Soon after leaving Bertrand's house, we caught sight of the
tomb, at the bottom of the ravine called Slane's valley, and, descending
a zig-zag path, we quickly reached the spot. About half an acre round
the grave is railed in. At the gate we were received by an old corporal
of the St. Helena corps, who has the care of the place. The tomb itself
consists of a square stone, about ten feet by seven, surrounded with a
plain iron-railing. Four or five weeping-willows, their stems leaning
towards the grave, hang their pensile branches over it.
Who could contemplate without interest the little spot of earth which
covers all that remains of mortal of the man who made Europe tremble!
who carried his victorious arms from the Nile to the Elbe, from Moscow
to the Pillars of Hercules; who bore his eagles triumphantly through
Vienna, Rome, Berlin, Madrid! Beneath our feet lay he, who "du monde
entre ses mains a vu les destinees"--
"The desolator desolate, the victor overthrown!"
"They that see thee," saith the inspired prophet, "they that see thee
shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the
man that made the earth to tremble, and did shake kingdoms; that made
the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened
not the house of his prisoners? All the kings of the nations, even all
of them, lie in glory every one in his own house.
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