The old Mysteries, which ceafed to be acted after the Reforma tion, seem to have given rife to a third fpecies of ftage exhibition, which, though now confounded with tragedy or comedy, were by our first dramatic writers con fidered as quite diftinct from them both thefe were hiftorical plays, or hiftories, a fpecies of drama tic writing, which refembled the old Myfteries in representing a feries of hiftorical events fimply in the order of time in which they happened, without any regard to the three great unities. Thefe pieces feem to differ from tragedy, juft as much as Hiftorical poems do from Epic; as the Pharfalia does from the Æneid. What might contribute to make dramatic poetry take this turn was, that foon after the Myfteries ceased to be exhibited, there was published a large collection of poetical narratives, called, The Mirrour for Magiftrates*, wherein a great number of the most eminent characters in English history are drawn relating their own miffortunes. This book was popular, and of a dramatic caft, and therefore, as an elegant writer + has well obferved, might have its in fluence in producing hiftoric plays, Thefe narratives probably furnish ed the fubjects, and the ancient Myfteries fuggefied the plan. That our old writers confider. Polonius in Hamlet commends the actors, as the beft in the world either for tragedie, comedie, hiftorie, paftorall," &c. And Shakefpear's friends, Heminge and Condell, in the firft folio edition of his plays, in 1623, have not only intituled their book "Mr. William Shakefpear's Comedies, Hiftories, and Tragedies;" but in their table of contents have arranged them under thofe three feveral heads; placing in the clafs of hiftories,King John, Richard II. Henry IV. 2 pts. Henry V. Henry VI. 3 pts. Richard III. and Hen, ry VIII." This distinction deferves the attention of the critics: for if it be the firft canon of found criticism to examine any works by those rules the author prefcribed for his obfervance, then we ought not to try Shakespear's hiftories by the with a greater fhare of wit than fome readers would be apt to believe it is therefore probable, that thefe Latin productions were the original models of our plays in England, as we are certain they were in France, where a law was made in the fime of Charlemagne, that facred representation fhould only be in the language of the vulgar. *The first part of which was printed in 1559. Catalogue of royal and noble authors, vol. i. p. 166, 167. general general laws of tragedy or comedy. Whether the rule itself be vicious or not, is another inquiry: but certainly, we ought to examine a work only by thofe principles according to which it was compofed. This would fave a deal of imperti, nent criticism. An Effay on the ancient English Minfrels; from the fame. T HE Minstrels feem to have been the genuine fucceffors of the ancient Bards, who united the arts of poetry and mufic, and fung verfes to the harp, of their own compofing, It is well known what refpect was fhewn to their Bards by the Britons; and no lefs was paid to the northern * Scalds by most of the nations of Gothic race, Our Saxon ancestors, as well as their brethren the ancient Danes, had been accustomed to hold men of this profeffion in the highest reverence. Their kill was confidered as fomething divine, their perfons were deemed facred, their attendance was folicited by kings, and they were every where loaded with honours and rewards t. In fhort, poets and their art were held among them in that rude admiration, which is ever fhewn by an ignorant people to fuch as excel them in intellectual accomplishments. When the Saxons were converted to Chriftianity, in proportion as letters prevailed among them, this rude admiration began to abate, and poetry was no longer a peculiar profeffion. The poet and the Minstrel t became two perfons. Poetry was cultivated by men of letters indifcriminately, and many of the most popular rhymes were compofed amidit the leifure and retirement of monafteries. But the Minstrels conti nued a diftinct order of men, and. got their livelihood by finging verfes to the harp, at the houfes of the great. There they were ftill hofpitably and refpectfully received, and retained many of the honours fhewn to their predeceffors, the Bards and Scalds, And, indeed, though fome of them only recited the compofitions of others, many of them ftill com, pofed fongs themselves, and all of them could probably invent a few flanzas on occafion. I have no doubt but most of the old, heroic ballads in this collection were produced by this order of men. For, although fome of the larger metrical romances might come from the pen of the monks * So the ancient Danes, &c, intitled their Bards, See pref. to Five pieces of Runic poetry, 8vo. 1763. + Mallet L'Introd, a l'Hift. de Dannemare, 4to, Bartholin, Antiq, Dan, 4to, The word MINSTREL is derived from the French Meneftrier, and was not in ufe here before the Norman conqueft. It is remarkable, that our old monkish hiftorians do not ufe the word Citbarædus, Cantator, or the like, to exprefs a MINSTREL in Latin; but either Mimus, Hiftrio, Joculator, or fome other word that implies gelture. Hence it should feem that the Minstrels fet off their finging by mimicky or action; or, according to Dr. Brown's hypothefis, united the powers of melody, pqem, and dance, See his ingenious Hift. of the rife of par pry, &c. or others, yet the smaller narratives were probably compofed by the Minstrels who fung them. From the amazing variations which occur in different copies of thefe old pieces, it is evident they made no fcruple to alter each other's productions, and the reciter added or omitted whole ftanzas, according to his own fancy or convenience. In the early ages, as is hinted above, this profeffion was held in great reverence among the Saxon tribes, as well as among their Danish brethren. This appears from two remarkable facts in hiftory, which fhew that the fame arts of music and fong were equal. ly admired among both nations, and that the privileges and honours conferred upon the profeffors of them were common to both; as it is well known their customs, manners, and even language, were not in thofe times very diffimilar, When our great king Affred was defirous to learn the true fituation of the Danish army, which had invaded his realm, he affumed the dress and character of a Minftrel, and taking his harp, and only one attendant (for in the earliest times it was not unufual for a Minstrel to have a fervant to carry his harp), he went with the utmoft fecurity into the Danish camp. And though he could not but be known to be a Saxon, the character he had affumed procured him a hofpitable reception; he was admitted to entertain the king at table, and ftaid among them long enough to contrive that af fault, which afterwards deftroyed them. This was in the year 878. About fixty years after, a Da. nifh king made ufe of the fame difguife to explore the camp of our king Athelftan. With his harp in his hand, and dreffed like a Minftrel†, Anlaff, king of the Danes, went among the Saxon tents, and taking his ftand near the king's pavilion, began to play, and was immediately admitted, There he entertained Athelstan and his lords with his finging and his mufic; and was at length difmiffed with an honourable reward, though his fongs muft have difcovered him to have been a Dane. Athelstan was faved from the confequences of this ftratagem by a foldier, who had obferved Anlaff bury the money which had been given him, from fome fcruple of honour, or motive of fuperftition. This occafioned a difcovery. From the uniform procedure of both thefe kings, it is plain that the fame mode of entertainment prevailed among both people, and that the Minstrel was a privileged character among both. Even fo late as the reign of Edward II. the Minstrels were eafily admitted into the royal prefence, as appears from a paffage in Stow * Fingens fe JOCULATOREM, affumpta cithara, &c. Ingulphi hift. p. 869.Sab fpecie MIMI... ut JOCULATORIE profeffor artis. Malmeb. 1. 2. C. 4. p. 43. One name for a Minstrel in old French was JOUGLEUR. + Affumpta manu cithara・・・・ professus MIMUM, qui hujufmodi arte ftipem quo tidianum mercaretur.... Fuffus abire pretium cantus accepit. Malm. I. 2. c. 6, Survey of Lond. 1603. p. 469, which which alfo fhews the fplendor of their appearance. In the yeare 1316, Edward the Second did folemnize his feast of Pentecoft at Westminster, in the great hall where fitting royally at the table with his peers about him, there entered a woman adorned like a Minftrel*, fitting on a great horfe trapped, as Minftrels then used, who rode round about the tables, hewing paftime; and at length came up to the king's table, and laid before him a letter, and forthwith turning her horfe, faluted every one, and departed."-The fubject of this letter was a remonstrance to the king on the favours heaped by him on his minions, to the neglect of his knights and faithful fervants. The meffenger was fent in a Minstrel's habit, as what would gain an eafy admiffion t; and was a woman concealed under that habit. I fuppofe, to difarm the king's refentment; for I do not find that any of the real Mintrels were of the female fex, and therefore conclude this was only an artful contrivance peculiar to that occafion. In the 4th year of Richard II., John of Gaunt erected at Tetbury in Staffordshire, a Court of Minftrels, with a full power to receive fuit and fervice from the men of this profeffion within five neigh bouring counties, to enact laws, and determine their controverfies; and to apprehend and arreft fuch of them as fhould refufe to appear at the faid court, annually held on the 16th of Auguft. For this they had a charter §, by which they were impowered to appoint a king of the Minstrels, with four officers, to prefide over them, Thefe were every year elected with great ceremony, the whole form of which is defcribed by Dr. Plott || in whofe time however they feem to have become mere musicians. Even fo late as the reign of king Henry VIII. the reciters of verfes, or moral speeches learnt by heart, intruded without ceremony into all companies; not only in taverns, but in the houses of the pobility themselves. This we learn from Erafmus, whofe argument led him only to defcribe a fpecies of thefe men who did not fing their compofitions; but the others that did, enjoyed without doubt the fame privileges. The reader will find that the Minstrels continued down to the reign of Elizabeth; in whofe time they had loft much of their dig nity, and were finking into contempt and neglect. Yet ftill they futained a character far fuperior to any thing we can conceive at prefent of the fingers of old bal lads. When queen Elizabeth was en * Ornata HISTRIONALI babitu. Walfing. p. 109. † When the porter was blamed for admitting her, he answered, Noz effe moris domus regia HISTRIONES de ingressu quomodolibet prohibere, &c. Walfing. 1 Anno 1381. $ Intitled Carte le Roy de Miniftraulx. (In Latin Hiftriones. Vid. Plott, p.437.) || Hift. of Staffordshite, ch. 10. p. 69–76. 435. &c. See his ECCLESIAST. Irrumpunt in convivia magnatum, aut in cauponas vinarias; et argumentum aliquod quod edidicerunt recitant, &c. Jortin, vol. ii. p. 793. tertained RHODES HOUSE OXFORD LIBRARY tertained at Killingworth caftle by the earl of Leicefter, in 1575, adevices and pagemong the many ants which were exhibited for her entertainment, one of the perfonages introduced, was that of an ancient Minstrel, whofe appearance and drefs are fo minutely defcrib, ed by a writer there prefent, and gives us fo diftin&t an idea of the character, that I fhall quote the paffage at large, "A perfon very meet feemed he for the purpofe of a xlv. years old, apparelled partly as he would himfelf. His cap off: his head feemingly rounded tonfterwife+ fair kembed, that with a fponge daintly dipt in a little capon's greafe, was finely fmoothed, to make it fhine like a mallard's wing. His beard fmugly fhaven; and yet his fhirt after the new trink, with ruffs fair ftarched, fleeked and gliftering like a pair of new fhoes, marthalied in good order with a fetting flick, and ftrut, that' every ruff stood up like a wafer. A fide [, e. long] gown of Kendale green, after the freshness of the year now, gathered at the neck with a narrow gorget, faftened afore with a white clafp and a keeper close up to the chin; but eafily, for heat, to undo when he lift. Seemingly begirt in a red caddis girdle: from that a pair of Capped Sheffield knives hanging a' two fides. Out of his bofom drawn from a lappet of his napkin edged with a blue lace, and marked with a D for Damian, for he was but a batchelor yet. • His gown had fide [i. e. long] fleeves down to mid-leg, Ait from the fhoulder to the hand, and lined with white cotton. His doublet-fleeves of black worsted: upon them a pair of points of tawny chamlet laced along the wrift with blue threaden poinets§, a wealt towards the hands of fuftian-a-napes, A pair of red nea ther flocks. A pair of pumps on his feet, with a crafs cut at his toes for corns; not new indeed, yet cleanly blackt with foot and fhining as a fhoing horn, • About his neck a red ribband fuitable to his girdle. His harp in good grace dependent before him. His wreft tyed to a green lace and hanging by under the gorget of his gown a fair flaggon chain, (pewter ¶ for) filver, as a fquire Minstrel of Middlesex, that travelled the country this fummer feafon, unto fair and worfhipful mens houses. From his chain hung a fcutcheon, with metal and colour, refplendent upon his breaft of the ancient arms of Ilington." -This Minstrel is defcribed as belonging to that village. I fuppofe fuch as were retained by no que R. L. [Langham] author of a letter 12mo. defcribing the -n's entertainment at Killingworth in 1575. p. 46. (This writer's orthography is not here copied.) Tonfure-wife" after the manner of the i, e. handkerchief or cravat. monks, § Perhaps points. The key, or fcrew, with which he turned his harp. The reader will remember that this was not a REAL MINSTREL, but only one perfonating that character: his ornaments therefore were only fuch as OUTWARDLY represented thofe of a real Minstrel, ble |