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A DESCRIPTION OF THE IRISH HARP, FROM AN ANCIENT POEM, &c. . 102 The Bard, Davydd ab Gwilym, who flourished about the end of the 14th century, has given fuch droll and interefting particulars refpecting the Irish Harp, as well as the Welsh Harp of that period, that I am unwilling to omit any thing which may throw light on the subject; therefore fhall avail myself of it, by giving a literal tranflation of his Cowydd y Delyn Ledr, or Poem on the Leathern Harp; which is as follows: "Grant, bounteous God, that the bleffings may dawn of the mirthful manners of Wales in times of yore! The choiceft fpot; a fair garden, for the enjoyment of life thou wert, whilft the time of Clera continued, and the learning of the good old Cymry! Now, alas! cold the news; there is a noify ftrumming amongst us, of difmal crazy fided Harps, or Leathern wickets. David had not one string from dead sheep; long profper the faith. The Minstrels of the serious prophet David, with all the cunning of their divination, never formed one Harp exquifitely pleasing, but of shiny hair, yet pure the fong! Wife is the easy and fprightly defcription of the Harp ftrung with gloffy black hair.-The hair-ftrung Harp, a worthy gift! by the bounty of Heaven which came complete to David, and was, and henceforth fhall continue, from the beginning of the world: an ample thought! till the day of doom; awful contemplation!"

"There is none who would wish for life among us, fhould he be skilled in mufic; for there is nothing but the din of this Leathern Harp; (fie on the office!) profperous it shall not be, played with a horny nail of unpleafant form; only the graceless bears it. For a learner, it will be difficult in a month to put it in tunethe copper-tinted ftrumpet; an ugly plague, like the naked curve of the rainbow, a frightful form. It is the murmur of young fprawling crows, a pleafing brood affected by the rain.--Having an ardent thirst for perfection, I loved not its button-covered trough, nor its mufic; nor its inteftines, founding eventful disgust; nor its yellowish colour, nor its gaudiness, nor its unconnected angle, nor its bending pillar: it is the vile that loves it. Under the preffure of the eight fingers, ugly is the fwell of its body, with its canvas fmock its trunk, and its hoarfe found, were but formed for an age-worn Saxon. It is like the wild neighing and difmal roar of fome bay mare after horses. The unceafing din through the night is a perfect fifter to the frightful yellow hag of Rhós 1.”

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"It is the noife of a lame goofe among the corn; a fquealing, foolish, Irish witch; it is the rumbling of the mill-ftream of crazy leap; and like the fhrieking, wry-necked hare. wry-necked hare. It is the wooden fickle of a prude of yore, or the tottering fhin of an old woman.'

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"Let every musical Profeffor, from the English marches, as far as Mono's ifle, learn to play upon a fair Harp, with ftrings of jetty hair; and to impart inftructions, as was ufual in the time of our old forefathers: I proclaim it! As for the other, giftless, twanging one, let no difciple bear it in the face of day *.'

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According to the above poem, Davydd ab Gwilym feems partial to the Harp ftrung with gloffy hair, which formerly was curioufly plaited: yet, it appears evident, from the ancient Welfh laws, that only the under graduates were obligated to use the hair-ftrung Harp until they took a degree. It feems alfo, that the body of fome of the ancient Harps were covered with leather; (fomewhat fimilar, perhaps, to

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Ar eur-glod, caine yr arglwydd.

The translation of the fame,

The fweet polifhed trunk, fair and light the load, the form of a heart, between the breast and the arm a tone and found the ftrings produce:

To effect this tone, four things concur;

From a Poem by Rifiart Cynwal, to folicit a wood, fkin, and hair, lovely and complete the gift;

Harp, about A. D, 1680.

The tranflation.

The Harp of Llywelyn, the prince most honoured through ages, was completely filled with hair ftrings, curiously braided, to hymn golden praifes to the Lord.

"Eve a ddyly i gan bôb Cerddorion ievanc, pan ymadawont a Thelyn rawn, a mynnu bôd yn Gerddawr cyweithas ; ac yn eirchiad bedair ar hugaint o ariant yn ei obrwy."Leges Wallicae, Lib. I. p. 69. See alfo, pages 28 and 32 of this Book.

Lleddu lathr gavn vygr yfgavn vaich,

Llun calon rhwng bron a braich ;

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which with bone must be tightened.

A Minstrel, of nearly the fame period, likewife gives a dee fcription of himself and Harp, in the following words:

"If I have my Harp, I care for no more,
"It is my treasure, I keep it in ftore;
"For, my Harp is made of a good mare's skin;
"The ftrings be of horse-hair, it maketh a good din.
"My fong, and my voice, and my Harp doth agree,
"Much like the buzzing of an humble bee:
"Yet in my country I do make paftime.
"In telling of prophecy which be not in rhyme."—
The first Book of the Introduction of Knowledge, by
Andrew Borde.

From a Poem of Siôn Phylip, about A. D. 1580.

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AN ACCOUNT OF THE HARP AMONG THE ANCIENT WELSH.

the ancient Corugl, Coracle, or British boats, which were made of hoops, and covered with horfes hides, as mentioned by Cafar, and Pliny.) I am informed by Mr. William Williams, that when a boy, he had an old leathern Harp, which he used to play upon. The body of it was hollowed, or fcooped, out of a piece of wood, and covered over with an ox's skin, which was fewed extremely tight at the back; and the pegs, which the ftrings were screwed with, were made of bone, or of ivory.

With regard to the compass of the ancient Welsh Harp, it is now difficult to ascertain this with precision, as it received various alterations, and improvements at different periods; therefore, it is the fruit of deep researches of divers speculative lovers of mufic. The late Mr. Lewis Morris attributes its rife and progress to the Bardic Druids, who had a great knowledge of mufic, when it was at the lowest ebb with all the other European nations. There appears to have been a great deal of thought and art employed upon. the formation of this inftrument, and that it was not a work of chance.! It may be a question worthy a mathematician to anfwer, what curve the ftrings will form, fo as to bear all an equal stress, fuppofing them to increase in thickness, from the shortest Treble to the longest Bass string, so that none of them would be more liable to break than another, and yet be equally tight under the fingers, according to their length, when put in tune?

On a farther investigation, I find there are mufical compofitions ftill in being, which I have already mentioned in pages 28 and 29, that decidedly point out the compafs of the Harp at a very early period; some of those melodies are said to have been played about the year 520, and they extend from G, the first line in the bass, to D in Alt; (that is, 26 diatonic notes.) There are also other pieces, in the fame manuscript, of about the year 1100, and fome later, which extend from double C in the bass, to G in Alt. According to Mercennus, the Cithara Antiqua, or Ancient Harp, had but one row of strings, which confifted of twenty-four chords; viz. from G, the first line in the bass, to G, the fifth space in the

treble..

It appears by an addrefs, written to folicit a Harp, in the reign of Elizabeth, that," twenty-nine ftrings, or more," were then about the extent of the Harp. I faw an old Harp, that formerly belonged to William ab Owen, of Pencraig Inco, in Caernarvonshire, which is faid to have been made upwards of two hundred years ago, about the reign of Elizabeth. It had one row of ftrings, confifting of thirty-three. It was four feet nine inches high, and made of Pren Masarn, or Sicamore wood, as all the Harps and Viols are ftill made of, except the found-board, which is made of deal. Query, whether the fine Cedar would not be better for making stringed instruments of, as King David, and King Solomon made all their Harps, and Pfalteries of Algum trees, or Cedars?

In early time, the Single Harp was small and portable, and rather confined in the number of strings. It was always obliged to be tuned when the key required to be changed; but, when any accidental sharp was requifite in the middle of a tune, the performer ran up his hand close to the comb, and stopped the ftring dexterously with his thumb, while he played it with his finger. Likewise, fome of the fingle-row Harps had Gwrachod, which were, a kind of angular pegs; the longest end of each, served as a pin, to keep the bottom, or knot end of the string fast in the found-board; and the shortest angle of each of them served for the ftring to vibrate against, so as to cause a tremulous continuation of the found, not very unlike the effect of a trumpet-marine. Sometimes these pegs were turned off the strings, about one. fourth round, fo as not to produce the tremuluous tones.

'Mr. Lewis Morris's letter to the Cymmrodorion Society, on the ftructure of the Welsh Harp. Alfo, Peter Ramus fays, "that Britain had twice the honour of inftructing Gaul by the Druids, and by Alcuint; which laft was of fingular fervice to Charlemagne, in establishing the University at Paris."

Cafar's Commentaries of his wars in Gaul, Book VI. chap. 13.

+ Alcuin flourished in the latter part of the 8th century.

Gough's Camden, Vol. 1. p. cvii. of the Introduction.

• Angyles bêr rhwng ceraint,

A lluniaidd yw, llawn o ddaint ;
Nodais do, ond ydyw 'flór,
Naw a'r bugain, neu 'n rhagor,
A rhain yn ffin er's ennyd,

En bér iawn o'r rhawn ar hyd. Davydd Benwyn, A. D. 1584.

This poetical petition probably was written for an undergraduate, because it mentions hair strings:

5 See page 92 -The firft kind of cedar is the cedar of Lebanon. It is fometimes kept in the gardens of the curious:

See alfo, Pennant's Tour in Wales, Vol. I. p. 459, of the the wood is of a reddifh colour, fomething refinous, of a ftrong fecond edition.

Merfennus, Liber Primus, de Inftrumentis Harmonicis, propofito XLIII. p. 70, 1632.

agreeable fmell, and it is faid, it never will decay. Alfo, it is ufed in phyfic, as a fudorific.

The angular pegs are called Gwrachod, probably from their being crooked, like an old Hag.

In

In process of time, the Double Harp, or Harp with two rows of ftrings, was invented, which supplied the deficiency, and obviated the difficulty, in fome degree, of the flats and fharps; though they had a method of producing them long before, which was by tuning, and by judiciously stopping the strings ; the latter they executed, with great skill, whilst they were playing: but, query, whether the found of those could be fo clear as the other strings? I have already described the Double Harp, in the preceding pages of 96 and 99.

The next improvement was the Triple Harp, or Harp with three rows of strings; which probably was invented in the fourteenth century; though I have not been able to find any particulars respecting it fooner than about the year 1450, in a monody of the bard, Siôn Eos, which contains the following paffage :

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Galileo, in the year 1582, defcribing the double Harp, mentions the number of ftrings in Harps of that period; viz. "fifty-four, fifty-fix, fifty-eight, and as far as fixty" confequently, it feems more than probable, that the latter was a triple Harp which he alludes to, as having fixty strings. Marfennus, likewise, in the year 1632, has delineated the triple Harp; and fays, it extended four octaves, but confifted altogether of seventy-five strings 2.

The prefent Triple Harp extends to the compafs of five octaves, and one note. The two outfide rows are the diatonics, which are both tuned in unifons, and in any key that the performer means to play in the treble row of them confifts of twenty-feven strings, that is, from A in alt down to C in the bass; and the oppofite row, or unifons, (which are played with the bafs hand,) extends from A in alt as low as double G in the bass, which is thirty-feven ftrings: and the middle row, being the flats and sharps, extends from alto G fharp, down to double B natural, in the bass; confifting of 34 strings. All the three rows together, amount to ninety-eight strings. See this Harp delineated in the trophy of the Musical Instruments, in page 89.-In playing upon the Welsh Harp, as well as the Irish Harp, it has always been customary to incline it against the left shoulder, and to play the treble with the left hand, and the bass with the right hand. But, the contrary is now more usual in performing on the Pedal Harp, which is, to rest it against the right shoulder, fo as to play the treble with the right hand, and the bass with the left. This recent cuftom originated, probably, for the fake of making it more uniform, and familiar to those who play on the Piano-forte. Though, at the fame time it is evident, that the Harpsi

chord firft originated from the Harp 4.

There is one idea worthy of remark, the Druidic Bards had an extraordinary veneration for the number

' Vinc. Galileo's Dialogue on Ancient and Modern Mufic, p. 143, &c. Merfennus, Liber Primus, de inftrumentis Harmonicis, Propofito XLIII. p. 68 and 69.

After him, John Richards, who died about 25 years ago, was the most celebrated maker of the Triple Harp of his time. In the latter part of his life, he was retained as a pensioner at the late Mr. Gwynn's, of Glan-bran, (a great lover of mufic, in Caermarthenshire ;) during that period, John Richards made him upwards of twenty harps; becaufe Mr. Gwynn had fuch a high opinion of his inftruments, that he despaired of ever attaining a good one, when John Richards died.+ The Manichordij, Clavicytherium, or Clavicimbalum, was It appears, by a Welfh ftanza, that Davydd Morris, of originally a kind of an upright Spinet, or Harpfichord; and Dolgam, near Llanrwft, who lived about 150 years ago, was fuppofed to have been conftructed from the Harp. Afteran eminent Harp maker at that time. Alfo it feems that awards, it was made horizontal, and called Clavichord, Clariwhite Harp, unvarnifhed, or uncoloured, was then not un-chord, or Virginal, because, it was played by Nuns, and young

Some of its prefent appendages were the additions of the latter centuries. I faw a painting, of an old Triple Harp, which had only fifty-feven ftrings. Now there are fome Triple Harps that have above a hundred strings, including the three rows together.

common.

Old Evan, who lived in London about the beginning of the laft century, is faid to have been a famous Harp-maker, and instructor of John Richards, of Llanrwst, in his art,

Virgins. After that, it was fometimes termed Harp couched or Spinet: then Harpfichord, Piano Forte, Grand Piano Forte, &c.-Merfennus de Inftrumentis Harmonicis, Lib. I. p. 65-Lufesnius's Mufurgia, p. 8 and 9. And fee the preceding page 97.

Three ;

105.

OF THE TRIPLE HARP, THE PEDAL HARP, &c.

Three', for instance, their Triads 2; their triplet verfes3; their Harps being triangular, and their tuning keys having three arms; likewife, a little more than three centuries ago, the Harp received the addition of a triple row of ftrings. The Harmonical Triad, or mufical confonance (of a fifth, a third, and fundamental note.) The Triple time, or meafure, in mufic: A Trio; a Canon3; &c.

The next improvement on the Harp was the Pedals, by which addition this inftrument was again reduced nearly to its original fize, and former fimplicity of a fingle row of ftrings. The Pedal Harp is ufually tuned in the key of E flat; and the use of the Pedals, is to make the occafional fharps, and to alter it into the different keys without the trouble of tuning; therefore, by these mechanical pedals, it evades those inconveniences which are fubject to the Triple Harp, and is rendered much less complicated, and commodious., At the fame time, I am rather an advocate for the Triple Harp, because I admire its venerable and stately appearance; and particularly the sweet re-echoing effect of its unifons, which are played with both hands, and are peculiar to that inftrument. Notwithstanding, when it is compared with the Pedal Harp, which has modern elegance, as well as conveniences blended, confequently the preference is given in favour of the latter. The ufual compafs of the Pedal Harp is from double G at bottom to double D in alt, confifting of forty ftrings: alfo, there are fome, that are of still greater compass. Sometimes the Pedal Harp is called the German Harp, because its pedals are said to have been first invented by a German. However, I fhall quote here what Dr. Burney fays on the subject: "The Pedal Harp is very much practised by the ladies at Bruffels as well as at Paris: it is a sweet and becoming inftrument, and lefs cumbrous and unweildy than our triple Welsh Harp. The compass is from double Bb to F in altiffimo; it is capable of great expreffion, and of executing whatever can be played on the harpfichord: there are about thirty-three ftrings upon it, which are the mere natural notes of the diatonic scale; the reft are made by the feet. This method, of producing the half-tones on the Harp by pedals, was invented at Bruffels, (about fifty years ago,) by M. Simon, who refides in that city. It is an ingenious and useful contrivance, in more refpects than one: for, by reducing the number of strings, the tones of those that remain are improved; as it is well known that, the less an inftrument is loaded, the more freely it vibrates ".".

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"The Harp paffed for the most majestic of inftruments; and, on this account, the French romancers place it in the hands of their greatest heroes, as the ancient Greek-poets did the Lyre. It was in fuch general favour, in the fourteenth century, that the old Poet, Machau, has made it the subject of a poem, called Le Dict de la Harpe, (the Ditty, or Poem, upon the Harp,) and praises it as an inftrument too good to be profaned in taverns, or places of debauchery, faying that it fhould be used by Knights,

What mystery might be in the number Three, among the It is impoffible that the Ancient British Bards fhould have Britons, is not eafy to determine, unless it were in regard to been ignorant of Harmony. They certainly knew it, long be its perfection, as being the firft of odd numbers, and con-fore Guido's time. In the first place, the Harp is the earliest taining in it, a beginning, a middle, and an end. For this inftrument, it had the greateft number of ftrings, and it was reafon it has been faid, that three was all. It is likewife called the firft played with the fingers of both hands. Therefore, is the holy number, and was thought the most proper and fit for it probable, that the Britons fhould have performed on the every thing that related to religion. There is now extant a Harp from time immemorial; and been obliged to study treatise in folio, intitled, Mylica Numerorum Significationis, writ- twelve, or fifteen years before they paft their degrees; and to ten by one Peter Bongus, and publifhed at Bergamo, in the year ufe both hands, and ten fingers, and yet to avoid falling into 1585; the fole end of which is to unfold the mysteries, and fomething like counterpoint, or compofitions in parts? In fact, explain the properties of certain numbers.a third, a fifth, or a chord, are more eafily ftruck on the Harp, than a fingle note, because the ftrings lie convenient, and natural for the hand. If any one wishes for farther illuftration on this head, fee pages 29, 35, 36, of this work. And proofs from Ancient writers in Mr. Stilling fleet's Principles of the Power of Harmony, p. 132 and 133.

See the Triads, in pages 10, 11, 12; and in 79, &c. 3 See page 4 and 5.

4 Alfo, Trimarchwys, or a British war chariot, had three horses, a charioteer and two attendants. " A tri March, a gwys or Gweifion" The Trefoil was much reverenced, and accounted the husbandman's Almanack, by reafon, when it shutteth in the leaves, it fortelleth rain. Their ancient feats are alfo three-footed, or tripods, as well as their trevets, kettles, and other implements. And Morgan fays, that of old, the letter T (Tau,) was the Hieroglyphick of fecurity.

A Canon, or fong, in two, three, or more, parts. It is extraordinary, though a fact, that the term Canon, appears as far back as the fixth century, in Aneurin's poem on the Months; which runs thus: "Mis Medi mydr y nghanon."

In September comes the metrical Canon.

A Canon is again mentioned by a Bard of the middle ages,
in a poem of thanks for a bow:
Brawd gwyn a brydai ganon,

Têg yw o Lan gatwg lên Thomas Derllyfg,

Burney's prefent fate of Mufic in Germany, Netherlands, and United Provinces, Vol. I. p. 59, fecond edition, octavo. Likewife, Dr. Burney mentions, that when he was at Vienna, about thirty-two years fince, "M. Mut, a good performer, played a piece on the fingle Harp, without pedals, which renders it a very difficult inftrument, as the performer is obliged to make the femitones by brafs rings with the left hand, which, being placed at the top of the Harp, are not only hard to get at, but difagreeable to hear, from the noife, which by a fudden the femitones by Pedals, is not yet arrived at Vienna; and motion of the hand they occafion. The fecret of producing the Double Harp is utterly unknown there. This player, though highly esteemed, did not fulfil all my ideas of the power of that inftrument." Ibid, Vol I. p. 284.

Efquires,

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Efquires, Clerics, persons of rank, and ladies with plump and beautiful hands; and that its courteous and gentle founds should be heard only by the elegant and good. (At that period,) it had twenty-five strings; to each of which the poet gives an allegorical name: calling one liberality, another wealth, a third politeness, a fourth youth, &c. applying all thefe qualities to his Mistress, and comparing her to the Harp'."

It does not appear that the Saxons had the Harp, nor letters 2, prior to their arrival in Britain, which was about the end of the fifth century, in the reign of Gwrtheyrn, or Vortigern, the 82d king of Britain. About the beginning of the eighth century, the Harp appears to have been in high estimation among the Saxons. Venerable Bede records, that at one of their feafts, for the fake of conviviality, it was agreed that all the guests should fing in their turn: as foon as Cadmon faw the Harp approach near him, he rose up, for shame, from the table, and retired home 3. About that period also, it was ufual to learn both to read and fing at schools.

The manner of finging with the Harp, among the Britons, I have already mentioned, in pages 34, 35, 60, and 61, of this work. Shakespear alludes alfo to this custom of finging to the Harp, amongst the English, in the time of Henry the Fourth 5.

The grand Coronation of Henry the Fifth, held at Westminster in the year 1413, is recorded by Elmham, from whom the following is literally tranflated. "What festival, I befeech you, can be deemed more important than one which is honoured with the presence of so many royal perfonages; but fuch a multitude of chiefs, and ladies; where the tumultuous founds of fo many trumpets compel the Heavens to re-echo with a noise like thunder. The harmony of the Harpers, drawn from their instruments, ftruck with the rapideft touch of the fingers, note against note, and the soft angelic whispering of their modulations, are gratifying to the ears of the guests. The mufical concert also, of other inftruments, which had learnt to be free from all fort of diffonance, invites to fimilar entertainment

"

699

St. Dunstan, who lived in the tenth century, is reprefented by a writer of his life, that he could, like David, take the Pfaltery, handle the Organ, touch the Cymbal, and strike the Harp. And as David, with his inftrument, calmed the disturbed fpirit of Saul, fo did Dunstan, by his mufic, exhilarate the heart of his Prince, after his being haraffed by worldly cares. This Saint's Harp was indeed endued with a miraculous power, which David's never poffeffed; for, when fufpended on the wall of Dunstan's cell, it would, without the interpofition of any visible hand, pour out the most harmonious founds.

This reminds me of Eolus's Harp, invented by Kircher, about the year 1649: which is fimply a box with about 15 ftrings, or more, all tuned in unison, or with an octave: when this inftrument is put in a window, the wind founds it, and fometimes produces a wonderful effect of harmony, and swelling and diminishing of founds. If it was poffible to add tune, and time to it, it would be the most perfect of all inftruments. The Æolian Harp is exquifitely described, in a poem by Thomfon ", and by others.

"Burney's Hiftory of Mufic," Vol. II. p. 262. And Re Medes de Fortune, par Mr. Machau-On an antique ewer, dug up near Soiffons, is a representation of fome musicians, one of which is a player on the Harp. The chapel of St. Julian des Menefiriers, at Paris, was built in 1331, by Jaques Grure and Hugues de Lorrain, two of the Jongleurs, or Minstrels, of Philip de Valois, and on the portico of which are fome minstrels defcribed. See Burney's Hiftory of Mufic, Vol. II. page 264. Likewife, I am informed, there is another church at Paris, called St. John des Meneftriers, and founded by the Minstrels,

in 1330.

See Lhuyd's Preface to his Archeologia Britannica; Aty Cymry. "Lewis's Ancient Hiftory of Great Britain, page 61, of the Introduction." And note 10 in pages 7 and 8, far as page 16, of this volume of the Bards.

and as

3 Bede's Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, lib. IV. cap. 24. Among the Greeks alfo, mufic was esteemed a neceffary accomplishment: and an ignorance in this art was regarded as a capital defect. Of this we have an instance, even in Themiftocles himself, who was upbraided with his ignorance in mufic. Cicero Tufc. lib. i. The whole country of Cynathe laboured under a fimilar reproach; and all the enormous crimes committed there, were attributed by the neighbouring states, to the neglect of Mufic; which may be faid, in fome measure to comprehend religion, polity, and morality. Athenæus, Polybius, and Ariftotle.-When the lyre came more into ufe, it was ufual for all thofe that were at their entertainments to play upon it alternately till it

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Sumpfit fecum ex more Cytharam fuam,

Quam paterni Lingua Hearpam vocamus. Cap. ii. n. 12. Thorpe's Antiquities of Kent, p 95 and 1c2. Darwent Church, in Kent, is faid to have been built about the year 940, and upon the font is fculptured the figure of King David, playing on the Harp, which probably was executed in the time of Dunstan. Ibid. p. 94, fol.

9 Kircher's Mufurgia: and Hawkin's Hift. of Music, Vol. IV. p. 218.

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Dodfley's Poems, Vol. III. p. 4 of the 5th edition: Vol. IV. p. 267. And Thomson's Castle of Indolence, Canto Ift, 39, 40, and 41.

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