properly express a passion in one language will not do it in another. Every one who has been long in Italy knows very well, that the cadences in the recitativo, bear a remote affinity to the tone of their voices in ordinary conversation, or, to speak more properly, are only the accents of their language made more musical and tuneful. longing to the Great Mogul. He is by birth a monkey; but swings upon a rope, takes a pipe of tobacco, and drinks a glass of ale, like any reasonable creature. He gives great satisfaction to the quality; and if they will make a subscription for him, I will send for a brother of his out of Holland, that is a very good tumbler; and also for another of the same family whom I design for my Thus the notes of interrogation, or admiration, merry-andrew, as being an excellent mimic, and in the Italian music (if one may so call them) which the greatest droll in the country where he now is. resemble their accents in discourse on such occaI hope to have this entertainment in a readiness sions, are not unlike the ordinary tones of an Ecg. for the next winter; and doubt not but it will lish voice when we are angry; insomuch that I please more than the opera, or puppet-show. I have often seen our audiences extremely mistaken will not say that a monkey is a better man than as to what has been doing upon the stage, and exsome of the opera heroes; but certainly he is a pecting to see the hero knock down his messenger, better representative of a man, than the most arti- when he has been asking him a question; or fancyficial composition of wood and wire. If you willing that he quarrels with his friend, when he only be pleased to give me a good word in your paper, bids him good-minorrow. you shall be every night a spectator at my show for nothing. ADDISON. 'I am, &c.' N° 29. TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 1711. C. Sermo lingua concinnus utraque For this reason the Italian artists cannot agree with our English musicians in admiring Purcell's compositions, and thinking his tunes so wonderfully adapted to his words; because both nations do not always express the same passions by the same sounds. I am therefore humbly of opinion, that an English composer should not follow the Italian recitative too servilely, but make use of many gentle deviations from it, in compliance with his own native language. He may copy out of it all the lulling softness and dying falls' (as Shakspeare Both tongues united sweeter sounds produce, Like Chian mix'd with the Falernian juice. calls them), but should still remember that he ought to accommodate himself to an English audience; THERE is nothing that has more startled our Eng- and by humouring the tone of our voices in ordilish audience, than the Italian Recitativo at its nary conversation, have the same regard to the first entrance upon the stage. People were wonaccent of his own language, as those persons had derfully surprised to hear generals singing the word to theirs whom he professes to imitate. It is obof command, and ladies delivering messages in served, that several of the singing birds of our own music. Our countrymen could not forbear laugh-country learn to sweeten their voices, and mellow ing when they heard a lover chanting out a billetdoux, and even the superscription of a letter set to a tune. The famous blunder in an old play of "Enter a king and two fiddlers solus,' was now no longer an absurdity; when it was impossible for a hero in a desert, or a princess in her closet, to speak any thing unaccompanied with musical in struments. the harshness of their natural notes, by practising under those that come off from warmer climates. In the same manner I would allow the Italian opera to lend our English music as much as may grace and soften it, but never entirely to annihilate and destroy it. Let the infusion be as strong as you please, but still let the subject-matter of it be English, But however this Italian method of acting in re- A composer should fit his music to the genius of citativo might appear at first hearing, I cannot the people, and consider that the delicacy of hearbut think it much more just than that which pre-ing, and taste of harmony, has been formed upon vailed in our English opera before this innovation: the transition from an air to recitative music being more natural, than the passing from a song to plain and ordinary speaking, which was the common method in Purcell's operas. The only fault I find in our present practice, is the making use of the Italian recitativo with English words. To go to the bottom of this matter. I must observe, that the tone, or (as the French call it) the accent of every nation in their ordinary speech, is altogether different from that of every other people; as we may see even in the Welsh and Scotch, who border so near upon us. By the tone or accent I do not mean the pronunciation of each particular word, but the sound of the whole sentence. Thus it is very common for an English gentleman when he hears a French tragedy, to complain that the actors all of them speak in a tone: and therefore he very wisely prefers his own countrymen, not considering that a foreigner complains of the same tone in an English actor. For this reason, the recitative music, in every language, should be as different as the tone or accent of each language; for otherwise, what may those sounds which every country abounds with. In short, that music is of a relative nature, and what is harmony to one ear, may be dissonance to another. The same observations which I have made upon the recitative part of music, may be applied to all our songs and airs in general. Signior Baptist Lully acted like a man of sense in this particular. He found the French music extremely defective, and very often barbarous. However, knowing the genius of the people, the humour of their language, and the prejudiced ears he had to deal with, he did not pretend to extirpate the French music, and plant the Italian in its stead; but only to cultivate and civilize it with innumerable graces and modulations which be borrowed from the Italians. By this means the French music is now perfect in its kind; and when you say it is not so good as the Italian, you only mean that it does not please you so well; for there is scarce a Frenchman who would not wonder to hear you give the Italian such a preference. The music of the French is indeed very properly adapted to their pronunciation and accent, as their whole opera wonderfully favours the genius of such The chorus in which that of his own thoughts, She gave me a very obliging the parterre + frequent op- glance, she never looked so well in her life as this in concert with the stage. evening;' or the like reflection, without regard to audience to sing along with any other member of the society; for in this assemwith them, that I have some-bly they do not meet to talk to each other, but every man claims the full liberty of talking to himself. Instead of snuff-boxes and canes, which are the usual helps to discourse with other young fellows, these have each some piece of ribbon, a broken fan, or an old girdle, which they play with while they talk of the fair person remembered by each respective token. According to the representation of the matter from my letters, the company appear like so many players rehearsing be hind the scenes; one is sighing and lamenting his destiny in beseeching terms, another declaring he will break his chain, and another, in dumb-show, striving to express his passion by his gesture. It is very ordinary in the assembly for one of a sudden to rise and make a discourse concerning his passion in general, and describe the temper of his mind in such a manner, as that the whole company shall join in the description, and feel the force of it. In this case, if any man bas declared the vio lence of his flame in more pathetic terms, he is made president for that night, out of respect to his superior passion. rformer on the stage do no song, than the clerk of a rves only to raise the psalm, rowned in the music of the actor that comes on the stage s and heroines are so painted, ruddy and cherry-cheeked as pherds are all embroidered, es in a ball better than our ters. I have seen a couple of stockings; and Alpheus, inhead covered with sedge and Hove in a full-bottomed perif feathers; but with a voice d quavers, that I should have of a country brook the much c. ast opera I saw in that merry e of Proserpine, where Pluto, empting figure, puts himself in and brings Ascalaphus along de chambre. This is what we tinence; but what the French nd polite. re to what I have here offered, hitecture, and painting, as well cory, are to deduce their laws e general sense and taste of rom the principles of those arts other words, the taste is not to but the art to the taste. Music lease only chromatic ears, but le of distinguishing harsh from A man of an ordinary ear is passion is expressed in proper er the melody of those sounds casing. C. NESDAY, APRIL 4, 1711. uti censet, sine amore jocisque mnermus strives to prove, rity makes men extremely affect f the French, is the pit of the English We had some years ago in this town a set of people who met and dressed like lovers, and were distinguished by the name of the Fringeglove club; but they were persons of such moderate intellects, even before they were impaired by their passion, that their irregularities could not furnish sufficient variety of folly to afford daily new impertinences; by which means that institution dropped. These fellows could express their passion in nothing but their dress; but the Oxonians are fantastical, now they are lovers, in proportion to their learning and understanding before they became such. The thoughts of the ancient poets on this agreeable phrensy, are translated in honour of some modern beauty; and Chloris is won to-day by the same compliment that was made to Lesbia a thousand years ago. But as far as I can learn, the patron of the club is the renowned Don Quixote. The adventures of that gentle knight are frequently mentioned in the society, under the colour of laughing at the passion and themselves: but at the same time, though they are sensible of the extravagancies of that unhappy warrior, they do not observe, that to turn all the reading of the best and wisest writings into rhapsodies of love, is a phrensy no less diverting than that of the afore said accomplished Spaniard. A gentleman who, I hope, will continue his correspondence, is lately admitted into the fraternity, and sent me the fol lowing letter: SIR, SINCE I find you take notice of clubs, I beg leave to give you an account of one in Oxford, which you have no where mentioned, and perhaps never heard of. We distinguish ourselves by the title of the Amorous club, are all votaries of Cupid, and admirers of the fair sex. The reason that we are so little known in the world, is the secresy which we are obliged to live under in the university. Our constitution runs counter to that of the place wherein we live: for in love there are no doctors, and we all profess so high a passion, that we admit of no graduates in it. Our presidentship is bestowed according to the dignity of passion; our number is unlimited; and our statutes are like those of the Druids, recorded in our own breasts only, and explained by the majority of the company. A mistress, and a poem in her praise, will introduce any candidate. Without the latter no one can be ⚫dmitted; for he that is not in love enough to rhyme, is unqualified for our society. To speak disrespectfully of any woman is expulsion from our gentle society. As we are at present all of us gownmen, instead of duelling when we are rivals, we drink together the health of our mistress. The manner of doing this sometimes indeed creates debates; on such occasions we have recourse to the rules of love among the ancients. "Navia ser cyathis, septem Justina bibatur.” MART. Epig. i. 72. "Six cups to Nævia, to Justina seven." This method of a glass to every letter of her name, occasioned the other night a dispute of some warmth. A young student, who is in love with Mrs. Elizabeth Dimple, was so unreasonable as to begin her health under the name of Elizabetha; which so exasperated the club, that by common consent we retrenched it to Betty. We look upon a man as no company that does not sigh five times in a quarter of an hour; and look upon a member as very absurd, that is so much himself as to make a direct answer to a question. In fine, the whole assembly is made up of absent men, that is, of such persons as have lost their locality, and whose minds and bodies never keep company with one another. As I am an unfortunate member of this distracted society, you cannot expect a very regular account of it; for which reason I hope you will pardon me that I so abruptly subscribe myself, SIR, 'Your most obedient, humble servant, 'T. B. entitled, The Expedition of Alexander the Great: in which he had disposed all the remarkable shows about town, among the scenes and decorations of his piece. The thought, he confessed, was not originally his own, but that he had taken the hint of it from several performances which he had seen upon our stage: in one of which there was a rareeshow; in another a ladder-dance; and in others a posture-man, a moving picture, with many curiosities of the like nature. This Expedition of Alexander* opens with his consulting the oracle at Delphos, in whish the dumb conjurer, who had been visited by so many persons of quality of late years, is to be introduced as telling his fortune. At the same time Clinch of ple, as ringing the bells of Delphos, for joy of his Barnet is represented in another corner of the temarrival. The tent of Darins is to be peopled by the ingenious Mrs. Salmon, where Alexander is to fall in love with a piece of wax-work, that represents the beautiful Statira. When Alexander comes into that country, in which Quintus Curtius tells us the dogs were so exceeding fierce, that they would not loose their hold, though they were cut to pieces limb by limb, and that they would hang nothing but a mouth left, there is to be a scene of upon their prey by their teeth when they had Hockley in the Hole, in which is to be represented all the diversions of that place, the bull-baiting only excepted, which cannot possibly be exhibited in the theatre, by reason of the lowness of the roof. The several woods in Asia, which Alexander mut be supposed to pass through, will give the audience a sight of monkies dancing upon ropes, with many other pleasantries of that ludicrous species. At the same time, if there chance to be any strange animals in town, whether birds or beasts, they may 'I forgot to tell you, that Albina, who has six be either let loose among the woods, or driven votaries in this club, is one of your readers.' STEELE. N° 31. THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 1711. Sit mihi fas audita loqui R. across the stage by some of the country people of Asia. In the last great battle, Pinkethman is to personate king Porus upon an elephant, and is to be encountered by Powell, representing Alexander the Great upon a dromedary, which nevertheless Mr. Powell is desired to call by the name of Bucephalus. Upon the close of this great decisive battle, when the two kings are thoroughly reconciled, to show the mutual friendship and good correspondence that reigns between them, they both of them go together to a puppet-show, in which the ingenious Mr. Powell, junior, may have an oppor for the diversion of the two monarchs. Some at the table urged, that a puppet-show was not a suitable entertainment for Alexander the Great ; and that it might be introduced more properly, if we suppose the conqueror touched upon that part of India which is said to be inhabited by the pigmies. But this objection was looked upon as frivolous, and the proposal immediately overruled. Our projector further added, that after the reconciliation of these two kings, they might invite one another to dinner, and either of them entertain his guest with the German artist †, Mr. Pinkethman's heathen VIRG. Æn. vi. 266. What I have heard, permit me to relate. LAST night, upon my going into a coffee-house not far from the Haymarket theatre, I diverted myself for above half an hour with overhearing the dis-tunity of displaying his whole art of machinery, course of one, who, by the shabbiness of his dress, the extravagance of his conceptions, and the hurry of his speech, I discovered to be of that species who are generally distinguished by the title of Projectors. This gentleman, for I found he was treated as such by his audience, was entertaining a whole table of listeners with the project of an opera, which he told us had not cost him above two or three mornings in the contrivance, and which he was ready to put in execution, provided he might find his account in it. He said, that he had observed the great trouble and inconvenience which ladies were at, in travelling up and down to the several shows that are exhibited in different quarters of the town. The dancing monkies are in one place; the puppet-show in another; the opera in a third; not to mention the lions, that are almost a whole day's journey from the politer part of the town. By this means people of figure are forced to lose half the winter after their coming to town, before they have seen all the strange sights about it. In order to remedy this great inconvenience, our projector drew out of his pocket the scheme of an opera, See No 36. + "Lately arrived a rare and curious artist, who in the presence of all spectators makes all sorts and fashions of small as they please. Also all sorts of birds, fowls, images Indian China, and other curious figures of various colours as of men, &c. He bloweth all colours of glass curiously, &c. He showeth a glass of water wherein four or five images rise by human power, which spins 10,000 yards of glass in less or fall as he pleases; with several rarities. A wheel turned than half an hour. He makes for sale, artificial eyes to adthiration, curiously coloured, and not to be discerned from heads themselves, to the great satisfaction of all who use natural eyes, and teaches how they may fix them in their them.-out Regina." Harl. MSS. 5961. gue. ke diversions, which shall g thus settled matters, to the DAY, APRIL 6, 1711. C. t tragicis opus esse cothurnis. HOR. 1 Sat. v. 64. me vizor to increase mity of face. concerning the statutes of the een so well received at Oxford, =strict rules of the society, they as to take my own testimonial, Fee Guard. No 94. and admit me into that select body; I could not restrain the vanity of publishing to the world the honour which is done me. It is no small satisfaction that I have given occasion for the president's showing both his invention and reading to such advantage as my correspondent reports he did: but it is not to be doubted there were many very proper hums and pauses in his harangue, which lose their ugliness in the narration, and which my correspondent (begging his pardon) has no very good talent at representing. I very much approve of the contempt the society has of beauty. Nothing ought to be laudable in a man, in which his will is not concerned; therefore our society can follow nature, and where she has thought fit, as it were, to mock herself, we can do so too, and be merry upon the occasion. 'MR. SPECTATOR, 66 YOUR making public the late trouble I gave you, you will find to have been the occasion of this. Who should I meet at the coffee-house door the other night, but my old friend Mr. President? I saw somewhat had pleased him; and as soon as he had cast his eye upon me, Oho, Doctor, rare news from London (says he); the Spectator has made honourable mention of the club (man), and published to the world his sincere desire to be a member, with a recommendatory description of his phiz: and though our constitution has made no particular provision for short faces, yet his being an extraordinary case, I believe we shall find an hole for him to creep in at; for I assure you he is not against the canon; and if his sides are as compact as his joles, he need not disguise himself to make one of us.” I presently called for the paper, to see how you looked in print; and after we had regaled ourselves awhile upon the pleasant image of our proselyte, Mr. President told me I should be his stranger at the next night's club: where we were no sooner come, and pipes brought, but Mr. President began an harangue upon your introduction to my epistle, setting forth, with no less volubility of speech than strength of reason, “That a speculation of this nature was what had been long and much wanted; and that he doubted not but it would be of inestimable value to the public, in reconciling even of bodies and souls; in composing and quieting the minds of men under all corporeal redundancies, deficiencies, and irregularities whatsoever; and making every one sit down content in his own carcase, though it were not perhaps so mathematically put together as he could wish." And again: “ How that for want of a due consideration of what you first advance, viz. that our faces are not of our own choosing, people had been transported beyond all good breeding, and hurried themselves into unaccountable and fatal extravagancies; as, how many impartial looking-glasses had been censured and calumniated, nay, and sometimes shivered into ten thousand splinters, only for a fair representation of the truth? How many head-strings and garters had been made accessary, and actually forfeited, only because folks must needs quarrel with their own shadows? And who (continues he) but is deeply sensible, that one great source of the uneasiness and misery of human life, especially among those of distinction, arises from nothing in the world else, but too severe a contemplation of an indefeasible contexture of our external parts, or certain natural and invincible dispositions to be fat or lean? when a little more of Mr. Spectator's philosophy would take off all this. In the mean time let them observe, that there is not one of their grievances of this sort, but per- every body's business to speak for themselves haps, in some ages of the world, has been highly❘ Mr. President immediately retorted, “A han in vogue, and may be so again; nay, in some some fellow! why he is a wit, sir, and you kno country or other, ten to one is so at this day. My the proverb;" and to ease the old gentleman Lady Ample is the most miserable woman in the his scruples, cried, “That for matter of merit world, purely of her own making. She even grudges was all one, you might wear a mask." This thre herself meat and drink, for fear she should thrive him into a pause, and he looked desirous of thr by them; and is constantly crying out, In a days to consider on it; but Mr. President improve quarter of a year more I shall be quite out of all the thought, and followed him up with an old stor manner of shape! Now the lady's misfortune "That wits were privileged to wear what mas seems to be only this, that she is planted in a they pleased in all ages; and that a vizard ha wrong soil; for go but to the other side of the been the constant crown of their labours, whi water, it is a jest at Haerlem to talk of a shape was generally presented them by the hand of son under eighteen stone. These wise traders regulate satyr, and sometimes of Apollo himself;" for th their beauties as they do their butter, by the truth of which he appealed to the frontispiece pound; and Miss Cross, when she first arrived in several books, and particularly to the English J the Low Countries, was not computed to be so venal, to which he referred him; and only adde handsome as Madam Van Brisket, by near half a "That such authors were the Larvati, or Lar ton. On the other hand, there is 'Squire Lath, a donati of the ancients." This cleared up all, an proper gentleman of fifteen hundred pound per in the conclusion you were chose probatione annum, as well as of an unblamable life and con- and Mr. President put round your health as suc versation; yet would not I be the esquire for half protesting, "That though indeed he talked of his estate; for if it was as much more, he would vizard, he did not believe all the while you ha freely part with it all for a pair of legs to his mind. any more occasion for it than the cat-a-mountain Whereas in the reign of our first Edward of glo- so that all you have to do now is to pay your fee rious memory, nothing more modish than a brace which are here very reasonable, if you are not in of your fine taper supporters; and his majesty, posed upon; and you may style yourself Inform without an inch of calf, managed affairs in peace Societatis Socius: which I am desired to acquain or war as laudably as the bravest and most politic you with; and upon the same I beg you to acce of his ancestors; and was as terrible to his neigh- of the congratulation of, bours under the royal name of Longshanks, as 'SIR, Cœur de Lion to the Saracens before him. If we look further back into history, we shall find that Alexander the Great wore his head a little over the left shoulder, and then not a soul stirred out till he had adjusted his neck-bone; the whole nobility addressed the prince and each other obliquely, and all matters of importance were concerted and carried on in the Macedonian court with their polls on one side. For about the first century nothing made more noise in the world than Roman noses, and then not a word of them till they revived again in eighty-eight. Nor is it so very long since Richard the Third set up half the backs of the nation; and high shoulders, as well as high noses, were the top of the fashion But to come to ourselves, gentlemen, though I find by my quinquennial observations, that we shall never get ladies enough to make a party in our own country, yet might we meet with better success among some of our allies. And what think you if our board at for a Dutch piece? Truly I am of opinion, that as odd as we appear in flesh and blood, we should be no such strange things in metzo-tinto. But this project may rest till our number is compłete; and this being our election night, give me leave to propose Mr. Spectator. You see his inclinations, and perhaps we may not have his fellow." 'I found most of them (as is usual in all such cases) were prepared; but one of the seniors (whom by the by Mr. President had taken all this pains to bring over) sat still, and cocking his chin, which seemed only to be levelled at his nose, very gravely declared, "That in case he had had sufficient knowledge of you, no man should have been more willing to have served you; but that he, for his part, bad always had regard to his own conscience, as well as other people's merit; and he did not know but that you might be a handsome fellow; for as for your own certificate, it was Dryden, we are told, in the plates to his translation of Virgil, had Æneas always represented with a Roman nose, in compliment to King William. "Your obliged humble servant, 'Oxford, March 21.' STEELE. A. C. No 33. SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 1711. Terridus tecum puer, et solutis HOR. 1 Od. xxx. The graces with their zones unloos'd; R A FRIEND of mine has two daughters, whom I wi call Lætitia and Daphne; the former is one of th greatest beauties of the age in which she lives, th latter no way remarkable for any charms in he person. Upon this one circumstance of their ou ward form, the good and ill of their life seems t turn. Lætitia has not, from her very childhoo heard any thing else but commendations of h features and complexion, by which means she no other than nature made her, a very beautif outside. The consciousness of her charms has re dered her insupportably vain and insolent towar all who have to do with her. Daphne, who wa almost twenty before one civil thing had ever be said to her, found herself obliged to acquire son accomplishments to make up for the want of tho attractions which she saw in her sister. Daphne was seldom submitted to in a deba wherein she was concerned; her discourse had n thing to recommend it but the good sense of i and she was always under a necessity to have ve well considered what she was to say before si uttered it; while Lætitia was listened to with pa tiality, and approbation sat in the countenances Po |