ight of
reading the Izaak Walton of music. It is a most quaint and curious
treatise upon "the Noble Lute, the best of instruments," with a chapter
upon "the generous Viol," by Thomas Mace, "one of the clerks of Trinity
College in the University of Cambridge." Master Mace deigns not to
mention keyed instruments, probably regarding keys as old sailors regard
the lubber's hole,--fit only for greenhorns. The "Noble Lute," of which
Thomas Mace discourses, was a large, heavy, pot-bellied guitar with many
strings. We learn from this enthusiastic author, that the noble lute had
been calumniated by some ignorant persons; and it is in refuting their
calumnious imputations that he pours out a torrent of knowledge upon his
beloved instrument, and upon the state of music in England in 1675. In
reply to the charge, that the noble lute was a very hard instrument to
play upon, he gives posterity a piece of history. That the lute _was_
hard once, he confesses, but asserts that "it is now easie, and very
familiar."

"The First and Chief Reason that it was Hard in former Times, was,
Because they had to their Lutes but Few Strings; viz. to some 10, some
12, and some 14 Strings, which in the beginning of my Time were almost
altogether in use; (and is this present Year 1675. Fifty four years
since I first began to undertake That Instrument). But soon after, they
began to adde more Strings unto Their Lutes, so that we had Lutes of 16,
18, and 20 Strings; which they finding to be so Great a Convenience,
stayed not long till they added more, to the Number of 24, where we now
rest satisfied; only upon my Theorboes I put 26 Strings, for some Good
Reasons I shall be able to give in due Time and Place."

Another aspersion upon the noble lute was, that it was "a Woman's
Instrument." Master Mace gallantly observes, that if this were true, he
cannot understand why it should suffer any disparagement on that
account, "but rather that it should have the more Reputation and
Honour."

There are passages in this ancient book which take us back so agreeably
to the concert-rooms and parlors of two hundred years ago, and give us
such an insight into the musical resources of our forefathers, that we
shall venture to copy two or three of them. The following brief
discourse upon Pegs is very amusing:--

"And you must know, that from the Badness of the Pegs, arise several
Inconveniences; The first I have named, viz. the Loss of Labour. The 2d.
is, the Loss of