4 December 1811
adams-john10 Neal Millikan
318

4. I rose this morning just at the dawn of day, that is, about 8 O’Clock, and the weather being mild and fine, after sun-rise took a walk before breakfast— On returning home, as I pass’d before the Corner of the Palace, I saw the Emperor come out from his apartments, mount his horse, and go round, followed by five Officers his Aid de Camps, and enter the inner Court of the Palace, where he holds almost Every Morning a private review of the Guards— I met Nelson walking; who looked and complained of being very unwell— I had a morning visit from General Watzdorf, whose conversation was pleasant; mine to him was not prudent. I know not whether the Vanity of other men, draws upon them such frequent self-reproach and mortification as mine does upon me; but my reflections upon my own indiscretions cost me many uneasy hours, which seldom produce amendment— General Watzdorf is a man of perhaps fifty-five—grave, sentimental, polite and somewhat formal— Very punctilious in giving the title of Excellency to his Colleagues, though it is entirely out of use in the familiar conversation of all the rest, and sounds to me so ridiculous, that I cannot prevail upon myself even to return it to him in his own way— The General is a cool, judicious man, sometimes much addicted to yawning in Company, and occasionally to dose— A good latin Scholar—occasionally quoting Horace; but having no keen relish for literature of any kind. He attends the Emperor on Sundays at the parade, by his own desire, where his horse trots while all the rest of the Cavalcade are upon the Canter— The General is intimate with the Grand-Marshal Count Tolstoy, and visits at Mr Gourieff’s and Princess Dolgorucky’s— He gets like Baron Blome such information as is to be obtained from this Company, very quick and very correctly— That is to say, every thing that the Government here chuse they should know— Of the secret information he has not such good sources— On the whole he is a man much like his Sovereign the king of Saxony— He lives here without his family, and in an unassuming and economical style. He was at the battle of Wagram, and had been in the military Career, untill his Mission to this Country— I walked again before dinner, and met young Baron Löwenstern; with whom I walked— He accompanied the Chevalier de Bray, and Madame on their Journey to Italy— Dr: Galloway was here this Evening— I read the Oration of Isocrates for the Plataeans, and finished the third Book of Manilius— In the Evening I read the Itinéraire— The Oration, was to implore the protection of the Athenians against the Thebans— It characterises the manners of that Age and Country— Manilius continues a profound and incomprehensible Astrologer— This book laboriously prepares the student of the Stars, for the Art of drawing the horoscope.— As it depends on the state of the Zodiac, he gives rules for ascertaining the time and period of the rising and setting of every sign, throughout the year— Chateaubriand was dubb’d by the Guardian Father of the Holy Land, a knight of the holy sepulchre—then left Jerusalem and went to Egypt— He saw the pyramids only at a distance— The Nile being too high for him to go by land, and too low to go by Water— He gives an account of five French Soldiers, relicts of the army of Bonaparte, whom he found as Mammeluke chiefs at Cairo. The principal of them was Abdallah, the son of a Shoemaker at Toulouse— But the author takes great pride in them as Frenchmen— He found too a rich turkish merchant, who knew Son cher Atala, et sa chere Réné— It almost reconciled him to the Turks.

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