第463章

第463章manyhistoriansassertthatthefrenchfailedatborodinobecausenapoleonhadacoldinhishead;thatifhehadnothadacoldtheordersgivenbyhimbeforeandduringthebattlewouldhavebeenevenmoreremarkablefortheirgenius,andrussiawouldhavebeenlostandthefaceoftheworldwouldhavebeenchanged.tohistorians,whocanmaintainthatrussiawastransformedatthewillofoneman—peterthegreat—andthatfrance,fromarepublic,becameanempire,andthatthefrencharmymarchedintorussiaatthewillofoneman—napoleon—theconclusionthatrussiahasremainedapowerbecausenapoleonhadabadcoldonthe26thofaugustmayseemindisputableandconvincing.haditdependedonnapoleon’swilltofight,ornottofight,atborodino,orhaditdependedonhiswillwhetherhegavethisorderorthat,itisevidentthatacold,affectingthemanifestationofhiswill,mightbethesavingofrussia,andconsequentlythevalet,whoforgottoputonnapoleon’swaterproofbootsonthe24th,wouldbethesaviourofrussia.onthatmethodofreasoningsuchadeductionisinevitable;asinevitableasthecontentionwhichvoltairemaintainsinjest（unconsciouswhathewasridiculing）thatthemassacreofst.bartholomewwasduetoanattackofdyspepsiafromwhichcharlesixwassuffering.butformindsthatcannotadmitthatrussiawastransformedatthewillofoneman—peterthegreat—andthefrenchempirewascreated,andthewarwithrussiabegun,atthewillofoneman—napoleon—suchacontentionwillseemnotmerelyunsoundandirrational,butcontrarytothewholenatureofhumanity.thequestion,whatconstitutesthecauseofhistoricalevents？willesttothemanotheranswer,restingontheideathatthecourseofearthlyeventsispredestinedfromonhigh,dependsonthecombinationofallthewillsofthementakingpartinthoseevents,andthatthepredominantinfluenceofnapoleoninthoseeventsispurelyexternalandfictitious.

strangeatfirstsightasappearsthepropositionthatthemassacreofst.bartholomew,theorderforwhichwasgivenbycharlesix.,wasnottheresultofhiswill,andthatitwasonlyinhisfancythatthecommandhehadgivenwasthecauseofit,andthattheborodinoslaughterofeightythousandmenwasnotduetonapoleon’swill（thoughhegavetheorderforthecommencementofthebattle）,andthatitwasonlyhisfancythatitwashisdoing,strangeasthispropositionappears,yethumandignity,thattellsusthateveryoneofusisneithermorenorlessamanthannapoleon,bidsusadmitthatsolutionofthequestion,andhistoricalresearchesabundantlyconfirmtheproposition.