nistrallis facientibus Menistrallias [Ministralcias, qu.] suas coram Rege. [Bibl. Cotton. Nero. c. 8. p. 84. b. Comp. Garderob.] That King granted Willielmo de Morlee dicto Roy de North, Ministrallo Regis, domos quæ fuerunt Johannis le Boteler dicti Roy Brunhaud. [Pat. de terr. forisfact. 16 E. III.]" He adds below, (p. 304,) a similar instance of a Rex Juglatorum, and that the King of the Minstrels" at length was styled in France Roy des Violons, (Furetiere Diction. Univers.) as with us King of the Fidlers;" on which subject see below, note (E E 2).

(BB 3) The Statute 4 Hen. IV. (1402.) c. 27. runs in these terms," Item, pur eschuir plusieurs diseases et mischiefs qont advenuz devaunt ces heures en la terre de Gales par plusieurs Westours Rymours, Minstralx et autres Vacabondes, ordeignez est et establiz qe nul Westour, Rymour Ministral ne Vacabond soit aucunement sustenuz en la terre de Gales pur faire kymorthas ou coillage sur la commune poeple illoeques." This is among the severe laws against the Welsh, passed during the resentment occasioned by the outrages committed under Owen Glendour; and as the Welsh Bards had excited their countrymen to rebellion against the English government, it is not to be wondered that the Act is conceived in terms of the utmost indignation and contempt against this class of men, who are described as Rymours, Ministralx, which are apparently here used as only synonymous terms to express the Welsh Bards with the usual exuberance of our Acts of Parliament; for if their Ministralx had been mere musicians, they would not have required the vigilance of the English legislature to suppress them. It was their songs exciting their countrymen to insurrection which produced "les diseases et mischiefs en la terre de Gales."

It is also submitted to the reader, whether the same application of the terms does not still more clearly appear in the Commission issued in 1567, and printed in Evan Evans's Specimens of Welch Poetry, 1764, 4to. p. v. for bestowing the SILVER HARP on "the chief of that faculty." For after setting forth "that vagrant and idle persons, naming themselves Minstrels, Rythmers, and Bards, had lately grown into such intolerable multitude within the Principality in North Wales, that not only gentlemen and others by their shameless disorders are oftentimes disquieted in their habitations, but also expert Minstrels and Musicians in tonge and cunynge thereby much discouraged," &c. and "hindred [of] livings and preferment," &c. it appoints a time and place, wherein all "persons that intend to maintain their living by name or colour of Minstrels,

Rythmers, or Bards," within five shires of N. Wales, "shall appear to show their learnings accordingly," &c. And the Commissioners are required to admit such as shall be found worthy, into and under the degrees heretofore in use, so that they may " use, exercise, and follow the sciences and faculties of their professions in such decent order as shall appertain to each of their degrees." And the rest are to return to some honest labour, &c. upon pain to be taken as sturdy and idle vagabonds, &c.

(BB 4) Holingshed translated this passage from Tho. de Elmham's "Vita et Gesta Henrici V." scil. "Soli Omnipotenti Deo se velle victoriam imputari. . . . in tantum, quod cantus de suo triumpho fieri, seu per Citharistas vel alios quoscunque cantari penitus prohibebat." [Edit. Hearnii, 1727, p. 72.] As in his version, Holingshed attributes the making as well as singing ditties to Minstrels, it is plain he knew that men of this profession had been accustomed to do both.

(cc) The Houshold Book, &c.] See Section V.

"Of the Noumbre of all my Lords Servaunts." "Item, Mynstralls in Houshold, iij. viz. A Taberett, a Luyte, and a Rebecc." [The rebeck was a kind of fiddle with three strings.]

Sect. XLIV. 3.

"Rewardis to his Lordshipis Servaunts," &c.

" Item, My Lorde usith ande accustomyth to gyf yerly, when his Lordschipp is at home, to his Mynstraills that be daly in his houshold, as his Tabret, Lute, ande Rebek, upon New-Yeres-day in the mornynge when they doo play at my Lordis chambre doure for his Lordschipe and my Lady, xx. s. Viz. xiij. s. iiij. d. for my Lorde, and vj. s. viij. d. for my Lady, if sche be at my Lords fyndynge, and not at hir owen; and for playing at my Lordis sone and heir chaumbre doure, the Lord Percy, ij. s. And for playinge at the chaumbre doures of my Lords yonger Sonnes, my yonge Maisters, after viii. d. the pece for every of them.-xxiij. s. iiij. d."

Sect. XLIV. 2.

"Rewardis to be yeven to strangers, as Players,

Mynstraills, or any other," &c.

"Furst, my Lorde usith and accustomyth to gyf to the Kings Jugler ;.... ... when they custome to come unto hym yerely, vj. s.

viij. d.

"Item, my Lord usith and accustomyth to gyf yerely the Kynge or the Queenes Barwarde, if they have one, when they custom to com unto hym yerely,-vj. s. viij. d.

"Item, my Lorde usith and accustomyth to gyfe yerly to every Erlis Mynstrellis, when they custome to come to hym yerely, iij.s. iiij. d. Ande if they come to my Lord seldome, ones in ij or iij yeres, than vj. s. viij. d.

"Item, my Lorde usith and accustomedeth to gife yerely to an Erls Mynstrall, if he be his speciall lorde, frende, or kynsman, if they come yerely to his Lordschipe. . . . Ande if they come to my lord' seldome, ones in ii or iii yeres, vj. s. viij. d."

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Item, my Lorde useth ande accustomyth to gyf yerely a Dookes or Erlis Trumpetts, if they com vj together to his Lordshipp, viz. if they come yerly, vj. s. viij. d. Ande if they come but in ij or iij yeres, than x. s.

"Item, my Lorde useth and accustometh yerly, when his Lordship is at home, to gyf to iij of the Kyngs Shams, when they com to my Lorde yerely, x. s.'

I cannot conclude this note without observing, that in this enumeration the family Minstrels seem to have been musicians only, and yet both the Earl's Trumpets and the King's Shawms are evidently distinguished from the Earl's Minstrels and the King's Jugler: Now we find Jugglers still coupled with Pipers in Barklay's Egloges, circ. 1514. (Warton, ii. 254.)

(c c 2) The honours and rewards conferred on Minstrels, &c. in the middle ages, were excessive, as will be seen by many instances in these volumes; vid. notes (E) (F) &c. But more particularly with regard to English Minstrels, &c. see T. Warton's Hist. of Eng. Poetry, i. p. 89—92, 116, &c.; ii. 105, 106, 254, &c. Dr. Burney's Hist. of Music, ii. p. 316–319, 397-399, 427, 428.

On this head, it may be sufficient to add the following passage from the Fleta, lib. ii. c. 23. "Officium Elemosinarij est. Equos relictos, Robas, Pecuniam, et alia ad Elemosinam largiter recipere et fideliter distribuere ; debet etiam Regem super Elemosinæ largitione crebris summonitionibus stimulare et præcipue diebus Sanctorum, et rogare ne Robas suas quæ magni sunt precij Histrionibus, Blanditoribus, Adulatoribus, Accusatoribus, vel Menestrallis, sed ad Elemosinæ suæ incrementum jubeat largiri." Et in c. 72. Ministralli, vel Adulatoris."

(DD) A species of men who did not sing, &c.] It appears from the passage of Erasmus here referred to, that there still existed in England of that species of Jongleurs or Minstrels, whom the French called by the peculiar name of Conteours, or reciters in prose: it is in

his Ecclesiastes, where he is speaking of such preachers as imitated the tone of beggars or mountebanks :—“ Apud Anglos est simile genus hominum, quales apud Italos sunt Circulatores [Mountebanks] de quibus modo dictum est; qui irrumpunt in convivia Magnatum, aut in Cauponas Vinarias; et argumentum aliquod, quod edidicerunt, recitant; puta mortem omnibus dominari, aut laudem matrimonii. Sed quoniam ea lingua monosyllabis fere constat, quemadmodum Germanica; atque illi [sc. this peculiar species of Reciters] studio vitant cantum, nobis (sc. Erasmus, who did not understand a word of English) latrare videntur verius quam loqui." Opera, tom. v. c. 958. (Jortin, vol. ii. p. 193.) As Erasmus was correcting the vice of preachers, it was more to his point to bring an instance from the moral reciters of prose than from chan. ters of rhyme; though the latter would probably be more popular, and therefore more common.

(EE) This character is supposed to have been suggested by descriptions of Minstrels in the romance of Morte Arthur; but none, it seems, have been found which come nearer to it than the following, which I shall produce, not only that the reader may judge of the resemblance, but to show how nearly the idea of the Minstrel character given in this Essay corresponds with that of our old writers.

Sir Lancelot, having been affronted by a threatening abusive letter, which Mark King of Cornwal, had sent to Queen Guenever, wherein he "spake shame by her, and Sir Lancelot," is comforted by a knight named Sir Dinadan, who tells him I will make a Lay for him, and when it is made, I shall make an Harper to sing it before him. So anon he went and made it, and taught it an Harper, that hyght Elyot; and when hee could it, hee taught it to many Harpers. And so.... the Harpers went straight unto Wales and Cornwaile to sing the Lay.... which was the worst Lay that ever Harper sung with Harpe, or with any other instrument. And [at a] great feast that King Marke made for joy of [a] victorie which hee had,.... came Eliot the Harper; . and because he was a curious Harper, men heard him sing the same Lay that Sir Dinadan had made, the which spake the most vilanie by King Marke of his treason, that ever man heard. When the Harper had sung his song to the end, King Marke was wonderous wroth with him, and said, Thou Harper, how durst thou be so bold to sing this song before me? Sir, said Eliot, wit you well I am a Minstrell, and I must doe as I am commanded of these Lords that I bear the armes of. And, Sir King, wit you well that Sir Dinadan a knight of the Round Table made this song, and he made me to sing it before

you. Thou saiest well, said King Marke, I charge thee that thou hie thee fast out of my sight. So the Harper departed," &c. [Part. ii. c. 113, ed. 1634. See also part iii. c. 5.]

(E E 2) This Act seems to have put an end to the profession, &c.] Although I conceive that the character ceased to exist, yet the appellation might be continued, and applied to Fidlers, or other common musicians: which will account for the mistakes of Sir Peter Leicester, or other modern writers. (See his Historical Antiquities of Cheshire, 1673, p. 141.)

In this sense it is used in an Ordinance in the times of Crom

1 well, (1656,) wherein it is enacted, that if any of the "persons commonly called Fidlers or Minstrels shall at any time be taken playing, fidling, and making music in any inn, ale-house, or tavern, or shall be taken proffering themselves, or desiring, or intreating any.. to hear them play or make music in any of the places aforesaid," they are to be "adjudged and declared to be rogues, vagabonds, and sturdy beggars.'

This will also account why John of Gaunt's King of the Minstrels at length came to be called, like le Roy des Violons in France, v. note (BB2) King of the Fidlers. See the common ballad entitled "The Pedigree, Education, and Marriage of Robinhood with Clorinda, Queen of Tutbury Feast:" which, though prefixed to the modern collection on that subject,* seems of much later date than most of the others; for the writer appears to be totally ignorant of all the old traditions concerning this celebrated outlaw, and has given him a very elegant bride instead of his old noted lemman Maid Marian," who together with his chaplain “Frier Tuck” were his favourite companions, and probably on that account figured in the old Morice dance, as may be seen by the engraving in Mr. Steevens's and Mr. Malone's editions of Shakspeare: by whom she is mentioned, 1 Hen. IV. act. iii. sc 3. (See also Warton, i. 245,

*Of the twenty-four songs in what is now called Robin Hood's Garland, many are so modern as not to be found in Pepys's collection, completed only in 1700. In the folio MS. (described in p. xv.) are ancient fragments of the following, viz.-Robin Hood and the Beggar.-Robin Hood and the Butcher.-Robin Hood and Fryer Tucke.-Robin Hood and the Pindar.-Robin Hood and Queen Catharine, in two parts.-Little John and the four Beggars, and "Robin Hoode his Death." This last, which is very curious, has no resemblance to any that have been published and the others are extremely different from the printed copies; but they unfortunately are in the beginning of the MS. where half of every leaf hath been torn away.