tices of the Law (here I could be particularly dull in proving the Word Apprentice to be fignificant of a Barrifter) and you may easily diftinguish who has most lately made his Pretenfions to Bufinefs, by the whiteft and most ornamental Frame of his Window: If indeed C the Chamber is a Ground-Room, and has Rails before is, the Finery is of neceffity more extended, and the Pomp of Business better maintain'd. And what can be a greater Indication of the Dignity of Drefs, than that burdenfome Finery which is the regular Habit of our Judges, Nobles, and Bishops, with which upon certain Days we fee them incumbered? And though it may be faid this is awful, and neceffary for the Dignity of the State, yet the wifeft of them have been remarkable before they arrived at their prefent Stations, for being very well dreffed Perfons. As to my own part, I am near Thirty; and fince I left School have not been idle, which is a modern Phrafe for having studied hard. I brought off a clean Syftem of Moral Philofophy, and a tolerable Jargon of Metaphyficks from the University; fince that, I have been engaged in the clearing part of the perplex'd Style and Matter of the Law, which fo hereditarily defcends to all its Profeffors: To all which fevere Studies I have thrown in, at proper Interims, the pretty Learning of the Clafficks. Notwithstanding which, I am what Shakespear calls A Fellow of no Mark or Likelihood; which makes me understand the more fully, that fince the regular Methods of making Friends and a Fortune by the mere Force of a Profeffion is fo very ⚫ flow and uncertain, a Man fhould take all reasonable Opportunities, by enlarging a good Acquaintance, to court that Time and Chance which is faid to happen to every Man. T No 361. Thursday, April 24. I Tartaream intendit vocem, quâ protinus omnis Ving. Have dately received the following Letter from à Mr. SPECTATOR, THE Night before I left London I went to fee a Play, called The Humerous Lieutenant. Upon the Rifing of the Curtain I was very much furprized with the great Confort of Cat-calls which was • exhibited that Evening, and began to think with my felf that • I had made a 'Miftake, and gone to a Mufick-Meeting, inftead of the Play-houfe. It appeared indeed a little odd to me to fee fo many Perfons of Quality of both • Sexes affemble together at a kind of Catterwawling; for I cannot look upon that Performance to have been any thing better, whatever the Muficians themfelves might think of it. As I had no Acquaintance in the House to ⚫ ask Questions of, and was forced to go out of Town early the next Morning, I could not learn the Secret of this Matter. What I would therefore defire of you, is, ro give fome account of this ftrange Inftrument, which I found the Company called a Cat-call; and particularly to let me know whether it be a piece of Mufick lately come from Italy. For my own part, to be free with · you, I would rather hear an English Fiddle; though I durft not thew my Diflike whilft I was in the Playhoufe, it being my Chance to fit the very next Man to one of the Performers. I am, SIR, Your most affectionate Friend and Servant, IN IN compliance with 'Squire Shallow's Requeft, I defign this Paper as a Differtation upon the Cat-call. In order to make my felf a Mafter of the Subject, I purchased one the Beginning of laft Week, though not without great difficulty, being inform'd at two or three Toyshops that the Players had lately bought them all up. I have fince confulted many learned Antiquaries in relation to its Original, and find them very much divided among themfelves upon that particular. A Fellow of the Royal Society, who is my good Friend, and a great Proficient in the M3thematical Part of Mufick, concludes from the Simplicity of its Make, and the Uniformity of its Sound, that the Cat call is older than any of the Inventions of Jubal. He obferves very well, that Mufical Instruments took their firft Rife from the Notes of Birds, and other melodious Animals; and what, fays he, was more natural than for the firft Ages of Mankind to imitate the Voice of a Cat that lived under the fame Roof with them? He added, that the Cat had contributed more to Harmony than any other Animal; as we are not only beholden to her for this Wind-Inftrument, but for our String-Musick in general. ANOTHER Virtuofo of my Acquaintance will not allow the Cat-call to be older than Thefpis, and is apt to thing it appeared in the World foon after the antient Comedy; for which reafon it has ftill a place in our Dramatick Entertainments: Nor muft I here omit what a very curious Gentleman, who is lately return'd from his Travels, has more than once affured me, namely, that there was lately dug up at Rome the Statue of a Momus, who holds an Inftrument in his Right-Hand very much refembling our modern Cat-call. THERE are others who afcribe this Invention to Orpheus, and look upon the Cat-call to be one of thofe Inftruments which that famous Mufician made ufeof to draw the Beasts about him. It is certain, that the Roafting of a Cat does not call together a greater Audience of that Species, than this Inftrument, if dexterously play'd upon in proper Time and Place. BUT notwithstanding thefe various and learned Con jectures, I cannot forbear thinking that the Cat-call is ori ginally a Piece of English Mufick. Its Refemblance to the Voice of fome of our British Songsters, as well as the Use of it, which is peculiar to our Nation, confirms me in this Opinion. It has at least received great Improvements among us, whether we confider the Inftrument it felf, or thofe feveral Quavers and Graces which are thrown into the playing of it. Every one might be fenfible of this, who heard that remarkable over-grown Car call which was placed in the Center of the Pit, and prefided over all the reft at the celebrated Performance lately exhibited in Drury Lane. HAVING faid thus much concerning the Original of the Cat-call, we are in the next place to confider the Ufe of it. The Cat-call exerts it felf to moft advantage in the British Theatre: It very much improves the Sound of Nonfenfe, and often goes along with the Voice of the Actor who pronounces ir, as the Violin or Harpficord accompanies the Italian Recitativo. IT has often fupplied the Place of the antient Chorus, in the Words of Mr. *** In fhort, a bad Poet has as great an Antipathy to a Cat-call, as many People have to a real Cat. Mr. Collier, in his ingenious Effay upon Mufick, has the following Paffage: I believe 'tis poffible to invent an Inftrument that shall have a quite contrary Effect to thofe Martial ones now in ufe: An Inftrument that shall fink the Spirits, and fhake the Nerves, and curdle the Blood, and infpire Defpair, and Cowardice and Confternation, at a furprizing rate. 'Tis probable the Roaring of Lions, the Warbling of Cats and ScritchOwls, together with a Mixture of the Howling of Dogs, judiciously imitated and compounded, might go a great way in this Invention. Whether fuch Anti-Mufick as this might not be of Service in a Camp, I shall leave to the Military Men to confider. WHAT this learned Gentleman fuppofes in Speculation, I have known actually verified in Practice. The Cat-call has ftruck a Damp into Generals, and frighted Heroes off the Stage. At the first found of it I have feen a Crowned Head tremble, and a Princefs fall into Fits. The Humo rous rous Lieutenant himself could not stand it; nay, I am told that even Almanzor looked like a Moufe, and trembled at the Voice of this terrifying Inftrument. AS it is of a Dramatick Nature, and peculiarly appropriated to the Stage, I can by no means approve the Thought of that angry Lover, who, after an unfuccefsful Purfuit of fome Years, took leave of his Mistress in a Serenade of Cat-calls. I must conclude this Paper with the Account I have lately received of an ingenious Artift, who has long ftudied this Inftrument, and is very well verfed in all the Rules of the Drama. He teaches to play on it by Book, and to exprefs by it the whole Art of Criticism. He has his Bafe and his Treble Cat-call; the former for Tragedy, the latter for Comedy; only in Tragy-Comedies they may both play together in Confort. He has a particular Squeak to denote the Violation of each of the Unities, and has different Sounds to fhew whether he aims at the Poet or the Player. In short, he teaches the Smut-note, the Fuftian-note, the Stupid-note, and has compofed a kind of Air that may ferve as an Act-tune to an incorrigible Play, and which takes in the whole Compass of the Cat-call. ©% N° 362. Friday, April 25. Laudibus arguitur Vini vinofus Mr. SPECTATOR 'S Hor. L Temple, Apr. 24. EVERAL of my Friends were this Morning got together over a Dish of Tea in very good Health, though we had celebrated Yesterday with more Glaffes than we could have dispensed with, had we not been beholden to Brooke and Hellier. In gratitude therefore to thofe good Citizens, I am, in the Name of the Company, to accufe you of great Negligence in over-looking their Merit, who have imported true and generous Wine, їз ⚫ and |