He rose to power by his own abilities.

He led the armies of France to marvellous victories.

He became the idol of his soldiers, the hero of the people, the chief man in the nation, the controlling power in Europe; and on the second of December, in the year 1804, he was crowned in the great church of Notre Dame, in Paris, Emperor of the French.

"Straw-nose," the poverty-stricken little Corsican, had become the foremost man in all the world! But through all his marvellous career he never forgot his family.

The same love and devotion that he bestowed upon them when a poor boy and a struggling lieutenant, he lavished upon them as general, consul, and emperor.