Again, in Sir David Lindsay's Satyre of the thrie estaits, 1602 (but written in 1539): 66 Minstrell, blaw up ane brawl of France, Let see wha hobbils best." Again, in John Heywood's Play of the wether: By wynde they delyver theyr sounde chefely, As sweetly shull it sounde, as it were stuffyd with woll." Again, in The popish kingdome, from the Latin of Thomas Meogeorgus, by Barnabe Googe, 1570, fo. 56: “The table taken up they rise, and all the youth apace, The minstrell with them called, go to some convenient place, Where, when with bagpipe hoarce, he hath begon his music fine, And unto such as are prepared to daunce hath given signe, Comes thither streight, etc." Sometimes their instruments were a drum and fife: for so Robert Greene, in his Orlando furioso, 1594: "I'll be his minstrell with my drum and fife, Bid him come forth, and dance it, if he dare." Many other instances, of the same kind, might be added, but these may suffice. 66 Stubs, in his Anatomie of Abuses, 1583 and 1595, describes the minstrels of his time as a parcel of drunken sockets and baudy parasites, “that,” says he, “raunge the countries, rhyming and singing of unclean, corrupt, and filthy songs in taverns, ale-houses, inns, and other public assemblies. . . . There is no ship," he exclaims, SO laden with merchandise, as their heads are pestered with all kinds of baudy songs, filthy ballads, and scurvy rhymes, serving for every purpose and for every company. For proof whereof," adds he, "who be baudier knaves than they? who uncleaner than they? who more licentious and looser minded than they? who more incontenent than they? and, brieflie, who more inclined to all kind of insolency and leudness than they? . . . I think that all good minstrels, sober, and chaste musicians, may dance the wild Moris through an eedle eye.” This same puritanical snarler allows that, "notwithstanding it were better (in respect of worldly acceptation) to be a piper, or a baudie minstrel, then a divine, for the one is loved,” he says, “for his ribauldrie, the other hated for his gravity, wisdom, and sobriety. Every town, city, and county," he adds, "is full of these minstrelles to pipe a daunce to the devil; but of devines, so few there be as any may hardly be seen." It would have been much the better, indeed, if there had been none at all, for certainly a piper is preferable to a parson.* *The present Editor is not, of course, responsible for Mr. Ritson's opinions. It is, at the same time, no small compliment to the minstrels of former ages that, as they were, doubtless, much more active and useful, they were infinitely better paid than the idle and good-fornothing clergy. "The fraternity of the holy cross in Abingdon, in Henry the sixth's time. . . . did every yeare keepe a feast, and then they used to have twelve priests to sing a dirige, for which they had given them foure pence a peece. They had also twelve minstrells, some from Coventré, and some from Maydenhith, who had two shillings three pence a piece, besides theyre dyet and horsemen. . . Observe that, in those days, they payd theyre minstrells better than theyre preistes.". The employment of these minstrels may be collected from a subsequent passage, in which the writer says that they had "pageantes, and playes, and May-games to captivat the sences of the zelous beholders, and to allure the people to the greater liberality." Another instance of the same kind of disparity is related by Warton, where four shillings were given to the six mimi, or minstrels, and only two shillings to the eight priests. In the same year (1441), the prior gives no more than sixpence to a preaching friar.† "From the following entry," says Mr. Steevens, "on the books of the stationers company in the year 1560, it appears that the hire of a parson was cheaper than that of a minstrel or a cook : "Item, payd to the preacher-vi s. 11 d. Item, payd to the minstrell-xii s. Item, payd to the coke-xv s. (Shakspeare, 1793, xiv., 529.) It should be remembered, at the same time, that the parson's business would be finished in an hour, whereas the cook and the minstrel would be employed the whole of the day, and peradventure all night too. The only genuine minstrel-ballads which are known to exist at present (except such as may have been published with great inaccuracy and licentiousness by the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Dromore, or remain concealed in his lordship's folio manuscript)‡ are The Ancient battle of Chevy-chace, The battle of Otterbourne, John Dory, Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard, Lord Thomas and fair Eleanor, and Fair Margaret and sweet William, to which one may possibly venture to add John Armstrong, and Captain Care; all which are somewhere or other in print. A singular and whimsical writer, named Robert Laneham, or Langham, a Nottinghamshire gentleman, who appears to have accompanied Elizabeth in some of her progresses, as "clark of the councel chamber door,” in a letter: “whearin part of the enter *Liber Niger, p. 598. + II., P. 106. Since published. tainment untoo the Queenz Majesty at Killingworth castle, in Warwick Sheer, in this soomery progrest, 1575, iz signified: from a freend officer attendant in the coourt, unto hiz freend (Master Humfrey Martin, mercer) a citizen and merchant of London," and there printed in the above year, in a small volume in a black-letter, gives the following curious narrative of "a ridiculous devise of an auncient minstrell and his song," which "waz prepared to have been profferd, IF MEETE TIME AND PLACE HAD BEEN FOOUND FOR IT;" so that this intended exhibition (in flat contradiction to doctor Percy's misrepresented account) did not actually take place; but, as good luck would have it, "Ons, in a woorshipful company, whear, full appointed, he recoounted his matter in sort az it should have been uttered," master Langham, in person, "shaunsed to bee; and what i noted," says he, "heer this i tell yoo. A parson very meet seemed he for the purpose; of a xlv. years olld, apparelled partly as he woold himself: Hiz cap of hiz hed seemly rounded tonster-wyze; sayr kembd, that with a spoonge devoutly dipt in a little caponz greas, was finelye smoothed to make it shine like a mallards wing; hiz beard smugly shaven; and yet his shyrt after the nu trink, with ruffs fayr starched, sleeked, and glistering like a payr of nu shooz: marshalld in good order: with a stetting stick, and stoout that every ruff stood up like a wafer. A side gooun of Kendal green, after the freshness of the year now; gathered at the neck with a narro gorget fastened afore with a white clasp and a keepar close up to the chin, but easily for heat to undoo when he list: seemly begyrt in a red caddiz gyrdle; from that, a payr of capped Sheffeld knivez hanging a to side: out of his bozom draune foorth a lappet of his napkin, edged with a blu lace, and marked with a truloove, a hart, and A.D. for Damian, for he was but a bachelar yet. "His gooun had syde sleevez dooun to midlegge, slit from the shooulder too the hand, and lined with white cotton. His dooblet sleevez of blak woorsted: upon them a payr of poynets of tawny chamblets, laced along the wreast wyth blu threeden points: a wealt toward the hand of fustian anapes: a payr of red neather stocks: a payr of pumps on hiz feet, with a cross cut at the toze for cornz; not nu indeede, yet cleanly blakt, with soot and shining az a shoing horn. About his neck a red rebond sutable to his girdl: his harp in good grace dependaunt before him; his wreast tyed to a green lace and hanging by: Under the gorget of his goound a fayr flagon cheyn of pewter (for sylver;) as a squire minstrel of Middlesex, that travaild the cuntree thys soomer season unto fayrz, and woorshipful menz houzez. From his cheyn hoong schoochiar with metall and cooler resplendant upon hiz breast of the auncient armes of Islington . . . (Then follows an absurd and affected description of these arms, evidently the sole manufacture of master Laneham, or some other coxcomb of the same turn being ridiculed by "a good fello of the company") This every man laught a good, saue the minstrell: that thoogh THE FOOL wear made privy all was but for sport, yet to see himself thus crost with a contrary kue that he lookt not for, woold straight have ge'en over all, waxt very wayward, eager and soour; hoowbeit at laste, by sum entreaty, and many fair woordz, with sak and suger, we sweetned him againe and after he became az mery as a py. Appeerez then afresh in hiz ful formalitie with a louely loock. After three lowlie cooursiez, cleered his vois with a hem and reach, and spat oout withal; wiped hiz lips with the hollo of his hand for syling his napkin, temperd a string or too with his wreast, and after a little warbling on hiz harp for a prelude, came foorth with a sollem song, warraunted for story oout of King Arthurs acts; the first booke and 26 chapter; whearof i gate a copy: and that iz this, viz. : 'So it befell upon a Pentecost day,' etc. At this the minstrel made a pauz and a curtezy, for primus pastus (passus). More of the song iz thear, but i gat it not. Az for the matter, had it cum to the sheaw, i think the fello would have handled it well ynoough." The poor fellow thus brought forward to represent, and even to ridicule, the respectable character of an ancient minstrel, may be readily admitted to have been himself a humble retainer to that once illustrious profession. This appears by his being able to accompany his song with the melody of the harp. He was, therefore, it is likely, one of those "cantabanqui upon benches and barrels' heads, where they had no other audiences then boys or countrey-fellows," as already described by Puttenham; or else one of his " taverneminstrels that (used to) give a fit of mirth for a groat." Our critic, however, finds no fault with his performance, and even pays him a sort of parting compliment. It is sufficiently manifest, at the same time, from this identical narrative, that there was, at the above period, no minstrel performer distinguished by his dress or manners, as the real or accurate representative of a minstrel of the three preceeding centuries, who would, in the puritanical times of that bigoted and bloody tigress, have been treated with merited respect. By an act of the 39th of Queen Elizabeth (1597), chap. iv., intitled "An act for punishment of rogues, vagabonds, and sturdy beggars," "All bearwards, common players of enterluds, and MINSTRELS, wandering abroad; all juglers, tinkers, pedlers, &c. shall be adjudged and deemed rogues, vagabonds, and sturdy beggers," subject, however, to a proviso or exception in favour of John Dutton, of Dutton, in the county of Chester, esquire, "for any liberty, preheminence, authority, jurisdiction," which he then lawfully used, by reason of any ancient charters or of any prescription, usage or title whatsoever." * *This clause continued to be inserted in all vagrant acts down to the present reign, in which it has been omitted. This statute is concluded to have nearly put an end to the profession of minstrel, base and beggarly as it had become, an ordinance during the usurpation in 1656 being the last public notice that is taken of it, whereby it is enacted that if any of the "persons commonly called FIDLERS or MINSTRELS shall be taken playing, fidling, and making music in any inn, ale-house, or tavern, or proffering themselves, or desiring, or intreating, any to hear them play or make music," they are to be "adjudged and declared to be rogues, vagabonds and sturdy beggars." Then, for the truth's sake, come along, come along! Leave this place of superstition, Were it not for me, that the brethren be, You would sink into perdition.' Shakespeare calls these persons "feast-finding minstrels" in his Rape of Lucrece; and Ben Jonson, in his Tale of a Tub, introduces "Old Father Rosin, chief minstrel of Highgate, and his two boys." They are fiddlers, and play the tunes called for by the company, as Tom Tiler, The Folly Joiner, and The Jovial Tinker. The same dramatist, in his Masque of the Metamorphosed Gypsies, calls a bagpiper, or taborer, "the miracle of minstrels,” and, in another part, makes one of the characters say, "The king has his noise of gypsies, as well as of bearwards, and OTHER MINSTRELS." So that, of whatever consequence they might have been in ancient periods, they ended their career as vagabonds and fiddlers. Doctor Bull, who wrote satirical verses against them (which, though extant in one of the Harleian manuscripts, cannot be recovered), pays them the following parting compliment : "When Jesus went to Jairus house, (Whose daughter was about to dye,) BEGGERS THEY ARE WITH ONE CONSENT, *Loyal Songs, i., 5. |