264 A TOUR ROUND NORTH WALES, 



cer of the King's houfehold, and was 

 very often of his council. Whoever 

 flightly injured him, was fined fix cows 

 and a hundred and twenty pence ; and 

 the murderer of a Bard was fined a hun- 

 dred and twenty-fix cows. He accom- 

 panied the army upon their march ; and, 

 in the front of the battle, fang the an- 

 cient fong, called the Monarchy of 

 ,\ Britain ;" and for this fervice, when 

 the Prince had received the fhare of the 

 fpoils, he was rewarded with the moft 

 valuable beaft that remained. 



A valfal, by the pra6tice of poetry and 

 mufic, which he could not adopt with- 

 out the permiflion of his Lord or Prince, 

 acquired the privileges of a freeman, and 

 an honorable rank in fociety. 



Nothing can difplay more forcibly, 

 the eftimation and influence which the 

 Bards enjoyed in the early periods, than 

 their remarkable prerogative, of .peti- 

 tioning for prefents by occafional po- 

 ems. 



