This is part of a series of letters from Charles de Montholon, the alleged poisoner of Napoleon, to his wife, the supposed last mistress of Napoleon.
All of these letters will be seen by the hated Governor Lowe.
Montholon alludes to some sneaky thing he’s put a lot of effort into doing but says he may leave when the new people come to Longwood - a doctor and 2 priests. Still we see no love for Napoleon, so why’s he there?
Longwood, July 31, 1819.
Nothing new in Longwood, my good Albine, always the same life, no newcomers. You make the usual subject of our conversations with the doctor (1)
The Bertrands talk to me about you out of politeness; the Emperor, because he thinks about you.
Your departure threw a very sad tinge on us; for my part, I am not used to it, I am only a soulless body; nothing is more to me; it seems to me that I only live when i take care of you.
You must already be under the influence of the European climate. I need to repeat myself that your health required it, this awful sacrifice (2), to endure all the weight of it.
When will God finally let myself be touched by my wishes, when will he reunite me with you so as not to leave you any more? The sight of children playing under my windows is
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1. Doctor Verling, no doubt, who had treated Mme. de Montholon and was nursing her husband.
2. See the report of July 1, 1819 of the Count of Balmain, Russian commissioner at Saint Helena: "The Countess of Montholon left for England ... She is a woman of spirit and intelligence, extremely kind, and who was a great resource to me in Saint Helena. I am making an irreparable loss there.”
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painful; I would like to see mine there, and two thousand leagues separate them from me! I'm still in the doctor's hands; do not worry, however: he assures me that in a fortnight I will be delivered from his little boxes (1).
Mme. Bertrand is fine; she's already talking about going out, but we hope to keep her in her room until August 15. I have continued towards her in the same style of comportment, I find it good and do not want intimacy, in spite of the insistence that is made of it; experience has shown me that you shouldn't have any at Longwood (2).
I follow and will follow from point to point the kind of life we have agreed upon. I sometimes have the idea that you will not be received in England, and that it is in Belgium that I will find you.
If that were the case, you might do well to take the waters of the Spa at Aachen, of which you would be only a few leagues away (3). It seems to me that the season extends until the end of September.
But in this case, I recommend above all that you live there in retirement and avoid being talked about, which would not suit your position. These waters are the point where journalists from Europe go to find their true or false news, and it could be for you a source of inconvenience: so many people will be ready to lend you words and actions which are far from your thoughts!
I'm wrong to be scared, I should be very calm. You have taught me, for six years, to have total confidence in your judgment, in your conduct, etc.
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1. Montholon suffered from the liver problems.
2. I do not see what specific fact is alluded to here.
3. Implied: once installed in Belgium.
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I often have applauded myself for following your advice. What I tell you about Belgium and the waters of the Spa is not because I want to see you there; my desire is, on the contrary, that you go to Cheltenham and that you wait for me in England, if you can reasonably.
I am in the whole thought of prolonging my stay here only as long as I believe it necessary so as not to aggravate the position of the one for whom I have already done so much.
I impatiently await the arrival of the three priests or doctors that the newspapers announce to us, and, if they are up to their roles, I will leave the cursed soil of Longwood.
What a beautiful day for me when I press you on my heart, and my Lili! I embrace them, my poor children, I love them all very tenderly; and if Lili comes to my thoughts more often, it is because she caressed me more. Recommend Tristan to work well.
Tell him that, if he loves me, he will make you happy, never give you heartache, and take good care of his sisters and his little brother Charles.
Keep me alive in the memory of Yolande - your good and excellent sister. You know what I think when I think of you, doesn't that always say: be happy! To you, all to you for life!
M.
Toutes ces lettres seront vues par le détesté gouverneur Lowe. Montholon fait allusion à quelque chose de sournois qu'il a mis beaucoup d'efforts à faire, mais dit qu'il pourrait partir quand les nouvelles personnes viendront à Longwood - un médecin et 2 prêtres. Nous ne voyons toujours pas d'amour pour Napoléon, alors pourquoi est-il là?
Let’s look at Napoleon’s transits while he’s being maltreated and the life is being snuffed out of him.
Pluto (death), Saturn (imprisonment) and Chiron (unhealable wounds) are conjunct between Pisces (trickery) and Aries (violence).
Uranus (disturbance) and Pluto are transiting Napoleon’s 2nd house of values where we find natal Pluto. I wonder if Pluto in Capricorn (Saturn/institutions) can allude to the changes in fortune which make up such a powerful element of Napoleon’s saga.
Regardons les transits de Napoléon pendant qu'il est maltraité et que la vie lui est arrachée. Pluton (mort), Saturne (emprisonnement) et Chiron (blessures incurables) sont conjoints entre Poissons (ruse) et Bélier (violence).
Uranus (perturbation) et Pluton transitent par la 2e maison de valeurs de Napoléon où nous trouvons Pluton natal. Je me demande si Pluton en Capricorne (Saturne / institutions) peut faire allusion aux changements de fortune qui constituent un élément si puissant de la saga de Napoléon.
