After mentioning thefe, the great masters of the art, he proceeds; "And fmall Harpers with her GLEES "Sat under them in divers fees, * Again, a little below, the poet having enumerated the performers on all the different forts of inftruments, adds, Upon the above lines I fhall only make a few observations: (1) That we have here mention made of an order of Minstrels, who told both tragic and comic ftories, called JESTOURS: which I fuppofe fhould be GES *Neven, i. e. name. TOURS; TOURS; fc. the relators of GESTS (Lat. Gefta) or adventures in profe. These were evidently what the French called Conteours, or Story-tellers, and to them we are doubtless indebted for the first Profe Romances of chivalry; which may be confidered as fpecimens of their manner. (2) That the "Briton GLASKERYON," whoever he was, is apparently the fame perfon with our famous Harper GLASGERION, of whom the reader will find a tragical ballad, in Vol. III. pag. 43.—In that fong may be seen an inftance of what was advanced above in note (F), of the dignity of the Minftrel profeffion, or at leaft of the artifice with which the Minstrels endeavoured to fet off its importance. 66 Thus a king's fon is reprefented as appearing in the character of a Harper or Minstrel in the court of another king. He wears a collar (or gold chain) as a perfon of illuftrious rank; rides on horfeback, and is admitted to the embraces of a king's daughter." The Minstrels loft no opportunity of doing honour to their art. (3) As for the word GLEES, it is to this day used in a mufical sense, and applied to a peculiar piece of compofition. Who has not feen the advertisements, propofing a reward to him who fhould produce the beft Catch, Canon, or GLEE? (K) Comes from the pen of Geoffery of Mon"mouth."] Geoffery's own words are, "Cum ergo alterius modi aditum [Baldulphus] non haberet, rafit capil los fuos & barbam, cultumque JOCULATORIS cum Cythara fecit. Deinde intra caftra deambulans, modulis quos in Lyra componebat, fefe CYTHARISTAM exhibebat. Galf. Monum. Hift. 4to. 1508. Lib. 7. c. 1.-That Joculator fignifies precifely a MINSTREL, appears not only from this paffage, where it is used as a word of like import to Citharifta or HARPER, (which was the old English word for a Minftrel), but also from another paffage paffage of the fame author, where it is applied as equivalent to Cantor. See Lib. 1. cap. 22. where, fpeaking of an ancient (perhaps fabulous) British king, he fays, "Hic omnes CANTORES quos præcedens ætas habuerat in modulis & in omnibus muficis inftrumentis ex"cedebat; ita ut Deus JOCULATORUM videretur.". Whatever credit is due to Geoffery as a relater of FACTS, he is certainly as good authority as any for the fignification of WORDS. * (L) "Two remarkable facts."] Both these facts are recorded by WILLIAM OF MALMESBURY: and the first of them (relating to ALFRED), by INGULPHUS also. Now Ingulphus (afterwards abbot of Croyland) was near forty years of age at the time of the conqueft and confequently was as proper a judge of the Saxon manners, as if he had actually written his hiftory before that event; he is therefore to be confidered as an Anti-norman writer: fo that whether the fact concerning Alfred be true or not, we are affured from his tetimony, that the Joculator or MINSTREL was a common character among the Anglo-Saxons. The fame alfo may be inferred from the relation of WILLIAM of MALMESBURY, who outlived INGULPHUS but about 30 years t. Both thefe writers had doubtlefs recourse to innumerable records and authentic memorials of the Anglo-Saxon times, which never defcended down to us; their teftimony therefore is too pofitive and full to be overturned by the mere filence of the two or three flight Anglo-Saxon epitomes, that are now remaining. (Vid. not. (G). As for ASSER MENEVENSIS, who has given a fomewhat more particular detail of Alfred's actions, and yet takes no notice of the following ftory; it will not be difficult to account for his filence, if we confider that Natus, 1030. fcripfit, 1091. obi, 1109. Tanner, he he was a rigid monk, and that the Minstrels, however acceptable to the laity, were never much refpected by men of the more ftrict monaftic profeffion, efpecially before the Norman conqueft, when they would be confidered as brethren of the Pagan Scalds *. Affer therefore might not regard Alfred's skill in Minftrelfy in a very favourable light; and might be induced to drop the circumftance related below, as reflecting in his opinion no great honour on his patron. The learned Editor of Alfred's life in Latin, after having examined the fcene of action in perfon, and weighed all the circumftances of the event, determines from the whole collective evidence, that Alfred could never have gained the victory he did, if he had not with his own eyes previously feen the difpofition of the enemy by fuch a ftratagem as is here defcribed. Annot. in Elfr. Mag. Vitam, p. 33. Oxon. 1678. fol. Vid. (M) "Alfred... affumed the dress and character of a Minftrel."] Fingens fe JOCULATOREM, affumpta cithara, &c. Ingulphi Hift. p. 869.-Sub fpecie MIMI... ut JOCULATORIE profeffor artis. Gul. Malmesb. 1. 2. C. 4. P. 43. That both Joculator and Mimus lignify literally, a MINSTREL, fee proved in notes B. K. N. Q &c. &c. Malmesbury adds, Unius tantum fideliffimi fruebatur confcientia. As this Confidant does not appear to have affumed the difguife of a Minstrel himfelf, I conclude that he only appeared as the Minstrel's attendant. Now that the Minftrel had fometimes his Servant or attendant to carry his harp, and even to fing to his mufic, we have many inftances in the old Metrical Romances, and even fome in this present collection : See Vol. I. p. 57. 65. Vol. III. p. 44, &c. Among the (See above, p. liv.) Both Ingulph. and Will. of Malmesb. Lad been very converfant among the Normans; who could have had no fuch prejudices against the Minstrels as the Anglo-Saxons had. French 1 46 French and Provençal bards, the Trouverre or Inventor, was generally attended with his Singer, who fometimes alfo played on the Harp, or other mufical inftrument. Quelque fois durant le repas d'un prince on voyoit arriver Trouverre inconnu avec fes Meneftrels ou Jongleours, et il leur faifoit chanter fur leurs Harpes ou Vielles les Vers qu'il avoit compofés. Ceux qui faifoient les SONS auffi 166 bien que les MOTS etoient les plus eftimés." Fontenelle Hift. du Theatr. un That ALFRED excelled in Mufic is pofitively afferted by BALE, who doubtlefs had it from fome ancient MS. many of which fubfifted in his time, that are now loft: as alfo by Sir J. SPELMAN, who we may conclude had good authority for this anecdote, as he is known to have compiled his life of Alfred from authentic materials collected by his learned father: this writer informs us, that Alfred" provided himself of mufitians, not "common, or fuch as knew but the practick part, but men fkilful in the art itself, whofe fkill and fervice *he yet further improved with his own inftruction." P. 199. This proves Alfred at least to hav eunderstood the Theory of Mufic; and how could this have been acquired without practising on fome inftrument: Which, we have feen above, [Note (H)] was fo extremely common with the Anglo-Saxons, even in much ruder times, that Alfred himself plainly tells us, it was SHAMEFUL to be ignorant of it. And this commonnefs might be one reafon, why ASSER did not think it of confequence enough to be particularly mentioned in his fhort life of that great monarch. This rigid monk may also have esteemed it a flight and frivolous accomplishment, favouring only of worldly vanity. He has however particularly recorded Alfred's fondness for the oral Anglo-Saxon poems and fongs [Saxonica poemata die nactuque. audiens... memoriter retinebat. p. 16. Carmina Saxonica memoriter difcere, &c. p. 43. & ib.] Now the Poems learnt by rote, among all ancient un polished |