During the Middle Ages, it was usual for French soldiers as they marched to sing the Chanson de Roland (Song of Roland) which exalts the valor of Charlemagne. One day, hearing his troops singing, John II, a weakly king, stated: “It’s been a long time since a Roland appeared among French soldiery.”
“There would be many,” answered a captain, “if there were a Charlemagne.”
Edmond Guérard, Dictionnaire encyclopédique d’anecdotes (Paris, Firmin Didot, 1872), Vol. 2, p. 303. (Nobility.org translation.)
Stories on Honor, Chivalry, and the World of Nobility—no. 2
