An old man, for example, who had a young and handfone wife, might, without fhocking either law or decency, make an offer of her to a vigorous and handfome young man; and it was lawful for this old man to confider and bring up, as his own, the fruits of this adultery. What is more, a man of good family, and an advantageous flature, who happened to fix his eyes on the beautiful and agreeable 'wife of another, might apply to the hufband for leave to cohabit with her, on pretence of giving the ftate well-made and hand fome children; and it was not lawful for the husband to deny fuch a request. The Lacedemonians, in a word, lent each other their wives with the greateft eafe imaginable, and without the leaft delicacy. Their history fupplies us with an event of this kind not to be met with, I believe, in any other. In the war, which the Lacedemonians had declared against the Meifenians, the former had obliged themselves, by the mott dreadful oaths, not to return to Sparta, till they had obtained vengeance for the outrage they had received. But this war lingered fo long, that, after ten years fiege, the Spartans before Meffene found themselves as little advanced, as when they firft began it. They then began to fear, left a longer abfence thould infenfibly depopulate their city. To prevent this misfortune, they took the trange refolution of fending back to Sparta all those who had joined the army, fince it had taken the oath I have been speaking of, and of abandoning to them the wives of thofe who were obliged to remain behind. The children, fprung from this illegitimate commerce, were called Parthenians, a name which expreffed the origin and caufe of their birth. The indecent manner, in which it is well known the women of Sparta dreffed themfelves, was but the natural confequence of the bad education they received, and the little care taken to infpire them with that bafhfulness and referve fo becoming their fex. Their gowns were fo loofe, that they could not put one foot before the other, without uncovering their legs, and even their thighs, an indecency highly exclaimed against by all the writers of antiquity. Ariftotle wifely obferves, that the little regard paid at Sparta to decency, was the fource of all the diforders that reigned in that city. In the Andromache of Euripides, Peleus tells Menelaus, that the diffolute behaviour of Helen, was entirely owing to the bad education that princefs had received. Such wives, however, had the moft abfolute dominion over their hufbands. They not only reigned within doors, but governed the whole ftate. The Lacedemonians made no fcruple of letting their wives into the clofeft andmott important fecrets of the common-wealth. They were even the readier to do it, as women never spoke to them of their private and domeftic affairs. Accordingly, Ariftotle affures us, that it was always found impofiible to reform and regulate the manners of the Spartan women, on account of the too great afcendant they had acquired over their husbands; an afcendant, after all, fo much the more furprizing, as the Lacedemonians, as well as the other inhabitants of Greece, feem to have been addicted to that abominable paffion, no lefs contrary to nature, than than to the fimple dictates of reafon. However, the fex at Sparta was in general extremely handfome. Let us now, from all we have been faying, collect the general and prevailing character of the Lacedemonians. They were, without doubt, of all the nations of Greece, the braveft and moft war-. like, the best skilled in the military arts, and the moft politic; the traeft to their maxims, and the moft conftant in the purfuit of their de figns. But at the fame time, they were imperious, fevere, treacherous, intractable, haughty, cruel, and faithlefs; in a word, capable of facrificing every thing to their ambition and intereft, and without the leaft efteem for the fciences or fine arts. And indeed Lycurgus feems to have had nothing more in view than to fortify the body. It does not appear that he ever thought of forming the heart, or cultivating the mind. How then can we be furprized, that the character of the Lacedemonians, naturally harth and auftere, often degenerated into downright favagenefs, a vice which took its rife antiquity, and propofed by it as a' model of wifdom and virtue. Sparta, moreover, fupplies us with a ftriking inftance of that proneness with which men run from one extreme to another. When, in confequence of the victories gained by Lyftider, gold and filver found their way into this republic, and made the Spartans throw off their ancient aufterity of manners; these so much, celebrated Spartans immediately gave themfelves up to every excels of debauch and luxury. The fofteft and moft magnificent beds, the eafieft cuthions, the moftexquifite wines and perfumes, the most delicate difhes, the moft precious vefiels for materials and workmanship, the richeft and rareft carpets, were fcarce thought good enough by them. Nothing, in thort, was capable of fatisfying their infatiable luxury. It then became a proverb in the mouth of every Greek, that gold and filver could be easily difcovered going into Sparta; but, that neither of thefe metals were ever seen to leave it. Frederick Handel, Esq. from their education. It was im- An Account of the Life of George pollible that people, who paifed their whole lives in receiving or giving inftruction, in gravely delivering precepts, or in liftening to thofe of cenfors, whofe leffons were always accompanied with rigour and feverity; it was impoffible, I fay, that fuch men fhould contract a gentle and humane way of thinking, or be able to render their commerce in private life agreeable. The Lacedemonians, in thort, seem to have wilfully fhut their eyes to the most precious advantages of humanity. Such were the manners and genius of a people admired by all profane Eorge Frederick Handel was J born at Hall, a city in the circle of Upper Saxony, on Feb. 24, 1684. His father was a phyfician and furgeon at that place; he had married a fecond wife, and was more than 6 years of age when Handel was born; he had alfo one daughter by the fame wife, and a fon by a former marriage, who about this time become valet de chambre to the duke of Saxe Weifenfels, and refided at his court. When Handel was in his 7th year his his father fet out for the Duke's court, to attend the duties of his profeffion, and left the boy behind him, notwithstanding his moft importunate folicitations to go with him that he might fee his brother. But Handel, having watched the time of his father's fetting out, followed the chaife on foot, unknown to the reft of the family, and it being probably retarded by the roughnefs of the way, he overtook it before it got far from the town. When his father faw him, he chid him for difobeying his orders, but Handel anfwered only by repeating his request to be taken with him, which at length prevailed, and he was taken into the chaife. We are told, by the writer of this narrative, that Handel bad already acquired fuch proficiency in mufic as was no flight prognoftic of his future greatnefs. And in relating this early part of his life, the biographer feems to have adopted fome extraordinary stories without fufficient examination. He fuppofes that Handel, who was not now feven years old, had, in fome former part of his life, been fuffered to amufe himself with mufical inftruments, till, without any inftruction, he had made a confiderable progrefs; that his father, having then determined he fhould apply to the ftudy of the civil law, forbid him to touch any inftrument for the future, and fuffered none to remain in the house; that after this Handel found means to get a little clavichord privately conveyed to a room at the top of the houfe, to which room he conftantly ftole when the family was afleep, and thus made fuch advances in his art, as enabled him to play on a harpfichord. It appears that Handel 'did not continue long at the Duke's court, being but juft 7 years old when he returned to Hall; but we are told that it being then impoffible to keep him from harpsichords, he pursued the bias of his genius, and used fometimes to get into the organ loft at church, and play after fervice was over. On one of these occafions the Duke, happening not to go out fo foon as ufual, heard him, and found fomething fo uncommon in his manner of playing, that he atked his valet who it was; the valet replied that it was his brother, and the Duke defired to fee him. After he had seen him, and talked with his father about him, he told him he could not but confider it as a crime against the public and pofterity to rob the world of fo uncommon a genius for mufic, by diverting it to another ftudy. The father, though with much reluctance, confenting to give his fon an education fuitable to his genius, was graciously difmiffed; the Duke made the boy a prefent, and told him that if he minded his ftudies, no encouragement should be wanting. When Handel's father returned with him to Hall, he plated him under one Zackaw, who was organift of the cathedral church, and had great abilities in his profeffion. We are told that Handel, when he was put under Zackaw, his firf mafter, though he was then but 7 years old, was yet able to fupply his place in his abfence; and that he profited fo much by his inftructions, that at nine years old he be◄ gan to compofe church fervices for voices and inftruments, and con tinued to compose one such service every every week, for three years fucceffively. Having far farpaffed his mafter, it was determined that he fhould not continue at Hall. Accordingly in 1698, being in his 14th year, he was fent to Berlin, where he had a relation in fome place about the court, upon whofe care and kindness his parents could rely. The opera was then in a flourishing condition, being encouraged by the grandfather of the prefent king of Pruffia, and under the direction of many eminent perfons, whom his liberality had drawn thither from Italy, among whom was Buononcini and Attilio. Buononcini was the best compofer, and Attilio the belt player; nor did they differ lefs in their difpofitions than talents. Buononcini was vain and arrogant, Attilio modeft and candid. Buononcini looked upon Handel with contempt, but Attilio treated him with kindness. Handel improved much by the inftructions of Attilio, and had not been long at Berlin, before he was fent for by the king, who frequently made him prefents, and at length propofed to fend him to Italy under his own patronage, and to take him under his immediate protection, when his ftudies fhould be compleated: but Handel's parents knew the king's difpofition too well to think of fubmitting the fortune of their child to his caprice, and therefore declined the offer, notwithffanding its immediate advantages. It was not proper for Handel to continue at Berlin, after this offer of the King had been rejected; having therefore received innumerable compliments and civilities at his departure, he once more returned to Hall, As he had acquired ideas of excellence in mufic far beyond any thing that was to be found in Hall, he was very unwilling to continue there, and was extremely defirous to go to Italy. The expences, however, of a journey to Italy was more than could be spared, and he was therefore fent to Hamburgh, where the opera was inferior only to that of Berlin. Soon after his arrival at Hamburgh his father died; and Handel, that he might not diftrefs his mother, immediately procured fome fcholars, and accepted an employment in the orchefira. The first harpsichord was at this time played by Keyfer, a man who alfo excelled in compofition; but being addicted to great expence, he contracted debts which he was unable to pay, and was therefore obliged to abfcond. Upon this vacancy, the perfon who had been ufed to play the fecond harpfichord claimed the firft, by right of fucceffion; but he was oppofed by Handel, who founded a claim to the first harpsichord upon his fuperior abilities. After much difpute, in which all who fupported or directed the opera engaged with great vehemence, the fucceffion was determined in favour of Handel. His competitor refented Handel's fuccefs with fo much malice, that as they were coming out of the orcheftra together, he made a puth at his breaft with a fword, which must have pierced his heart, if he had not fortunately put a mulic book in the bofom of his coat. Soon after Handel had succeeded Keyfer, as conductor of the opera, he fucceeded him alfo as a compoter; though he was not fifteen years old; the first opera he fet was called Almeria, and the fuccefs of it was fo great, that it was performed thirty thirty nights fucceflively: within lefs than a twelvemonth after this he fet two others, called Florinda, and Nerone, which were received with the fame applaufe. Among feveral perfons of diftinction that were at Hamburgh, while the operas of Almeria and Florinda were performing, was the brother of John Gafton de Medicis, Grand Duke of Tufcany, who was honoured with the title of Prince. As he was a great lover of music, Handel's abilities procured him not only access to him, but produced a kind of intimacy between them: the Prince often lamented that Handel was not acquainted with the Italian mafters, of whofe works he fhewed him a large collection. Handel having looked at the mufic, frankly told the Prince, that he faw nothing in it equal to the high character his highnefs had given it. But the Prince affuring him that a journey to Italy would at once reconcile him to the ttyle and tafte of mufic,that prevailed there, and that there was no place in which a mafter of the art could meet with equal encouragement, at length preffed him to eturn with him, and told him that no conveniency fhould be wanting, Handel, however, though he had before determined to fee Italy as foon as his circumfiances would bear the expence of the journey, declined this offer with a proper fenfe of the Prince's favour, as he was determined never to give up his independency for any advantage that could be offered him. He continued at Hamburgh about. five years, and betides fubfifting himself, and fending fome little prefents to his mother, he had, during that time, made up a purfe of ducats, with which he fet out for Italy, He went first to Florence, where he was received with great affability by the Prince of Tuscany, and had free accefs at all times to the palace of the Grand Duke: his ferene highnefs was impatient to have fome performance of his compofing; and Handel, notwithstand'ing the difference between the German and the Italian ftyle of mufic, and his own youth, being then fcarce nineteen, fucceeded fo well in an opera which he fet, called Rodrigo, that he was prefented with 100 fequins, and a fervice of plate. The principal actrefs and finger then at Florence, was Vittoria, faid to be very handfome, and in high favour with the Duke, and to have transferred her affection to Handel. After staying about a year at Florence, he went to Venice, where he was firft difcovered at a mafque rade, while he was playing on a harpsichord in his vifor, by Scarlatti, who, happening to be prefent, is faid to have cried out, that the perfon who played could be none but the Saxon or the devil.' But this is reported to have been faid of many perfons whofe abilities have difcovered them in difguife, particularly of Erafmus. Handel, being thus difcovered, was ftrongly importuned to compote an opera, to which having at length confented, he finifhed in three weeks an opera, called Agrippina, which was performed twentyfeven nights fucceffively with the moft extravagant applaufe. From Venice, he proceeded to Rome, where his arrival being im mediately known, he received por lite meflages from perfons of the firft diftinction, particularly from Cardinal Ottoboni, who kept a band of excellent performers in confiant pay, in which the cele brated |