An attempt has been made to produce one, and
the critics would rather eat their own words than miss the opportunity
of choking off the man who has been bold enough to venture upon a
pathway of such fertile promise, whose very antiquity lends to it in
these days the charm of novelty.
Nor must we forget to mention, to the disgrace of our age, the howl of
disapprobation which greeted the title "Duke of Neptunado," selected
by Philip II. for the inventor, a howl in which educated readers will
refuse to join, but which was so overwhelming at the presentation of
the piece that after its first utterance the actors omitted the term
during the remainder of the evening. This howl was raised by an
audience of spectators who read in the newspapers every morning the
title of the Duke of Vittoria, given to Espartero, and who must have
heard of the title Prince of Paz, given to the last favorite of the
last but one of the kings of Spain. How could such ignorance as this
have been anticipated? Who does not know that the majority of Spanish
titles, especially in the time of Charles V. and Philip II. refer to
circumstances under which they were originally granted?
An admiral took that of _Transport-Real_, from the fact that the
dauphin sailed with him to Italy.
Navarro was given the title _La Vittoria_ after the sea-fight of
Toulon, though the issue of the conflict was indecisive.
These examples, and as many others, are outdone by that of the famous
finance minister, a parvenu broker, who chose to be entitled the
Marquis Insignificant (l'Ensenada).
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