Letter 015 — XV
Original French
Castiglione, 22 juillet 1796.
Les besoins de l’armée exigent ma présence dans ces environs; il est impossible que je puisse m’éloigner jusqu’à venir à Milan; il me faudrait cinq ou six jours et il peut arriver pendant ce temps-là des mouvements où ma présence pourrait être urgente ici. Tu m’assures que ta santé est bonne; je te prie, en conséquence, de venir à Brescia. J’envoie, à l’heure même, Murat pour t’y préparer un logement dans la ville, comme tu le désires. Je crois que tu feras bien d’aller coucher le 6 (thermidor), en partant fort tard de Milan, et de venir le 7 à Brescia, où le plus tendre des amants t’attend. Je suis désespéré que tu puisses croire, ma bonne amie, que mon cœur puisse s’ouvrir à d’autres qu’à toi; il t’appartient par droit de conquête, et cette conquête sera solide et éternelle. Je ne sais pourquoi tu parles de madame T., dont je me soucie fort peu, ainsi que des femmes de Brescia. Quant à tes lettres, qu’il te fâche que j’ouvre, celle-ci sera la dernière; ta lettre n’était pas arrivée. Adieu, ma tendre amie, donne-moi souvent de tes nouvelles. Viens promptement me joindre, et sois heureuse et sans inquiétude; tout va bien, et mon cœur est à toi pour la vie. Aie soin de rendre à l’adjudant-général Miollis la boîte de médailles qu’il m’écrit t’avoir remise. Les hommes sont si mauvaises langues et si méchants, qu’il faut se mettre en règle sur tout. Santé, amour et prompte arrivée à Brescia. J’ai à Milan une voiture à la fois de ville et de campagne, tu te serviras de celle-là pour venir. Porte avec toi ton argenterie et une partie des objets qui te sont nécessaires. Voyage à petites journées et pendant le frais, afin de ne pas te fatiguer. La troupe ne met que trois jours pour se rendre à Brescia. Il y a en poste pour quatorze heures de chemin. Je t’invite à coucher le 6 (thermidor) à Cassano; je viendrai à ta rencontre le 7, le plus loin possible. Adieu, ma Joséphine, mille tendres baisers.
Musean translation
Machine-assisted Musean English translated from the French of the 172 Napoleon letters selected from Tancrède Martel, ed., Œuvres littéraires de Napoléon Bonaparte, tome 1 (Albert Savine, Paris, 1888). French Wikisource contributors supplied the scan-backed transcription: https://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Livre:Bonaparte_-_Œuvres_littéraires,_tome_1,_1888.djvu (page histories credit contributors). The transcription is CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/; this adapted text and translations are shared under the same license. Extraction removes markup and editorial notes; selected transcription repairs were checked against print images.
Castiglione, July 22, 1796.
The needs of the army require my presence in this area; it is impossible for me to go as far as Milan. I would need five or six days, and during that time movements may occur that make my presence here urgent. You assure me your health is good; I therefore ask you to come to Brescia. I am sending Murat at this very hour to prepare lodgings for you in the city, as you wish. I think you would do well to leave Milan very late and sleep on the 6th (Thermidor) along the way, and come on the 7th to Brescia, where the tenderest of lovers awaits you. I am distraught that you can believe, my dear friend, that my heart could open to anyone but you; it belongs to you by right of conquest, and that conquest will be lasting and eternal. I do not know why you speak of Madame T., for whom I care very little, as I do for the women of Brescia. As for your letters, which you are displeased that I open, this will be the last; your letter had not arrived. Farewell, my tender friend, send me news of yourself often. Come quickly to join me, and be happy and free from worry; all is well, and my heart is yours for life. Be sure to return to Adjutant General Miollis the box of medals he writes that he gave you. People are so malicious and spiteful that one must keep everything in order. Health, love, and a swift arrival in Brescia. I have a carriage in Milan suited both to town and country; use it to come. Bring your silver and some of the things you need. Travel in short stages and in the cool hours, so as not to tire yourself. The troops take only three days to reach Brescia. By post it is a journey of fourteen hours. I suggest you sleep at Cassano on the 6th (Thermidor); I shall come as far as possible to meet you on the 7th. Farewell, my Joséphine, a thousand tender kisses.
Plain English translation
Independent machine-assisted Plain English translation from the 1888 Martel French edition, not a historical English translation. French Wikisource contributors supplied the scan-backed transcription: https://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Livre:Bonaparte_-_Œuvres_littéraires,_tome_1,_1888.djvu (page histories credit contributors). The adapted transcription and translation are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/. Extraction removes markup and editorial notes and makes documented transcription repairs. French-source model review is not human specialist certification or a complete scan collation.
Castiglione, July 22, 1796.
The army's needs require me in this area; I cannot possibly get away to Milan. It would take five or six days, and movements might occur in that time for which my presence here would be urgently needed. You assure me your health is good, so please come to Brescia. I am dispatching Murat at once to prepare quarters for you in town, as you want. I think it best that you leave Milan quite late, spend the night of 6 Thermidor on the road, and come to Brescia on the 7th, where the most tender of lovers awaits you. It grieves me that you could think my heart might open to anyone but you, my dear. You have won it by conquest, a conquest secure and everlasting. Why speak of Madame T.? I care very little for her, or for the women of Brescia. You dislike my opening your letters; this one will be the last. Your letter had not yet arrived. Goodbye, my tender friend; send me news often. Come and join me quickly, and be happy and free from worry. Everything is going well, and my heart belongs to you for the rest of my life. Please give Adjutant General Miollis back the box of medals which, he writes, he left with you. People’s tongues are so spiteful and malicious that one must be scrupulous about everything. Good health, love, and a speedy arrival in Brescia. My carriage in Milan serves both for town and for the country; take it for your journey. Carry your silverware and some necessities with you. Keep each day’s journey short and travel when it is cool, so as not to exhaust yourself. The troops need only three days to get to Brescia; by post the journey takes fourteen hours. I suggest spending the night of 6 Thermidor at Cassano. On the 7th I shall come to meet you, going as far as I can. Goodbye, my Joséphine, a thousand tender kisses.
About this section
Letter 015 — XV is part of Letters to Josephine by Napoléon Bonaparte. This page sets the French original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is part 15 of 172 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.
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