two or three fiddlers; now, nine or ten of
the best then, nothing but rushes upon the ground, and every thing else
mean; and now, all otherwise: then, the Queen seldom and the King never
would come; now, not the King only for state, but all civil people do
think they may come as well as any. He tells me that he hath gone several
times, eight or ten times, he tells me, hence to Rome to hear good
musique; so much he loves it, though he never did sing or play a note.
That he hath ever endeavoured in the late King's time, and in this, to
introduce good musique, but he never could do it, there never having been
any musique here better than ballads. Nay, says, "Hermitt poore" and
"Chevy Chese"

["Like hermit poor in pensive place obscure" is found in "The
Phoenix Nest," 1593, and in Harl. MS. No. 6910, written soon after
1596. It was set to music by Alfonso Ferrabosco, and published in
his "Ayres," 1609. The song was a favourite with Izaak Walton, and
is alluded to in "Hudibras" (Part I., canto ii., line 1169). See
Rimbault's "Little Book of Songs and Ballads," 1851, p. 98. Both
versions of the famous ballad of "Chevy Chase" are printed in
Percy's "Reliques."]

was all the musique we had; and yet no ordinary fiddlers get so much money
as ours do here, which speaks our rudenesse still. That he hath gathered
our Italians from several Courts in Christendome, to come to make a
concert for the King, which he do give L200 a-year a-piece to: but badly
paid, and do come in the room of keeping four ridiculous gundilows,

[The gondolas mentioned before, as sent by the Doge of Venice. See
September 12th, 1661]

he having got, the King to put them away, and lay out money this way; and
indeed I do commend him for it, for I think it is a very noble
undertaking. He do intend to have some times of the year these operas to
be performed at the two present theatres, since he is defeated in what he
intended in Moorefields on purpose for it; and he tells me plainly that
the City audience was as good as the Court, but now they are most gone.
Baptista tells me that Giacomo Charissimi is still alive at Rome, who was
master to Vinnecotio, who is one of the Italians that the King hath here,
and the chief composer of them. My great wonder is, how this man do to
keep in memory so perfectly the musique of the whole act, both for the
voice and the instrument too. I confess I do admire it: b