■'54(5 . MI'NS 
incurred the cenfure of-government,-by which it was 
• ft ri fitly enjoined that they Should henceforth neither in 
public nor private fpeak, act, or ling, any thing that was 
indecorous or unfit formodeft eyes and ears, upon pain of 
two months’ imprifonment, and living on bread and water. 
In the reign of Charles VI. they feem to have relinquished 
the juggling art, and to have confined themfelves more 
particularly to the practice of muiic. It was about this 
time that treble and bafs rebecs, or viols with three fixings, 
■began to be in ufe, either to play in octaves to each other, 
-or perhaps in a coarle kind of counterpoint, of which the 
laws were now forming : on this oCcafion the minltrels af- 
fumed the title of “ players on high and low instruments” 
(joueurs des inflxumens tant haut comvne bas), which 
Seems to imply treble and bafs inftruments. And the 
charter under this denomination was confirmed in 14.01. 
In Italy, it may be naturally S’uppofed that thefe fabri¬ 
cators of amufement were well rewarded. But what ap¬ 
pears the moil extraordinary, and different from our pre- 
fent cuftoms, is, that thecoftly and gorgeous robes, which 
it was ufual for princes to receive from other great per- 
l’onages who viiited their courts at fealts, or upon their 
marriage, as marks of their friendship and refpefit, were 
beftowed on thefe people. Benvenuto Aliprando, an old 
rultic poet, in his Chronicle, describes a marriage at the 
great court of Mantua, in the year 1340, while under the 
dominion of the Gonzaga family. “ At that time,” fays 
lie, “ the different princes and nobles of Italy, whole 
names he mentions, prefented the Gonzaglii with a va¬ 
riety of rich and precious veftments, which were called 
role, robes, and which were afterwards given to mu- 
fipians and buffoons,” as the old poet informs us in the 
following lines : 
Tvtte le role fopra nominate, 
Furon in tntto treat ’ otto e trecento, 
A baffoni efonatpri donate. 
And all thefe coftly robes of Slate, 
In all three hundred thirty-eight, 
To fidlers and buffoons were given. 
The family of Gonzaga, in return, reciprocally exercifed 
munificence towards the nobles w-ho viiited them, as the 
fame old poet informs us in the following rude verfes: 
Otto giorno la corte ft durare 
Form cri, ginflri, bagordi facia, 
Sellar, cantor', eJ'onar facean fare, 
Quattro cento fonator Ji dicia 
Con bnffoni alia corte Ji t.rovoe. 
Soba e danar donar lor Ji facia. 
Ciaf 'cun molto contento Ji chiamoe, Jc. 
Eight days thefe fports were held, where valiant knights 
In tilts and tournaments their prowefs Show, 
And minllrels, full four hundred, crown the rites, 
While dance and fong teach ev’ry heart to glow. 
To thele and each buffoon who here was found, 
Or gold was given, or robes of coflly fort; 
And all, fo well their fpritely arts were crown’d. 
Depart contented from the fplendid court. 
With what magnificence the princes of the houfe of Vif- 
conti lupported theircourt at Milan, during the lame cen¬ 
tury, is frequently described by Corio the hiftorian ; but 
he particularly excites our wonder by his account of the 
Solemn pomp with which the nuptials of Lionel duke of 
Clarence, fon of Edward III. king of England, was cele¬ 
brated in 1368, with Violante, the daughter of Galeazzo 
Vifconti, duke of Milan. This event is circumstantially 
related by leveral other ancient historians of Italy ; and 
Aliprando of Mantua tells us, that Lionel gave five hun¬ 
dred Superb drefies to the minltrels, musicians, and buf¬ 
foons, who were then alfembled at Milan ; that Galeazzo 
prelented them with many more ; and Bernabo, his bro¬ 
ther, rewarded them munificently with money on the oc- 
s.uion. 
r 11 e l. 
The cuftom of prefenting muficians with fupertr aitii 
expensive dreiles, during the 14th century, in the manner 
already related, feems to have travelled into England, and 
to have continued here till after the establishment of the 
king’s, band of four-and-twenty performers ; part of their 
prelent falary being Still paid at the wardrobe-office, as an 
equivalent for the annual drefs with which they ufed to 
be furnished at his majefty’s expenfe. 
Even fo late as the reign of Henry VIII. the reciters of 
verfes or moral Speeches learnt by heart, intruded without 
ceremony into all companies ; not only in taverns, but in 
the houfes of the nobility themfelves. This we learn 
from Erafmus, whofe argument led him only to deferibe 
a Species of thefe men who did not Sing their compositions ; 
but the others that did, enjoyed without doubt the fame 
privileges. We find that the minStrels continued down 
to the reign of Elizabeth ; in whofe time they had lolt 
much of their dignity, and were finking into contempt 
and neglefit. Yet Still they fuftained a character far Supe¬ 
rior to any thing we can conceive at prefent of the fingers 
of old ballads. 
When queen Elizabeth was entertained at Killingworth 
Caftle by the earl of Leicester in 1575, among the many 
devices and pageants which were exhibited for her enter¬ 
tainment, one of the perfonages introduced was that of 
an ancient minStrel, whofe appearance and drefs are ft> 
minutely deferibed by a writer there preSent, and gives us 
So diltinfitan idea of the charafiter, that we fnall quote the 
paffage at large. “ A perSon very meet feemed he for the 
purpole, of axlv. years old, apparelled partly as he would 
liimfelf. His cap off: his head feemingly rounded ton- 
Sterwife : fair kembed, that, with a Sponge daintly dipt in 
a little capon’s greafe, was finely fmoothed, to make it 
Shine like a mallard’s wing. His beard Snugly Shavpn : 
and yet his Shirt after the newtrink, with ruffs fair Starched, 
Sleeked, and gliftering like a pair of new Shoes, marfhelled 
in good order with a felting Stick and Strut, that every ruff’ 
Stood up like a wafer. A Side [i. e. lolig] govvu of Ken- 
dale green, after the freihnefs of the year now, gathered 
at the neck with a narrow gorget, fastened afore with x 
white clafp and a keeper dole up to the chin; but eafily, 
for heat, to undo when he lift. Seemingly begirt in a red 
caddis girdle : from that a pair of capped Sheffield knives 
hanging a’ two fides. Out of his bofo’m drawn from a 
lappet of his napkin edged with a blue lace, and marked 
with a D for Damian ; for he was but a bachelor yet. His 
gown had fide [i. e. long] Sleeves down to midleg, Slit front 
the lhoulder to the hand, and lined with white cotton. 
His doublet Sleeves of black vvorfted : upon them a pair 
of points of tawny chamlet laced along the wrift with blue 
threaden pointes. A wealt towards the hands of fuftian- 
a-napes. A pair of red neather ltocks. A pair of pumps 
on his feet, with a crofs cut at his toes for corns; not 
new indeed, yet cleanly blackt with loot, and Shining as 
a fhoing-horn. About his neck a red ribband fuitable to 
his girdle. His harp in good grace dependent before him. 
His wrelt tyed to a green lace and hanging by : under the 
gorget of his gown a fair flaggon chain (pewter for) filver, 
as a Squire MinSlrel of Middlesex, that travelled the coun¬ 
try this Summer leafon, unto fair and worlhipful men’s 
houfes. From his chain hung a fcutcheon, with metal 
and colour, refplendent upon his brealt, of the ancient 
arms of Islington.” This minSlrel is del’cribed as belong¬ 
ing to that village. We fuppofe Shell as were retained by 
noble families wore their arms hanging down by a iilver 
chain as a kind of badge. From the expreilion of Squire 
Minllrel above, we may conclude there were other infe¬ 
rior orders, as Yeomen Minltrels or the like. This min¬ 
llrel, the author tells us a little below, “ after three lowly 
courteiies, cleared his voice with a hem—and wiped his 
lips with the hollow of his hand for ’riling his napkin j 
tempered a firing or two with his wrift; and, after a little 
warbling on his harp for a prelude, came forth with a So¬ 
lemn Jong, warranted for Story out of King Arthur’s afits, 
&c,” 
2 
Towards 
