And his eyes again pierced the embarrassed face of the count like two dagger-points.
“Sire,” said Haugwitz, in a low voice, “your proposition is tempting, it is admirable; but as far as I know his majesty the king, I must?”
“Oh,” said Napoleon, impatiently, “do not allude to the king and his person. We have nothing to do with that. You are minister, and it behooves you to fulfil the duties which your position demands from you, and to embrace the opportunity which will never return. One must be powerful, one can never be sufficiently so, believe me, and consider well before replying to me.”
“But, perhaps, sire, it would be better for us to seek for aggrandizement on another side,” said Haugwitz.
“On the side of Poland or France, I suppose?” asked Napoleon, harshly. “You would like to deprive me again of Mentz, Cleves, and the left bank of the Rhine, and you flirt with Russia and Austria because you hope they might assist you one day, after all, in obtaining those territories? But, on the other hand, you would not like to quarrel with me, because there is a possibility that your hopes will not be fulfilled, and because, in such an eventuality, you would fear my enmity. You Prussians want to be the allies of every one; that is impossible, and you must decide for me or for the others. I demand sincerity, or shall break loose from you, for I prefer open enemies to false friends. Your king tolerates in Hanover a corps of thirty thousand men, which, through his states, keeps up a connection with the great Russian army; that is an act of open hostility. As for me, I attack my enemies wherever I may find them. If I wished to do so, I might take a terrible revenge for this dishonesty. I could invade Silesia, cause an insurrection in Poland, and deal Prussia blows from which she would never recover. But I prefer forgetting the past, and pursuing a generous course. I will, therefore, forgive Prussia’s rashness, but only on condition that Prussia should unite with France by indissoluble ties; and as a guaranty of this alliance, I require Prussia to take possession of Hanover.” [Footnote: Napoleon’s own words.? “Memoires ineidits,” p. 20]
“Sire,” exclaimed Haugwitz, joyfully, “this was the desirable aggrandizement which I took the liberty of hinting at before, and I believe it is the only one which the king’s conscience would allow him to accept.”
“Very well, take Hanover, then,” said Napoleon, “I cede my claims on it to Prussia; but in return Prussia cedes to France the principality of Neufchatel and the fortress of Wesel, and to Bavaria the principality of Anspach.”
“But, sire,” exclaimed Haugwitz, anxiously, “Anspach belongs to Prussia by virtue of family treaties which cannot be contested; and Neufchatel?”
“No objections,” interrupted Napoleon, sternly; “my terms must be complied with. Either war or peace. War, that is to say, I crush Prussia, and become her inexorable enemy forever; peace, that is to say, I give you Hanover and receive for it Neufchatel, Wesel, and Anspach. Now, make up your mind quickly; I am tired of the eternal delays and procrastinations. I want you to come at length to a decision, and you will not leave this room until I have received a categorical reply. You have had time enough to take every thing into consideration; hence you must not equivocate any more. Tell me, therefore, quickly and categorically, what do you want, war or peace?”
“Sire,” said Haugwitz, imploringly, “what else can Prussia want than peace with France.”