diers. How he is beloved by them! When shall we pay a visit to
London with those brave fellows?"

Notwithstanding these continual journeys the First Consul never neglected
any of the business of government, and was frequently present at the
deliberations of the Council. I was still with him when the question as
to the manner in which the treaties of peace should be concluded came
under the consideration of the Council. Some members, among whom Truguet
was conspicuous, were of opinion that, conformably with an article of the
Constitution, the treaties should be proposed by the Head of the
Government, submitted to the Legislative Body, and after being agreed to
promulgated as part of the laws. Bonaparte thought differently. I was
entirely of his opinion, and he said to me, "It is for the mere pleasure
of opposition that they appeal to the Constitution, for if the
Constitution says so it is absurd. There are some things which cannot
become the subject of discussion in a public assembly; for instance, if I
treat with Austria, and my Ambassador agrees to certain conditions, can
those conditions be rejected by the Legislative Body? It is a monstrous
absurdity! Things would be brought to a fine pass in this way!
Lucchesini and Markow would give dinners every day like Cambaceres;
scatter their money about, buy men who are to be sold, and thus cause our
propositions to be rejected. This would be a fine way to manage
matters!"

When Bonaparte, according to his custom, talked to me in the evening of
what had passed in the Council, his language was always composed of a
singular mixture of quotations from antiquity, historical references, and
his own ideas. He talked about the Romans, and I remember when Mr. Fox
was at Paris that he tried to distinguish himself before that Foreign
Minister, whom he greatly esteemed. In his enlarged way of viewing the
world Bonaparte divided it into two large states, the East and the West:
"What matters," he would often say, "that two countries are separated by
rivers or mountains, that they speak different languages? With very
slight shades of variety France, Spain, England, Italy, and Germany, have
the same manners and customs, the same religion, and the same dress. In
them a man can only marry one wife; slavery is not allowed; and these are
the great distinctions which divide the civilised inhabitants of the
globe. With the exception of Turkey, Europe is merely a province of the
world, and our wa