206 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



so that the enemy must fight not as he wishes but as you wish. The 

 France of a century ago, Hke the Germany of to-day, led the world in 

 military equipment and efficiency. 



In his methods Napoleon showed no pity and no respect for 

 international law. "Such men as I do not commit crimes" he said; 

 "they do what is necessary." He told the Venetians, in 1797, that 

 he would be to them a new Attila, the very phrase that the German 

 Emperor has used of himself. His diplomacy was conscienceless. 

 When he was offering Hanover to Prussia, he was also offering it to 

 England. He violated the neutrality of Spain and marched a hundred 

 thousand troops across that friendly country in order to be able to 

 strike a blow at England. He plundered without restraint and sent to 

 Paris the treasures of art of the conquered countries. His soldiers 

 lived on the people whom they mastered. At times he was guilty of 

 ruthless massacre. He burned villages, executed civilians, and sent 

 hundreds of them into captivity in France. For him international 

 law did not exist. 



He was spoiled by success and came to despise all his neighbours. 

 The English are not a military people and he regarded them as mere 

 traders who cared only for their money bags, a nation of shop-keepers. 

 He underestimated the power of his opponents. He took little care 

 to treat possible enemies with diplomatic skill. To him it seemed a 

 matter of slight moment whether one nation more or less was at war 

 with him. In the end, as a result, he was face to face with Europe in 

 arms. England was his arch-enemy — the tyrant of the seas as he 

 called her. He tried to strike England by striking at Egypt. He had 

 the fixed idea that if he could reach England, London would fall in 

 three days and that the British Empire would then be prostrate. 

 He believed that the Irish would help him to conquer England. He 

 even thought that there were elements in the British Empire which 

 would look upon him as a liberator. 



In pursuing his ends Napoleon showed no patience or self-re- 

 straint. Frederick the Great, with vast ambitions, had yet moved 

 cautiously step by step towards his goal. Napoleon would not leave 

 anything to time. All must be done quickly by the striking of shat- 

 tering blows. He could conquer people and hold them indefinitely 

 under a military yoke. He had no belief in liberty, no insight into the 

 fact that a strong empire can be built up only by the consent and union 

 of those who compose it. He showed little capacity to estimate rightly 

 political or even military forces. He fought on too extended a line, 

 from the south of Spain to the interior of Russia. He raised up so 

 many enemies that in the end it was certain they would overwhelm 



