"Dumque fovent genium geniali munere Bacchi,
Hectare commixto curas removente Lyæo
Principis a facie, citharæ celeberrimus arte
Assurgit Mimus, ars musica quem decoravit.
Hic ergo chorda resonante subintulit ista:
Inclyte rex regum, probitatis, stemmate vernans
Quem vigor et virtus extollit in æthera famæ," &c.
The rest may be seen in Du Cange, who thus proceeds, "Mitto reliqua similia,
ex quibus omnino patet ejusmodi Mimorum et Ministellorum cantilenas ad virtutem
principes excitasse... Id præsertim in pugnæ precinctu, dominis suis occinebant, ut
martium ardorem in eorum animus concitarent: cujusmodi cantumCantilenum
Rollandiappellat Wil. Malmesb. lib. 3.-- Aimoinus, lib. 4. de Mirac. S. Bened. c. 37.
'Tanta vero illis securitas... utScurramse precedere facerent, qui musico instrumento
res fortiter gestas et priorum bella præcineret, quatenus his acrius incitarentur." &c.
As the writer was a monk, we shall not wonder at his calling the minstrelscurram.
This wordscurra, or some one similar, is represented in the Glossaries as the
proper meaning ofLeccator, (Fr.Leccour,) the ancient term by which the Minstrel
appears to be expressed in the grant to Dutton, quoted above. On this head I shall
produce a very curious passage, which is twice quoted in Du Ganges's Glossary (sc.
ad verb. Menestellus et ad verb. Lecator)--"Philippus Mouskes in Philip. Aug. fingit
Carolum M. Provincie comitatum Scurris et Mimis suis olim donasse, indeque postea
tantum in lute regione poetarum munerum excrevisse.
"Quar quant li buens Rois Karlemaigne
Ot toute mise a son demaine
Provence, qui mult iert plentive
De vins, de bois, d'aigue, derive,
As LECCOURS, as MENESTREUS
Qui sont auques luxurieus
Le donna toute et departi."(D)The Poet and the Minstrel early with us became two persons.] The word Scald
comprehended both characters among the Danes, nor do I know that they had any
peculiar name for either of them separate. But it was not so with the Anglo-Saxons.
They called a poet Sceop, and Leodhthyhta: the last of these comes from Leodh, a
song; and the former answers to our old wordMaker (Gr. Ποιητής [Poietes]), being
derived from Scippan or Sceopan,formare, facere, fingere, creare(Ang. to shape). As
for the Minstrel, they distinguished him by the peculiar appellation of Lligman, and
perhaps by the more simple title of Hearpere, Harper. [See below, Notes (H) (I).] This
last title, at least, is often given to a Minstrel by our most ancient English rhymists.--
See in this work, King Estmere, Glasgerion, &c.
(E)Minstrels... at the houses of the great, &c.] Du Cange affirms, that in the Middle
Ages the courts of princes swarmed so much with this kind of men, and such large
sums were expended in maintaining and rewarding them, that they often drained the
royal treasuries: especially, he adds, of such as wore delighted with their flatteries
("prasertim qui ejusmodi Ministellorum assentationibus delectabantur.") He then
confirms his assertion by several passages out of monastic writers, who sharply
inveigh against this extravagance. Of these I shall here select only one or two, which
show what kind of rewards were bestowed on these old Songsters.
"Rigordus de Gestis Philippi Aug. ann. 1185. Cum in curiis regum seu aliorum
principum, frequens turba Histrionum convenire soleat, ut ab eisaurum, argentum,
equos, seuvestes,[7] quos persæpe mutare consueverunt principes, ab eis extorqueant,