inexperience, he discovered with grief the error of which he had been guilty, in meddling with religion in any other character than that of guardian of the freedom of worship, &c."

Napoleon had paid particular attention to religious affairs, in Italy, in 1796 and 1797: this species of knowledge was necessary for the conqueror and legislator of the Transpadan and Cispadan Republics, &c. In 1798 and 1799, he had occasion to study the Koran, and to acquire a knowledge of the principles of Islamism, the government and the opinions of the four sects, and their relations with Constantinople and Mecca. He must have become well acquainted with both religions; for his knowledge of these subjects contributed to gain him the affections both of the Italian clergy and of the ulemas of Egypt.

He never repented of having made the Concordat of 1801; and the sentiments on this subject which have been put into his mouth are false he never said, that the Concordat was the greatest error of his reign. The discussions which he afterwards had with Rome, arose out of the abuse which that Court made of the mixture of spiritual and temporal affairs. This

may sometimes have produced in him a momentary fit of impatience, like that of the lion who feels himself stung by flies: but it never changed his views, either with respect to the principles of his religion, or to that great work which had such important results. He never said, that his misfortunes arose from his having outraged liberal principles; or from his having offended the people. All his laws were liberal, even those of the Conscription, and of the State-prisons: the people were never his enemies, in any country; the oligarchies alone were hostile to him;-for his government was eminently popular.

The Concordat of 1801, was necessary to religion, to the republic, to government: the temples were shut up; the priests were persecuted. They were divided into three sects, that of the Constitutionals, that of the Vicars Apostolic, and that of the emigrant Bishops in the pay of England. The Concordat terminated these divisions, and raised up the catholic apostolical Roman church from its ruins. It rebuilt the altars, put an end to disorders, commanded the faithful to pray for the Republic, dissipated all the scruples of the purchasers of national domains, broke the last thread by which the ancient dynasty was still connected with the country, by depriving the bishops who had

remained faithful to them, and by pointing them out as rebels who had preferred the things of this world and their temporal interests to the affairs of Heaven, and the cause of God.

66

It has been said, Napoleon ought not to have meddled with religious affairs, but should have tolerated religion by practising its rites and restoring its temples." Practising its rites!-what rites? Restoring its temples !-to what guardiansthe Constitutionals, the Anglicized clergy, or the Papist vicars in the pay of England?

The question of suspending for a time the exercise of the right of instituting bishops, conferred on the Pope, was discussed in several conferences during the negotiation of the Concordat. But the Pope had already made great concessions; he consented to the suppression of sixty dioceses, which were almost as old as Christianity; he deprived, by his own authority, a great number of ancient bishops, and consummated the sale of the property of the clergy to the amount of 400 millions, without any indemnity. It was even thought, that the interest of the Republic required that no new stipulations favourable to the Ultras ought to be demanded. It was in one of these conferences that Napoleon said, "If the Pope had not existed, it would have been necessary to create one for this