172 Mr. Alfred Perceval Graves [Jan. 26, 



is to set forth the Praises or Dispraises of men in their Poems 

 or Rithmes; the which are had in so high Regard and Estimation 

 amongst them, that none dare displease them for fear to run into 

 Reproach through their offence, and to be made infamous in the 

 mouths of all men. 



" For their verses are taken up with a general applause, and 

 usually sung at all feasts and meetings by certain other persons, 

 whose proper function that is, who also receive for the same great 

 rewards and reputation amongst them." 



It would appear that the poet Spenser made a study of the Irish 

 poetry of his day, and a music-book of the sixteenth century, mis- 

 named ' Queen Elizabeth's Virginal Book,' contains three Irish airs, 

 one of which, Callino Casturame, is evidently alluded to by Pistol in 

 Shakespere's ' Henry V.,' who, on meeting a French soldier, cries, 

 " Quality ! Caleno custure me " — clearly, " Colleen oge astore." 



Here it may be well to give, in full, the famous passage in 

 Spenser's ' View of the State of Ireland ' relating to the character of 

 the bardic lyrics of his day. 



"Eudoxus. — But tell mo (I pray you) have they any art in their 

 compositions ? or be they any thing witty or well-favoured, as poems 

 should be ? 



" Irenseus. — Yea, truly, I have caused divers of them to bo 

 translated unto me, that I might understand them ; and surely they 

 were favoured of sweet wit, and good invention, but skilled not of the 

 goodly ornaments of poetry ; yet were they sprinkled with some 

 pretty flowers of their natural device, which gave good grace and 

 comeliness unto them ; the which it is a great pity to see so abused, 

 to the gracing of wickedness and vice, which with good usage would 

 serve to adorn and beautify Virtue. 



" As of a most notorious thief and wicked outlaw, which had 

 lived all his lifetime of spoils and robberies, one of their Bardes in 

 his praise will say, That he was none of the idle milksops that was 

 brought up by the fireside, but that most of his days he spent in 

 arms and valiant enterprizes ; that he did never eat his meat, before 

 he had won it with his sword ; that he lay not all night slugging in 

 a cabbin under his mantle, but used commonly to keep others waking 

 to defend their lives ; and did light his candle at the flames of their 

 houses, to lead him in the Darkness ; that the day was his night, and 

 the night his day, that he loved not to be long wooing of wenches to 

 yield to him, but where he came he took by force the spoil of other 

 men's love, and left but lamentation to their lovers ; that his musick 

 was not the harp, nor lays of love, but the cries of people, and 

 clashings of armour : and finally that he died not bewailed of many, 

 but made many wail when he died, that dearly bought his death. 



" Do you not think (Eudoxus) that many of these praises 

 might be applied to men of best deserts, yet are they all yielded to a 

 most notable traitor, and amongst some of the Irish not finally 

 accounted of. For the song, when it was first made and sung to a 



