The topical fan, having reference to royal and distinguished personages, or recording public events, was entirely the product of the eighteenth century. It was, broadly speaking, born with the century, and died with it. During this period, the engraved fan became a purveyor of history, a kind of running commentary on the affairs of the hour. It was the fan of the people—the poor relation of the more aristocratic painted fan. ‘Ill drawn, roughly modelled, and often vilely bedaubed,’ says Henri Bouchot in his entertaining ‘History on Fans,’[132] ‘its genesis is not hard to determine; its fathers were Callot and Abraham Bosse, and its mothers the coquettes of the _grand siècle_.’ We shall, therefore, lightly, though perhaps somewhat too swiftly, traverse the fascinating period above indicated, with this sprightly annotator for guide, which finds amusement in ‘Malbrouk’ and his mock burial, follows Stanislaus into his enforced retirement in Alsace, alternately sympathises with and mocks at the woes of the unfortunate Louis and his family, with apparent careless nonchalance records the chief scenes of the reign of terror, celebrates the amazing triumphs, and witnesses the ultimate defeat of Napoleon. Naval and military events, for reasons which will be sufficiently obvious, play a comparatively unimportant part in French fan decoration. ‘Malbrouk’ (Marlborough) is, however, lampooned in three scenes from the popular song of ‘Malbrouk,’ said to have been composed on the night after the battle of Malplaquet, September 11, 1709, and a plagiarism of a Huguenot song on the death of the Duc de Guise,[133] written by Théodore de Bèze and published by the Abbé de la Place in his collection of fragments, the first verse of which runs as follows: ‘Qui veut ouïr chanson? (bis) C’est du Grand Duc de Guise; Et bon bon bon bon, Di dan di dan don. C’est du Grand due de Guise! _Qui est mort et enterré.’_ ‘Malbrouk’ provided the subject of several fans, the most popular versions giving three vignettes. In the centre his tomb inscribed ‘Ci Git Malbrouk,’ guarded by four soldiers. Below are portions of the thirteenth and fourteenth verses: ‘A l’entour de sa tombe Romarin l’on planta.’ ‘Sur la plus haute branche Le rossignol chanta.’ On the left, his departure, Madame taking an affectionate leave; below: ‘Malbrouk s’en va-t-en guerre.’ On the right, the tower, Madame with telescope, page bringing news of Malbrouk’s death; below, a portion of fourth verse: ‘Madame à sa tour monte Si haut qu’elle peut monter.’ On the back of the fan are nineteen verses of the song with music, and the refrain: ‘Miron, ton-ton-ton-miron.’ An example appears in Miss Moss’s collection, with the reverse only engraved, the obverse painted in gouache on skin, the stick ivory, pierced and carved.