"Nihil unquam frivoli & supervacui poematis facere potuit; sed ea tantummodo, quæ ad religionem pertinent, religiosam ejus linguam decebant. Siquidem in habitu sæculari, usque ad tempora provectioris ætatis constitutus, nil carminum aliquando didicerat. Unde nonnunquam in convivio, cum esset lætitia causa ut omnes per ordinem cantare deberent, ille ubi appropinquare sibi citharam cernebat, surgebat a mediâ cœnâ, et egressus ad suam domum repedabat."
I shall now subjoin King Alfred's own Anglo-Saxon translation of this passage, with a literal interlineary English version.
Ðe.. næꝼꞃe nohꞇ leaꞅunᵹa. ne ιꝺeleꞅ leoðeꞅ pẏꞃcean ne mιhꞇe;
He ... never no leasings, nor idle songs compose ne might;
ac eꝼne ða an ða ðe ꞇo æꝼeꞅꞇneꞅꞅe belumpon. ⁊
but lo! only those things which to religion [piety] belong, and
hiꞅ ða æꝼeꞅꞇan ꞇunᵹan ᵹeꝺaꝼenoꝺe ꞅιnᵹan: ꜧæꞅ he ꞅe man
his then pious tongue became to sing: He was the [a] man
ιn peoꞃolꞇ-haꝺe ᵹeꞅeꞇeꝺ oð ða ꞇιꝺe ðe he pæꞅ oꝼ
in worldly [secular] state set to the time in which he was of an
ᵹelẏꝼeꝺꞃe ẏlꝺe. ⁊ he næꝼꞃe ænιᵹ leoþ ᵹeleoꞃnoꝺe. ⁊ he
advanced age; and he never any song learned. And he
ꝼoꞃþon oꝼꞇ ιn ᵹebeoꞃꞅcιpe ðonne ðæꞃ pæꞅ blιꞅꞅe ιnꞇιnᵹa
therefore OFT in an entertainment when there was for merriment
ᵹeꝺemeꝺ. ꝥ hι ealle ꞅceolꝺan ðuph enᵹebẏ
sake adjudged [or decreed], that they ALL should through their
ꞃꝺneꞅꞅe be heaꞃpan ꞅinᵹan. ðonne he ᵹeꞅeah ða heaꞃpan
turns by [to the] HARP SING; when he saw the HARP
hιm nealæcan. ðonne aꞃaꞅ he ꝼoꞃ ꞅceome ꝼꞃam ðam ꞅẏmle
him approach, then arose he FOR SHAME from the supper
⁊ ham eoꝺe ꞇo hιꞅ huꞅe.
and home yode [went] to his house.
Bed. Hist. Eccl. a Smith. Cantab. 1722, fol. p. 597.
In this version of Alfred's it is observable, (1) that he has expressed the Latin word cantare, by the Anglo-Saxon words "be heaꞃpan ꞅιnᵹan," sing to the harp; as if they were synonymous, or as if his countrymen had no idea of singing unaccompanied with the harp: (2) That when Bede simply says, surgebat a mediâ cœnâ, he assigns a motive, "aꞃaꞅ ꝼoꞃ ꞅceome," arose for shame: that is, either from an austerity of manners, or from his being deficient in an accomplishment which so generally prevailed among his countrymen.
[I] [The word glee which peculiarly denoted their art, &c.] This word glee is derived from the Anglo-Saxon Glιᵹᵹ, (Gligg) musica, music, minstrelsy (Somn). This is the common radix, whence arises such a variety of terms and phrases relating to the minstrel art, as affords the strongest internal proof, that this profession was extremely common and popular here before the Norman Conquest. Thus we have
I.
(1) Glιp (Gliw.), mimus, a minstrel. Glιᵹman, ᵹlιᵹmon, ᵹlιman, (gleeman[1113]) histrio, mimus, pantomimus; all common names in middle latinity for a minstrel; and Somner accordingly renders the original by a minstrel—a player on a timbrel or taber. He adds, a fidler; but although the fythel or fiddle, was an ancient instrument, by which the jogelar or minstrel sometimes accompanied his song (see Warton, i. 17), it is probable that Somner annexes here only a modern sense to the word, not having at all investigated the subject.
Glιιmen, ᵹlιιᵹmen, (Gleemen), histriones, minstrels. Hence,
Gliᵹmanna-ẏppe. Orchestra, vel pulpitus. The place where the minstrels exhibited their performances.