Chapter Summaries: Dole: Pierre's passion for Natasha. Pierre and his Apocalyptic vision. The mystic (number) 666. His excitement. His reasons for not entering the military service.
Maude: Pierre's relation to life altered by his feeling for Natasha. 666. Napoleon as Antichrist. Pierre's belief that he is destined to end Napoleon's power. He gets news for the Rostovs
Briggs: Pierre, haunted by the number 666, sees that he must destroy Napoleon.
Pevear and Volokhonsky: Pierre interprets the Apocalypse.
Maude: Pierre's relation to life altered by his feeling for Natasha. 666. Napoleon as Antichrist. Pierre's belief that he is destined to end Napoleon's power. He gets news for the Rostovs
Briggs: Pierre, haunted by the number 666, sees that he must destroy Napoleon.
Pevear and Volokhonsky: Pierre interprets the Apocalypse.
Translation:
XIX.
From the day as Pierre, going away from the Rostovs and remembering the grateful look of Natasha, watched the comet, standing in the sky, and felt that for him opened something new, — the forever tormented him question about the vanity and madness of the only earthly ceased to present to him. This terrible question: what for? why? which before presented to him in the middle of any lesson, now replaced for him as not another issue and not an answer to the former question, but the presentation of it. Whether he listened or himself led insignificant conversations, whether he was reading and found out about the meanness and meaninglessness of humanity, he was not terrified as before: did not ask himself from what bothers people, when all was so brief and unknown, but remembered seeing her, at which he saw her the last time, and all his doubt disappeared, not because of how she answered the questions that presented to him, but because of how the presentation about her carried over him instantly to another, bright region of sincere activities, in which he could not be right or guilty in the region of beauty and love, for which life was worth. How would the abomination of everyday present to him, he spoke to himself:
"Well and let it be such that robbed the state and tsar, but the state and tsar reward him with honors; but she yesterday smiled at me and requested me to come, and I love her, and no one recognizes this," he thought.
Pierre all so the same drove into society, so the same drank much and led that same celebrated and scattered life, because of how besides those hours which he spent at the Rostovs, it was needed to spend the rest of the time, and the habits and acquaintances, made by him in Moscow, irresistibly attracted him to that life which seized him. But in the latter time, when from the theatre of war came all more and more disturbing gossip, and when the health of Natasha began to mend, and she stopped exciting in him the former feeling of thrifty pity, he began to master the more and more incomprehensible for him anxiety. He felt that this position in which he was found, could not continue long, that was coming a catastrophe that had to change all his life, and with impatience sought out all signs of this approaching catastrophe. Pierre was opened by one of the brother masons, following the derived from the Apocalypse of John the Divine, to the prophecy regarding Napoleon.
In the Apocalypse, chapter thirteenth, verse eighteen it said: "Where wisdom is; like have mind and consider the number of the beast: there is a number for the human and his number is six hundred sixty six."
And that same chapter in verse the fifth: "and were given him the mouth the verb of great blasphemy; and was given to him the region to create month four-nine two.”
The French letters, like the Jewish numbered image, by which the first ten letters stand for units, but the other ten, have the following matters:
a b c d e f g h i k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150
Written by this alphabet the numbers of the word Emperor Napoleon611, it exits that the amount of these numbers is equal to 666, and that therefore Napoleon is that animal about which was predicted in the Apocalypse. Besides this, written by this same alphabet the words forty two612 i.e. the limit which was laid on the beast of the verb of great blasphemy, the amount of these numbers, representing quarante deux (forty two), again was equal to 666, from what exits that limit of authority Napoleon advanced in the 1812th year, in which the French emperor passed 42 years. This prediction extremely struck Pierre, and he often assigned himself the question about what placed a limit on the authority of the beast, i.e. Napoleon, and, in the foundation of those same images of words, numbers and calculations, tried to find the answer to the occupying him question. Pierre wrote in answer to this question: Emperor Alexsandr? The Russian people?613 he considered the letters, but the amount of the numbers exited much more or less than 666. One time, occupied by these calculations, he wrote his name — Соmte (Count) Pierre Besouhoff; the amount of the numbers not too far away exited. He, changing the orthography, put z instead of s, added dе, added the member614 le and was not at all getting the desired result. So it had come to his head that should the answer to the searching question conclude in his name, that the answer indispensably would name his nationality. He wrote the Russian Bezuhov,615 and considering the sums, received 671. Only 5 was extra; 5 meant "е", that very "е", which was thrown back in the article before the word l'empereur (the emperor). Throwing back exactly so the same, although not rightly, "е", Pierre received the searching answer l’Russe Besuhof (the Russian Bezuhov), equal to 666. This opening worried him. How, which the communication united him with that great event which was predicted in the Apocalypse, he did not know; but he at the moment did not doubt in this communication. His love to Rostova, the antichrist, the invasion of Napoleon, the comet, 666, l'empereur Napoléon (the Emperor Napoleon) and l’Russe Besuhof (the Russian Bezuhov), all this together must mature, break out and bring him out of this bewitched, worthless habitual Moscow world, in which he felt himself captive, and bring him to a great feat and great happiness.
—————
Pierre on the eve of this Sunday, in which was read the prayer, promised Rostov to bring them from Count Rastopchin, with whom he was well familiar, the appeal to Russia, and the last news from the army. In the morning, stopping by to Count Rastopchin, Pierre at his caught only what arrived from the courier of the army.
The courier was one of the Moscow ballroom dancers acquaintances of Pierre.
— For God, whether you may not facilitate me. — said the courier: — I have a complete bag of letters to parents.
In the number of these letters was a letter from Nikolay Rostov to his father. Pierre took this letter. Besides this Count Rastopchin gave Pierre the appeal of the sovereign to Moscow, that was only printed, the last orders of the army and his last poster. After reviewing the orders of the army, Pierre found in one of them between the news about the wounded, slain and awarded the name of Nikolay Rostov, awarded George of the 4th extent, for the rendered bravery in the Ostrovnensky case, and in this same order the appointment of Prince Andrey Bolkonsky to commander of a jaegers regiment. Although he did not want to remind Rostov about Bolkonsky, Pierre could not abstain from the willingness to please them with the news about the rewarding of their son, and leaving in himself the appeal, poster and other orders, so that to bring most of them to dinner, to Rostov sent the printed order and letter.
The conversation with Count Rastopchin, his tone of concern and haste, the meeting with the courier, carefree telling about how badly went affairs in the army, the gossip about found in Moscow spies, about the paper, walking by Moscow, in which it was said that Napoleon before the fall promised to be in both Russian capitals, the conversation about the expected tomorrow arrival of the sovereign — all this with a new force excited in Pierre that feeling of excitement and expectation which had not left him from the time of the occurrence of the comet and in particular with the beginning of war.
Pierre for a long time now came to the idea to do military service, and he would have carried it out, if he would not have been hindered first, by his affiliation to that Masonic society, with which he was bound by oath, and which preached eternal peace and the destruction of war, and, second that, he, looking at the great number of Muscovites, putting on uniforms and preaching patriotism, was for some reason ashamed to undertake such a step. The main cause again, by which he did not bring in his entrusted intentions to do military service, consisted in this unclear presentation that he — l'Russe Besuhof (The Russian Bezuhov), having matters of the beast numbers 666, that his participation in the great case of the situation of limiting the authority of the beast, the verb of great blasphemy, defined eternally, and that therefore he must not undertake anything, and wait for what must take place.
611 L’empereur Napoléon, (The Emperor Napoleon)
612 quarante deux, (forty two)
613 L’empereur Alexandre? La nation Russe? (Emperor Alexander? The Russian nation?)
614 article (article)
615 Le Russe Besuhof (The Russian Besuhof)
Mentioned: the night Pierre looked at the comet, forty and two months, the year 1812
Locations: Moscow (also Muscovites)
Mentioned: Russia (Russe in French), Ostrovna
Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: Now we follow Pierre, who through the influence of Natasha, starts to feel the same way Andrei felt under her spell, no longer reflecting on life or being concerned with politics.
“Well, let so-and-so steal from the state and the tsar...yesterday she smiled at me and asked me to come, and I love her”
However, he is soon overcome with anxiety, and the masons start to believe Napoleon is the anti-Christ. Pierre becomes extremely obsessive over it and we see him going through the numerology of Napoleon, Alexander,
and himself. Through some trickery, he connects himself with Napoleon and believes he is to be part of the coming of the apocalypse, along with the comet. Line break after “bring him to a great deed and great happiness.”
and himself. Through some trickery, he connects himself with Napoleon and believes he is to be part of the coming of the apocalypse, along with the comet. Line break after “bring him to a great deed and great happiness.”
Pierre receives the letters and news of Bolkonsky’s and Nikolai’s promotions and then has a conversation with Rastopchin who spreads rumors and re-excites him.
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 *):
Pierre (also “Comte Pierre Besouhoff”, though Bell drops this name and Garnett differs by spelling it “Bezuhov”. Also “Le Russe Besuhof” and “l’Russe Besuhof” (Garnett doesn’t capitalize “Russe”)).
Natasha
Alexander (“the Tsar” and “l’Empereur Alexandre”.)
l’Empereur Napoleon
Count Rostopchin
The courier (who brings the proclamation and is an acquaintance of Pierre. Does not appear to be any courier previously mentioned.)
Nikolai Rostof
Count Rostof (“father”. The whole Rostof family is refernced as a whole.)
Prince Andrei Bolkonsky
(N.N is mentioned, as is “one of the brotherhood of Freemasons”. As in the many biblical characters mentioned in last chapter and Saint Peter two chapters ago, Saint John is not a character.)
Abridged Versions: Start of Chapter 9 in Bell, no break at the end.
Line break after “mighty exploit and some mighty happiness” in Dole. Line break in same place in Wiener, Dunnigan, Mandelker, Edmonds, and Briggs.
Gibian: Chapter 19: line break after "great achievement and great happiness."
Gibian: Chapter 19: line break after "great achievement and great happiness."
Fuller: Entire chapter is cut.
Komroff: The entirety of the anti-christ section is removed.
Kropotkin: Only the beginning of the chapter up to “And his soul became calm and clear” is kept, ending chapter 10.
Bromfield: Chapter 14: Pierre and Natasha also have a conversation about the war and Petya. The 666 anti-christ is quickly glossed over.
Simmons: Chapter 19: the antichrist section of the chapter is removed and replaced with "A brother Mason reveals to Pierre a prophecy concerning Napoleon, drawn from the Revelation of St. John. Through a formula, in
which numbers equal letters of the alphabet, Pierre believes that 666, the total numbers of his name, is the same as the total of the letters of Napoleon's name and thus connects him with the ultimate fate of the leader."
Simmons: Chapter 19: the antichrist section of the chapter is removed and replaced with "A brother Mason reveals to Pierre a prophecy concerning Napoleon, drawn from the Revelation of St. John. Through a formula, in
which numbers equal letters of the alphabet, Pierre believes that 666, the total numbers of his name, is the same as the total of the letters of Napoleon's name and thus connects him with the ultimate fate of the leader."
Additional Notes: Dole: “In the course of “War and Peace,” Pierre’s family name appears under at least three different forms of spelling: Bezukhoi, --which the translator has retained throughout-- Bezukhi, and Bezukhof;
the Russian character kh corresponds to ch in German, and is often represented in French by h. It may be here remarked also a propos of the “particule” de that the French and German way of representing titled
Russians’ names with a de or a von is incorrect; the Russian nobility is dependent upon neither titles nor particles.”
the Russian character kh corresponds to ch in German, and is often represented in French by h. It may be here remarked also a propos of the “particule” de that the French and German way of representing titled
Russians’ names with a de or a von is incorrect; the Russian nobility is dependent upon neither titles nor particles.”
Garnett: “Tolstoy miscalculated here: In August 1812 Napoleon turned forty-three.”
Mikaberidze: Page 136: “The Old Believers, for example, rejected the government’s attempt to portray Napoleon as the Antichrist - in fact, they believed that Emperor Alexander himself was the Antichrist….The Old
Believers seem to have exploited the occupation of Moscow to settle old scores with their Orthodox opponents.”
Herold: Page 297: “Yet Alexander, who in his mystical moods felt a strong sense of mission, was beginning to spoil for a gigantic duel in which he would crush the Corsican Antichrist…(Napoleon) “war will come
despite me, despite him, despite the interests of France and of Russia. I have seen this happen so often that my experience of the past reveals these future events to me...It is true that Napoleon’s formidable
preparations for war would be justified to some degree by the vast preparations made by Alexander at the same time. But there is no indication that Alexander intended a direct attack on France...He wanted
Poland...Besides, he (Napoleon) had seduced himself into the belief that from Russia he could march on to India.”
Page 344: "At the time Napoleon invaded Russia, Alexander had come under the sway of the mystical exaltation that was sweeping both the Russian Orthodox Church and the Evangelical sects. As readers
of Tolstoi’s War and Peace may recall, people otherwise sound in mind had taken to interpreting the Apocalypse of Saint John and found positive proof in it that Napoleon was the Antichrist..."
Gogol/Garnett: Page 209: “Many of the official class and of the gentry could not help thinking about it too, and infected by the mysticism which was, as is well known, all the fashion then, saw in every letter of
the name Napoleon some peculiar significance, some even discovered Apocalyptic numbers in it.”
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