But， let the old-fashioned metal be what it may， whether gold， silver or copper， even crude and plebeian， the new coin is of good alloy and very handsome. Frequently， like the old currency， it displays coats of arms in high relief， a heraldic crown and the name of a locality； it no longer bears the name of territory， and it does not call to mind a primitive sovereignty. On the contrary， it bears the name of a victory or of a conquest and reminds one of recent exploits. Duc de Montebello or a Prince de la Moskowa is equivalent in the imagination contemporaries to a Duc de Montmorency or a Prince de Rohan； for， if the prince or duke of the empire is without ancestors， he is or will be an ancestor himself. To these prizes coveted by vanity Napoleon tacks on every substantial and pecuniary advantage， in ready money or landed property， not alone large salaries， adjunctive sénatoreries， occasional munificent gifts，* a million at one time to General Lasalle， but likewise vast revenues from the extraordinary domain[49]， * 32，463，817 francs a year divided amongst 4970 persons， * pensions from 250 to 5000 francs for all legionaries， * villas， large estates， private incomes， distinct and superb endowments for those of the highest rank， a fortune of 100，000 livres income and more to 34 of these， * a fortune of 450，000 livres in the public funds to Cambacérès， of 683，000 livres in the public funds to Masséna， of 728，000 livres in the public funds to Ney， of 910，000 livres in the public funds to Davout， of 1，354，000 livres in the public funds to Berthier， * and besides all this， three "sovereign principalities，" Neufchatel to Berthier， Benevento to Talleyrand， and Ponte-Corvo to Bernadotte. -This last attraction which， in these times of violent and premature death， is of no little account. Napoleon opens out hereditary and undefined prospects beyond the perspectives of life and of inferior interests. Each of the titles conferred by him， that of prince， duke， count， baron， and even that of chevalier， is transmissible in direct descent， according to primogeniture from father to son， and sometimes from uncle to nephew， under specified conditions which are very acceptable， and of which the first is the institution of an inalienable majority， inattackable， consisting of this or that income or real property， of bank stock or state securities， from 3000 francs for common chevaliers up to 200，000 francs for the dukes， that is to say， a certain fortune in perpetuity due to the sovereign's liberality， or to the prudence of the founder， and intended to support the dignity of the title from male to male and from link to link throughout the future chain of successive inheritors. Through this supreme reward， the subtle tempter has a hold on the men who care not alone for themselves but for their family： henceforth， the work as he does， eighteen hours a day， stand fire， and say to themselves， while sinking at their desks or facing cannon-ball that their pre-eminence survives them in their posterity：
"In any event my son will succeed me and even become greater by my death."All the temptations which serve to overcome the natural lethargy of human matter are simultaneously united and； with the exception of personal conscience and the desire for personal independence， all other internal springs are strained to the utmost. One unusual circumstance gives to eager ambitions a further increase of energy， impulse and enthusiasm. - All these successful or parvenu men are contemporaries： all have started alike on the same line and from the same average or low condition in life； each sees old comrades superior to himself on the upper steps； he considers himself as good they are， suffers because he is not on their level， and strives and takes risks so as to mount up to them. But， however high he mounts， he still sees higher yet others who were formerly his equals； consequently， no rank obtained by them seems to him above his deserts， and no rank that he obtains suffices for his pretensions.