Book 3 Part 1 Chapter 5 (Chapter 169 overall)

Chapter Summaries: Dole: Character of Davoust. Balashof's interview with Davoust. Kept waiting. Napoleon at Vilno.
Maude: Balashev taken to Davout, who treats him badly, but he is at last presented to Napoleon in Vilna
Briggs: Balashev, treated badly by Davout, is finally brought to Napoleon.

Translation:

V. Davout was Arakcheev to Emperor Napoleon — Arakcheev as not a coward, but so the same serviceable, cruel and not able to express his loyalty otherwise as cruelty. The mechanism of the state organism needs these people, as are needed wolves in the organism of nature and they always eat, always are and hold so incongruously that it seems their presence and closeness to the head is amazing. Only this necessity can explain how could a cruel, personally pulling out the mustaches of grenadiers and not being able by weakness of nerve to carry across danger, uneducated, non-courtier Arakcheev hold on to such strength in the chivalrously noble and tender character of Aleksandr. Balashev caught Marshal Davout in a barn of a peasant hut, sitting on a barrel and busily writing works (he checked calculations). An adjutant stood beside him. It was possible to find a better premise, but Marshal Davout was one of those people that on purpose placed himself in the most gloomy conditions of life so to have the right to be gloomy. They for this same were always hasty and stubbornly busy. "Where here to think about the happy side of human life, when you see I am on a barrel sitting in a dirty barn and working," said the expression of his face. The main pleasure and need of these people consists in so that to meet the revitalization of life, to throw this revitalization in the eye of their gloomy, stubborn activity. This pleasure delivered Davout to himself, when to him was introduced Balashev. He still more deepened in his work, when entered the Russian general, and looking through glasses at the brisk, under the impression of the beautiful morning and conversation with Murat face of Balashev, did not get up, did not even stir, but still more frowned and viciously grinned. Noticing the face of Balashev produced this reception of an unpleasant impression, Davout raised his head and coldly asked what he needed. Assuming that such a reception could be made to him only because of how Davout did not know that he as general-adjutant to Emperor Aleksandr and even his agent before Napoleon, Balashev hurried to report his rank and matters. Against his expectations, Davout, listening to Balashev, had become still harsher and rougher. — Where again is your packet? — he said. —Give it and I will send it to the emperor.582 Balashev said that he had an order to personally deliver the packet to the emperor. — The orders your emperor carry out in your army, but here, — said Davout, — you must do that what you're told. And as if for this so still more to give the feeling to the Russian general his dependence from the rough forces, Davout sent the adjutant for duty. Balashev took out the packet, concluding the letter of the sovereign, and placed it on the table (the table, held from the door, on which was sticking out a torn off loop, put on two barrels). Davout took the packet and read the slogan. — You are completely right to manifest and not manifest me respect, — said Balashev. — But let it be to your notice that I have the honor to carry the rank of general-adjutant of his majesty... Davout looked at him silently, and with some excitement and embarrassment, expressed on the face of Balashev, apparently delivered him pleasure. — You will be given your due, — he said, and, placing the envelope in his pocket, got out from the barn. In a moment entered the adjutant Marshal Sir de Castre and spent Balashev to a prepared for him premise. Balashev lunched on this day in the barn with the marshal on that same board on barrels. On the next day Davout left early in the morning, and, inviting to himself Balashev, impressively saying to him that he will ask him to stay here, moved together with his luggage, should they have orders, and not to speak with anyone besides the gentleman de Castre. After four days of solitude, boredom, consciousness of subservience and insignificance, especially tangible after that environment of power in which he was so recently found, after several transitions together with the luggage of the marshal and with the French troops, occupied all the terrain, Balashev was brought to Vilna, occupied now by the French, at that same outpost from which he left four days to that backwards. On the next day the emperor's chamberlain, Count Tyuren,583 arrived to Balashev and delivered his wish to Emperor Napoleon to confer with him an audience. Four days to that backwards at this same home, to which Balashev was given a lift, were standing Preobrazhensky regiment sentries, now at the same were standing two French grenadiers in disclosed breast blue uniforms and in furry hats, convoy hussars and lancers and a brilliant suite of adjutants, pages and generals, waiting for the exit of Napoleon standing around on the porch riding horses and his Mameluk Rustan. Napoleon took Balashev in this very house in Vilna from which Aleksandr sent him. 582 Donnez-le moi, je l’enverrai à l'Empereur. (Give it to me, I'll send it to the Emperor.) 583 monsieur de Turenne, (Mr. de Turenne,)

Time: see previous chapter, a minute later, the next day, early in the morning, four days, the next day

Locations: see previous chapter, Vilna
Mentioned: Russian, French

Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: Now Balashov, in this parody of chain of commands, is redirected to Davout who “was the emperor Napoleon’s Arakcheev--a noncowardly Arakcheev, but equally efficient, cruel, and incapable of expressing his devotion otherwise than by cruelty. In the mechanism of the state organism these people are necessary, as wolves are necessary in nature’s organism, and they always exist...Only this necessity can explain how the cruel Arakcheev, who personally tore out grenadiers’ mustaches...could hold on to such power next to the chivalrously noble and gentle character of Alexander.”

“Marshal Davout was one of those people who deliberately set themselves up in the most gloomy conditions of life, so as to have the right to be gloomy.”

The detail of the table in an aide, revealed to be a door off the hinges put on two barells is a striking one.

Balashov is then redirected to M. de Castries and then M. de Turenne before securing a meeting with Napoleon.

Characters (characters who do not appear, but are mentioned are placed in italics. First appearances are in Bold. First mentions are underlined. Final appearance denoted by *):

Marshal Davoust

Emperor Napoleon

Arakcheyef

Emperor Alexander (also “sovereign” and “Majesty”)

Balashof (also “Russian General” and “Alexander’s general-adjutant”)

Murat

Monsieur de Castrier (“the marshal’s aide”. “De Castres” in Mandelker and Dunnigan the first time. Maude adds “Monsieur” the first time while the other two only add it the second time. “Monsieur de Castre” in Edmonds.)

Monsieur de Turenne (“the Imperial Chamberlain” (Wiener doesn’t use capitalization and changes “de” to “du”). “Count Turenne” in Briggs, the “Emperor’s gentleman-in-waiting” (as in also in Garnett, who has him as “Count
de Turenne”). “M. de Turenne” in Bell, “one of Napoleon’s chamberlains”.)

Rustan (Napoleon’s “Mameluke”. “His Egyptian bodyguard” in Briggs.)

(an aide who stands near Davoust, as well as sentinels, grenadiers, and “a brilliant suite” are all mentioned.)

Abridged Versions: End of Chapter 3 in Bell.
Gibian: Chapter 5.

Fuller: Entire chapter is cut.

Komroff: Entire chapter is cut.

Kropotkin: Chapter is pretty much preserved. End of chapter 4.

Bromfield: Chapter 7: Chapter basically the same.
Simmons: Chapter 5: entire chapter is cut and replaced with "Balashev is harshly treated by the French Marshal Davout who delays his appearance before Napoleon for several days. So rapid is the French advance that
Balashev's audience with Napoleon takes place in the headquarters in Vilna which Alexander I has had to abandon.

Additional Notes: Garnett: “Georgian by birth, Rustan served in the Mamelukes, the Turko-Egyptian cavalry defeated by Napoleon at the battle of the Pyramids in 1798. Napoleon took him on as his personal bodyguard.”

Montefoire: Pages 253-254: “He (Paul) turned to Alexander and, joining his hand to that of Arakcheev, he said, “Be friends for ever.”

Page 265: Alexander was watched by Baron Arakcheev, a grisly and implacable (266) myrmidon with a “convulsively twitching neck, large ears, a big ill-shaped head and sallow faces with hollow cheeks, bulging forehead

and deep grey eyes.” Nicknamed the “Ape in Uniform,” Arakcheev was co-commandant of Petersburg alongside Alexander himself…..he was the opposite of the liberal Alexander...Alexander needed Arakcheev”

Page 296: “Vampire Arakcheev, a strangely thin-skinned melodramatist…”Arakcheev ruled his serfs cruelly, grading his punishments: a whipping for a first offence but, for a second, a thrashing by his soldiers using clubs

known as “Arkacheev sticks.” Each serf carried a punishment book in which Arakcheev wrote comments such as: “If she doesn’t know her prayers by Lent, I’ll have her soundly whipped.”...Afterwards Aracheev married

a young noble girl in Petersburg who was so horrified by his tyranny that she quickly left him. Afterwards he stuck to collecting pornography”