"See that Masséna，" exclaimed Napoleon，[50] a few days before the battle of Wagram； "he has honors and fame enough， but he is not satisfied ； he wants be a prince like Murat and Bernadotte： he will risk getting shot to-morrow simply to be a prince." -Above these princes who have only the rank， the title and the money， come the grand-dukes and reigning viceroys like Murat， grand-duke of Berg， and Eugene， viceroy of Italy. Above Eugene and Murat are the vassal-kings， Louis， Joseph， Jerome， then Murat himself， who， among these， is in a better place， and Bernadotte， the only sovereign that is independent； all more or less envied by the marshals， all more or less rivals of each other， the inferior aspiring to the superior throne， Murat inconsolable at being sent to Naples and not to Spain， and at having only five millions of subjects instead of thirteen millions. From top to bottom of the hierarchy and even to the loftiest places， comprising thrones， the steps rise regularly above each other in continuous file， so that each leads to the following one， with nothing to hinder the first-comer， provided he is lucky， has good legs and does not fall on the way， from reaching the top of the staircase in twenty or thirty years. "It was commonly reported in the army - he has been promoted king of Naples， of Holland， of Spain， of Sweden， as formerly was said of the same sort of man， who had been promoted sergeant in this or that company." - Such is the total and final impression which lingers on in all imaginations； it is in this sense that the people interpret the new Régime， and Napoleon devotes himself to confirming the popular interpretation. Accordingly， the first duchy he creates is for Marshal Lefebvre"purposely，" as he says，[51] because "this marshal had been a private and everybody in Paris had known him as a sergeant in the French guards."- With such an example before them， and so many others like it， not less striking， there is no ambition that does not become exalted， and often to delirium.
"At this time，" says Stendhal， who seized the master-idea of the reign， "there was no apothecary's apprentice in his back shop， surrounded by his drugs and bottles， filtering and pounding away in his mortar， who did not say to himself that， if he chanced to make some great discovery， he would be made a count with fifty thousand francs a year."In those days there was no under-clerk who， in his labored penmanship， inscribed names on a piece of parchment， that did not imagine his own name appearing some day on a senatorial or ministerial diploma. At this time the youthful corporal who dons his first stripes of gold braid already fancies that he hears the beating of the drums， the blast of the trumpet， and the salvos of artillery which proclaim him marshal of the Empire.[52]
V. Self-esteem and a good Reputation.
The inward spring from 1789 to 1815. - Its force. - Its decline. - How it ends in breaking the machine down.
A new force， extraordinary， is just apparent in history， a spiritual force analogous to that which formerly stimulated souls in Spain in the sixteenth century， in European the time of the crusades， and in Arabia in the time of Mahomet. It stimulates the faculties to excess， increases energy tenfold， transports man beyond or above himself， creates enthusiasts and heroes， blinding or rendering men crazy， and hence the irresistible conquerors and rulers. It stamps its imprint and leaves its memorials in ineffaceable characters on men and things from Cadiz to Moscow. It overrides all natural barriers and transcends all ordinary limits. "The French soldier，" writes a Prussian officer after Jena，[53] "are small and puny. One of our Germans could whip any four of them. But， under fire， they become supernatural beings. They are swept along by an indescribable ardor of which there is not a trace among our soldiers. . . . What can you do with peasants whom nobles lead into battle， but whose danger they share without any interest in their passions or recompenses！" - Coupled with the physical needs which requires a certain amount of ease and of daily food， and which， if too strenuously opposed， produces passing jacqueries， there is a still more potent longing which， on suddenly encountering its object， seizes on it， clings to it， gorges it， and produces revolutions that last： this longing is the desire to contemplate one-self with satisfaction and complacency， forming of one's self a pleasing， flattering image， and of trying to impress and plant this image in the minds of others； in short， the ambition for a great self-esteem and of becoming greatly esteemed by others.[54] This sentiment， according to the quality of the person and according to circumstances， gives birth sometimes to the noblest virtues and the most sublime devotion， and at other times to the worst misdeeds and the most dangerous delirium： the man becomes transfigured， the sleeping god or demon which both live within him is suddenly aroused.
