ceived rules of the Drama. Befides this is what is practifed every day in Westminster-Hall, where nothing is more ufual than to see a couple of lawyers, who have been tearing each other to pieces in the court, embracing one another as foon as they are out of it.

I would not be thought in any part of this relation, to reflect upon Signior Nicolini, who in acting this part only complies with the wretched tafte of his audience; he knows very well, that the lion has many more admirers than himfelf; as they fay of the famous Equestrian statue on the Pont-Neuf at Paris, that more people go to see the horse, than the king who fits upon it. On the contrary, it gives me a just me a juft indignation to fee a perfon whofe action gives new majesty to kings, refolution to heroes, and softness to lovers, thus finking from the greatness of his behaviour, and degraded into the character of the London Prentice. I have often wifhed, that our tragedians would copy after this great mafter in action. Could they make the fame ufe of their arms and legs, and inform their faces with as fignificant looks and paffions, how glorious would an English tragedy appear with that action which is capable of giving dignity to the forced thoughts, cold conceits, and unnatural expreffions of an Italian opera! In the mean time, I have related this combat of the lion, to fhew what are at prefent the reigning entertainments of the politer part of Great-Britain.

Audiences have often been reproached by

writers

writers for the coarseness of their tafte: but our prefent grievance does not feem to be the want of a good taste, but of common sense.

C*.

By ADDISON, who "perhaps," (fays Sir John Hawkins) from the bad fuccefs of Rofamond, was led to think "that only nonfenfe was fit to be fet to mufic; and this error "is farther to be accounted for by that want of tafte, not to "fay of skill in mufic, which he manifefts in preferring the "French to the Italian compofers, and in his general fenti"ments of mufic and musicians, in which he is ever wrong." HAWKINS'S Hiftory of Mufic, 4to. vol. V. b. ii. c. 5. p. 147, 148. Note. See TAT. N° 18.

Sir John's fevere cenfure appears to be refuted by the fentiments of mufic and muficians which ADDISON gives us in No 29, to which this harsh animadverfion feems to be totally inapplicable. See SPECTATOR, N° 29, paffim. The knight feems to be fingular in an opinion, that ADDISON was wrong in his notions of mufic and painting, and in every thing, even his ftyle in writing is not excepted, which he certainly cenfures with the worst grace imaginable.

*Juft publifhed, "The Monthly Weather Paper," being "baroscopical discoveries of the alterations of the wea"ther every day and night in March 1710-11."

The curious publications called Barometer Papers, were generally half sheets, printed every fortnight, on one fide only, and fold at a penny a-piece. The philomaths did not act with their usual cunning, when they meddled with barometers and thermometers, for these inftruments which they thought to have made fubfervient to their knavery, became eventually deftructive to their trade. The " Weather Papers" which they perfifted in obtruding on the public with the utmoft impudence and ignorance, were at firft very lucrative to this numerous tribe of fwindlers, but in the end knocked up all aftrological business, in which a little before and at the beginning of this century, noblemen, gentlemen, and scholars were dablers. See TAT. in 6 vols. N° 228, Note; et paffim.

N° 14

I

N° 14. Friday, March 16, 1710-11.

-Teque bis, infelix, exue monftris.

OVID. Met. iv. 590.

Wretch that thou art! put off this monftrous

shape.

WAS reflecting this morning upon the fpirit and humour of the public diverfions five and twenty years ago, and thofe of the present time; and lamented to myself, that, though in thofe days they neglected their morality, they kept up their good fenfe; but that the beau monde, at prefent, is only grown more childish, not more innocent, than the former. While I was in this train of thought, an old fellow, whose face I have often feen at the play-house, gave me the following letter with these words: "Sir, the Lion prefents his humble fervice to you, and defired me to give this into your "own hands.'

• From my den in the Haymarket, March 15.

'SIR,

I

HAVE read all your Papers, and have ftifled my refentment against your reflections upon Operas, until that of this day, " wherein you plainly infinuate, that Signior Ni'colini and myself have a correfpondence more friendly than is confiftent with the valour of VOL. I.

G

his

his character, or the fiercenefs of mine. I de'fire you would, for your own fake, forbear 'fuch intimations for the future; and must say

it is a great piece of ill-nature in you, to fhew C fo great an esteem for a foreigner, and to difcourage a Lion that is your own countryman.

'I take notice of your fable of the lion and 'man*, but am fo equally concerned in that ' matter, that I fhall not be offended to which foever of the animals the fuperiority is given. You have mifreprefented me, in saying that I am a country-gentleman, who act only for my diverfion; whereas, had I ftill the fame woods to range in which I once had when I was a fox-hunter, I fhould not refign my manhood for a maintenance; and affure you, as low as my circumstances are at prefent, I am so much a man of honour, that I would fcorn to be any beaft for bread, but a Lion.

• Yours, &c.'

I had no fooner ended this, than one of my landlady's children brought me in feveral others, with fome of which I fhall make up my prefent Paper, they all having a tendency to the fame fubject, viz. the Elegance of our present diverfions.

'SIR,

Covent Garden, March 13. HAVE been for twenty years under-fexton of this parish of St. Paul's Covent-Garden, and have not miffed tolling in to prayers

See SPECT. N° 11, marked as this Paper is, with STEELE'S peculiar fignature R.

'fix times in all thofe years; which office I have performed to my great fatisfaction, un'til this fortnight last past, during which time I find my congregation take the warning of my bell, morning and evening, to go to a puppet-fhow fet forth by one Powell under the Piazzas. By this means I have not only loft my two customers, whom I used to place for fixpence a piece, over against Mrs. Rachael Eyebright, but Mrs. Rachael herself is gone thither 'alfo. There now appear among us none but 'a few ordinary people, who come to church only to fay their prayers, fo that I have no 'work worth fpeaking of but on Sundays. I have placed my fon at the Piazzas, to acquaint the ladies, that the bell rings for church, and ' that it stands on the other fide of the Garden ' but they only laugh at the child.

I defire you would lay this before all the ' world, that I may not be made fuch a tool for 'the future, and that punchinello may choofe 'hours lefs canonical. As things are now, Mr. • Powell has a full congregation, while we have 'a very thin houfe; which if you can remedy, much oblige,

you

will. very

'SIR,

Yours, &c.'

The following epiftle I find is from the undertaker of the Masquerade.