Eugene François Vidocq was a native of Arras, where his father was a baker. From early associations he fell into courses of excess which led to his flying from the paternal roof. After various, rapid, and unexampled events in the romance of real life, in which he was everything by turns and nothing long, he was liberated from prison, and became the principal and most active agent of police. He was made chief of the Police de Sureté under Messrs. Delavau and Franchet, and continued in that capacity from the year 1810 till 1827, during which period he extirpated the most formidable gangs of ruffians to whom the excesses of the revolution and subsequent events had given full scope for daring robberies and iniquitous excesses. He settled down as a paper manufacturer at St. Mandé near Paris.
Of Maginn (1793-1842) it may be said he was, without question, one of the most versatile writers of his time. He is, perhaps, best remembered in connection with the Noctes Ambrosianæ, which first appeared in Blackwood, and with the idea of which Maginn is generally credited. He was also largely concerned with the inception of Fraser's. Maginn's English rendering of Vidocq's famous song first appeared in Blackwood for July 1829. For the benefit of the curious the original is appended. It will be seen that Maginn was very faithful to his copy.
En roulant de vergne en vergne [1]
Pour apprendre à goupiner, [2]
J'ai rencontré la mercandière, [3]
Lonfa malura dondaine,
Qui du pivois solisait, [4]
Lonfa malura dondé.
J'ai rencontré la mercandière
Qui du pivois solisait;
Je lui jaspine en bigorne; [5]
Lonfa malura dondaine,
Qu'as tu donc à morfiller? [6]
Lonfa malura dondé.
Je lui jaspine en bigorne;
Qu'as tu donc à morfiller?
J'ai du chenu pivois sans lance. [7]
Lonfa malura dondaine,
Et du larton savonné [8]
Lonfa malura dondé.
J'ai du chenu pivois sans lance
Et du larton savonné,
Une lourde, une tournante, [9]
Lonfa malura dondaine,
Et un pieu pour roupiller [10]
Lonfa malura dondé.
Une lourde, une tournante
Et un pieu pour roupiller.
J'enquille dans sa cambriole, [11]
Lonfa malura dondaine,
Espérant de l'entifler, [12]
Lonfa malura dondé.
J'enquille dans sa cambriole
Espérant de l'entifler;
Je rembroque au coin du rifle, [13]
Lonfa malura dondaine,
Un messière qui pionçait, [14]
Lonfa malura dondé.
Je rembroque au coin du rifle
Un messière qui pionçait;
J'ai sondé dans ses vallades, [15]
Lonfa malura dondaine,
Son carle j'ai pessigué, [16]
Lonfa malura dondé.
J'ai sondé dans ses vallades,
Son carie j'ai pessigué,
Son carle et sa tocquante, [17]
Lonfa malura dondaine,
Et ses attaches de cé, [18]
Lonfa malura dondé.