by their own cleverness, as do often those of Moliere, their master's
roles.[130] "Three of these valets are real creations. Dubois of _les
Fausses Confidences_, Trivelin, of _la Fausse Suivante_, Lepine of _le
Legs_."[131] Trivelin is the ancestor of Beaumarchais' Figaro.[132]

Marivaux has introduced into a number of his plays peasants of the
cunning, calculating, Norman type, who speak a Norman patois, which may be
a souvenir of his own Norman origin.

Piron, who could not resist an occasional thrust at his rivals, was guilty
of the following witticism: "Fontenelle a engendre Marivaux, Marivaux a
engendre Moncrif, et Moncrif n'engendrera personne." The _boutade_ is
amusing, but not just. Moncrif can hardly be considered an offspring of
Marivaux, although he imitated certain of his coquettish graces,[133] any
more, or perhaps even much less, than the latter, may be considered an
offspring of Fontenelle. Larroumet[134] mentions as true successors to
Marivaux, in the line of _proverbes_ and _comedies de societe_, Florian,
in the eighteenth century, and in the nineteenth, Picard, Andrieux, Colin
d'Harleville, Carmontelle, Theodore Leclercq, Alfred de Vigny and Alfred
de Musset,[135] in the novel Paul Bourget and his school, and particularly
Paul Hervieu, and in the journal, the masters of the modern _chronique_.

One feature common to all of the writings of our author, as to many of his
contemporaries, is their lack of the sentiment of nature. There are no
streams, no flowers, no birds throughout his works. The two slight
exceptions, mentioned by Larroumet,[136] show so evident a lack of
interest in the beauties of nature that they offer the strongest proof in
support of the rule. Here they are, the first from the eighth and the
second from the eleventh part of _Marianne_: "Pendant qu'on etait la-
dessus, je feignis quelque curiosite de voir un cabinet de verdure qui
etait au bout de la terrasse. Il me parait fort joli, dis-je a Valville,
pour l'engager a m'y mener." [137] --"Il faisait un fort beau jour, et il
y avait dans l'hotellerie un jardin qui me parut assez joli. Je fus
curieuse de le voir, et j'y entrai. Je m'y promenai meme quelques
instants."[138] This passage, from the sixth part of the same work, shows
a somewhat greater appreciation: " Ah, ca! vous n'avez pas vu notre
jardin; il est fort beau; madame nous a dit de vous y mener; venez y faire
un tour; la promenade dissipe, cela rejouit. Nous avons les plus