Book 3 Part 1 Chapter 23 (Chapter 187 overall)

Chapter Summaries: Arrival of the emperor. Rostopchin's speech. The emperor's words. The proposed levy. Pierre's munificence.
Maude: Count Rostopchin's remarks. The offer made by the Moscow nobility and gentry. The Emperor's speech. Pierre offers to supply and maintain a thousand men
Briggs: The Emperor speaks. Pierre offers to fund a thousand men.

Translation:

XXIII. At this time with fast steps before the parting crowd of nobles, in a general's uniform, with a ribbon across his shoulder, with his protruding chin and fast eyes, entered Count Rastopchin. — The sovereign emperor will now be here, — said Rastopchin, — I was only from there. I suppose that in this position, in which we are found, there is not much to judge. The sovereign honored to gather us and the merchants, — said Count Rastopchin. — From there poured millions (he pointed out to the hall of merchants), but our business is to put forward the militia and not spare ourselves...This is the least that we can do! Began meetings between only the nobles sitting behind the table. All the meetings passed more than quietly. It even seemed sad, when only after the former noise by one was heard an old voice, speaking only "agree," others for diversity: "and I am of the same opinion," and etc. It was ordered to the secretary to write the decree of the Moscow nobility about how the Muscovites, like the citizens of Smolensk, will donate 10 people from 1000 and complete the outfit. The gentlemen sitting got up, as would a lightweight, rattling chairs and going by the hall’s mash of legs, taking away someone under the arm and talking. — The sovereign! The sovereign! — suddenly spread by the halls, and all the crowd threw to exit. Widely going between the wall of the nobles, the sovereign passed in the hall. In all the faces expressed respectful and scared curiosity. Pierre stood quite long away and could not quite hear the speech of the sovereign. He got it only by that, what he heard that the sovereign spoke about the dangers in which was found the state, and about the hopes that he pinned on the Moscow nobility. The sovereign was responding to a different voice, reporting about only how he held the decree of the nobility. — Gentleman! — said the trembling voice of the sovereign; the crowd rustled and again fell silent, and Pierre clearly heard the so nicely human and touched voice of the sovereign, which spoke: —"I never doubted the diligence of the Russian nobility. But on this day it surpassed my expectations. Thank you from the face of the fatherland. Gentleman, we will act — time is only dear..." The sovereign fell silent, the crowd had become crowded around him and to all parties were heard enthusiastic exclamations. — Yes, only the dear... royal word, — sobbing spoke back the voice of Ilya Andreich, who heard nothing, but all was understood by him. From the halls of the nobility the sovereign passed by the hall of the merchants. He stayed there about ten minutes. Pierre in the numbers of others saw the sovereign, coming out of the halls of the merchants with tears of affection in his eyes. As then recognizing, the sovereign only started the speech to the merchants, as tears squirted from his eyes, and he in a trembling voice finished talking to them. When Pierre saw the sovereign, he went out, accompanied by two merchants. One was familiar to Pierre, a thick tax farmer, the other — ahead, with a thin, narrow-bearded yellow face. They both cried. In the thin one were standing tears, but the thick tax farmer sobbed as a child and all repeated: — Life and property take, your majesty! Pierre did not feel in this moment now nothing besides the willingness to show that he more than all, and that he to all was ready to sacrifice. How reproached him, presenting his speech from a constitutional direction; he sought a case to make amends for this. Upon learning that Count Mamonov donated a regiment, Bezuhov here the same declared to Count Rastopchin that he will give back 1000 people and their content. Old man Rostov without tears could not say to his wife what was, and here the same agreed to the request of Petya and himself went to write him down. On the next day the sovereign left. All the gathered nobles took off their uniforms, again settled down by houses and clubs, and groaning gave back orders to managers about the militia, and were surprised to what they had done.
Time: see previous chapter, the following day

Locations: see previous chapter
Mentioned: Moscow (and Muscovites), Smolensk

Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: Count Rastopchin enters and says the sovereign is coming and how much the nobility is expected to donate. The sovereign speaks and thanks the nobility for what they have given. Pierre only hears part of what Alexander said, while the old count “had heard nothing, but had understood it all in his own way.” He also decides finally to sign Petya up for service while Pierre feels guilty for what he had said and offers a thousand men. Part One ends with the nobility beginning to realize what they had agreed to.

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 *):

Count Rostopchin

Alexander (“sovereign”, “tsar”, and “emperor”.)

Pierre Bezukhoi

Ilya Andreyitch (also “Old Rostof”.)

Count Mamonof (“...Mamonov” in Weiner, Garnett, and Maude. “...Mamonow” in Bell.)

Petya

(also the secretary of that meeting and the many nobilities in the meeting itself. Also a stout brandy farmer and the city provost.)

Abridged Versions: End of Part 1 in Briggs, Edmonds, Dunnigan and Mandelker. End of Part First in Dole. End of Part the Ninth in Wiener.

End of Part Nine in Garnett.

End of Book Nine in Maude. End of Chapter 11 in Bell.
Gibian: Chapter 23. End of Book Nine.

Fuller: Entire chapter is cut.

Komroff: Chapter is preserved. End of Book Nine.

Kropotkin: Chapter basically presereved, end of Part Ninth.

Bromfield: End of Part 6
Simmons: Chapter 23: End of Book Nine. Chapter is preserved.

Additional Notes:

Herold: Page 344: it was difficult to see why an enslaved peasantry should rise in arms to defend its oppressors...in 1812 was that in Russia proper, over nine-tenths of the population

were serfs...but the condition of her serfs came closer to slavery than that of the serfs in central Europe...serfdom had increased tremendously in Russia over the past two centuries.”

Rey/Emanuel: Page 323: "But the vast majority of the nobility, impoverished by the destruction caused by the war of 1812, was incapable of consenting; even more than in 1801,

it remained viscerally attached to the current socioeconomic order--and made this known when the first rumors of reform started to spread."

Herold/Segur: “The nobles contributed their sons, their wealth, and their serfs; the merchants gave their money and destroyed their stores to keep them from falling into the hands

of the French; the gentry and the peasants laid waste their land as they fled from the approaching enemy...as if at the approach of a deadly plague, sacrificing riches, home,

everything that might detain them or be of use to us.”