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to the improved taste of the people, and partly to the natural 
tendency of the minstrel to get coarser in his poetry, and more 
personal in his mimicry. 
At the time of their invasion of Britain, these tribes were 
heathens; but about one hundred and fifty years after, their 
conversion was begun by Gregory, then Bishop of Rome, a 
skilful musician, who arranged and improved the ancient music, 
still called from him “Gregorian.” This music was introduced 
into Europe from Antioch in Syria, about A.D. 380, and many 
regard it as the femains of the music used in the Temple at 
Jerusalem. Gregory knew well the effect of music on these sturdy 
Northmen, and sent over a well-trained choir with his missionary, 
Augustine. We have an account of his first meeting with 
Ethelbert, King of Kent :—“ First appeared a verger bearing a 
silver cross; then came Augustine, followed by a monk with a 
painting representing the figure of our Lord, the brethren 
following in procession ; then under an oak was discovered Ethel- 
bert, his army and wise men all around him. Then the choir 
began chanting in unison one of those deeply solemn litanies, 
heard for the first time in our country.” No doubt the im- 
pression of the music on these heathen warriors would be deep and 
lasting ; for with a full choir of male voices, the “Gregorians” 
are very effective. Many years’ practice of them failed, however, to 
make me a convert to pure Gregorianism. 
This music, and indeed all the music down to the end of the 
15th century, was written without bars ; and hundreds of volumes 
contained neither flat nor sharp. Let us hope that the performers 
instinctively supplied them where required ! 
The Gregorian, or tuneless, and the Minstrel music, were both 
encouraged and cultivated by the monks, who, with all their short- 
comings, were the great benefactors of their day. Many went to 
Rome to qualify themselves as musical instructors ; and Italian 
musicians often came to live in England, acting as teachers of 
music, and organisers of choirs. From all we can learn, the 
practice of music was nearly universal in England. Bede, the 
venerable monk and historian of his times, relates an incident in 
