Letter 167 — CLXVII
Original French
Rambouillet, le 8 juillet 1810.
Mon amie, j’ai reçu ta lettre du 3 juillet. Tu auras vu Eugène, et sa présence t’aura fait du bien. J’ai appris avec plaisir que les eaux te sont bonnes. Le roi de Hollande vient d’abdiquer la couronne, en laissant la régence, selon la Constitution, à la reine. Il a quitté Amsterdam, et laissé le grand-duc de Berg. J’ai réuni la Hollande à la France; mais cet acte a cela d’heureux, qu’il émancipe la reine, et ton infortunée fille va venir à Paris avec son fils, le grand-duc de Berg; cela la rendra parfaitement heureuse. Ma santé est bonne. Je suis venu pour chasser quelques jours. Je te verrai avec plaisir cet automne. Ne doute jamais de mon amitié. Je ne change jamais. Porte-toi bien, sois gaie, et crois à la vérité de mes sentiments.
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.
Rambouillet, July 8, 1810.
My friend, I have received your letter of July 3. You will have seen Eugène, and his presence will have done you good. I was pleased to hear that the waters are good for you. The King of Holland has just abdicated the crown, leaving the regency, according to the Constitution, to the Queen. He has left Amsterdam, and left the Grand Duke of Berg behind. I have united Holland with France; but this act has the happy consequence of setting the Queen free, and your unfortunate daughter will come to Paris with her son, the Grand Duke of Berg; this will make her perfectly happy. My health is good. I have come to hunt for a few days. I shall be glad to see you this fall. Never doubt my friendship. I never change. Take care of yourself, be cheerful, and believe in the truth of my feelings.
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.
Rambouillet, July 8, 1810.
My friend, your letter of July 3 has reached me. You will have seen Eugène by now, and having him with you will have done you good. I was glad to learn that the waters are helping you. The King of Holland has just given up his crown, entrusting the regency to the Queen as the Constitution provides. He has departed Amsterdam, leaving the Grand Duke of Berg there. I have joined Holland to France; but there is a happy side to that decision: it frees the Queen. Your unfortunate daughter is coming to Paris, accompanied by her son, the Grand Duke of Berg; she will be completely happy as a result. I am in good health. I came here to spend a few days hunting. It will be a pleasure to see you this autumn. Never doubt my affection; I am always the same. Keep well, be cheerful, and trust in the sincerity of my feelings.
About this section
Letter 167 — CLXVII 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 167 of 172 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.
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