recommended by letters from the Council; the last
new ballad.

"But have you beheld," asked Winter, when these topics were exhausted,
"the King's new caroche of the German fashion, with a roof to fall
asunder at his Majesty's pleasure?"

"I have," said Catesby; "and methinks it shall take with many,
gentlewomen more in especial."

"Wherefore, now?" inquired Percy, laughing. "Think you gentlewomen lack
air rather than gentlemen, or that they shall think better to show their
dainty array and their fair faces?"

"A little of both," was the answer.

"There is truly great increase in coaches of late years," remarked
Winter.

"Why, the saddlers are crying out they are like to be ruined," said
Percy; "the roads are cloyed and pestered, and the horses lamed."

"Ay, and that is not the worst of it," added Catesby. "Evil-disposed
persons, who dare not show themselves openly for fear of correction,
shadow and securely convey themselves in coaches, and so are not to be
distinguished from persons of honour."

The whole company agreed that this was extremely shocking, and piously
denounced all evil-disposed persons in a style which Aubrey thought most
edifying. As he walked back later, he meditated whether he should make
those inquiries of Lady Oxford that night, and decided not to do so. No
real Papist or traitor, thought the innocent youth, would be likely to
denounce evil-disposed persons! The airs they had been singing, before
parting, recurred to his mind, and he hummed fragments of them as he
went along. "Row well, ye mariners", "All in a garden green", "Phillida
flouts me," and the catch of "Whoop, Barnaby!" finishing up with
"Greensleeves" and one or two madrigals--these had been their evening
entertainment: but madrigals were becoming unfashionable, and were not
heard now so often as formerly. The music of Elizabeth's day, which was
mainly harmony with little melody, containing "scarcely any tune that
the uncultivated ear could carry away," was giving way to a less learned
but more melodious style. Along with this, there was a rapid increase
in the cultivation of instrumental music, while vocal music continued to
be exceedingly popular. It was usual enough for tradesmen and artisans
to take part in autiphons, glees, and part-songs of all kinds, while
ballads were in such general favour that ballad-mongers could earn
twenty shillings a day. A bass viol generally hung in a drawing-room
for the visitors to p