above, we may conclude there were other inferior orders, as YEOMEN MINSTRELS, or the like. This Minstrel, the author tells us a little below, “af"ter three lowly courtefies, cleared his voice with a “hem,... and wiped his lips with the hollow of his "hand for 'filing his napkin, tempered a string or two "with his WREST, and after a little warbling on his HARP for a prelude, came forth with a folemn fong, "warranted for story out of King Arthur's acts, &c.„, This fong the reader will find printed in this work, volume III. p. 25. Towards the end of the fixteenth century this clafs of men had loft all credit, and were funk fo low in the public opinion, that in the 39th year of Elizabeth * a tatute was paffed by which "Minstrels, wandering « abroad » CC were included among rogues, vagabonds, " and sturdy beggars,,, and were adjudged to be punifhed as fuch. This act feems to have put an end to the profeffion, for after this time they are no longer mentioned. I CANNOT conclude this account of the ancient MINSTRELS, without remarking that they are most of them represented to have been of the North. There is hardly an ancient Ballad or Romance,, wherein a Minstrel or Harper appears, but he is characterized by way of emis nence * Vid. Pulton's Stat. 1661. p. 1110. 39 Eliz. nence to have been "OF THE NORTH COUNTRIE and indeed the prevalence of the Northern dialect in fuch kind of poems, fhews that this representation is real. The reafon of which feems to be this; the civilizing of nations has begun from the South: the North would the refore be the last civilized, and the old manners would longeft fubfift there. With the manners, the old poetry 'that painted these manners would remain likewise; and in proportion as their boundaries became more contracted, and their neighbours refined, the poetry of those rude men would be more diftinctly peculiar, and that peculiarity more ftrikingly remarked. The Reader will obferve in the more ancient ballads of this collection, a caft of ftile and measure very diffe rent from that of contemporary poets of a higher clafs : many phrases and idioms, which the Minstrels feem to have appropriated to themselves, and a very remarkable licence of varying the accent of words at pleasure, in or der to humour the flow of the verse, particularly in the rhimes: as Countrie barpèr battèl morning loving, instead of country, làdy, hàrper, finger, &c. This li berty is but fparingly affumed by the claffical poets of the fame age; or even by the latter composers of Heroi cal Ballads : I mean by fuch as profeffedly wrote for the prefs. For it is to be observed, that so long as the Minstrels * See p. 65. of this vol. Minstrels fubfifted, they feem never to have defigned their rhymes for publication, and probably never committed them to writing themselves: what copies are preserved of them were doubtlefs taken down from their mouths. But as the old Minstrels gradually wore out, a new race of ballad - writers fucceeded, an inferior fort of minor poets, who wrote narrative fongs meerly for the prefs. Inftances of both may be found in the reign of Elizabeth. The two latest pieces in the genuine ftrain of the old Min ftrelfy that I can difcover, are No. III, and IV. of Book III. in this volume. Lower than these I cannot trace the old mode of writing, The old Minstrel - ballads are in the northern dialect, abound with antique words and phrafes, are extremely incorrect, and run into the utmost licence of metre; they have alfo a romantic wildnef, and are in the true spirit of chivalry. The other fort are written in exacter measure, have a low or fubordinate correctnefs, fometimes bordering on the infipid, yet often well adapted to the pathetic; thefe are generally in the fouthern dialect, exhibit a more modern phrafeology, and are commonly defcriptive of more modern manners. To be fenfible of the difference between them, let the Reader compare in this volume No. III. of book III. with No. IX. of book II. A Towards the end of Queen Elizabeth's reign, (as is mentioned above) the genuine old Minstrelfy seems to have been extin&t, and thenceforth the ballads that were produced were wholly of the latter kind, and thefe came forth in fuch abundance, that in the reign of James I. they began to be collected into little Mifcellanies un X002 der der the name of GARLANDS, and at lenght to be written purpofely for fuch collections *. * In the Pepyfian, and other libraries, are preferved a great number of these in black letter, 12mo. under the following quaint and affected titles, viz. 5. The Gar 6. 1. A Crowne Garland of Goulden Rofes gathered out of England's Royall Garden, &c. by Richard Johnson, 1612. [In the Bodleyan Library. ] 2. The Golden Garland of Princely Delight. 3. The Garland of Good - will, by T. D. 1631. 4. The Royal Garland of Love and Delight, by T. D. land of Love and Mirth, by Thomas Lanfier. The Garland of Delight, &c. by Tho. Delone. Cupid's Garland fet round with guilded Rofes. The Garland of withered Rofes, by Martin Parker, 1656. 9. The Shepherd's Garland of Love, Loyalty, &c. 10. The Country Garland. The Golden Garland of Mirth and Merriment. The Lover's Garland. 7. 8. II. 12. 13. Neptune's Fair Gar14. England's fair Garland. 15. Robin Hood's Garland. 16. The Lover's Garland. The Maiden's Garland. 18. A loyal Garland of &c. &c. &c. This fort of petty publications were anciently called PENNY-MERRIMENTS: as little religious tracts of the fame fize went by the name PENNY GODLINESSES: In the Pepys Library are multitudes of both kinds. CON. 5. Edward, Edward. A Scottish Ballad. 7. Sir Patrick Spence. A Scottish Ballad. (Containing Ballads that illuftrate Shakespeare.) |