Kings and rulers > Life of Napoleon Bonaparte

10 LIFE OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE.
After a brilliant series of triumphs, Bonaparte re¬
turned to Paris on the 20th of November, 1797, where
he was hailed with the most rapturous applause by
the people. The most magnificent preparations were
made for his reception; entertainments were every¬
where given him; the sky resounded with the re¬
iterated shout—“ Long live the general of the army
of Italy;” he obtained a seat in the Institute, and the
troops returning to France made him the subject oi
their songs. Still, however, he was dissatisfied with
the position he held. “ I see (said he) if I loiter
here, I am done for quickly. Here, every thing
grows flat; my glory is already on *be wane. We
must to the East.”
It has been asserted that in the early part of 1798,
Bonaparte was commissioned “ to prepare operations
for invading England.” With this object in view, he
made a most minute examination of the coast, and
continued to question sailors, pilots, smugglers, and
fishermen, till he found the hazard of such an enter¬
prise was too great. An army, however, was raised,
and, to cover any future design of Napoleon, it was
called “ The army of England.”
We now touch upon one of the most momentous
periods of Bonaparte’s astonishing career; we mean
his invasion of Egypt, which under every point of
view, may rank as a prodigy of human daring.
On the 20th of May, 1798, General Bonaparte put
to sea, from the harbour of Toulon, on board L’Orient,
of 120 guns, bearing the flag of Admiral Bruyes,
for the purpose of taking the command of a fleet,
which was collecting from the different ports under
the dominion of the Republic of France. The
voyage commenced with a propitious wind, and
the first operation was the taking of Malta. During
the continuance of the French fleet at Malta, it is
said that the intelligence first reached Bonaparte
that Nelson, having penetrated his design, was in