At this time, when the ambition of Bonaparte every day took a farther
flight, General Clarke took it into his head to go into the box of the
First Consul at the "Francais," and to place himself in the front seat.
By chance the First Consul came to the theatre, but Clarke, hardly
rising, did not give up his place. The First Consul only stayed a short
time, and when he came back he showed great discontent at this
affectation of pride and of vanity. Wishing to get rid of a man whom he
looked on as a blundering flatterer and a clumsy critic, he sent him away
as charge d'affaires to the young extemporized King of Etruria, where
Clarke expiated his folly in a sort of exile. This is all the "great
disfavour" which has been so much spoken about, In the end General Clarke
returned to favour. Berlin knows and regrets it.

On the 25th of March of the same year England signed, at Amiens, a
suspension of arms for fourteen months, which was called a treaty of
peace. The clauses of this treaty were not calculated to inspire the
hope of a very long peace. It was evident, as I have already said, that
England would not evacuate Malta; and that island ultimately proved the
chief cause of the rupture of the treaty of Amiens. But England,
heretofore so haughty in her bearing to the First Consul, had at length
treated with him as the Head of the French Government. This, as
Bonaparte was aware, boded well for the consolidation of his power.

At that time, when he saw his glory and power augmenting, he said to me
in one of our walks at Malmaison, in a moment of hilarity, and clapping
me on the shoulder, "Well, Bourrienne, you also will be immortal!"--
"why, General?"--"Are you not my secretary?"--"Tell me the name of
Alexander's," said I.

--[Bonaparte did not know the name of Alexander's secretary, and I