duction of the fedentary compofer at his desk or in his cell, as the rambling Harper or Minftrel was remote in his modes of life and habits of thinking from the retired fcholar, or the folitary monk. "It is well known that on the Continent, whence our Norman nobles came, the Bard who compofed, the Harper who played and fang, and even the Dancer and the Mimic, were all confidered as of one community, and were even all included under the common name of Minstrels. I muft, therefore, be allowed the fame application of the term here without being expected to prove that every finger compofed, or every compofer chanted, his own fong; much less that every ne excelled in all the arts, which were occationally exercifed by fome or other of this fraternity." P. xxix. That there were English Minstrels, who got their livelihood by reciting narrative fongs, and metrical romances in their own language, is proved fufficiently by the exiflence of the very fongs and romances they fo recited. Thefe are enumerated at large in the Effay prefixed to the third volume of the "Reliques," &c. which concludes with a lift of near forty of fuch pieces, (being all of them now extant) and yet multitudes have probably perifhed, or remain ftill undifcovered: and as the oldeft of thefe, that of Horne Childe, No. I. is almost Saxon, it forms a connecting link between thofe that preceded the Conqueft, and the feries which follows, down to the time of Chaucer, who quotes many of them. Yet to his time the Norman nobles are fuppofed chiefly to have used their native French language. But that they were not wholly averfe to English rhymes, Mr. Ritfon has proved, who found the earliest he could difcover, only in the mouths of Norman nobles. (See his Differtation, &c.) As this romance of Horne Childe is called, by the author of it himfelf, "A Song," [Vid. Reliques III. p. xxxiii.] and as it is followed by the titles of near forty more fuch Fabulous and romantic Songs," with a reference to the MSS. wherein they are ftill preferved; the reader may judge of the captious and disingenuous fpirit of a critic, who afks contemptuoully, Where they are to be found? But to quit fuch cavils, we fhall return to the main fubject, by giving at large all the first part of the concluding note, (Gg) which is to fhow that "the term Minstrel was not confined to a mere Musician in this country, any more than on the continent.” "The difcuffion of the queftion, Whether the term Minstrel was applied in England to Singers and Compofers of Songs, &c. or confined to the performers on mufical inftruments, was properly referved for this place, becaufe much light hath already been thrown upon the Ꮓ BRIT, CRIT, VOL. VII. MARCH, 1796. fubject fubject in the preceding notes, to which it will be fufficient to refer the reader. "That on the Continent the Minstrel was understood not to be a meer Mufician but a finger of verses, hath been shown in notes B. C. R. A a. &c. And that he was also a maker of them is evident, from the paffage in (C. p. lix,) where the most noted romances are faid to be of the compofition of thefe men. And in (B b.) p. xcii. we have the titles, of fome of which a Minstrel was the author, who has himfelf left his name upon record. "The old English names for one of this profeffion, were Gleeman, Jogeler, and latierly Minstrel; not to mention Harper, &c. In French he was called Jongleur or Jugleur, Meneftrel or Meneftrier. The writers of the middle ages expreffed the character in Latin by the words Joculator, Mimus, Hiftrio, Miniftrellus, &c. These terms, however modern critics may endeavour to diftinguifh, and apply them to different claffes, and although they may be fometimes mentioned as if they were distinct, I cannot find, after a very ftrict research, to have had any fettled appropriate difference, but they appear to have been ufed indifcriminately by the oldeft writers, efpecially in England, where the most general and comprehenfive name was latterly Minstrel, Lat. Miniftrellus, &c. "Thus Foculator (Eng. Jogeler, or Juglar) is ufed as fynonymous to Citharifta, and to Canter, and to Minstrel. We have alfo pofitive proof of that the fubject of his fongs were Geftes and Romantic Tales. So Mimus is ufed as fynonimous to Joculator. He was rewarded for his finging, and he both fang, harped, and dealt in that sport, which is elsewhere called Ars Joculatoria. Again Hiftrio is alfo proved to have been a finger, and to have gaired rewards by his Verba Joculatoria. And Hiftriones is the term by which the French word Miniftraulx is most frequently rendered into Latin. The fact therefore is fufficiently established, that this order of men were in England, as well as on the Continent, Singers; fo that it only becomes a difpute about words, whether here under the more general nace of Minfirels, they are defcribed as having fung. "But in proof of this we have only to turn to fo common a book, as T. Warten's Hiftory of Eng. Poetry: where we fhall find extracted from Records the following inftances. "Ex Regiftr. Priorat. S. Swithin Winton (fub anno 1374.) In fofo Alavyni Epi.-Et durante pietancia in Aula Conventus fex MINISTRALLI, cum quatuor CITHARISATORIBUS, faciebant Miniftralcias fuas. Et poft cenam, in magna camera arexata dem. prioris cantabant idem Geftum in qua Camera fufpendebatur, ut moris oft, magnum dorfule Prioris habens pieturas trium Regum Colein. Veniebant autem dicti JɔCULATORES a Caflello domini Regis ex familia Epi. (vol. II. p. 174). Here the Mintr.ls and Harpers are exprefsly called foculatoret, and as the Harpers had mufical inftruments, the finging mult have been by the Minstrels, or by both conjointly. For that Minarels fang we have undeniable proof in the following entry in the Accompt-Roll of the Priory of Bicefter, in Oxfordfhire. (under the year 1432.) Dat. Sex MINISTRALLIS de Bokyng ''.. ham bam cantantibus in refectorio Martyrium Septem Dormientium in fefto Epiphanie, iv. s. (Vol. II. p. 175.) "In like manner our old English writers abound with paffages wherein the Minstrel is reprefented as finging. To mention only a few : "In the old romance of Emaré, which, from the obfoletenefs of the ftile, the nakedness of the ftory, the barrenness of incidents, and fome other particulars, I fhould judge to be next in point of time to Hornchild, we have, Stanza 27 "I have herd Menftrelles fyng yn fawe." "In a poem of Adam Davie (who flourished about 1312) we have this distich, "Merry it is in halle to here the harpe, T. Warton. I. p. 225. "So William of Naffyngton (circ. 1480) as quoted by Mr. Tyrwhitt, (Chaucer IV. 319.) "I will make no vain carpinge Of dedes of armys ne of amours As dus Mynftrelles and Jeftours [Geftours] That makys carpinge in many a place And of many other Jeftes [Geftes] And namely whan they come to feftes." "See also the defcription of the Minstrel in note E. from Morte Arthur, which appears to have been compiled about the time of this laft writer. (See T. Warton. II. 235.) "By proving that Minftrels were Singers of the old romantic Songs and Geftes, &c. we have, in effect, proved them to have been the makers at least of fome of them. For the names of their authors being not preferved, to whom can we fo probably afcribe the compofition of many of these old popular rhimes, as to the men who devoted all their time and talents to the recitation of them: efpecially as in the rhimes themselves, Minstrels are often reprefented as the Makers or compofers. "Thus in the oldeft of all, Horn-Child, having affumed the character of a Harper or Jugeler, is in consequence faid (fo. 92) to have "made Rymenild [his miftrefs] a lay." "In the old romance of Emaré, we have this exhortation to Minfrels, as compofers, otherwife they could not have been at liberty to chuse their subjects. (st. 2.) "Menstrelles that walken fer and wyde Her and ther in ever a fyde In mony a dyverfe londe Sholde ut her hygynning Speke of that ryghtwes kyng That made both fee and fonde." &c. "And in the old fong or gefte of Guy and Colbronde (No. 4. vol. iii. p. xxxiv.) the Minftrel thus fpeaks of himself in the first perfon: "When meate and drinke is great plentye Then lords and ladyes ftil wil be Of keene knights and kempes great "We have feen already that the Welsh Bards, who were undoubtedly compofers of the fongs they chanted to the Harp, could not be diftinguished by our legiflators from our own Rimers, Minstrels: (vid. note B b. 3. p. xliii.) "And that the Provençal Troubadour of our King Richard, who is called by M. Favine Jongleur, and by M. Fauchet Menestrel, is, by the old English tranflator, termed a Rimer or Minstrel, when he is mentioning the fact of his compofing fome verses. And, laftly, that Holing fhed, tranflating the prohibition of K, Henry V. forbidding any fongs to be compoled on his victory, or to be fung by Harpers or others, roundly gives it, he would not permit 86 any ditties to be made and fung by Minstrels on his glorious victory." &c. P. cii. Thefe are the chief novelties which appear in the prefent edition of one of the most interefting collections of minor poetry that were ever made in any country. We shall only obferve further, that, in the Effay on the Hiftory of the English Stage, prefixed to Book II. the proofs that Shak fpeare and his contemporaries confidered the "Hiftorie" as a feparate fpecies of Drama, diftinct both from Tragedy and Comedy, are fo augmented and firengthened, as to remove all possible doubt from the question. It is therefore juft, as this able writer obferves, that this diftinction should be always attended to by all critics and commentators; that Shakspeare may not be deprived of his proper defence, and beft vindication. "For," fays he, "if it be the first canon of found criticism, to examine any work by whatever rule the author preferibed for his own obfervance, then we ought not to try Shakspeare's Hift:ries by the general laws of Tragedy and Comedy." It is a matter of furprife to us that this found and useful diftinction which has been difcovered and established now for thirty years, fhould hitherto have been fo little noticed by thofe who have been studious to illuftrate our great bard's productions. We therefore claim for it, in all future editions, the attention and adoption it fo well deferves. * See the remainder of the note in the original, where is much more to the fame effect. BRITISH CATALOGUE. POETRY. ART. 18. Poems on various Subjects, by Charles Lloyd. 8vo. pp. 104. 2s. 6d. Law. 1795. At a time when works of very moderate merit are obtruded upon our notice, with all the folendors of modern typography, we are glad to hail the productions of a chafe and elegant Mufe, in a modeft and humble garb. Mr. Lloyd's Poems confift of Sonnets, Odes, Elegies, and Songs, all of which are melodious, and many deferving of high commendation. We give as a fpecimen, the following from Petrarch. Go mournful rhymes, to yonder marble go, Where on the earth's cold lap my Laura's laid, Tired with the tempeít of life's retlefs fea; Is all, the dear loved all, that's left for me. To foothe my foul bewilder'd and distraught; ART. 19. Things out of Place; or the Parfon, the Bear, and the Butler. A Tale, adrefed to the Author of the Maviad. 4to. pp. Is. 6d. J. Bell. 1796. 20. A very feeble attempt by fome one, who is yet wincing under the lath of the Author of the Mæviad. This Author underftands the Writer of the Mæviad to be a Clergyman, which we can affure him he is not. ART. 20. The Loufiad, Canto V. and laft, by Peter Pindar, Efq. This is not entirely deftitute of wit and humour, but there is certainly lefs of both than in the preceding Cantos of this fingular Poem. ART. |