Barbarous woman, yes I know your meaning-which exprefles the resentments of an angry lover, was translated into that English lamentation,

Frail are lover's hopes, &c.

And it was pleafant enough to see the most refined perfons of the British nation dying away and languifhing to notes that were filled with a spirit of rate and indignation. It happened alfo very frequently, where the sense was rightly translated, the necessary tranfpofition of words, which were drawn out of the phrafe of one tongue into that of another, made the music appear very absurd in one torgue that was very natural in the other. I remember an Italian verse that runs thus, word for word,

And turn'd my rage into pity;

which the English for rhyme fake translated, And into pity turn'd my rage.

By this means the foft notes, that were adapted to Pity in the Italian, fell upon the word Rage in the English; and the angry founds, that were tuned to rage in the original, were made to express pity in the tranflation. It oftentimes happened likewise, that the finest notes in the air fell upon the most infignificant words in the fentence. I have known the word And pursued through the whole gamut, have been entertained with many a melodious The, and have heard the most beautiful graces, quavers, and divifions bestowed upon Then, For, and From; to the eternal honour of our English particles.

The next fstep to our refinement, was the introducing of Italian Actors into our opera; who sung their parts in their own language, at the same time, that our countrymen performed theirs in our native tongue. The king or hero of the play generally spoke in Italian, and his flaves answered him in English: the lover frequently made his court, and gained the heart of his princess, in a language which she did not understand. One would have thought it very difficult to have carried on dialogue after this manner, without an interpreter between the perfons that conversed together; but this was the state of the English stage for about three years.

At length the audience grew tired of understanding half the opera; and therefore, to ease themselves intirely of the fatigue of thinking, have so ordered it at present, that the whole opera is performed in an unknown tongue. We no longer understand the language of our own stage; inso much that I have often been afraid, when I have seen our Italian performers chattering in the vehemence of action, that they have been calling us names, and abusing us among themselves; but I hope, since we do put such an intire confidence in them, they will not talk against us before our fa

ces, though they may do it with the same safety as if it were behind our backs. In the mean time, I cannot forbear thinking how naturally an hiftorian who writes two or three hundred years hence, and does not know the taste of his wife forefathers, will make the following reflection, "In the be"ginning of the eighteenth century, the Italian tongue was so well understood in England, that "the operas were acted on the public stage in that " language."

One scarce knows how to be ferious in the confutation of an absurdity that shews itself at the first fight. It does not want any great measure of sense to fee the ridicule of this monftrous practise; but, what makes it more aftonishing, it is not the taste of the rabble, but of persons of the greatest politeness, which has established it.

If the Italians have genius for music above the English, the English have a genius for other performances of a much higher nature, and capable of giving the mind a much nobler entertainment. Would one think it is poffible (at a time when an author lived that was able to write the Phædra and Hippolitus) for a people to be so stupidly fond of the Italian opera, as scarce to give a third day's hearing to that admirable tragedy? Music is certainly a very agreeable entertainment; but if it would take the entire poffession of our ears, if it would make us incapable of hearing sense, if it would exclude arts that have a much greater tendency to the refinement of human nature; I must confess I would allow it no better quarter than Plato has done, who banishes it out of his commonwealth.

At present, our notions of music are so very uncertain, that we do not know what it is we like; only, in general, we are transported with any thing that is not English; so be it of a foreign growth, let it be Italian, French, or HighDutch, it is the same thing. In short, our English music is quite rooted out, and nothing yet planted in its stead.

When a royal palace is burnt to the ground, every man is at liberty to present his plan for a new one; and though it be but indifferently put together, it may furnish several hints that may be of use to a good architect. I shall take the fame liberty, in a following paper, of giving my opinion upon the subject of music; which I shall lay down only in a problematical manner, to be confidered by those who are masters in the art.

No 19. THURSDAY, MARCH 22.

Di bene fecerunt, inopis me quodque pufilli
Finxerunt animi, raro & perpauca loquentis.

HOR. Sat. IV. i. 17. Thank Heaven that made me of an humble mind; To action little, less to words inclin'd!

Ο

Bferving one

person behold another, who

was an utter stranger to him, with a cast of his eye, which, methought, expressed an emotion of heart very different from what could be raised by an object so agreeable as the gentleman he looked at, I began to confider, not without some fecret forrow, the condition of an envious man. Some have fancied that envy has a certain magical force in it, and that the eyes of the envious have by their fafcination blasted the enjoyments of the happy. Sir Francis Bacon says, Some have been so curious as to remark the times and seasons when the stroke of an envious eye is most effectually pernicious, and have observed that it has been when the person envied has been in any circumstance of glory and triumph. At fuch a time the mind of the profperous man goes, as it were, abroad, among things without him, and is more exposed to the malignity. But I shall not dwell upon speculations so abstracted as this, or repeat the many excellent things which one might collect out of authors upon this miferable affection; but, keeping in the road of common life, confider the envious man with relation to these three heads, his pains, his reliefs, and his happiness.

The envious man is in pain upon all occafions which ought to give him pleasure. The relish of his life is inverted; and the objects which adminifter the highest fatisfaction to those who are exempt from this paffion, give the quickest pangs to persons who are subject to it. All the perfections of their fellow - creatures are odious; youth, beauty, valour, and wisdom, are provocations of their displeasure. What a wretched and apostate state is this! To be offended with excellence, and to hate a man because we approve him! The condition of the envious man is the most emphatically miferable; he is not only incapable of rejoicing in another's merit or fuccess, but lives in a world wherein all mankind are in a plot against his quiet, by studying their own happiness and advantage. Will Profper is an honest tale-bearer; he makes it his business to join in eonversation with envious men. He points to such an handsome young fellow, and whispers that he is fecretly married to a great fortune; when they doubt, he adds circumstances to prove it; and never fails to aggravate their distress, by assuring them, that, to his knowledge, he has an uncle will leave him fome thousands. Will has many arts of this kind to torture this fort of temper, and delights in it. When he finds them change colour, and say faintly they wish such a piece of news is true, he has the malice to speak fome good or other of every man of their acquain

tance.

The reliefs of the envious man are those little blemishes and imperfections that discover themselves in an illustrious character. It is matter of great confolation to an envious person, when a man of known honour does a thing unworthy himself; or when any action which was well executed, upon better information appears so altered in its circumstances, that the fame of it is divided among many, instead of being attributed to one.

reputation of it from falling upon any particular person. You fee an envious man clear up his countenance, if, in the relation of any man's great happiness in one point, you mention his uneafiness in another. When he hears such a one is very rich he turns pale, but recovers when you add that he has many children. In a word, the only fure way to an envious man's favour, is not to deserve it.

But if we consider the envious man in delight, it is like reading the feat of a giant in a romance, the magnificence of his house consisfts in the many limbs of men whom he has slain. If any who promised themselves success in any uncommon undertaking miscarry in the attempt, or he that aimed at what would have been useful and laudable, meets with contempt and derifion, the envious man, under the colour of hating vain-glory, can smile with an inward wantonnefs of heart at the ill effect it may have upon an honest ambition for the future.

Having throughly confidered the nature of this passion, I have made it my study to avoid the envy that may accrue to me from these my fpeculations; and if I am not mistaken in myfall, I think I have a genius to escape it. Upon hearing in a coffee-house one of my papers commended, I immediately apprehended the envy that would spring from that applaufe; applaufe; and therefore gave a description of my face the next day; being resolved, as I grow in reputation for wit, to resign my pretenfions to beauty. This, I hope, may give some ease to those unhappy gentlemen, who do me the honour to torment themselves upon the account of this my paper. As their case is very deplorable, and deserves compassion, I shall sometimes be dull, in pity to them, and will from time to time administer confolations to them by further discoveries on my person. In the mean while, if any one, says the Spectator has wit, it may be some relief to them to think that he does not shew it in company. And if any one praiss his morality, they may comfort themselves by confidering that his face is none of the longest,

Ном. ІІ. 1. 225. Thou dog in forehead!-----POPE. MONG the other hardy undertakings which I have proposed to myself, that of the cor

for the perfon, whom they before could not but admire, they fancy is nearer their own condition as soon as his merit is shared among others. I remember fome years ago there came out an excellent poem without the name of the author, The little wits, who were incapable of writing it, began to pull in pieces the supposed writer. When

that would not do, they took great pains to fuppress the opinion that it was his. That again failed. The next refuge was to say it was overlooked by one man, and many pages wholly written by another. An honest fellow, who fat among a cluster of them in debate on this fubject, cried out, "Gentlemen, if you are fure none of you yourselves had an hand in it, you are but where you were, whoever writ it." But the most ufual fuccour to the envious, in cases of nameless merit in this kind, is to keep the property, if poffible, unfixed, and by that means to hinder the re

"

"

heart. This in a particular manner is my pro vince as Spectator; for it is generally an offence committed by the eyes, and that against such as the offenders would perhaps never have an oppor tunity of injuring any other way. The following letter is a complaint of a young lady, who fets forth a trespass of this kind, with that command

of herself as befits beauty and innocence, and yet with fo

much spirit as sufficiently expresses her indignation. The whole transaction is performed with the eyes; and the crime is no less than employing them in fuch a manner, as to divert the eyes of others from the best use they can make of them, even looking up to Heaven.

SIR,

THE

HERE never was, I believe, an acceptable man but had some aukward imitators. Ever fince the Spectator appeared, have I re

marked a kind of men, whom I choose to call Starers; that, without any regard to time, place, or modesty, disturb a large company with their impertinent eyes. Spectators make up a proper affembly for a puppet-show or a bear-garden; 'but devout fupplicants and attentive hearers are 'the audience one ought to expect in churches. I am, Sir, member of a small pious congregation near one of the north gates of this city; much 'the greater part of us indeed are females, and 'used to behave ourselves in a regular attentive manner, till very lately one whole isle has been ' disturbed with one of these monstrous Starers; 'he's the head taller than any one in the church; but, for the greater advantage of expofing him self, ftands upon a haffoc, and commands the • whole congregation, to the great annoyance of the devoutest part of the auditory; for what with blushing, confufion, and vexation, we can nei 'ther mind the prayers nor fermon. Your ani* madversion upon this insolence would be a great < favour to,

• Sir,

Your moft humble servant,

S.C.

I have frequently seen of this fort of fellows, and do not think there can be a greater aggravation of an offence, than that it is committed where the criminal is protected by the facredness of the place which he violates. Many reflections of this fort might be very justly made upon this kind of behaviour; but a Starer is not usually a person to be convinced by the reason of the thing, and a fellow that is capable of thewing an impudent front before a whole congregation, and can bear being a public spectacle, is not so easily rebuked as to amend by admonitions. If therefore my correspondent does not inform me, that within feven days after this date the barbarian does not at least stand upon his own legs only, without an eminence, my friend Will Profper hath promised to take an haffoc opposite to him, and stare against him, in defence of the ladies. I have given him directions, according to the most exact rules of op tics, to place himself in such a manner that he shall meet his eyes wherever he throws them; I have hopes that when Will confronts him, and all the ladies, in whose behalf he engages him, caft kind locks and wishes of success at their champion, he will have fome shame, and feel a little of the pain he has so often put others to, of being out of countenance,

It has indeed been time out of mind generally remarked, and as often lamented, that this family of Starers have infested public assemblies; and I know no other way to obviate so great an evil, except, in the case of fixing their eyes upon women, fome male friend will take the part of fuch as are under the oppreffion of impudence, and encounter the eyes of the Starers wherever they meet them. While we fuffer our women to be thus impudently attacked, they have no defence, but in the end to caft yielding glances at the Starers; and, in this cafe, a man who has no sense of shame has the fame advantage over his mistress, as he who has no regard for his own life has over his adverfary. While the generality of the world are fettered by rules and move by proper and just methods; he, who has no refpect to any of them, carries away the reward due to that propriety of behaviour, with no other merit but that of having neglected it.

I take an impudent feliow to be a fort of outlaw in good breeding, and therefore what is faid

of him no nation or person can be concerned for. For this reason, one may be free upon him. I have put myself to great pains in confidering this prevailing quality which we call impudence, and have taken notice that it exerts itself in a different manner according to the different foils wherein such subjects of these dominions, as are masters of it, were born. Impudence in an Englishman is fullen and infolent; in a Scotchman it is untractable and rapacious; in an Irishman abfurd and fawning; as the course of the world now runs, the impudent Englishman behaves like a furly landlord, the Scot like an ill-received guest, and the Irishman like a stranger who knows he is not welcome. There is feldom any thing entertaining either in the impudence of a South or North-Briton; but that of an Irishman is always comic: a true and genuine impudence is ever the effect of ignorance, without the leaft sense of it; the best and most successful Starers, now in this town, are of that nation; they have usually the advantage of the stature mentioned in the above letter of my correspondent, and generally take their stands in the eye of women of fortune; infomuch that I have known one of them, three months after he came from plough, with a tolerable good air lead out a woman from a play, which one of our own breed, after four years at Oxford, and two at the Temple, would have been afraid to look at.

I cannot tell how to account for it, but these people have usually the preference to our own fools, in the opinion of the fillier part of womankind. Perhaps it is that an English coxcomb is feldorn so obsequious as an Irish one; and when the defign of pleasing is visible, an abfurdity in the way toward it is easily forgiven.

But those who are downright impudent, and go on without reflection that they are fuch, are more to be tolerated, than a fet of fellows among us who profess impudence with an air of humour, and think to carry off the most inexcufable of all faults in the world, with no other apology than saying in a gay tene. " I put an impudent face

upon the matter." No; no man shall be allowed the advantages of impudence, who is conscious that he is such; if he knows he is impudent, he may as well be otherwise; and it shall be expected that he blush, when he sees he makes another do it. For nothing can atone for the want of modeity; without which beauty is ungraceful, and wit deteftable.

No 21. SATURDAY, MARCH 24.

Locus eft & pluribus umbris.

R

IOR. Ep. V. v. 28. There's room enough, and each may bring his friend. CREECH.

I

AM sometimes very much troubled, when I reflect upon the three great profeffions of Divinity, Law, and Phyfic; how they are each of them over-burdened with practitioners, and filled with multitudes of ingenious gentlemen that starve one another.

We may divide the clergy into generals, fieldofficers, and fubalterns. Among the first we may reckon Lithops, deans, and a chdeacons. Among the second are doctors of divinity, prebendaries, and all that wear scarves. The rest are comprehended under the fubalterns. As for the first class, our constitution preferves it from any redundancy of incumbents, notwithstanding competitors are num