Sermon Illustrations
Dying Napoleon Bonaparte Changed His Mind About Forgiveness
A recently discovered draft of Napoleon Bonaparte's will was sold at auction in Paris for $149,505(U.S.).
One month before his death, a bedridden Napoleon, in exile on the island of St. Helena, dictated his will. In the draft, Napoleon expressed that he forgave his enemies, the English. But those lines were scratched out and did not appear in the final version. The scratched out lines included the words: "As a Christian, I forgive them."
In the final copy Napoleon wrote: "I die prematurely, assassinated by the English oligarchy."