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Memoirs of Napoleon — Volume 11 by Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne
page 65 of 100 (65%)
King of Naples right.

The Princes and Dukes of the Empire must pardon me for so often
designating them by their Republican names. The Marshals set less value
on their titles of nobility than the Dukes and Counts selected from among
the civilians. Of all the sons of the Republic Regnault de St. Jean
d'Angely was the most gratified at being a Count, whilst, among the
fathers of the Revolution no one could regard with greater disdain than
Fouche his title of Duke of Otranto; he congratulated himself upon its
possession only once, and that was after the fall of the Empire.

I have expressed my dislike of Fouche; and the reason of that feeling
was, that I could not endure his system of making the police a government
within a government. He had left Paris before my return thither, but I
had frequent occasion to speak of that famous personage to Savary, whom,
for the reason above assigned, I do not always term Duc de Rovigo.
Savary knew better than any one the fallacious measures of Fouche's
administration, since he was his successor. Fouche, under pretence of
encouraging men of letters, though well aware that the Emperor was
hostile to them, intended only to bring them into contempt by making them
write verses at command. It was easily seen that Napoleon nourished a
profound dislike of literary men, though we must not conclude that he
wished the public to be aware of that dislike. Those, besides, who
devoted their pens to blazon his glory and his power were sure to be
received by him with distinction. On the other hand, as Charlemagne and
Louis XIV. owed a portion of the splendour of their reigns to the lustre
reflected on them by literature, he wished to appear to patronise
authors, provided that they never discussed questions relating to
philosophy, the independence of mankind, and civil and political rights.
With regard to men of science it was wholly different; those he held in
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