WELSH BARDS AND MUSIC. 329 



Yet in my country I do make palh'me, 



la telling of prophefy which be not in rhyme. 



With refpeft to llrings of cat-gut to the harps, 

 as at prelent uiilverfally adopted, they were anciently 

 much dilliked by the bards. Dafydd ap Gwilym, 

 who died about the year 1398, thus fpeaks of 

 them : " David had. not one ftring from dead fheep. 

 The minftrels of the ferious prophet David, with all 

 the cunning of their divination, never formed one 

 harp exquifitely pleafmg, but of fhining hair. Wife 

 is the eafy and fprightly defcription of the harp 

 ftrung with black gloify hair. — There is none who 

 wouki wifh for Hfe amongft us, fliould he be fkilFed 

 in mufic ; for there is nothing but the din of this 

 leathern harp ; (fie on the office!) profperous it fhall 

 not be, played on with a horny nail of unpleafant 

 form*; only the gracelefs bears it. — I love not its 

 guts founding eventful difguft, — its trunk, and its 

 hoarfe found, were but formed for an age-woiii 

 Saxon. — Let every mufical profeflbr, from the En- 

 glifli marches as far as Mona's ifle, learn to play on 

 a fair harp, with jetty hair ; and to impart inftruc- 

 tions as was ufual in the time of our old forefathers ; 

 as for the other giftiefs twanging one, let no difciple 

 bear« it in the face of day!" — Some time elapfed 

 before the double harp, or harp ^vith tv/o rows of 



- * Galileo, In his dialogue on ancient and modern mufic, fays 

 that the performer on the harp fufFered his nails to grow to a 

 conliderable length, trimming them with great care, and forming 

 them fomewhat like the quills on the jacks of a harpficord. 



ft rings 



