Bertrand, mounted him to the top of an old hollow Pollard, and demanded of him his song of the Cuckoo, too full of indelicacy for me to recapitulate; after which, they rewarded him with their approbation, and a safe conveyance. : *John Gower though a lawyer, was the Prince of Minstrels his skill in music and poesy so endeared him to his too indulgent master, Richard the Second, that Richard covered the Minstrel with riches and honours, made him his own Laureat, and with his royal hand, placed the rosiet crown upon the head of Gower. But (a disgrace to minstrelsey and to the professors) ingratitude poisoned all the merit of this favourite, for upon the change of Court politics, Gower, like the summer swallows when they can feed no more, flew from his master in the winter of his adversity; while Chaucer, the great father of English Minstrelsey, who had no such obligation, and who was closely connected with Richard's successor, retired modestly from the presence of that degraded sovereign,-scorning to wound the dying lion, he left him with pity. From this time, Minstrelsey became less respected among the Barons, Chivalry or deeds in arms eclypsed the softer measures of the Muse, and chilled the spirits of the Bardic-train and that the evil might not come alone, the predominating power of the Church, struck at the professors with its overwhelming axe. The Minstrels so well cherished of old, became turned adrift, and forced to seek an itinerant livelihood among such as had once been thought beneath their dignity; some few were indeed retained by the great Barons, but the gene * His monument is at this moment finely preserved in the church of St. Saviour's, Southwark, to which he was a great benefactor; he is pillowed by the books he wrote, and his head is wreathed by the rosiet crown of his office, as Minstrel to Richard the Second. It is recorded of Gower and Ponsonby, but I hope unjustly, for the honour of human nature, that these two, the one the King's Minstrel, and the other his Barber, men who were indebted for all they had in this world to his bounty, that when the unfortunate Richard entered the Tower of London, uncovered, with Harry of Lancaster, they both threw ashes from the battlement, on the anointed head of their master. . rality were only to be found at low festivals. Even this glimmering of substance was but of a short duration; for the long struggle between the two Houses of York and Lancaster, nearly annihilated the band, for every being that could poize a lance was recruited, and the policy of the times was such, that every man must list under the banner of the White Rose or the Red, so that in the subsequent reign, the true Minstrel was but as the fabled Phoenix among the other birds. And now a more powerful enemy to ancient minstrelsey arose than any that had hitherto assailed it, which gave a turn to the public taste, that took so deep a root in the gardens of amusement, that no time but the return of ignorance shall ever eradicate this powerful foe to minstrelsey embraced the dramatic writings of Massenger, John Ford, Johnson, Shakspeare, and others. Elizabeth indeed, (it is so recorded) once expressed a desire to see the Minstrel again in all his ancient glory; the Earl of Leicester, to gratify this wish of his beloved mistress, invited her Majesty to Kenelworth Castle, where after the banquet, a curtain was drawn up, and the Bard began to play most pleasant ditties, and greatly to the Queen's gratification. This circumstance is still among the family records, and the habit and the Minstrel thus described. His garb was that usually worn in carlier days by the professors of minstrelsey. A robe of dark green, gather ed at the neck, with a small gorget of silver (embossed) beneath the snowy folds of his ruff. He was encircled round the waist with a crimson Cadis-girdle; the sleeves slashed off from the elbow, fell to the ground, and discovered those of his doublet, of black velvet, fastened at the wrists with silver clasps. A scarlet ribbon fell from his neck, from which was suspended his harp, scarcely larger than a lyre. From his girdle hung a chain, to which was fastened a splendid escutcheon, and his curling, glossy black hair defined the form of a head, which was that of the youthful Alcibiades. In the Court of Scotland, during the reign of their Queen Mary, the harp was in high esteem; that Princess herself, played upon it most skilfully. So great a favourite was this instrument, that whenever her Majesty followed the pleasures of the chace in the Highlands of Perthshire, she commanded in her suite, several of the most skilful harpers, who were the solace of her leisure, and the life of her banquets; but at the demise of that unfortunate lady, the harp became of less consequence in the North, and as if taste and elegance were extinct. with their patron, the concord of sweet sounds was changed for their ancient favourite, the windy bladders; and now instead of the dulcet measures of the harp, scarce any other musical sounds were heard than the pibrochic monotony, and discordant drone of the bag. pipes, from Tweed to Cathness. From this time, and from the causes already assigned, the charms of minstrelsey became disregarded, and at length, so fallen from its provincial height, that the vulgar only assumed the character, and every idle wanderer, every itinerant vagabond thrum'd his discordant harp at the gates of the wealthy: the profession, and professors fell disgraced, and often subject to the grossest insult; that which had been the glory of the Baron's Castle, and the pride of festivity, was now forced, for a precarious livelihood, to shift in the meanest pot-houses, frequented by clowns and other low persons; and to wind up the catastrophe, the professors were designated by parliament, wandering rogues and vagabonds. The harp and the harpers being thus driven from England, (Chester excepted) were rarely to be found but among the Welsh mountains, the cradle of their infancy, where they still keep a station, and are not likely to be disturbed again, while simplicity can charm, and harmless manners are preferred to modern refinement; and where, on a mild summer evening, when his cattle are at rest, it is no uncommon occurrence to behold the peaceful Minstrel at the door of his cabin, and to hear him, in unison with his harp, articulating rural measures, not dissimilar to the subsequent stanza : Far along the winding vale A CURIOUS STORY. T. N. An archbishop of Canterbury, making a tour into the country, stopt at an inn for refreshment. Being at the window, he observed at a distance, in a solitary wood, a well dressed man alone, talking and acting a kind of part. The prelate's curiosity was excited to know what the stranger was about, and accordingly sent some of his servants to observe him, and hear what he was rehearsing; but bringing him back an answer that was not satisfactory, his grace resolved to go himself. He accordingly repaired to the wood, ordering his attendants to keep at a distance. He addressed the stranger very politely, and was answered with the same civility. A conversation having been once entered into, though not without interruptions by an occasional soliloquy, his grace asked what he was about? "I am at play," he replied. "At play," said the prelate, "and with whom? You are all alone." "I own," said he, "Sir, you do not perceive my antagonist; but I am playing with God." 66 Playing with God!" (his lordship thinking the man out of his mind) "this is a very extraordinary party: and pray what game, Sir, are you playing?" "At chess, The archbishop smiled, but the man seeming peaceable, he was willing to amuse himself with a few more questions. "And do you play for any thing, Sir ?" "Certainly." "You cannot have any great chance, as your adversary must be so superior to you." "He does not take any advantage, but plays merely like a man." 66 Pray, Sir, when you win or lose, how do you settle Sir." your accounts?" "Very exactly and punctually, I promise you." "Indeed! Pray how stands your game?" The stranger, after muttering something to himself, "Why, I have just lost it." "And how much have you lost?" "Fifty guineas." "That is a great sum; how do you intend paying it? does God take your money." "No, the poor are his treasurers; he always sends some worthy person to receive the debt, and you are at present the purse-bearer." Saying this, be pulled out his purse, and reckoning fifty guineas, he put them into his grace's hand, and retired, saying he should play no more that day. The prelate was quite fascinated; he did not know what to make of this extraordinary adventure: he viewed the money, found all the guineas good, recalled what had passed, and began to think there was something more in this man than he had discovered. However, he continued his journey, and applied the money to the use of the poor, as had been directed. Upon his return, he stopt at the same inn, and perceiving the same person again in the wood in his former situation, he resolved to have a little further conversation with him, and went alone to the spot where he was. The stranger was a comely man, and the prelate could not help viewing him with a religious veneration, thinking by this time that he was inspired to do good in this uncommon manner. The prelate accosted him as an old acquaintance, and familiarly asked him how the chance had stood since they had first met? "Sometimes for me, and sometimes against me; I have both lost and won. "And are you at play now?" "Yes, Sir, we have played several games to day. "And who wins?"" "Why, Sir, at present the advantage is on my side; the game is just over; I have a fine stroke; check mate, there it is. 99 "And pray, Sir, how much have you won?" "Five hundred guineas." That is a handsome sum, but how are you to be paid?" "I pay and receive in the like manner; he always sends me some good rich man when I win, and you, my lord, are the person. God is remarkably punctual on these occasions." The archbishop had received a considerable sum that very day, the stranger knew it, and producing a pistolby way of receipt; the prelate found himself under the |