truti

extorqueant, verba joculatoria variis adulationibus plena proferre nituntur. Et ut magis placeant, quicquid de ipsis principibus probabiliter fingi potest, videlicet omnes delitias et lepores, et visu dignas urbanitates et cæteras ineptias, nantibus buccis in medium eructare non erubescunt. Vidimus quondam quosdam principes, qui vestes diu excogitatas, et variis florum picturationibus artificiosè elaboratas, pro quibus forsan 20 vel 30 marcas argenti consumpserant, vix revolutis septem diebus, Histrionibus, ministris diaboli, ad primam vocem dedisse," &c.

The curious reader may find a similar, though at the same time a more candid account, in that most excellent writer, Presid. Fauchet (Recueil de la Lang. Fr. p. 73), who says that, like the ancient Greek Aoido, "Nos Trouverres, ainsi que ceux la, prenans leur subject sur les faits de vaillans (qu'ils appelloyent Geste, venant de Gesta Latin) alloyent . . . par les cours rejouir les Princes... Remportans des grandes recompences des seigneurs, qui bien souvent leur donnoyent jusques aux robes qu'ils avoyent vestues: et lesquelles ces Jugleours ne failloyent de porter aux autres cours, à fin d'inviter les seigneurs a pareille liberalité. Ce qui a duré si longuement, qu'il me souvient avoir veu Martin Baraton (ja viel Menestrier d'Orleans), lequel aux festes et nopces batoit un tabourin d'argent, semé des plaques aussi d'argent, gravees des armoiries de ceux a qui il avoit appris a danser." — Here we see that a minstrel sometimes performed the function of a dancing-master.

Fontenelle even gives us to understand, that these men were often rewarded with favours of a still higher kind. "Les princesses et les plus grandes dames y joignoient souvent leurs faveurs. Elles etoient fort foibles contre les beaux esprits." Hist. du Théat. We are not to wonder, then, that Comte de Foix, tells us, that "there were many Mynstrels, as well of hys own as of straungers, and eache of them dyd their devoyre in their faculties. The same day the Erle of Foix gave to Haraulds and Minstrelles the som of fyve hundred frankes: and gave to the Duke of Tourayns Mynstreles Gownes of Clothe of Gold furred with Ermyne valued at two hundred Frankes."-B. iii. c. 31, Eng. Trans. Lond. 1525. (Mr. C.)

this profession should be followed by men of the first quality, particularly the younger sons and brothers of great houses. "Tel qui par les partages de sa famille n'avoit que la moitié ou le quart d'une vieux chateaux bien seigneurial, alloit quelque temps courir le monde en rimant, et revenoit acquerir le reste de Chateau." Fontenelle, Hist. du Théat. We see, then, that there was no improbable fiction in those ancient songs and romances, which are founded on the story of minstrels being beloved by kings' daughters, &c., and discovering themselves to be the sons of some sovereign prince, &c.

(F) The honours and rewards lavished upon the Minstrels were not confined to the Continent. Our own countryman Johannes Sarisburiensis (in the time of Henry II.) declaims no less than the monks abroad, against the extravagant favour shown to these men. "Non enim more nugatorum ejus seculi in Histriones et Mimos, et hujusmodi monstra hominum, ob famæ redemptionem et dilatationem nominis effunditis opes vestras," &c. [Epist. 2479.]

The monks seem to grudge every act of munificence that was not applied to the benefit of themselves and their convents. They therefore bestow great applauses upon the Emperor Henry, who, at his marriage with Agnes of Poictou, in 1044, disappointed the poor Minstrels, and sent them away empty. "Infinitam Histrionum et Joculatorum multitudinem sine cibo et muneribus vacuam et morentem abire permisit." (Chronic. Virtziburg.) For which I doubt not but he was sufficiently stigmatized in the songs and ballads of those times. Vid. Du Cange, Gloss. tom. iv. p. 771, &c.

(G) The annals of the Anglo-Saxons are scanty and defective.] Of the few histories now remaining that were written before the Norman conquest, almost all are such short and naked sketches and abridgments, giving only a concise and general relation of the more remarkable events, that scarce any of

9 Et vide Policraticon, cap. viii. &c.

the minute circumstantial particulars are to be found in them; nor do they hardly ever descend to a description of the customs, manners, or domestic economy of their countrymen, The Saxon Chronicle, for instance, which is the best of them, and upon some accounts extremely valuable, is almost such an epitome as Lucius Florus and Eutropius have left us of the Roman history. As for Ethelward, his book is judged to be an imperfect translation of the Saxon Chronicle 10; and the Pseudo-Asser, or Chronicle of St. Neot, is a poor defective performance. How absurd would it be, then, to argue against the existence of customs or facts, from the silence of such scanty records as these! Whoever would carry his researches deep into that period of history, might safely plead the excuse of a learned writer, who had particularly studied the Ante-Norman historians. "Conjecturis (licet nusquam verisimili fundamento) aliquoties indulgemus... utpote ab Historicis jejune nimis et indiligenter res nostras tractantibus coacti ... Nostri . . . nudâ factorum commemoratione plerumque contenti, reliqua omnia, sive ob ipsarum rerum, sive meliorum literarum, sive Historicorum officii ignorantiam, fere intacta prætereunt." Vide plura in Præfat. ad Ælfr. Vitam à Spelman. Ox. 1678. fol.

(H) Minstrels and Harpers.] That the Harp (Cithara) was the common musical instrument of the Anglo-Saxons, might be inferred from the very word itself, which is not derived from the British, or any other Celtic language, but of genuine Gothic original, and current among every branch of that people, viz. Ang. Sax. Heappe, Heappa. Iceland, harpa, haurpa. Dan. and Belg. Harpe. Germ. Harpffe, Harpffa, Gal. Harpe. Span. Harpa. Ital. Arpa. [Vid. Jun. Etym.Menage Etym. &c.] As also from this, that the word Heappe is constantly used in the Anglo-Saxon versions, to express the Latin words Cithara, Lyra, and even Cymbalum: the word Psalmus itself being sometimes translated Heapp rang, Harp Song. [Gloss. Jun. R. apud Lye Anglo-Sax. Lexic.] mutata

10 Vide Nicolson's Eng. Hist. Lib. &c.

But the fact itself is positively proved by the express testimony of Bede, who tells us that it was usual at festival meetings for this instrument to be handed round, and each of the company to sing to it in his turn. See his Hist. Eccles. Anglor. lib. iv. c. 24, where, speaking of their sacred poet Cædmon, who lived in the times of the Heptarchy (ob. circ. 680), he says:

"Nihil unquam frivoli et supervacui poematis facere potuit; sed ea tantummodo, quæ ad religionem pertinent, religiosam ejus linguam decebant. Siquidem in habitu sæculari usque ad tempora provectioris ætatis constitutus nil Carminum aliquando didicerat. Unde nonnunquam in convivio, cùm esset lætitiæ causa decretum ut omnes per ordinem cantare deberent, ille ubi appropinquare sibi citharam cernebat, surgebat à mediâ cænâ, et egressus, ad suam domum repedabat." I shall now subjoin King Alfred's own Anglo-Saxon translation of this passage, with a literal interlineary English version.

man in

an da de

"He.. nærpe noht leaṛunga. ne ideler leoder pyncean ne He.. never no leasings, nor idle songs compose ne mihte. ac erne Sa to ærertnerre might; but lo! only those things which to religion [piety] belumpon. hir da ærertan tungan gedarenose ringan: belong, and his then pious tongue became to sing: Wær he re peopolt-hade gereted of da He was the [a] man in worldly [secular] state set to the zise Je he pær of gelyredne ÿlde. he nærpe ænig time in which he was of an advanced age; and he never any The robpon oft in gebeoprcipe And he therefore orr in an entertainment, blurre intinga gedemed

leop geleopnode. song learned.

donne den pær

when there was for merriment-sake adjudged [or decreed] healle rceolban Suph endebyndnerre be that they ALL should through their turns

by [to the]

heappan ringan. Yonne he gereah da heappan him nealacean.

HARP SING; when he saw the HARP him approach,

donne apar he pop rceome spam dam rymle.

ham eode

then arose he FOR SHAME from the supper, and home yode Gas is to hr hure."som k

Bed. Hist. Eccl. à Smith, Cantab. 1722, fol. p. 597.

In this version of Alfred's it is observable, (1) that he has expressed the Latin word cantare, by the Anglo-Saxon words "be heappan r ringan," sing to the harp, as if they were synonymous, or as if his countrymen had no idea of singing unaccompanied with the harp: (2) that when Bede simply says, surgebat a media cana, he assigns a motive, "apar rop rceome," arose for shame: that is, either from an austerity of manners, or from his being deficient in an accomplishment which so generally prevailed among his countrymen.

(1). The word Glee, which peculiarly denoted their art, &c.] This word Glee is derived from the Anglo-Saxon Lligg [Gligg], Musica, Music, Iinstrelsy (Somn.). This is the common radix, whence arises such a variety of terms and phrases relating to the minstrel art, as affords the strongest internal proof, that this profession was extremely common and popular here before the Norman conquest. Thus we have

I.

(1) Ghp [Gliw], Mimus, a Minstrel.

Lligman, gligmon, gliman [Glee-man1], Histrio, Mimus, Pantomimus; all common names in Middle Latinity for a 1 Gleeman continued to be the name given to a Minstrel both in England and Scotland almost as long as this order of men continued.

In De Brynne's metrical version of Bishop Grosthead's Manuel de Peche, A. D. 1303 (see Warton, i. 61), we have this,

66 Gode men, ye shall lere

When ye any Gleman here."

Fabyan (in his Chronicle, 1533, f. 32) translating the passage from Geoffrey of Monmouth, quoted below in p. lxxi. note (K), renders Deus Joculatorum, by God of Gleemen. (Warton's Hist. Eng. Poet. Diss. 1.) Fabyan died in 1592.

Dunbar, who lived in the same century, describing, in one of his poems, entitled "The Daunce," what passed in the infernal regions "amangis the Feyndis," says,

Percy. I.

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