Par le temps renversé, quand cet empire immense, Chef-d’œuvre de génie autant que de puissance. Un jour n’offrira plus aux siécles à venir Que de grandes leçons et qu’un grand souvenir. These lines were written about the First Empire, but are still more appropriate to the Second, which is now, indeed, nothing more than a name connected with the saddest of souvenirs. [Illustration: BOOK-PLATE OF MONSIEUR RISTON. Engraved by D. Collin.] Under the Second Empire book-plates began to have a distinctly personal character, more originality in conception, together with much greater freedom and _abandon_ in execution. Humorous designs also occasionally appear, where all had hitherto been formal, cold, pompous, or severe. The simple heraldic plate falls into disfavour amongst those who are entitled to bear arms, though curiously enough the assumption of false arms and titles goes on exactly as before. [Illustration: BOOK-PLATE OF THE VICOMTE BEUGNOT.] In 1857 the Minister of Justice addressed a report on this topic to the emperor, asserting “que jamais peut-être la tendance à sortir de sa position et à se parer de titres auxquels on n’a pas droit ne s’est manifesté d’une manière plus regrettable que depuis ces dernières années.” But the evil had existed, still exists, and will continue so long as the vanity of human nature prompts men to lay claim to ancient descent, and to assume arms and titles either stolen, ready made, or purchased at the _Bureaux de Généalogistes_ which abound in Paris as in London. It is no new crime, this snobbism--Molière jested at it two centuries ago: “Je sais un paysan qu’on appelait Gros-Pierre, Qui n’ayant pour tout bien qu’un seul quartier de terre, Y fit tout à l’entour faire un fossé bourbeux, Et de Monsieur de l’Isle en prit le nom pompeux.” [Illustration: BOOK-PLATE OF M. LE COMTE LANJUINAIS.] As for the real heraldry of the Second Empire, such as there was of it, the fashion of the First Empire was revived by Napoleon III., whose constant endeavour it was to make the French people recognize in him the nephew of his uncle, whilst they, on the other hand, would not seriously believe that he was even the son of his reputed father. “Vous n’avez rien du grand Empéreur Napoléon,” said his cousin Plon-plon to him one day. “You are mistaken, I have all his poor relations,” replied the easy, good-natured Louis Napoleon, who was in addition hampered by the descendants of the courtiers of the first Napoleon. [Illustration: BOOK-PLATE OF THE MARQUIS DE PASTORET.] The emperor did not possess a book-plate, but books with the imperial arms stamped on their bindings occasionally occur in French sales. More rare, and consequently more sought after, are the volumes which are stamped either with his monogram, or with the elegant little device of the Empress Eugénie.