A person with knightly notions might, perhaps, object that, if such a punishment were carried out, a man of honor would possibly shoot himself; to which I should answer that it is better for a fool like that to shoot himself rather than other people.  However, I know very well that governments are not really in earnest about putting down dueling.  Civil officials, and much more so, officers in the army, (except those in the highest positions), are paid most inadequately for the services they perform; and the deficiency is made up by honor, which is represented by titles and orders, and, in general, by the system of rank and distinction.  The duel is, so to speak, a very serviceable extra-horse for people of rank:  so they are trained in the knowledge of it at the universities.  The accidents which happen to those who use it make up in blood for the deficiency of the pay.

Just to complete the discussion, let me here mention the subject of national honor.  It is the honor of a nation as a unit in the aggregate of nations.  And as there is no court to appeal to but the court of force; and as every nation must be prepared to defend its own interests, the honor of a nation consists in establishing the opinion, not only that it may be trusted (its credit), but also that it is to be feared.  An attack upon its rights must never be allowed to pass unheeded.  It is a combination of civic and knightly honor.

Section 5.—­Fame.

Under the heading of place in the estimation of the world we have put Fame; and this we must now proceed to consider.

Fame and honor are twins; and twins, too, like Castor and Pollux, of whom the one was mortal and the other was not.  Fame is the undying brother of ephemeral honor.  I speak, of course, of the highest kind of fame, that is, of fame in the true and genuine sense of the word; for, to be sure, there are many sorts of fame, some of which last but a day.  Honor is concerned merely with such qualities as everyone may be expected to show under similar circumstances; fame only of those which cannot be required of any man.  Honor is of qualities which everyone has a right to attribute to himself; fame only of those which should be left to others to attribute.  Whilst our honor extends as far as people have knowledge of us; fame runs in advance, and makes us known wherever it finds its way.  Everyone can make a claim to honor; very few to fame, as being attainable only in virtue of extraordinary achievements.

These achievements may be of two kinds, either actions or works; and so to fame there are two paths open.  On the path of actions, a great heart is the chief recommendation; on that of works, a great head.  Each of the two paths has its own peculiar advantages and detriments; and the chief difference between them is that actions are fleeting, while works remain.  The influence of an action, be it never so noble, can last but a short time; but a work of