Book 2 Part 3 Chapter 25 (Chapter 128 Overall)

Chapter Summaries: Dole: Prince N. A. Bolkonsky's ill health. His treatment of the Princess Mariya. Princess Mariya's letter to Julie Karagina.
Briggs: The old prince's attitude to Marya becomes increasingly cruel.
Maude: Prince Bolkonski's treatment of Mary. Her letter to Julie Karagina
Pevear and Volkhonsky (chapters 25-26): The old prince at Bald Hills. Princess Marya's trials.

XXV. The health and character of Prince Nikolay Andreich Bolkonsky, in this last year after the departure of his son, was very weakened. He was made still more irritable than before, and all the outbreaks of his unreasonable anger for the most part collapsed on Princess Marya. He as if carefully sought all her sick places, so that as he could more toughly morally torment her. In Princess Marya were two passions and two joys: her nephew Nikolushka and her religion, and both were the favorite topics of attacks and ridicule for the prince. About this he would begin talking, driving the conversation to the superstition of old girls or to the pampering and spoiling of children. —"You want him (Nikolinka) to be such the same old wench as you yourself; in vain: Prince Andrey needs a son, and not a girl," he spoke. Or, turning to Mademoiselle Bourienne, he asked her at Princess Marya’s, how she liked our priests and images, and joked... He incessantly hurt and insulted Princess Marya, but the daughter did not even make efforts above herself so that to forgive him. Could he be to blame before her, and could her father, whom she all the same knew loved her, be unfair? Yes and what is such justice? The princess never thought about that proud word: "justice." All complex laws of humanity concentrated for her in one simple and clear law — in the law of love and selflessness given to us by who with love suffered for humanity, when he was one himself — God. What for her was the business of the justice or injustice of other people? Her need was to suffer the most and love, and this she did. In winter at Bald Mountains came Prince Andrey, happy, meek and gentle, how for a long time Princess Marya had not seen him. She foresaw that with him something had happened, but he said nothing to Princess Marya about his love. Before departure Prince Andrey long conversed about something with her father and Princess Marya noticed that before departure both were unhappy with each other. Soon after the departure of Prince Andrey, Princess Marya wrote from Bald Mountains to Petersburg to her friend Juli Karagina, whom Princess Marya dreamed, as always dream girls, to give out for her brother, and who was at this time in mourning by the occasion of the death of her brother, murdered in Turkey. "Sorrow, it is seen, is our common lot, sweet and gentle friend Julie. Your loss is so terrible that I cannot otherwise myself explain it as a particular mercy of God, who wants to test — your love — yours and your excellent mother’s. Ah, my friend, religion, and only religion alone, may to us, now not to speak of consoling us, but to rid from despair; religion alone may explain to us that, what without its assistance a person may not understand: what for are creatures kind, sublime and able to find happiness in life, not only not harmful, but necessary for the happiness of others — are encouraged to God, but stay living are the evil, useless, harmful, or such which are burdens to ourselves and others. The first death which I saw and which I will never forget — the death of my nice sister-in-law, produced in me such an impression. You exactly so the same ask fate for what was the death of your beautiful brother, exactly so the same asked I for what was the death of this angel — Lise, who not only was not some evil person, but never had besides kind thoughts in her soul. And what, my friend? Here passed with those since five years, and I, with my insignificant mind, now begin to clearly understand for what need was her death, and what way this death was only an expression of the endless goodness of the creator, all actions of whom, although we for the most part do not understand, are only cruxes of the manifestations of his endless love to his creation. Maybe, I often think, she was too angelically innocent for having the force to bring all the responsibilities of a mother. She was flawless as a young wife: maybe, she could not be such a mother. Now that she has left us, in particular Prince Andrey, a very clean regret and memory, she there probably will receive that place which I do not dare to hope for myself. Yet, not talking now about her alone, this early and terrible death had the most beneficial impact, despite all the sadness in me and in my brother. Then, in the moment of loss, this thought could not come to me; then I with horror would have driven it away, but now this is so clear and undoubted. Writing all this to you, my friend, only so to convince you in the gospel truth, becoming for me a life rule: not one hair from a head will fall without his commitment. But his will is guided only by one boundless love to us, and because all that is happening with us, all is for our good. You ask whether we will conduct next winter in Moscow. Despite all of my wish to see you, I do not think and do not want this. And you are amazed that the reason to that is Buonaparte. And here is why: the health of my father is preparing to noticeably weaken: he may not carry across contradiction and is made irritable. This irritability, as you know, turns predominantly in political affairs. He may not bring thoughts about how Buonaparte leads business as with an equal to all the sovereigns of Europe and in particular with ours, the grandson of the great Catherine! As you know, I am completely indifferent to political deeds, but from the words prepared by my father and him talking with Mihail Ivanovich, I know all that is done in the world, and in particular all the honors rewarded to Buonaparte, whom, as it seems, still only at Bald Mountains on all globe is not recognized as a great man, or still less as French emperor. And my father may not carry across this. To me it seems that my father, predominantly owing to his sight into political affairs and foreseeing the confrontation which he will have, owing to his manners, not embarrassed to express his opinions, reluctantly speaks about a trip to Moscow. All that he will win from his treatment, he will suffer owing to disputes about Buonaparte, which are inevitable. In every case this will be decided very soon. Our family life is going by the same, for the exception of the presence of my brother Andrey. He, as I already wrote to you, has extremely changed in latter times. After his grief, he only now, in the current year, has completely morally revived. He has become such as how I knew him as a kid: kind, gentle, with that gold heart, to which I do not know an equal. He got, as it seems to me, that life for him is not over. Yet together with this moral change, he is physically very weakened. He has become thinner than before, more nervous. I am afraid for him and happy that he took this trip for abroad, which the doctor already for a long time has prescribed for him. I hope that this mends him. You write me that in Petersburg they speak about him, as about one of the most active, educated and smart young people. Forgive me for the pride of kinship — I never in this doubted. It cannot be to count the good, which he here did to all, beginning with his peasants and to the nobles. Having arrived in Petersburg, he took only that, what he should. I am surprised at the way all gossip reaches from Petersburg to Moscow and especially such as incorrect as that about which you write me, — hearing about the imaginary marriage of my brother to the little Rostov. I do not think for Andrey for sometime will be married to anyone or in particular to her. And here is why: first I know that although he seldom speaks about his deceased wife, the sadness of this loss is too deep rooted in his heart, so that for him to decide to give her a successor and stepmother to our little angel. Secondly because of how, as much as I know, this girl is not of the categories women that Prince Andrey may like. I do not think that Prince Andrey chose her as his wife, and openly say: I do not want this. But I have chatted, finishing my second leaflet. Farewell, my sweet friend; and God save you under his saints and mighty cover. My pretty friend, Mademoiselle Bourienne kisses you.
Time: the winter
Mentioned: this last year (Briggs replaces with the...Pevear and Volkonsky and Maude with that...), five years, next winter

Locations: Lysyya Gory
Mentioned: St. Petersburg, Turkey, Moscow, Europe, France

Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes:

Prince Nikolai Bolkonsky's health has declined. He torments Marya, who only cares about her nephew and her religion. "All the complicated laws of mankind were concentrated for her in one simple and clear law--the law of
love and self-denial taught us by Him who suffered for mankind with love, though He Himself was God."

Julie Karagin's brother, whom she wanted to marry Marya, died in the wars in Turkey. The rest of the chapter is Marya's letter to her.

"religion alone can...deliver us from despair; religion alone can explain to us that which man cannot understand..."

The death of Julie's brother is tied to the death of Liza, which Marya chalks up to God's will that men cannot understand or Liza being too innocent to be a mother. Marya, wrongly, believes that "Buonaparte" is the reason her
father's health has declined. She notices the change in Andrei, but also notices that his health is declining, as their father did. She dismisses the rumor of "the little Rostov girl"

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 *):

Prince Nikolai Andreyitch Bolkonsky

Princess Mariya

Nikolushka (Bolkonsky)

Mademoiselle Bourienne

Prince Andrei

Julie Karagina

Julie Karagina's brother

Marya Lvovna Karagin (just "mother")

Liza

Napoleon ("Buonaparte")

Alexander ("sovereign" and "the grandson of the great Catherine")

Catherine the Great (see above)

Mikhail Ivanovitch

Natasha ("little Rostova")

Abridged Versions: Chapter 9 in Bell. Line break rather than chapter break.
Gibian: Chapter 16.

Fuller: Entire Chapter is cut.

Komroff: Chapter is pretty well preserved.

Kropotkin: Chapter is cut.
Simmons: Chapter 16: the reflections on justice are removed, and the Prince Nicholas Bolkonski part in the chapter is shortened. The first part of the letter is severely shortened, with the reflections on Liza removed.
The Buonaparte section is also removed.

Additional Notes:

Speirs: Page 20: The mistake Natasha makes about love, deceived by the conception of it accepted in her society, is echoed by the mistakes whole nations make about the nature of honour, of justice and of bravery.”

Letters (Christian) Page 547: “And it is only necessary for al the educated and honest people whose strength is now being wasted, to the detriment of themselves and their cause, on revolutionary, socialist, and liberal activity, to begin

to act in this way, for a nucleus of honest, educated and independent people to come into being at once, and for all the ever-vacillating mass of average people to join it, and for the one force which subdues

governments to make its appearance--public opinion--demanding freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, justice and humanity.”

Troyat: Page 115: “For the elite of St. Petersburg, the enemy was not France but the French emperor, but for the elite of Moscow all France was to blame. The Czar’s ideas were rejected in the old capital not for subtle political reasons but out of visceral nationalism...While St. Petersburg was the gathering place of dignitaries and functionaries, Moscow was the gathering place of men who had left the service because they were tired or out of favor and who preferred the pleasures of a peaceful, patriarchal, indepedent existence to the myrid constraints of court. St. Petersburg was ambition. Moscow was nonchalance and joie de vivre.”