Lord Howard,in England around 1480, emplyed a harper called Little Richard (well, probably Lyttel Richarde actually). I thought you would like to know that.
   Also, further to the Alfred story above, a few years later a Danish King called Aulaff similarly entered the camp of the English King Athelstan and sang with a harp while spying. Interestingly, his stratagem was exposed when one of Athelsatn's soldiers spotted Aulaff burying the money he had earned for his songs. Whether this was because Aulaff was ashamed to earn money from music because he thought it was demeaning, or ashamed from having deceived someone into offering hospitality, is not recorded. The soldier who spotted him was right in his deductions. No real professional musician buries his money after a gig. Liverpool comedians keep it in a biscuit tin under the bed, but that is another story.