confider all public diverfions fingly with regard to the effects which they may have upon the morals and manners of the public, I confefs I respect the Italian operas, as the most innocent of any.

THE fevere monsieur Boileau juftly condemns the French operas, the morals of which he calls

-Morale lubrique

Que Lully rechauffa des fons de fa mufique.

But then it must be confidered that French operas are always in French, and confequently may be understood by many French people; and that they are fine dramatic tragedies, adorned with all the graces of poetry and harmony of founds, and may probably inspire too tender, if not voluptuous fentiments. Can the Italian opera be accused of any thing of this kind? Certainly not. Were, what is called, the poetry of it intelligible in itself, it would not be understood by one in fifty of a British audience: but I believe that even an Italian of common candor will confefs, that he does not understand one word of it. It is not the intention of the thing for fhould the ingenious author of the words, by mistake, put any meaning into them, he would, to a certain degree, check and cramp the genius of the compofer of the mufic, who perhaps might think himself obliged to adapt his founds to the fenfe : whereas now he is at liberty to scatter indifcriminately, among the kings, queens, heroes and heroines, his ADAGIO's, his ALLEGRO's, his PATHETICS, his CHROMATICS and his JIGGS.

It

It would alfo have been a reftraint upon the actors and actreffes, who might poffibly have attempted to form their action upon the meaning of their parts; but as it is, if they do but feem, by turns, to be angry and forry in the two firft acts, and very merry in the last scene of the laft, they are fure to meet with their deserved applaufe.

SIGNOR Metaftafio attempted fome time ago a very dangerous innovation. He tried gently to throw fome fenfe into his operas; but it did not take the confequences were obvious, and nobody knew where they would stop.

THE whole fkill and judgment of the poet now confists in felecting about a hundred words (for the opera vocabulary does not exceed that number) that terminate in liquids and vowels, and rhyme to each other. These words excite ideas in the hearer, though they were not the refult of any in the poet. Thus the word tortorella, ftretched out to a quaver of a quarter of an hour, excites in us the ideas of tender and faithful love; but if it is fucceeded by navicella, that foothing idea gives way to the boisterous and horrid one of a fkiff (that is, a heart) toffed by the winds and waves upon the main ocean of love. The handcuffs and fetters in which the hero commonly appears at the end of the fecond, or the beginning of the third act, indicate captivity; and when properly jingled to a pathetic piece of recitativo upon quefti ceppi, are really very moving, and infpire a love of liberty. Can any thing be more innocent, or more moral than this mufical pantomime, in which there is not one indecent word or action, but where, on the contrary, the

most

moft generous fentiments are (however imperfectly) pointed out and inculcated?

I WAS once indeed afraid that the licentioufnefs of the times had infected even the opera: for in that of Alexander, the hero going into the heroine's apartment, found her taking a nap in an eafy chair. Tempted by fo much beauty, and invited by fo favourable an opportunity, he gently approached, and ftole a pair of gloves. I confefs I dreaded the confequences of this bold ftep; and the more fo, as it was taken by the celebrated fignor Senefino. But all went off very well; for the hero contented himself with giving the good company a fong, in which he declared that the lips he had juft kiffed were a couple of rubies.

ANOTHER good effect of the Italian operas, is, that they contribute extremely to the keeping of good hours; the whole audience (though paffionately fond of mufic) being fo tired before they are half, and fo fleepy before they are quite done, that they make the best of their way home, too drowsy to enter upon fresh pleasures that night.

HAVING thus rescued these excellent mufical dramas from the unjust ridicule which fome people of vulgar and illiberal taftes have endeavoured to throw upon them, I muft proceed and. do juftice to the VIRTUOSOS and VIRTUOSAS who perform them. But I believe it will beneceffary for me to premise, for the fake of many of my English readers, that VIRTú among the modern Italians, fignifies nothing less than what VIRTUS did among the ancient ones, or what VIRTUE fignifies among us; on the con

trary,

trary, I might fay that it fignifies almost every thing else. Confequently those respectable titles of VIRTUOSO and VIRTUOSA have not the least relation to the moral characters of the parties. They mean only. that those perfons (endowed, fome by nature, and fome by art, with good voices) have from their infancy devoted their time and labour to the various combinations of seven notes: a study that muft unquestionably have formed their minds, enlarged their notions, and have rendered them most agreeable and inftructive companions; and as fuch, I obferve that they are juftly folicited, received and cherifhed by people of the firft diftinction.

As these illuftrious perfonages come over here with no fordid view of profit, but merely per far piacer a la nobilita Inglefe, that is, to oblige the English nobility, they are exceedingly good and condescending to fuch of the faid English nobility, and even gentry, as are defirous to contract an intimacy with them. They will, for a word's fpeaking, dine, fup, or pass the whole day with people of a certain condition, and perhaps fing or play, if civilly requested. Nay, I have known many of them fo good as to pass two or three months of the fummer at the country feats of fome of their noble friends, and thereby mitigate the horrors of the country and the manfion-house, to my lady and her daughters. I have been affured by many of their chief patrons and patroneffes, that they are all the beft creatures in the world; and from the time of fignor Cavaliero Nicolini down to this day, I have conftantly heard the feveral great performers, such as Farinelli, Careftini, Monticelli,

Gaf

Gaffarielli, as well as the fignore Cuzzoni, Fauftina, &c. much more praised for their affability, the gentleness of their manners, and all the good qualities of the head and heart, than for either their musical skill or execution. I have even known these their focial virtues lay their protectors and protectreffes under great difficulties how to reward fuch diftinguished merit. But benefit-nights luckily came to their affiftance, and gave them an opportunity of infinuating, with all due regard, into the hands of the performer, in lieu of a ticket, a confiderable bank-bill, a gold fnuff-box, a diamond ring, or fome fuch trifle. It is to be hoped that the illuftrious fignor Farinelli has not yet forgot the many inftances he experienced of British munificence for it is certain that many private families fill remember them.

ALL this is very well; and I greatly approve of it, as I am of tolerating and naturalizing principles. But however, as the best things may admit of improvement by certain modifications, I fhall now fuggeft two; the one of a public, the other of a private nature. I would by all means welcome these refpectable guests, but I would by no means part with them, as is too foon and too often the cafe. Some of them, when they have got ten or fifteen thousand pounds here, unkindly withdraw themselves and purchase estates in land in their own countries; and others are feduced from us, by the preffing invitations of fome great potentate to come over to fuperintend his pleasures, and to take a fhare in his counfels. This is not only a great lofs to their particular friends, the nobility and gen

try,