length difmiffed with an honourable reward, though his fongs muft have discovered him to have been a Dane (O). Athelstan was faved from the confe- · quences of this ftratagem by a foldier, who had obferved Anlaff bury the money which had been given him, either from fome fcruple of honour or motive of fuperftition. This occafioned a discovery.

Now, if the Saxons had not been accustomed to have MINSTRELS of their own, Alfred's affuming fo new and unusual a character, would have excited fufpicions among the Danes. On the other hand, if it had not been customary with the Saxons to fhew favour and refpect to the Danish SCALDS, Anlaff would not have ventured himself among them, especially on the eve of a battle (P). From the uniform procedure then of both thefe kings, we may fairly conclude, that the fame mode of entertainment prevailed among both people, and that the MINSTREL was a privileged character

with each.

But if these facts had never exifted, it can be proved from undoubted records, that the Minstrel was a regular and stated officer in the court of our Anglo-Saxon kings: for in Doomesday book, foculator Regis, the KING'S MINSTREL, is exprefly mentioned in Gloucestershire; in which county it fhould feem that he had lands af figned him for his maintenance (Q).

III. We have now brought the inquiry down to the Norman conqueft: and as the Normans had been a late colony from Norway and Denmark, where the SCALDS had arrived to the highest pitch of credit before Rollo's expedition into France, we cannot doubt but this adventurer, like the other northern princes, had many of thefe men in his train, who fettled with him in his new duchy of Normandy, and left behind them fucceffors in their art: So that, when his defcendant, WILLIAM the BASTARD, invaded this kingdom in the following

century,

century*, that mode of entertainment could not but be ftill familiar with the Normans. And that this is not mere conjecture, will appear from a remarkable fact, which fhew that the arts of Poetry and Song were still as reputable among the Normans in France, as they had been among their ancestors in the north; and that the profeffion of MINSTREL, like that of SCALD, was still afpired to by the moft gallant foldiers. In William's army was a valiant warrior, named TAILLEFER, who was diftinguished no lefs for the minstrel-arts (R), than for his courage and intrepidity. This man aiked leave of his commander to begin the onfet, and obtained it. He accordingly advanced before the army, and with a loud voice animated his countrymen with fongs in praise of Charlemagne and Roland, and other heroes of France; then rushing among the thickest of the English, and valiantly fighting, loft his life.

Indeed the Normans were fo early distinguished for their minstrel talents, that an eminent French writer (S) makes no scruple to refer to them the origin of all мoDERN POETRY, and fhews, that they were celebrated for their Songs above a century before the TROUBADOURS of Provence, who are fuppofed to have led the way to the poets of Italy, France, and Spain.

We fee then that the Norman conqueft was rather likely to favour the establishment of the minstrel profeffion in this kingdom, than to fupprefs it: and we may even conclude, that, after that period, this order of men would grow into more favour and repute; and the profeffion itself acquire new privileges (T).

IV. After the Norman conqueft I have not met with any very particular fact concerning the MINSTRELS, till we come down to the reign of Richard the firft:

*Rollo was invefted in his new duchy of Norman ly, A. D. 91 2. William invaded England, A. D. 1066.

first and under him their profeffion feems to have revived with additional fplendor. Richard, who was the great restorer and hero of Chivalry, was also the diftingnifhed patron of Poets and Minstrels: He was himself of their number, and fome of his verses are ftill extant *. As the Provençal Bards were in his time in high request for the foftnefs of their language, and the fuperior elegance of their compofitions, Richard invited multitudes of them to his court, where he loaded them with honours and rewards: and they in return celebrated him as the most accomplished monarch in the world (U). The distinction and refpect which Richard fhowed to men of this profeffion, although his favours were chiefly heaped upon foreigners, could not but recommend the profeffion itself among his own fubjects: and therefore we may conclude, that English Minftrelfy would, in a peculiar manner, flourish in his time: and probably it is from this æra, that we are to date that remarkable intercommunity and exchange of each other's compofitions, which we difcover to have taken place at fome early period between the French and English Minstrels: the fame fet of phrafes, the fame fpecies of characters, incidents, and adventures, and often the fame identical ftories, being found in the old metrical Romances of both nations (V).

The diftinguished fervice which Richard received from one of his Minstrels, in refcuing him from his cruel and tedious captivity, is a remarkable fact, which ought to be recorded for the honour of poets and their art. This fact has lately been rescued from oblivion, and given to the world in very elegant lan

guage

*See a curious Provençal Song of his in Mr. WALPOLE'S Catalogue of Royal Authors, Vol. I. p. 5. This, fo far as I can understand it, seems not to be deftitute of pathetic and sentimental beauties.

guage by an ingenious lady. I fhall here produce a more antiquated relation of the fame event, in the words of an old neglected compiler ↑.

+46

"The Englishmen were more than a whole yeare, "without hearing any tydings of their king, or in "what place he was kept prisoner. He had trained up in his court a RYMER or MINSTREL, called "BLONDELL DE NESLE: Who (faith the Manufcript " of old Poefies, and an auncient Manufcript French "Chronicle) being fo long without the fight of his "lord, his life feemed wearisome to him, and he be"came confounded with melancholy. Knowne it

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was, that he came backe from the Holy Land: but 186 none could tell in what countrey he arrived. "Whereupon this Blondel, refolving to make search "for him in many countreys, but he would hear "fome news of him; after expence of divers dayes in travaile, he came to a towne || by good hap, neere "to the caftell where his maifter king Richard was kept. Of his hoft he demanded, to whom the ca" ftell appertained, and the hoft told him, that it belonged to the duke of Auftria. Then he enquired "whether there were any prisoners therein detained

66

" or

*(From the French of Prefid. FAUCHET'S Recueil, &c.) See "Mifcellanies in profe and verfe; by ANNA WILLIAMS. Lond. 1766." 4to. p. 46.- -It will excite the Reader's admiration to be informed, that most of the pieces of this Collection were compofed under the disadvantage of a total deprivation of SIGHT.

+ Monf. FAVINE's Theatre of Honour and Knighthood, translated from the French. Lond. 1623. fol. Tom. II. p. 49.

This the author calls in another place, "An ancient MS. of "old Poefies, written about those very times."—From this MS. Favine gives a curious account of the taking of Richard by the duke of Auftria, who fold him to the emperor. As for the MS. chronicle, it is evidently the fame that fupplied FAUCHET with this ftory. See his Recueil de l'Origine de la Langue & Poefie Françoise, Ryme, & Romans, &c. Par. 1581.

TRIBALES." Retrudi eum præcepit in Triballis: a quo carcere nullus ante dies iftos exivit." Lat. chron, of Otho of Austria ; apud Favin,

"or no: for alwayes he made fuch fecret queftionings wherefoever he came. And the hoft made answer, "there was only one prifoner, but he knew not what and yet he had bin detained there more than the fpace of one yeare. When Blondel heard "this, he wrought fuch meanes, that he became acquainted with them of the caftell, AS MINSTRELS

he was,

DOE EASILY WIN ACQUAINTANCE ANY WHERE:

"but see the king he could not, neither understand "that it was he. One day he fat directly before a "window of the caftell, where king Richard was kept

prifoner, and began to fing a fong in French, which "king Richard and Blondel had fome time compofed together. When king Richard heard the fong, he "knew it was Blondel that fung it: and when Blondel paufed at half of the song, the king

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BEGAN

* THE OTHER HALF AND COMPLETED IT Thus "Blondel won knowledge of the king his maifter, and "returning home into England, made the barons of "the countrie acquainted where the king was." This happened about the year 1193.

The next memorable event, which I find in history concerning the Minstrels, is alfo much to their credit; and this was their refcuing one of the great Earls of Chester when befieged by the Welsh. This happened in the reign of K. John *; and is related as follows:

66

Hugh the first Earl of Chefter, in his charter of foundation of St. Werburg's abbey in that city, had granted fuch a privilege to thofe, who fhould come to Chefter fair, that they should not be then apprehended for theft or any other misdemeanor, except the crime

were

I give this paffage from M. FAUCHET; as the English translator of M. FAVINE's book appeared here to have mistaken the original: which is, Et quant Blondel ót diftè la moitie de la Chanson, le Roy Richart fe prift a dire l'autre moitie et l'acheva. Fauch. Rec. p. 93

*Vid. Dugdale (Baronage, vol. 1. p. 42. 101.) who places it after the 13th year of K. Joh. Anno Dom. 1212.-See alfo Camden's Brit. Plott's Staffordfh. &c.

I