The great moralist, Owen Feltham, in his “Resolves,” 1631, also touches upon the subject. Under his remarks on music we read: “It is a kind of disparagement to bee a cunning fiddler. It argues his neglect of better employment and that he hath spent much time upon a thing unnecessarie. Hence it hath been counted ill for great ones to sing and play like an arted musician, Philip asked Alexander if hee was not ashamed that he ‘sang so artfully.’” In the “Westminster Magazine” for February, 1775, is an article entitled “Fiddling Defended,” as follows: “Some people are unreasonably severe against Fiddlers, but surely there is no absurdity in attracting the eyes of the fair in displaying a white hand, a ring, a ruffle, or sleeve to advantage. Who can blame the performer who is successful enough to fiddle himself into a good fortune? Whatever the rigid and austere may think, the approbation of the ladies is no small spur to a proficiency in music as well as in many other sciences. It is highly probable that Achilles (though the blind bard is silent upon this head) would not have strummed his harp with so much glee if the ears of Deidamia and Brifeis had not been tickled by it.—A FIDDLER.” Peacham, in his description of a “Compleat Gentleman,” published 1634, addresses his readers thus: “I desire no more in you than to sing your part sure and at first sight, and withall to play the same upon your violl or the exercise of the lute privately to yourselfe”—and in another place he observes: “King Henry the eighth could not onely sing his part sure but of himselfe compose a service of foure five and sixe parts”—and we are told that Queen Elizabeth was a tolerable performer on the virginals (the precursor of the pianoforte) and also the violin. The next source from which any historic information concerning the fiddle is obtained is from the writings of one Anthony Wood, of Oxford, who, although not a professional player, was an enthusiastic amateur whose opinion was not to be despised. This worthy in his life written by himself in the year 1654 gives an amusing account of a musical escapade which it may not be out of place here to repeat, as the work is rather scarce and difficult of access. It throws an interesting light on the state of music at that period. He says: