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will bear repetition. [The song was then sung as an example of 
Ballad music. ] 
The music of a nation, and especially its ballads, is a reflex 
of the character of its people, and is modified not only by 
peculiarities of race, but by the climate and physical features of the 
country. Through the melodies of the northern nations, the home 
of storm and cold, there breathes an air of plaintiveness. Take up 
a collection of English, Scotch, Welsh, or Irish airs,—how many 
have a pathetic, almost wailing tone, like the echo of the moaning 
wind, though now and then, of course, we come upon a stirring 
martial song, or one brimful of humour. In the warmer vine-clad 
regions of southern Europe, a spirit of gaiety pervades the music, 
and song and dance go hand-in-hand. 
With the Restoration the old ballads came in again in all 
thew freshness, for the “merry monarch” could not bear music 
that he could not beat time to. The pure-voiced madrigal 
was heard but rarely, for it could not live in the murky atmosphere 
of vice and revelry which surrounded the Court. 
Many of the old ballads had doubtless perished, for it was not 
till the reign of Elizabeth that the practice of collecting them into 
a book began. Prior to that time they were written or printed on 
loose sheets, which were often found pasted on the walls: of 
the cottage. What with the turbulence of the times, and the 
domestic condition of the lower classes, there is little wonder that 
so few have been spared. There is no doubt that among other 
uses, they helped to mitigate the harsh manners of the middle 
ages, while, in more modern times, their influence has often been 
remarkable. With “ Lillibullero,” a few trivial verses adapted to 
an old Irish air, Wharton boasted that he had sung King James 
out of the kingdom. 
As intellectual culture advanced, the rude ballads lost their 
attraction, and became mere objects of curiosity—relics of the 
past—showing the manners and modes of thought which prevailed 
in bygone ages. As such they were collected by poetical and 
musical antiquaries, and many were published by the ballad- 
mongers in penny books called “Garlands.” As examples of the 
