δ liable to the greatest reproach for misbehaviour in it. Falfhood in love shall hereafter bear a blacker afpect than infidelity in friendship, or villany in bufiness. For this great and good end, all breaches against that noble paffion, the cement of fociety, fhall be feverely examined. But this, and all other matters loofely hinted at now, and in my former papers, shall have their proper place in my following difcourses: The present writing is only to admonish the world, that they shall not find me an idle but a busy spectator. No 5. TUESDAY, MARCH 6. R * Spectatum admissi risum teneatis? AN opera may be allowed to be extravagantly lavish in its decorations, as its only design is to gratify the fenfes, and keep up an indolent attention in the audience. Common sense however requires, that there should be nothing in the scenes and machines which may appear childish and abfurd. How would the wits of King Charles's time have laughed to have feen Nicolini expofed to a tempeft in robes of ermine, and failing in an open boat upon a fea of pafteboard? What a field of rallery would they have been let into, had they been entertained with painted dragons spitting wildfire, enchanted chariots drawn by Flanders mares, and real cascades in artificial landscapes? A little skill in criticism would inform us, that shadows and realities ought not to be mixed together in the fame piece; and that the scenes, which are defigned as the representations of nature, should be filled with resemblances, and not with the things themselves. If one would reprefent a wide champaign-country filled with herds and flocks, it would be ridiculous to draw the country only upon the scenes, and to crowd several parts of the stage with fheep and xen. This is joining together inconsistencies, and making the decoration partly real and partly imaginary. I would recommend what I have faid here to the directors, as well as to the admirers of our modern opera. As I was walking in the streets about a fornight ago, I faw an ordinary fellow carrying a cage full of little birds upon his shoulders; and, as I was wondering with myself what use he would put them to, he was met very luckily by an acquaintance, who had the fame curiofity. Upon his asking hina what he had upon his shoulders, he told him that he had been buying sparrows for the opera. Sparrows for the opera, says his friend, licking his lips, what, are they to be roafted? No, no, says the other, they are to enter towards the end of the first act, and to fly about the stage. This strange dialogue awakened my curiofity fo far, that I immediatey bought the opera, by which means I perceived that the sparrows were to act the part of finging birds in a delightful grove; though, upon a nearer inquiry, I found the sparrows put the fame trick upon the audience, that Sir Martin Marall practifed upon his mistress; for though they flew in fight, the mufic proceeded from a confort of flagelets and bird-calls which were planted behind the scenes. At the same time I made this discovery, I found by the discourse of the actors, that there were great designs on foot for the improvement of the opera; that it had been proposed to break down a part of the wall, and to furprise the audience with a party of an hundred horse, and that there was actually a project of bringing the nerv-river into the house, to be employed in jetteaus and water-works. This project, as I have fince heard, is poftponed until the fummer-feafon; when it is thought the coolness that proceeds from fountains and cascades will be more acceptable and refreshing to people of quality. In the mean time, to find out a more agreeable entertainment for the winter-season, the opera of Rinaldo is filled with thunder and lightning, illuminations, and fireworks; which the audience may look upon without catching cold, and indeed without much danger of being burnt; for there are several engines filled with water, and ready to play at a minute's warning, in case any fuch accident should happen. However, as I have a very great friendship for the owner of this theatre, I hope that he has been wife enough to infure his house before he would let this opera be acted in it. It is no wonder, that those scenes should be very furprising, which were contrived by two poets of different nations, and raised by two magicians of different sexes. Armida (as we are told in the argument) was an Amazonian enchantress, and poor Signior Caffani (as we learn from the perfons reprefented) a Chriftian-conjurer (Mago Christiano). I must confess I am very much puzzled to find how an Amazon should be versed in the black art, or how a good Christian, for such is the part of the magician, should deal with the Devil. To confider the poet after the conjuror, I shall give you a taste of the Italian from the first lines of his preface. Eccoti, benigno lettore, un parto di poche fere, che se ben nato di notte, non è però aborto di tenebre, mă fi farà conoscere figlio d' Apollo con. qualche raggio di Parnasso. Behold, gentle reader, the birth of a few evenings, which, though it be the offspring of the night, is not the abortive of darkness, but will make itself known to be the fon of Apollo, with a certain ray of Parnaffus. He afterwards proceeds to call Mynheer Handel the Orpheus of our age, and to acquaint us, in the fame fublimity of style, that he composed this opera in a fortnight. Such Such are the wits, to whofe tastes we so ambitioufly conform ourselves. The truth of it is, the fineft writers among the modern Italians express themselves in fuch a florid form of words, and fuch tedious circumlocutions, as are used by none but pedants in our own country; and at the fame time fill their writings with fuch poor imaginations and conceits, as our youths are ashamed of before they have been two years at the university. Some may be apt to think that it is the difference of genius which produces this difference in the works of the two nations; but, to shew there is nothing in this, if we look into the writings of the old Italians, fuch as Cicero and Virgil, we shall find that the English writers, in their way of thinking and expreffing themselves, resemble those 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 intirely agree with Monfieur Boileau, that one verse in Virgil is worth all the clincant or tinfel of Taffo. But to return to the sparrows; there have been fo many flights of them let loofe 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 seen flying in a Lady's bed-chamber, or perching upon a King's throne; befides the inconveniencies which the heads of the audience may sometimes fuffer from them. I am credibly informed, that there was once a design of cafting into an opera the story of Whittington and his cat, and that in order to it, there had been got togther a great quantity of mice; but Mr. Rich, the proprietor of the play-house, very prudently confidered that it would be impoffible for the cat to kill them all, and that confequently the princes of the stage might be as much infested with mice, as the prince of the island was before the cat's arrival upon it; for which reafon reason 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 occafion, 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 musick, and by that means cleared the place of those little noxious animals. Before I disiniss this paper, I must inform my reader, that I hear there is a treaty on foot with London and Wife (who will be appointed gardeners of the play-house) 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 tomtits: The undertakers being refolved to spare neither pains nor money for the gratification of the audience. C N°6. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7. Credebant hoc grande nefas, & morte piandum, Juv. Sat. xiii. 1. 54. 'Twas impious then (fo much was age rever'd) For youth to keep their feat, when an old man ap pear'd. I KNOW no evil under the fun so great as the abuse of the understanding, and yet there is no one vice more common. It has diffused itself thro' 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 honesty and virtue. But this unhappy affectation of being wife rather than honest, witty than goodnatured, is the fource of most of the ill habits of life. Such false impreffions are owing to the abanVOL. I. doned + C |