Gleemen.-- Warton's Hist. Eng. Poet. Diss. 1. Fabyan died in 1592.
Dunbar, who lived in the same century, describing, in one of his poems,
entitled "The Daunce," what passed in the infernal regions "amangis the Feyndis,"
says,
"Na Menstrills playit to thame, but dowt
ForGle-menthaire were haldin out,
Be day and eke by nycht."
See Poems from Bannatynes MS. Edinb. 1770, 12mo, p. 30. Maitland's MS. at
Cambridge reads here,Glewe men.
- Togleek, is used in Shakspeare for 'to make sport, to jest' &c.
- The preceding list of Anglo-Saxon words, so full and copious beyond anything
that ever yet appeared in print on this subject, was extracted from Mr. Lye's curious
Anglo-Saxon lexicon, in MS., but the arrangement here is the Editor's own. It had,
however, received the sanction of Mr. Lye's approbation, and would doubtless have
been received into his printed copy, had he lived to publish it himself.
It should also be observed, for the sake of future researches, that without the
assistance of the old English interpretations given by Somner, in his Anglo-Saxon
Dictionary, the Editor of this book never could have discovered thatGleesignified
Minstrelsy, orGligmana Minstrel. - Neven, i.e. name.
- Geoffrey of Monmouth is probably here describing the appearance of the
Joculatores or Minstrels, as it was in his own time. For they apparently derived this
part of their dress, &c., from theMimiof the ancient Romans, who had their heads
and beards shaven (see above, note 3): as they likewise did the mimickry, and other
arts of diverting, which they superadded to the composing and singing to the harp
heroic songs, &c., which they inherited from their own progenitors the Bards and
Scalds of the ancient Celtic and Gothic nations. The Longobardi had, like other
Northern people, brought these with them into Italy. For in the year 774, when
Charlemagne entered Italy and found his passage impeded, he was met by a minstrel
of Lombardy, whose song promised him success and victory. "Contigit Joculatorem
ex Longobardom gente ad Carolum venire, etCantiunculam a se compositam, rotando
in conspectus suprum cantare."-- Tom ii. p. 2, Chron. Monast. Noval. lib. iii. cap. x. p. - (T. Warton's Hist vol. ii. Emend. of vol. i. p. ll3.)
- Natus 1030, scripsit 1091, obiit 1109. --Tanner.
- Obiit anno 1142, --Tanner.
- Both Ingulph. and Will. of Malmesb. had been very conversant among the
Normans, who appear not to have had such prejudices against the Minstrels as the
Anglo-Saxons had. - Thus Leodh, the Saxon word for a Poem, is properly a Song, and its derivative
Lied signifies a Ballad to this day in the Gennan tongue: and Cantere, we have seen
above, is by Alfred himself rendered Be hearpan singan. - TheTabourorTabourinwas a common instrument with the French Minstrels, as
it had also been with the Anglo-Saxon (vide p. x11.): thus in an ancient Fr. MS. in the
Marl. Collection (2253, 75) a Minstrel is described as riding on horseback and bearing
his tabour: