Page:History of the Empress Josephine (1).pdf/12

12 Napoleon, with Josephine on his left, attended by the princesses of the empire, and on his right, his two brothers, with the areh-chancellor and areh-treashner. The religious ceremony continued nearly four hours, enlivened by musie composed for the occasion chiefly by Paesiello, and sung by upwards of three hundred performers. The martial band was still more numerous, which executed, in the intervals, marehes, afterwards adopted and still used in the armies of France. One of these, composed by Le Seur, for the army destined to invade our own shores, when now performed for the first time, is said to have aroused a visible emotion even in that august assembly. Alas! how cold are the hearts that then beat high with hope! how few, how very few survive of those upon whom the impulse wrought most stirringly! and, from the banks of the Tagus to the streams of the Volga, how varied the elime that settles on their graves! Yet not many years have passed-the story is eontemporary history-the grand actor night have been amongst us not an aged man: be the moral, therefore, more impressively ours. Were all such thoughts of this life's greatness absent from Josephine's mind? It would appear not. Napoleon, at that part of the ceremony, stood up, laid his hand upon the imperial crown,-a simple diadem of gold wrought into a chaplet of interwoven oak and laurel,-and placed it on his head. He had even given express direetions that Pius should not touch it. Popes had pretended that all erowns were bestowed by them; and perhaps the new emperor dreaded the belief that he had brought his holiness from Rome with reference to these ancient pretensions. He wished, therefore, to demonstrate that the right to reign originated in his own power, and that at his coronation the pope was but the bishop of Rome. Afterwards, Napoleon took the erown destined for the empress, and first putting it for an instant on his own, placed it upon his consort's brow, as she knelt before him on the platform of the throne. The appearance of Josephine was at this moment most touching. Even then she had not forgotten that she was once 'an obseure woman;' tears of deep emotion fell from her eyes; she remained for a space kneeling, with hands