Napoleonic Anecdotes 2

Berthier

from First Empire Readers

A Little time before the Empire, Talleyrand, a great mystifier, told Berthier that the First Consul wanted to assume the title of King. Berthier in eager haste crossed the drawing-room full of company, accosted the master of the house, and with a beaming smile, "congratulated him." At the word "King," Bonaparte's eyes flashed. Grasping Berthier by the throat, he pushed his head against a wall, exclaiming, "You fool! Who told you to come here and stir up my bile in this way?" But Berthier, though a sawney, was a good son, worshipped by his father, a fresh little old gentleman who lived at Versailles and whose great delight consisted in showing visitors the room wherein had been born the talented Major-General. "Here," he would exclaim proudly, "Alexander was born," as if the poor Marshal rivalled in fame the King of Macedonia. Napoleonic Anecdotes 1: How Lannes Fell Back to Table of Contents -- First Empire #44 Back to First Empire List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1999 by First Empire. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com