the difference of genius which produces this difference in the works of the two nations; but to fhew that there is nothing in this, if we look into the writings of the old Italians, fuch as Cicero and Virgil, we fhall find that the English writers, in their way of thinking and exprefsing themselves, refemble thofe authors much more than the modern Italians pretend to do. And as for the poet himself, from whom the dreams of this opera are taken, I must entirely agree with Monfieur Boileau, that one verse in Virgil is worth all the clinquant or tinfel of Taffo.

W

But to return to the fparrows; there have been fo many flights of them let loose in this opera, that it is feared the house will never get rid of them; and that in other plays they may make their entrance in very wrong and improper scenes, fo as to be feen flying in a lady's bedchamber, or perching upon a king's throne; befides the inconveniences which the heads of the audience may fometimes fuffer from them. I am credibly informed, that there was once a defign of cafting into an opera the story of Whittington and his Cat, and that in order to it, there had been got together a great quantity

w Rinaldo, an opera, 8vo. 1711. The plan by Aaron Hill; the Italian words by fign. G. Roffi; and the mufic by Handel. It is neither better nor worse than most other operas, but was uncommonly fuccefsful; Walsh, it is faid, got 1500l. by printing it..

x Oeuvres de Boileau. Sat. ix.

y See more of the puppet-thew of Whittington and his Cat, N° 14; and Tat. in 6 vols. vol. v. p. 412.

of mice; but Mr. Rich, the proprietor of the playhouse, very prudently confidered that it would be impoffible for the cat to kill them all, and that confequently the princes of the ftage might be as much infefted with mice, as the prince of the island was before the cat's arrival upon it; for which reafon he would not permit it to be acted in his house. And indeed I cannot blame him: for, as he faid very well upon that occasion, I do not hear that any of the performers in our opera pretend to equal the famous pied piper', who made all the mice of a great town in Germany follow his mufic, and by that means cleared the place of those little noxious animals.

Before I difmifs this paper, I must inform my reader, that I hear there is a treaty on foot between London and Wife (who will be appointed gardeners of the playhouse) to furnish the opera of Rinaldo and Armida with an orange-grove; and that the next time it is acted, the finging birds will be perfonated by tom-tits, the undertakers being refolved to spare neither pains nor money for the gratification of the audience. Cb.

June 26, 1284, the rats and mice by which Hamelen was infefted, were allured, it is faid, by a piper, to a contiguous river, in which they were all drowned.

a London and Wife were the Queen's gardeners at this time, and jointly concerned in the publication of a book on gardening.

By Addifon, dated, perhaps, from Chelsea, where he had country lodgings at this time. See N° 7; final note.

N° 6. Wednesday, March 7, 1710-11.

Credebant hoc grande nefas, et morte piandum,
Si juvenis vetulo non affurrexerat-

Juv. Sat. xiii. 54.

'Twas impious then (fo much was age rever'd)
For youth to keep their feats when an old man appear'd.

I KNOW no evil under the fun fo great as the abuse of the understanding, and yet there is no one vice more common. It has diffused itself through both fexes, and all qualities of mankind, and there is hardly that person to be found, who is not more concerned for the reputation of wit and sense, than of honefty and virtue. But this unhappy affectation of being wife rather than honeft, witty than good-natured, is the fource of most of the ill habits of life. Such falfe impreffions are owing to the abandoned writings of men of wit, and the awkward imitation of the rest of mankind.

For this reafon Sir Roger was saying last night, that he was of opinion none but men of fine parts deserve to be hanged. The reflections of fuch men are fo delicate upon all occurrences which they are concerned in, that they should be exposed to more than ordinary infamy and punishment, for offending against fuch quick admonitions as their own fouls give them, and blunting the fine edge of their minds in fuch a manner, that they are no more fhocked at vice and folly than men of flower capacities. There is no greater monster in being,

than a very ill man of great parts. He lives like a man in a palfy, with one fide of him dead. While perhaps he enjoys the fatisfaction of luxury, of wealth, of ambition, he has loft the tafte of good-will, of friendship, of innocence. Scarecrow, the beggar in Lincoln's-inn-fields, who disabled himself in his right leg, and afks alms all day to get himself a warm fupper and a trull at night, is not half fo defpicable a wretch, as such a man of sense. The beggar has no relifh above fenfations; he finds reft more agreeable than motion; and while he has a warm fire and his doxy, never reflects that he deserves to be whipped. Every man who terminates his fatisfactions and enjoyments within the supply of his own neceffities and paffions, is, fays Sir Roger, in my eye, as poor a rogue as Scarecrow. 'But,' continued he, for the lofs of public and private virtue, we are beholden to your men of fine parts forfooth; it is with them no matter what is done, fo it be done with an air. But to me, who am fo whimsical in a corrupt age as to act according to nature and reason, a selfish man, in the most shining circumstance and equipage, appears in the fame condition with the fellow above-mentioned, but more contemptible in proportion to what more he robs the public of, and enjoys above him. I lay it down therefore for a rule, that the whole man is to move together; that every action of any importance is to have a profpect of public good; and that the general tendency of our indifferent actions ought to be agreeable to the dictates of reafon, of religion, of good-breed

ing; without this, a man, as I have before hinted, is hopping instead of walking, he is not in his intire and proper motion.'

While the honeft knight was thus bewildering himself in good starts, I looked attentively upon him, which made him, I thought, collect his mind a little. • What I aim at,' says he, is to reprefent, that I am of opinion, to polish our understandings, and neglect our manners, is of all things the most inexcufable. Reafon fhould govern paffion, but instead of that, you fee, it is often fubfervient to it; and as unaccountable as one would think it, a wife man is not always a good man.' This degeneracy is not only the guilt of particular persons, but also at some times of a whole people; and perhaps it may appear upon examination that the most polite ages are the leaft virtuous. This may be attributed to the folly of admitting wit and learning as merit in themselves, without confidering the application of them. By this means it becomes a rule, not fo much to regard what we do, as how we do it. But this falfe beauty will not pafs upon men of honeft minds, and true tafte. Sir Richard Blackmore © © fays, with as much good fenfe as virtue, It is a mighty fhame and dishonour to employ excellent faculties and abundance of wit, to humour and please men in their vices and follies. The great enemy of mankind, notwithstanding his wit and angelic faculties, is the most odious being in the whole creation.' He goes on soon

* See Tat. N° 3; N° 14. Spect. N° 6; and N° 339