one must claim to be divine alexander declared himself to be the son of and no one questioned it but the world has grown old and has lost its what would happen if i were to make the same claim de would smile behind his hand and the would write little upon the walls he did not appear to be addressing us but rather to be expressing his thoughts aloud while t by uncle allowing them to run to the most fantastic and extravagant this it was which he called because it recalled to him the wild vague dreams of the whose poems had always had a fascination for him de has told me that for an hour at a time he has sometimes talked in this strain of the most intimate thoughts and aspirations of his heart while his have stood round in silence waiting for the instant when he would return once more to his practical and self the great ruler said he must have the power of religion behind him as well as the power of the sword it is more important to command the souls than the bodies of men the for example is the head of the faith as well as of the army so were some of the my position must be until this is accomplished at the present instant there are thirty in france where the pope is more powerful than i am it is only by universal dominion that peace can be assured in the world when there is only one authority in europe seated at paris and when all the kings are so by the man of dreams many who hold their crowns from the central power of france it is then that the reign of peace will be established many powers of equal strength must always lead to struggles until one becomes her central position her wealth and her history all mark france out as being the power which will control and the others germany is divided is barbarous england is france only remains i began to understand as i listened to him that my friends in england had not been so far wrong when they had declared that as long as he lived � this little thirty six year old � there could not possibly be any peace in the world he drank some which constant had placed upon the small round table at his elbow then he leaned back in his chair once more still staring at the red glow of the fire with his chin sunk upon his chest in those days said he the kings of europe will walk behind the emperor of france in order to hold up his train at his each of them will have to maintain a palace in paris and by uncle the city will as far as these are the plans which i have made for paris if she wiu show herself to be worthy of them but i have no love for them these and they have none for me for they cannot forget that i turned my guns upon them once before and they know that i am ready to do so again i have made them admire me and fear me but i have never made them like me look what i have done for them where are the treasures of the pictures and statues of and of the they are in the the spoils of my have gone to her but they must always be changing always chattering they wave their hats at me now but they would soon be waving their fists if i did not give them something to talk over and to wonder at when other things are quiet i have the dome of the to keep their thoughts from mischief louis xiv gave them wars louis xv gave them the and of his court louis xvi gave them nothing so they cut off his head it was you who helped to bring him to the by ic the man of no i was always a moderate at least you did not regret his death the less so since it has made room for you nothing could have held me down i was born to reach the highest it has always been the same with me i remember when we were arranging the treaty of � i a young general under thirty � there was a high vacant throne with the imperial arms in the s tent i instantly sprang up the steps and threw myself down upon it i could not endure to think that there was anything above myself and all the time i knew in my heart all that was going to happen to me even in the days when my brother and i lived in a little room upon a few a week i knew perfectly well that the day would come when i should stand where i am now and yet i had no prospects and reason for any great hopes i was not clever at school i was only the forty second out of at i had perhaps some ability but at nothing else the truth is that i was always dreaming when the others were working by uncle there was nothing to encourage my ambition for the only thing which i inherited from my father was a weak stomach once when i was very young i went up to paris with my father and my sister we were in the and we saw the king pass in his carriage who would have thought that the little boy from who took his hat off and stared was destined to be the next monarch of france and yet even then i felt as if that carriage ought to belong to me what is it constant the discreet bent down and whispered something to the emperor ah of course said he it was an appointment i had forgotten it 