WOOD. 



bafs, with an organ, virginal, or h^rpficon, joyned with 

 them ; and they adeemed a violin to be an inftrument 

 only belonging to a common fidler, and could not endure 

 that it (hould come among them, for feare of making their 

 meetings to be vaine and fidUng. But before the reftora- 

 tion of king Charles II., and efpecially after, \nols began to 

 be out of fafhion, and only violins ufed, as treble vioUn, 

 tenor, and bafe viohn ; and the king, accordmg to the 

 French mode, would have twenty-four violins playing before 

 him, while he was at meales, as being more airie and brillc 



than viols." -rx • ■»«■ n i_ 



" In the latter end of the yeare 1657, Davis Mell, the 

 mod eminent violinift of London, and clock-maker, being in 

 Oxon., Peter Pitt, William Bull, Kenelm Digby, and others 

 of AUSoules, as alfo Anthony Wood, did give a very hand- 

 fome entertainment in the taverne called the ' Salutation.' 

 The company did look on Mr. Mell to have a prodigious 

 hand on the viohn, and they thought that no perfon, as all 

 in London did, could goe beyond him." 



By connefting the fcattered fragments of this zealous 

 Diletante's life, which concern mufic, we (hall be able to 

 form an idea of the ftate of the art, not only at Oxford, 

 but in every other part of the kingdom where it was more 

 fecretly praftifed during the latter part of the Ufurpation. 



Under the year 1658, Anthony Wood tells us, that " he 

 entertained two eminent mufitians of London, named John 

 Gamble and Thomas Pratt, after they had entertained him 

 with mod excellent mufick at the meeting-houfe of William 

 Ellis. Gamble had obtained a great name among the 

 people of Oxon. for his book of ' Ayres and Dialoges to 

 be fung to the Theorbo, or Bafe-viol.' The other for 

 feveral compofitions, which they played in their conforts." 



He then gives an account of the arrival of Baltzar, a won- 

 derful performer on the violin, from Lubec, arriving at 

 Oxford, and deftroying, by his great fuperiority of hand, 

 all the little vanities, not only of the bed fiddle-players of 

 the univerfity, but of others from London, who had long 

 enjoyed the reputation of great performers. See Baltzar. 



Anthony Wood purfues his mufical records, and tells us, 

 that " all the time he could fpare from his beloved dudies 

 of EngUth hidory, antiquities, heraldry, and genealogies, he 

 fpent in the mod delightful facultie of mufick, indrumental 

 or vocal ; and if he had miffed the weekly meetings in the 

 houfe of William Ellis, he could not well enjoy himfelf all 

 the week after. Of all or mod of the company, when he 

 frequented that meeting, the names are fet downe under the 

 year 1656. As forthofe that came in after, and were now 

 performers, and with whom Anthony Wood frequently 

 played, were thefe : Charles Perot, M. A. fellow of Oriel 

 College, a well-bred gentleman, and a perfon of a fweet 

 nature; Chridopher Harrifon, M.A. fellow of Queen's 

 college, a maggot-headed perfon, and humourous ; Kenelm 

 Digby, fellow of All Soule's college, he was afterwards 

 Dr. of L., he was a violinid, and the two former viohds ; 

 William Bull, M.A. for the viol and viohn ; John Vincent, 

 M.A. a viohd ; Sylvanus Taylor, fellow of All Soule's 

 college, vio'.id and fongder, his elder brother, captain Silas 

 Taylor, was a compofer of mufick, played and fung liis 

 parts; Henry Langley, M.A. a vioUd and fongiler ; 

 Samuel Woodford, M.A. a viohd ; Francis Parry, M.A. 

 a viohd and fongder ; Chridopher Coward, and Henry 

 Bridgman, both maders of arts ; Nathan Crew, M.A. 

 a violinid and violid, but alwaies played out of tune, as 

 having no good eare, he was afterwards bidiop of Durham ; 

 Matthew Hutton, M.A. an excellent viohd ; Thomas Ken 

 of New college, afterwards bifliop of Bath and Wells, he 

 would be fometimes among them and fing his part ; Chrif- 



topher Jefferyes, a junior ftudent of Clirift church, excellent 

 at the organ and virginals, or harpficon, having been trained 

 up to thofe indruments by his father George Jefferyes, 

 organid to king Charles I. at Oxon. ; Richard Rhodes, 

 another junior itudent of Chrid church, a confident Wed- 

 monaderian, a violinid to hold between his knees." 



" Thefe did frequent the weekly meetings, and by the 

 help of pubhck maders of mufick, who were mixed with 

 them, they were much improved. Narciffus Marfh would 

 come fometimes among them, but feldom played, becaufe he 

 had a weekly meeting in his chamber, where maders of 

 mufick would come, and fome of the company before-men- 

 tioned. When he became principal of St. Alban's hall, he 

 tranflated the meeting thither, and there it continued, when 

 that meeting at Mr. Ellis's houfe was given over, and fo it 

 continued till he went over to Ireland, where he became 

 afterwards archbifhop of Tuam. 



" After his majedy's redoration, when the maders of 

 mufick were redored to their feveral places that they before 

 had lod, or gotten other preferment, the weekly meetings at 

 Mr. Elhs's houfe becan to decay, becaufe they were only 

 held up by fcholars who wanted direftors and indruftors. 

 So that thefe meetings were not continued above two or 

 three yeares, and I think they did not go beyond 1662." 



Our Oxford annalid terminates his account of the mufical 

 tranfaftions of that univerfity, during the interregnum, by 

 the following anecdote. 



" In OAober 1659, James Quin, M.A. and one of the 

 fenior dudents of Chrid church, a Middlefex man borne, 

 but fon of Walter Quin; of Dubhn, died in a crazed condi- 

 tion. Anthony Wood had fome acquaintance with him, 

 and hath feveral times heard him fing with great admiration. 

 His voice was a bafs, and he had a great command of it. 

 'Twas very drong and exceeding trouling, but he wanted 

 flcill, and could fcarce fing in confort. He had been turned 

 out of his dudenf 3 place by the vifitors ; but being well 

 acquainted with fome great men of thofe times, that loved 

 mufick, they introduced him into the company of Ohver 

 Cromwell, the proteftor, who loved a good voice and in- 

 drumental mufick well. He heard him fing with very 

 great delight, hquored him with fack, and in conclufion 

 faid, ' Mr. Quin, you have done very well, what (hall I 

 do for you ?' To which Quin made anfwer with great 

 compliments, of which he had command with a great grace, 

 that ' your highnefs would be pleafed to redore him to 

 his dudent's place ;' which he did accordingly, and fo kept 

 it to his dying day." 



If this minute and indifcriminate antiquary and biographer 

 is fometimes thought to want tade and feleftion fufhcient to 

 give his records due weight, it mud be afcribed to the con- 

 (tant habit he was in of journahzing, coUeAing anecdotes, 

 and making memorandums of every perfon, tranfa<ftion, and 

 circumdance, that arrived at his knowledge, in the uncouth 

 and antiquated language of his early youth. For this dialeft 

 being inelegant and vulgar, even when he learned it, renders 

 his writings frequently ridiculous, though they contain fuch 

 information as can be nowhere elfe obtained. But the few 

 opportunities he had of knowing the gradual changes in our 

 colloquial dialeft, by converfing with men of the world, or 

 even the language of elegant books by his favourite courfe 

 of reading, degrade him to a level with writers infinitely his 

 inferiors both in ufe and entertainment. An excellent 

 apology has been made for his imperfeftions by the editor 

 of his hfe, written by himfelf, and pubhlhed in 1772 ; which 

 is fo intereding, that he mud be an incurious inquirer, 

 indeed, who, having dipped into it, is not fufBciently faf- 

 cinated by the original fimplicity of the dyle and importance 



of 



