Page:A History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England During the Middle Ages.djvu/206

 i86 Hijiory of Domejiic Manners from a manufcript of the thirteenth century in the Britilli Muleum (MS. Harl. No. 5102), reprefents king David finging his pfalms to the harp, while three mulicians accompany him. The firft, who fits befide him, is playing on the llialm or pfaltery, which is frequently figured in the illuminations of manufcripts. One of the two upper figures is playing on bells, which alfo is a defcription of mufic often reprefented in the illuminations of different periods j and the other is blowing the horn. Thefe are all infl:ruments of folemn and ecclefiaftical mufic. In the next cut (No. 127), taken from a manufcript of the fourteenth century (MS. Reg. 2 B. vii.), the llialm is placed in the hands of a nun, while a friar is performing on a rather Angularly lliaped cittern, or lute. In other manufcripts we find the ordinar}' mufical infi:ruments placed No. 127. Muficians cf the Clo'ifter. in the hands of the angels 3 as in the early fourteenth centur}' MS. Reg. 2 B. vii., in a reprefentation (copied in our cut No. 128) of the creation with the morning flars finging together, and all the fons of God fliouting for joy, an angelic choir are making melody on the trumpet, fiddle, cittern, llialm, and harp. There is another choir of angels at p. 168 of the fame MS., with two citterns and two flialms, a fiddle and a trumpet. Similar reprefentations occur in the choirs of churches. In the bolfes of the ceiling of Tewkefbury abbey church we fee angels playing the cittern (with a pleftrum), the harp (with its cover feen enveloping the lower half of the inftrument), and the cymbals. In the choir of Lincoln cathedral.