Ben venga Maggio E 'l gonfalon selvaggio,[63]
which has all the florid brilliancy of an Italian spring.
The most delightful songs of this nature would naturally be found among a people whose climate and whose labours alike inspire a general hilarity; and the vineyards of France have produced a class of songs, of excessive gaiety and freedom, called _Chansons de Vendange_. Le Grand-d'Assoucy describes them in his _Histoire de la Vie privée des Français_. "The men and women, each with a basket on their arm, assemble at the foot of the hill; there stopping, they arrange themselves in a circle. The chief of this band tunes up a joyous song, whose burthen is chorused: then they ascend, and, dispersed in the vineyard, they work without interrupting their tasks, while new couplets often resound from some of the vine-dressers; sometimes intermixed with a sudden jest at a traveller. In the evening, their supper scarcely over, their joy recommences, they dance in a circle, and sing some of those songs of free gaiety, which the moment excuses, known by the name of _vineyard songs_. The gaiety becomes general; masters, guests, friends, servants, all dance together; and in this manner a day of labour terminates, which one might mistake for a day of diversion. It is what I have witnessed in Champagne, in a land of vines, far different from the country where the labours of the harvest form so painful a contrast."
The extinction of those songs which formerly kept alive the gaiety of the domestic circle, whose burthens were always chorused, is lamented by the French antiquary. "Our fathers had a custom to amuse themselves at the dessert of a feast by a joyous song of this nature. Each in his turn sung--all chorused." This ancient gaiety was sometimes gross and noisy; but he prefers it to the tame decency of our times--these smiling, not laughing days of Lord Chesterfield.
On ne rit plus, on sourit aujourd'hui; Et nos plaisirs sont voisins de l'ennui.
These are the old French _Vaudevilles_, formerly sung at meals by the company. Count de Grammont is mentioned by Hamilton as being
Agréable et vif en propos; Célèbre diseur de bon mots, _Recueil vivant d'antiques Vaudevilles_.
These _Vaudevilles_ were originally invented by a fuller of _Vau de Vire_, or the valley by the river _Vire_, and were sung by his men as they spread their cloths on the banks of the river. They were songs composed on some incident or adventure of the day. At first these gay playful effusions were called the songs of _Vau de Vire_, till they became known as _Vaudevilles_. Boileau has well described them:--