Note 4 — Chapter XII
Reading edition
As there was no Napoléon II., readers may wonder why the above monarch received the title of Napoléon III. The reason is a highly amusing one. The draft of the proclamation issued by the Government announcing his ascendancy to the throne commenced with the following words: "Vive Napoléon!!!" The printer took the three exclamation marks to be the figures III, and his press accordingly reproduced the mistake some thousands of times over. Before the error was discovered, Paris and the other great towns had been placarded with the incorrect imprints. There was no time to lose, so the Emperor, much to the amusement of his courtiers, agreed to take the title of Napoléon III.