BARD, a designation applied to the ancient poets of the Celtic tribes, who in battle raised the war-cry, and in peace sang the exploits of their heroes, celebrated the attributes of their gods and chronicled the history of their nation. Their early history is uncertain. Diodorus tells us that the Celts had bards, who sang to musical and Strabo testifies that they were treated with respect approaching to veneration. There is a passage in the 'Ger mania' of Tacitus in which a word occurs that some have read as barditus, and translated °Bard's Song°; but baritus appears to be the true reading, and the true signification merely °War-cry.° • The first Welsh bards of whom anything is extant are Taliesin, Aneurin and Llywarch Hen, of the 6th century; but their language is imperfectly understood. From the days of these early representatives of the bards we have nothing further till the middle of the 10th cen tury, when the reputation of the order was in creased under the auspices of Howel Dha. A code of laws was framed by that prince to regulate their duties and fix their privileges. They were distributed into three classes, with a fixed allowance; degrees of rank were estab lished, and regular prize contests, known as eisteddfods, were instituted. Their order was frequently honored by the admission of princes, among whom was Llewellyn, last King of Wales. The Britons, kept in awe as they were by the Romans, subsequently harassed by the English, and jealous of the attacks, the encroachment, and the neighborhood of aliens, were, on this account, attached to their Celtic manners. This situation and these circum stances inspired them with a proud and ob stinate determination to maintain a national distinction, and preserve their ancient usages, among which the bardic profession is so eminent. Sensible of the influence of their traditional poetry in keeping alive the ideas of military valor and of ancient glory among the people, Edward I is said to have collected all the Welsh bards, and caused them to be hanged by martial law as stirrers tip of sedition. On
this incident is founded Gray's well-known ode