noted for the harp, the contents of which are thought to be nearly as old as the year 1100 (105).

That the bards were not exterminated by the favage po icy of Edward, and fuch of his fucceffors as adopted the fame effectual method of putting them to filence, but that, on the contrary, they had, in the reign of queen Elizabeth, grown into an intolerable multitude," and committed "fhameless diforders" in North Wales, appears from a curious record communicated to dr. Brown by mr. Evans, and printed by both (106). This is a commiffion from that princefs to certain knights and efquires of the principality, authorifing them by open proclamation to fummon all perfons intending to live by name or colour of minstrels, rythmers or "bards," and to licence fuch as fhould be found worthy to exercife the profeflion. Thefe affemblies had, it seems, been formerly in ufe; and the family of Moftyn of Mostyn had enjoyed the privilege of" bestowing of the "fylver harp appertaining to the Chief of that Faculty." It may be added that the profeffion of a bard is to be yet traced in fome parts of the country: and that in BaffeBretagne, which is believed to have been colonifed from hence, after the Saxon conqueft, an itinerant musician is to this day called a Bard (107).

The natives of the highlands and ifles of Scotland had, likewife, bards by profeffion till very lately; and preferve traditionally many romantic and fentimental fongs, fome of which are faid to poffefs great merit, though few are thought to be of much antiquity. The poems and fongs pretended to have been tranflated from the Erfe, and published under the name of Offian, are undoubtedly very ingenious, artful, and, it may be, elegant, compofitions, but they are certainly not genuine.

But the bards are no where known to have been treated with more refpect, or held in higher eftimation, than among the ancient Irish. They had portions of land allotted for their maintenance; their profeffion was hereditary; and, by a law, ftill extant, none were allowed

(105) II. 110.

(106) Hiftory of Poetry, 202. Specimens, &c. v.

(107) M. du Querlon, 13.

to

to be invested with this dignity but thofe of illuftrious families. Their fongs were chiefly defigned to tranfmit to pofterity the national hiftory and memorable acts of their own time. Thofe which were deemed moft authentic were preserved in the cuftody of the kings antiquary; and many of them are cited by Keating as the materials of his Irish history. We are told that St. Patrick, when he converted this kingdom to Chriftianity, out of a burning zeal for the religion he came to inculcate, destroyed no lefs than three hundred volumes of ancient Pagan fongs (108). It is to be hoped that the doctrine he taught would atone for the mischief it occafioned.

Thefe bards had, at one time, increased so much, and grown fo infolent and formidable, that it was, in a folemn convention of the ftates, refolved to banish them into-SCOTLAND!-The feverity of this fentence ftruck fuch a terror into our unruly muficians as quickly brought them to their fenfes: they implored pardon, and, upon a promife of amendment, were fuffered to difperfe theirselves up and down the kingdom. This was in the fixth century. At fome later period we find them again become troublesome, and their number leffened and regulated. Every chief had one bard allowed him to record the atchievements of his family; and independence and a competent revenue were ftill preferved them. This r gulation was the ftandard for fucceeding ages (109). In the time of the poet Spenfer, however, they had fallen into their former irregularities, and were a most abandoned, corrupt, and defperate fet of men; "the abet"tors of thieving and robbery," and, indeed, of every other crime. The account he has given us of them is equally curious and minute.

re

Although the profeffion is, at prefent, supposed to be nearly extinct, yet the original of a very favourite English Bacchanalian fong is afcribed to an itinerant harper, who seems, from the defcription we have of him (110), to be a genuine reprefentative of the ancient bard.

(109) lidem.

But

(108) Keating. Brown. (110) "They (i. e. the Irish) talk of a wonderful mafter they had of late, called Carolan, who, like Fomer, was blind, and, like

d 3

hi.n

But independent of this fpecies of poets, the modern Irish poffefs many beautiful and tender fongs. One of them, beginning (in its English dress)

Blefs'd were the days when in the lonely shade.

feems to have uncommon elegance and merit as a pastoral love fong. Another, tranflated, or imitated by George Ogle, efquire, member of parliament for the county of Wexford, is well known by the title of Grammachree Molly. Its only fault is rather too much fimplicity. The tune of this piece, however, appears to be Scotifh (111). But there is a peculiar fpirit and affecting pathos in many of the native Irish melodies which may almost rival. the moft admired airs of Caledonia.

"him, went about finging and playing his rhapfodies. His poetry

was in Irish, and not much praised, but his mufic is celebrated. "From an early difappointment in love he is faid to have attuned his "harp to the elegiac ftrain. I have heard one of these compofitions "played, and to me the founds were as expreffive of fuch a fituation of "mind, as the words of a love-fick elegy. The hiftory of one of "his famous compofitions called Tiarna Mayo-which was fomewhat "in the dirge ftile,-is faid to be this: the mufician had offended lord "Mayo by fome witty farcafms, of which he is reported to have "been very liberal, and was forbid his houfe. After fome time he' "prevailed to be heard, and he fang this palinode in concert with "his harp at dinner, with which, Orpheus-like, he fo charmed "the powers of refentment, that he was presently restored to his "lordships favour. 1 have heard divers others of his tunes called "Planxties, which are in the convivial ftrain, and evidently calcu"lated to infpire good humour, and heighten the jollity of the festive "hour. They go by the names of thofe gentlemen, for whofe enter"tainments they were compofed, as Planxty-Conner, Planxty- Johnfton, Planxty-Jones, &c. The laft of thefe has been dignified by "better words than thofe of the bard, by mr. Dawfon, late baron of "the Exchequer, and is now called Bumper Squire Jones. They tell me, that in his latter days he never compofed without the infpira"tion of whiskey, of which, at that critical hour, he always took "care to have a bottle befide him. His ear was fo exquifite, and his "memory fo tenacious, that he has been known to play off, at first "hearing, fome of the most difficult pieces of Italian mufic, to the "aftonishment of Geminiani." CAMPBELLS PHILOSOPHICAL SURVEY OF THE SOUTH OF IRELAND, p. 450.

"

(111) i. e. "Will you go to Flanders, my Mally O." It is, nevertheless, wifhed that the mufical antiquaries of either country would make a more particular enquiry into this matter,

§ 7. Having

$7. Having taken this curfory view of the melody and fong of the Celtic nations, we shall now turn back to enquire into their existence among the Teutones or Goths, from whom we are to confider OURSELVES as mediately defcended (112). The Germans, fuppofed to be a branch of thefe people, in their old ballads, which with them anfwered the purpose of registers and hiftory, celebrated Tuito, a God fprung from the earth, and his fon Mannius, as the fathers and founders of their nation. They had a tradition that Hercules had been in their country, and this hero, above all others, they extoled as they advanced to battle. They poffeffed another fpecies of fong, the finging of which (by them called Barditum) infpired courage, and predicted the fortune of the approaching fight (113).

The originals of all ancient nations are loft in darknefs or obfcurity: it cannot, therefor, be expected that

(112) The pedigree of the Fins and Laplanders is not yet afcertained. The latter nation, in a ftate rather of favage refinement than of nature, has cultivated fong with fuccefs. When the amourous Laplander is flying to vifit his miftrefs, he beguiles the length and drearynefs of the journey, and encourages his rein-deer, by a fong in her praife. Two beautiful fpecimens are preferved by Schoeffer, both of which have been (and one of them with remarkable elegance), tranflated into English, and are inferted in the first part of the prefent collection. The Greenlanders, likewife, have their fongs; fo have the Ruffians; and if travelers can find fong in vogue among the Samoiedes, they need hardly defpair of fuccefs in a fimilar research among the wolves and bears of the Siberian deferts.

(113) Tacitus, De mori. Germa. Of the poetical genius and hiftory of the more modern Germans little can be collected. It appears, however, that the Gay Science while it flourished in other countries was not neglected in theirs. A moft curious manufcript has been lately difcovered, containing the compofitions of a hundred and forty German troubadours of the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth centuries. The emperor Henry VI. a king of Bohemia, feveral princes, electors, dukes, margraves, bishops, &c. are among the number. This invaluable curiofity is embellished with paintings of the various martial and civil employments and diverfions of thofe ages. We cannot doubt, therefor, that a taste for Song has always prevailed in this and the adjacent countries, though we have no particular information on the fubject. In Hun"garie," fays fir Philip Sidney, "I have feene it the manner at all "feaftes and other fuch like meetings, to haue fongs of their ancestors valure, which that right fouldierlike nation, thinke one of the chief"eft kindlers of braue courage."

one should be able to point out with certainty whence or at what time the Goths firft came into Europe. That they were a diftinct people from the Celta is a fact not to be controverted: and that Scythia was their mother country is, at leaft, probable. The event of the war carried on by Pompey against Mithridates king of Pontus obliged the Scythians to leave their country in great numbers; of thefe, Odin or Woden, a valiant and powerful chief, whofe true name was Sigge, is thought to have led large bands into the ancient Scandinavia and other parts occupied by the Teutones and Cimbri, the pofterity of former emigrants. Odin was a warrior, a legiflator, and a God. We shall shortly have occasion to fpeak of him again, let us, in the mean time, pursue our fubject.

The Scalds (polishers) or poets of Iceland, the univerfity of the North, are as famous for their skill in poetry and fong as the Celtic bards. They refided in the courts of kings and princes, whom it was part of their office to accompany to battle, in order to be eye-witnesses of the actions they were to celebrate and record, and which they afterwards fung at great and folemn entertainments. They animated the foldiers to fight, and extoled the chieftains who fignalized their courage or fell in arms. Not only the particular exploits, but fometimes the whole lives of their kings and heroes were thus recited. These fongs, which, being communicated from one to another, were every where publicly chanted, are by the ancient and modern writers of the North (114), reforted and referred to as authorities for the earlyer periods of their hiftory. Great numbers of thefe compofitions are extant in print or preferved in manufcript. The poetic art was not, however, entirely confined to the Scalds; perfons of the highest rank cultivated this agreeable science. It is even fuppofed to have been introduced by Odin, who pretended to have received it from the Gods, and boasted that it could produce him the most wonderful and miraculous effects. "I am poffeffed of Songs," fays he: "fuch as neither

(114) Saxo, Torfæus, &c.

"the