File:The history of Hortense, daughter of Josephine, Queen of Holland, mother of Napoleon III (1870) (14595266099).jpg

Identifier: historyofhorten00abbo (find matches)
Title: The history of Hortense, daughter of Josephine, Queen of Holland, mother of Napoleon III
Year: 1870 (1870s)
Authors: Abbott, John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot), 1805-1877
Subjects:
Publisher: New York, Harper
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
t, however, must beguided by rules of prudence; and whoever at-tempts to defeat the views of tyranny mustbeware of awaking it from its slumbers. No philosophy has yet been able to explainthe delicate mechanism of the human soul; itsfleeting and varying emotions of joy and sad-ness, its gleams of hope and shades of despaircome and go, controlled by influences whichentirely elude human scrutiny. In these daysof gloom, rays of hope occasionally penetratedthe cell of Beauharnais. At last the hour of dread came. Beauhar-nais was led before the terrible tribunal. Hewas falsely accused of having promoted thesurrender of Mentz to the Allies. He wasdoomed to death, and was sent to the Concierge-rie, whence he was to be conducted to his exe-cution. This was in July, 1794. Beauharnaiswas then thirty-four years of age. It seems that the conversation which we havereported as having taken place in the cell ofBeauharnais had been overheard by listeningears, and reported to the committee as a con- \r
Text Appearing After Image:
JOSEPHINE TAKING LEAVE OF HER CHILDREN. 1794.) Parentage and Birth. 39 Anguish of Josepliine. spiracy for the overthrow of the Eepublic.The arrest of Josephine was ordered. A warn-ing letter from some friend reached her a fewmoments before the officers arrived, urging herto fly.^ It was an early hour in the morning.There was little sleep for Josephine amidstthose scenes of terror, and she was watchingby the side of her slumbering children. Whatcould she do? Should she abandon her chil-dren, and seek to save her own life by flight ?A mothers love rendered that impossible.Should she take them with her in her flight?That would render her arrest certain; and thefact of her attempting to escape would be urgedas evidence of her guilt. While distracted with these thoughts, the>,clatter of armed men was heard at her dooAWith anguish which none but a mother cancomprehend, she bent over her children andimprinted, as she supposed, a last kiss upontheir cheeks. The affectionate little Hortense

Note About Images