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FAMOUS SONGS
Maurier weakly calls it in " Trilby" " a common old French comic song—a mere nursery ditty, like l Little Bo-Peep/ this quiet precursor of 4 La Marseillaise/ "
The song was a great favourite with the Little Corporal. Whenever he mounted his horse to go campaigning, the emperor hummed the suggestive melody, and at St Helena, shortly before his death, when, in course of conversa-tion with M. de Las Casas, he praised the Duke of Marlborough, the song recurred to his mind, and he said, with a smile," What a thing is ridi-cule ! It fastens upon everything, even victory/' He then sang softly to himself the first stanza of " Malbrough s'en va-t-en guerre."
It is very certain that the revival of Mai-brouck had plain reference, in the French mind, to the conquering Marlborough. Says Brewer: " The Malbrough of the song was evidently a Crusader, or ancient baron, who died in battle; and his lady" (obviously not Sarah Jennings, Duchess of Marlborough) " climbing the castle tower and looking out for her lord reminds one of the mother of Sisera, who looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice,' Why is his chariot so long in coming ? Why tarry the wheels of his chariots ? Have they not sped ? Have they not divided the spoils ?' " It must
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