ment) was an Amazonian Enchantrefs, and poor Signior Caffani (as we learn from the Perfons reprefented) a Christian-Conjurer (Mago Chriftiano). I must confefs I am very much puzzled to find how an Amazon fhould be verfed in the Black Art, or how a good Chriftian, for fuch is the Part of the Magician, fhould deal with the Devil.

TO confider the Poet after the Conjurer, I fhall give you a Taste of the Italian from the first Lines of his Preface. Eccoti, benigno Lettore, un Parto di poche Sere, che fe ben nato di Notte, non è però aborto di Tenebre, mà fi farà conofcere Figlio d' Apollo con qualche Raggio di Parnafo. Behold, gentle Reader, the Birth of a few Evenings, which, tho' it be the Offspring of the Night, is not the Abortive of Darkness, but will make it felf known to be the Son 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 Sublimity of Stile, that he compofed this Opera in a Fortnight. Such are the Wits, to whole Taftes we fo ambitiously conform ourselves. The Truth of it is, the fineft Writers among the modern Italians exprefs themselves in fuch a florid Form of Words, and fuch tedious Circumlocutions, as are ufed 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 fhew 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, 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 intirely agree with Monfieur Boileau, that one Verfe in Virgil is worth all the Clincant or Tinfel of Tafo.

BUT to return to the Sparrows; there have been fo many Flights of them let loose in this Opera, that it is feared the Houfe will never get rid of them; and that in

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other

other Plays they may make their Entrance in very wrong and improper Scenes, fo as to be feen flying in a Lady's Bed-Chamber, or pearching upon a King's Throne; befides the Inconveniencies 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 of Mice; but Mr. Rich, the Proprietor of the Play-houfe, very prudently confider'd that it would be impoffible for the Cat to kill them all, and that confequently the Princes of the Stage might be as much infefted with Mice, as the Prince of the Ifland was before the Cat's Arrival upon it; for which Reafon he would not permit it to be Acted in his Houfe. And indeed L 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 Mufick, and by that means cleared the Place of thofe little noxious Animals.

BEFORE I difmifs this Paper, I muft inform my Reader, that I hear there is a Treaty on foot with London and Wife (who will be appointed Gardeners of the Play-houfe) to furnish the Opera of Rinaldo and Armida with an Orange Grove; and that the next time it is Acted, the Singing-Birds will be Perfonated by TomTits: The Undertakers being refolved to fpare neither Pains nor Money for the Gratification of the Audience.

C

Wednesday

N° 6.

I

Wednesday, March 7.

Credebant hoc grande Nefas, & Morte piandum,
Si Juvenis Vetulo non affurrexerat

Juv. Sat. 13. 1. 54.
"Tawas impious then (fo much awas Age rever'd)
For Youth to keep their Seat, when an old Man appear'd.

Know no Evil under the Sun fo great as the Abuse of the Understanding, and yet there is no one Vice more common. It has diffufed it felf through both Sexes. and all Qualities of Mankind, and there is hardly that Perfon to be found, who is not more concerned for the Reputation of Wit and Senfe, than Honesty and Virtue. But this unhappy Affectation of being Wife rather than Honeft, Witty than Good-natur'd, is the Source of moft of the ill Habits of Life. Such falfe Impreffions are owing to the abandoned Writings of Men of Wit, and the aukward Imitation of the rest of Mankind.

FOR this Reafon Sir ROGER was faying laft Night, That he was of opinion none but Men of fine Parts deferve to be hanged. The Reflexions of fuch Men are fo delicate upon all Occurrences which they are concerned. in, that they fhould be expofed to more than ordinary Infamy and Punishment for offending against fuch quick Admonitions as their own Souls 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 Side of him dead. While perhaps he enjoys the Satisfaction of Luxury, of Wealth, of Ambition, he has loft the Taste of Good-will, of Friendship, of Innocence. Scarecrow, the Beggar in Lincoln's-InFields, who difabled himself in his Right Leg, and asks Alms all Day to get himself a warm Supper and a Trull at Night, is not half fo defpicable a Wretch as fuch a Man of Senfe. The Beggar has no Relifh above Sen

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fations;

fations; he finds Rest more agreeable than Motion; and while he has a warm Fire and his Doxy, never reflects that he deferves to be whipped. Every Man who terminates his Satisfactions and Enjoyments within the Supply of his own Neceffities and Paffions, is, says Sir ROGER, in my Eye, as poor a Rogue as Scarecrow. But, continued he, for the Lofs of publick and private Virtue, we are beholden to your Men of Parts forfooth; it is with them no matter what is done, so it be done with an Air. But to me, who am fo whimfical in a corrupt Age as to act according to Nature and Reason, a selfish Man, in the moft fhining Circumftance and Equipage, appears in the fame Condition with the Fellow abovementioned, but more contemptible, in Proportion to what more he robs the Publick 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 publick Good; and that the general Tendency of our indifferent Actions, ought to be agreeable to the Dictates of Reafon, of Religion, of good Breeding; without this, a Man, as I before have hinted, is hopping inftead of walking, he is not in his intire and proper Motion.

WHILE the honelt Knight was thus bewildering himfelf in good Starts, I looked attentively upon him, which made him, I thought, collect his Mind a little. What I aim at, fays he, is to reprefent, That I am of Opinion, to polifh our Understandings and neglect our Manners, is of all things the moft inexcufable. Reafon fhould govern Paffion, but inftead 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 Perfons, but at fome times of a whole People; and perhaps it may appear upon Examination, that the moft polite Ages are the least 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 pass upon Men of honeft Minds and true Tafte. Sir Richard Blackmore fays, with as much good Senfe as

Virtue,

Virtue, It is a mighty Dishonour and Shame to employ excellent Faculties and abundance of Wit to humour and pleafe Men in their Vices and Follies. The great Enemy of Mankind, notwithstanding his Wit and Angelick Facul ties, is the most odious Being in the whole Creation. He goes on foon after to fay very generously, That he undertook the writing of his Poem to rescue the Mufes out of the Hands of Ravishers, to restore them to their fweet and chafte Manfions, and to engage them in an Employment Juitable to their Dignity. This certainly ought to be the Purpofe of every Man who appears in Publick, and whoever does not proceed upon that Foundation, injures his Country as faft as he fucceeds in his Studies. When Modesty ceases to be the chief Ornament of one Sex, and Integrity of the other, Society is upon a wrong Bafis, and we fhall be ever after without Rules to guide our Judgment in what is really becoming and ornamental. Nature and Reafon direct one thing, Paffion and Humour another: To follow the Dictates of the two latter, is going into a Road that is both endlefs and intricate; when we purfue the other, our Paffage is delightful, and what we aim at easily attainable.

I do not doubt but England is at prefent as polite a Nation as any in the World; but any Man who thinks can eafily fee, that the Affectation of being Gay and in Fashion, has very near eaten up our good Senfe and our Religion. Is there any thing fo juft, as that Mode and Gallantry fhould be builtupon exerting our felves in what is proper and agreeable to the Inftitutions of Juftice and Piety among us? And yet is there any thing more common than that we run in perfect Contradiction to them? All which is fupported by no other Pretenfion, than that it is done with what we call a good Grace.

NOTHING ought to be held laudable or becoming, but what Nature it felf fhould prompt us to think fo. Refpect to all kind of Superiors is founded, methinks, upon Inftinet; and yet what is fo ridiculous as Age? I make this abrupt Tranfition to the Mention of ths Vice more than any other, in order to introduce a little Story, which I think a pretty Inftance that the most polite Age is in danger of being the moft vicious.