A "quick and dirty" single class bard for AD&D

Like a lot of old schoolers, I dig the flavor of the AD&D 1st edition bard class and even a lot of its implementation, but balk somewhat at the convoluted pseudo-dual classing shenanigans and the usual lack of player interest in such a delayed satisfaction approach. Since I tend to be a minimalist when it comes to tweaking stuff, here's my stab at a single class version that sticks fairly close to the core concept of a druid/thief loremaster. While still quite a powerful class, hit points and combat ability are scaled back to sub-fighter levels and thief ability growth should be slow enough to not make dedicated thieves obsolete.

Stat/race/alignment requirements: No change from PHB.

Weapons/armor/magic items permitted: No change from PHB.

Experience progression: No change from PHB Bards Table I.

Hit Dice: As druid. +1 hp/level for levels 15 through 23.

Combat ability/saving throws/weapon proficiencies: As druid.

Druid spells: No change from PHB Bards Table I. In addition to spell casting (including from scrolls), bards have knowledge of the secret druidic tongue and gain other druid class abilities at the same corresponding levels (plant identification at third level, shape changing at seventh, etc.). Bards do not receive bonus spells for high wisdom.

Thief abilities: As first level thief at start, advancing at the rate of one thief level at every odd-numbered bard level thereafter, to a maximum of ninth level thief ability at bard level seventeen.

Other bard abilities (charm, legend lore, etc.): No change from PHB Bards Table II.