seven
o'clock in the evening
I told you already that I come to accuse you in the name of Germany and of posterity , and to listen to your justification . '' Johannes von Müller shook his head , and as he spoke his voice grew louder and his face kindled with enthusiasm . `` M. Alexander von Humboldt had made me acquainted with the French minister of state , M. Maret , who frequently invited me , with Humboldt and some other _ savants _ , to dine with him , and seemed to like my conversation . One morning he called to inform me that the Emperor Napoleon desired to receive me at seven o'clock in the evening . At the hour appointed I rode to Maret , and was introduced to Napoleon , who was seated by himself on a sofa ; several persons , unknown to me , stood in a remote corner of the room . The emperor commenced by referring to the history of Switzerland , and told me I ought to finish it , because the more recent period of the history of that country was by no means devoid of interest . From Swiss history we passed to the history and constitution of ancient Greece , to the theory of constitutions , to the striking difference of those of the Asiatic nations , and the causes of this difference , to be found in the climate and in polygamy , to the widely different characters of the Arabs -LRB- whom the emperor extolled very highly -RRB- , and the Tartars , which led us to the invasions always threatening civilization from that side , and the necessity of raising a bulwark against them .