2% M U S 
tlve bufkins, the crown, and even the bandage and veil, of 
a tibicen, as may be leen on a beautiful amethyft in the 
king of France’s pofleffion, of Jneftimable value, which 
is fuppofed to have been engraved by command of this 
prince, and worn by him to gratify his vanity on account 
of his mufical excellence. Indeed the furname of Auletes 
is ferioufly given to him by Cicero, and by Strabo. He had 
likevvife an opprobrious appellation bellowed on him, by 
his own fubjects, in the Egyptian language, of the fame 
import, being called Pot/nngos, fignifying the fame as the 
Greek lilonaulos, or “ fugle flute.” His violent paflicn 
for mufic, and for the company of muficians, gained him 
the name of Neo? £iwa-os, the New Bacchus. 
A melancholy truth forces itfelf upon the mind in read¬ 
ing the hiltory of this prince, and that of the emperor 
Nero, whom he very much refembled ; which is, that, if 
the heart is depraved, mufic has not the power to corredt 
it. And, though thefe mufical princes obtained prizes 
in the public games, they acquired no honour to them- 
lelves, nor did they refleft any upon the profeflion of mufic. 
A mufician is fo diftant in character and dignity from a 
fovereign prince, that the one mull Hoop too low, or the 
other mount too high, before they can approximate ; and 
the public fuffers with equal impatience, a fovereign who 
degrades himfelf, or an artift who alpires at a rank above 
his Ration in the community. An inordinate love of 
fame, or a rapacious defire of monopolizing all the glory 
as well as goods of this world to themfelves, mull have 
incited thefe princes to enter the lifts in competition with 
perfons fo much their inferiors: a paflion that fliould al¬ 
ways be diftinguilhed from the love of mufic, which they 
might have gratified either from their own performance, 
or from that of others, in private, much more commodi- 
oully than on a public ftage. 
Among the Romans, the minftrels had the privilege of 
eating in the temple of Jupiter ; they wore a long gown 
as the badge of their profeflion, and claimed the liberty 
of walking in proceflion through the ftreets of Rome in 
their robes, three days in every year, exercifing their art, 
anc^ indulging themfelves in the molt extravagant excefles. 
The northern nations had likewife their bards, who 
were allowed confiderable rank, and refpefted with a de¬ 
gree of veneration. The laws of the ancient Germans 
were written in verfe, and the ftanzas in which they were 
compofed were generally fung. To the fongs of the 
bards, or Jkalds, we owe the firft accounts of the Swedifh 
hiftory. Thefe poets were held in high efteem ; they were 
conftantly admitted to the king’s prefence, and frequent¬ 
ly were both his generals and minifters. At a time when 
the knowledge of letters was not general in Europe, it is 
not to be wondered at, that many aftions thought wor¬ 
thy to be configned to pofterity were recorded in words 
compofed according to a certain meafure, by which the 
ear alone might determine if any word had been omitted 
or altered. 
Princes and great men, when they went from home, al¬ 
ways confidered the honour of their wives fecure, when 
under the protedlion of a lard. Aigyfthus could not get 
the advantage of Clytemneftra till he had removed the 
bard who was the guardian of her morals. It is however 
remarkable, that in the l'pace of twenty-nine years, the 
favourite bards or muficians of three queens, belonging 
to this illand, fell facrifices for departing from the ancient 
character.—Mark Smeaton, mufician and groom of the 
chamber to Anne Bullen, was acculed of being too great 
a favourite of the queen, for which he was executed 
May 12, 1536. — Thomas Abel, mufical preceptor and 
grammarian to queen Catharine, wife to Henry VIII. was 
hanged and quartered, July 30, 1540, for having written 
a treatife againft the divorce.—And David Rizzio, fecre- 
tary to Mary queen of Scots, on fufpicion of an impro¬ 
per correfpondence with her, was murdered in her pre¬ 
tence, March 9, 1565-. Charity, perhaps, may attribute 
their unhappy exits to the turbulence of the times in 
I c. 
which they lived.; but we certainly do not fet muficians 
to guard the chaftity of women in the prefent day. 
Among the Saxons and Danes, mufic was in great re¬ 
pute ; it is recorded that Alfred the Great introduced 
himfelf in the character of a harper info the Danilh camp ; 
and, pafiing unfufpedted through every quarter, he gained 
admiflion, by his excellence on that inftrument, to the 
principal general ; and, difcovering their great negledl of 
all military regulations, he'feized the favourable moment, 
took the field at the head of his troops, forced the camp, 
routed them with great (laughter, and gained a complete 
victory. See the article England, vol. vi. p. 550. 
It is related that the facred poet Cadmon, who lived 
during the heptarchy, had attached himfelf fo much to 
ferious ftudies, that he negledled mufic; and, being fome- 
times in company where the harp ufed to go round, (for 
it was cuftomary at feftivals, for each of the company to 
fing and -play in his turn,) he left the company, being 
alhamed that it fliould be remarked he was deficient in a 
branch of education which was efteemed neceflary to com¬ 
plete the character of a gentleman. Bede, lib. iv. c. 24. 
In one of the ecclefiaftical laws of Canute, the fecond 
Danilh monarch who fwayed the Englifli feeptre, among 
other things it is ordered, that every Chriftian learn the 
Lord’s Prayer and the Creed. In this law is a remarkable 
paflage, which ferves in lome meafure to fliow in what 
general ufe mufic was in thofe days; it fays, that “ Chrift 
himfelf fang- the Pater-nofter,” for which reafon perhaps 
our boys and girls are taught to Jing • the bible to this day. 
Mufic had been fo long in vogue, that at laft the word 
fingan came to fignify not only to fing, but to pray; a 
proof of this may be found in Oelfrick’s Canons to Bilhop 
Wulfin, where, in his direction for vifiting the fick, he 
expreffes the rule of St. James, “ And they lhull pray 
over him,” in thefe words: Hi him ofer fingon; that is, 
“ they lhall fing over him.” James iv. 14. 
Mufic was introduced into the Chriftian church by 
Chrift and his apoftles, as plainly appears in many parts 
of the New Teftament. St. Matthew fays, that, when 
our Saviour and his difciples had fung a hymn, they went 
out into the Mount of Olives. St. Mark gives the fame ac¬ 
count ; and this is recorded to have taken place immedi¬ 
ately after our Saviour’s inftitution-of his blefled lupper. 
Mattli. xxvi. Mark xiv. St. Paul, in his Epiftle to the 
Ephefians, a people diftinguilhed by peculiar vices, re¬ 
markable for drunkennefs and excels, admonifiies them 
thus : “ Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excels ; but 
be filled with the Spirit, Jpeaking to yourfelves in pfabns 
and hymns, and Jpiritnal Jongs, Jinging and making melody 
in your hearts unto the Lord .” Eph. v. 8. St. Matthew 
fays, “ When Jefus came into the ruler’s houfe, he faw 
the minftrels and the people making a noife ;” that is, they 
were tumultuoully bewailing and lamenting the ruler’s 
daughter. Matth. ix. 23. In the Afts ofthe Apoftles, we 
read, that “ Paul and Silas, being imprifoned, at mid¬ 
night prayed and Jang praifes unto God, and the prifoners 
heard them.” Adts xvi. 25. 
Among the Cambro-Britons, mufic was in fuch gene¬ 
ral eftirnation, that the character of a gentleman was con- 
fidered as imperfect, if he was not able to perform fufli- 
ciently on the harp to accompany the Wellh fongs ; and 
they paid the higheft refpect to their bards. The firft mu¬ 
fician, or bard, was the eighth officer in dignity at the 
court of the Wellh kings. Mufic was confidered by them 
as a regal accomplilhment; and to fing to the harp was 
thought neceflary to form a perfedt prince and complete 
hero. When Edward I. of England conquered Wales, 
he found that the longs of the Wellh bards had fo power¬ 
ful an influence over the minds of the people, that he 
adopted the cruel policy of putting them all to death. 
Britilh harpers were in great repute long before the con- 
queft. In Doomfday-book is recorded the bounty of 
William the Conqueror to his bard. 
Richard I. in his return from the holy wars in Paleftine, 
not 
