Lang. Fr. p. 72,c.), "Bientost apres la division de ce grand empire Francois en tant de
petites royaumes, duchez, et comtez, au lieu des Poetes commencerent a se faire
cognoistre lesTrouverres, et,Chanterres,Contëours, etJuglëours: qui sont
Trouveurs, Chantres, Conteurs,Jongleurs, ou Jugleurs, c'est a dire,Menestriers
chantans avec la viole."
We see, then, thatJongleur,Jugleur(Lat.Joculator, Juglator), was a peculiar
name appropriated to the Minstrels. "Les Jongleurs ne faisoient que chanter les
poesies sur leurs instruments. On les appelloit aussi Menestrels: "says Fontenelle, in
hisHist. du Théat. Franc., prefixed to his life of Corneille.
(C)Successors of the ancient Bards.] That the Minstrels in many respects bore a
strong resemblance both to the British Bards and to the Danish Scalds, appear from
this, that the old monkish writers express them all, without ditinction, by the same
names in Latin. Thus Geoffrey of Monmouth, himself a Welshman, speaking of an
old pagan British king, who excelled in singing and music so far as to be esteemed by
his countrymen the patron deity of the Bards, uses the phraseDeus Joculatorum;
which is the peculiar name given to the English and French Minstrels.[6] In like
manner, William Malmesbury, speaking of a Danish king's assuming the profession of
a Scald, expresses it byProfessus Mimum; which was another same given to the
Minstrels in Middle Latinity.(N) Indeed Du Cange, in his Glossary, quotes a writer,
who positively asserts that the Minstrels of the Middle Ages were the same with the
ancient Bards. I shall give a large extract from this learned glossographer, as he
relates many curious particulars concerning the profession and arts of the Minstrels;
whom, after the monks, he stigmatizes by the name ofScurræ; though he
acknowledges their songs often tended to inspire virtue.
"Ministelli, dicti præsertimScurræ, Mimi, Joculatores."... "Ejusmodi
Scurrarummunus erat principes non suis duntaxat ludricis oblectare, sed et eorum
aures variis avorum, adeoque ipsorum principum laudibus, non sineassentatione, cum
cantilenis et musicis instrumentis demulcere...
"Interdum etiam virorum insignium et heroum gesta, aut explicatar et jocunda
narratione commemorabant, aut suavi vocis inflexione, fidibusque decantabant, quo
sic dominorum, cæterorumque qui his intererant ludicris, nobilium animus advirtutem
capessendam, et summorum virorum, imitationem, accenderent: quod fuit olim apud
Gallus Bardorum ministerium, ut auctor est Tacitus. Neque enim alios aMinistellis,
veterum GallorumBardosfuisse pluribus probat Henricus Valesius ad 15 Ammiani..
. Chronicon Bertrandi Guesclini.
"Qui vent avoir renom des bons et des vaillans
Il doit aler souvent a la pluie et au champs
Et estre en la bataille, ainsy que fr Rollans,
Les Quatre fils Haimon, et Charlon li plus grans,
Li du Lions de Bourges, et Gulons de Connans,
Perceval li Galois, Lancelot, et Tristans,
Alexandres, Artus, Godfroi li Sachans,
De quoy cils MENESTRIERS font los nobles ROMANS."
"Nicolaus de Braia describens solenne convivum, quo post inaugurationem
suam proceres excepit Lud. VIII. rex Francorum, ait inter ipsius convivii apparatum,
in medium prodiisse Mimum, qui regis laudes ad cytharam decantavit."
Our author then gives the lines at length, which begin thus,