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The Poet very judic***y t*lls us tha* ***tation of th* *** had bee*.

As there is but one Copy of these truly valuable Notes, preserved in the Cotton Library, it is in vain to hope that this Hiatus valde Deflendus can ever be reftored. For

-Quad nec Jovis ira, nec ignis,

Nec potuit ferrum, nec edax abolere Vetuftas,
• Heu! morfu tinea potuere, et ridiculus mus.'

What nor offended Jove's avenging Ire,
Nor Gothic Arms, nor fpreading Fire,
Nor Time's devouring Tooth could e'er annoy,
With envious Bite the lurking Moth,
The little Moufe could fecretly destroy,

Than Time, or Jove more fell, or Fire, or Savage
Goth.

ΑΝ

AN

INSPECTO R.

NUMBER 66666.

The Man, that hath no Mufic in his Soul,
Nor is not mov'd with Concord of fweet Sounds,
Is fit for Treafons, Stratagems, and Spoils.
Let no fuch Man be trufted.--

AF

SHAKESPEARE.

FTER I had chatted away an Hour or fo over a Difh of Coffee and Criticism at the Bedford, I went off in a Coranto, whipped into my Chariot, and drove away to the Concert in DeanStreet. When I had run over every pretty Face in that Affembly worth looking at, I directed my Coachman to go to the Theatre. I entered the right Hand Stage-box; a general Whisper went round the House: every Eye was fixed on my Perfon, though Barry was in one of the most tender and pathetic Parts of Othello. Presently after, the Mufic ftruck up: the Men of Fashion in the Boxes leered towards me with a Smile of Approbation: the pretty dear Creatures fluttered their Fans at me: the City Gallants of the firft Gallery perufed me with a Stare of Aftonishment: and the Peafant Inhabitants among the Gods looked as if they were afking one another, Which is He?In the mean Time, the fhrill Cry of Oranges and

Nonpareils,

Nonpareils, and the hoarse Coughings of phthificky old Women, joined with the Puphony of the Orcheftra, made up an out-of-the way, comical Sort of Concert.

I never go to any Entertainment without a Defign of benefiting my Readers by it. The different Modulations of the Inftruments, which I had heard before at Ogle's, and which now filled up the Intermiffion of the Play, made me reflect on the near Affinity between the Actors and the Mufic, and gave me the Hint of drawing a new Parallel between them. The Play began anew: others were obferving the expreffive Action of the Performers, and impatiently waiting the Cataftrophe of the Piece: I was only attentive to their different Tones of Voice, and.comparing them with the Sounds I had just heard from the Wind and String Inftruments.

Mr. Garrick, (for I carried my Reflection equally to both Houfes,) I confidered as a double-keyed Harpsichord ftruck by the nice Finger of an Handel; now raising us to the alarming Bafs of Terror, now finking us down to the melting Treble of Pity: Sometimes fixing our ferious Thoughts to a flow Tragical penferofo, at other Times tickling our enlivened Faculties to a brifk Comedy andante, or a light farcical Jig. All the Powers of Harmony are included, and the whole Energy of Compofition exerted, in this various and delightful Inftrument.

I mean not to derogate from the Merits of Mr. Barry by the Similitude, when I liken him to the Italian Violin; which, if it cannot take in the whole Compafs and Contrariety of Notes (expreffive of every Paffion) that the Harpfichord is equal to, yet it draws out fuch a Sweetness of Tone, fuch a calm Melody of Sound, that the correct Ear difcovers exquifite Force in its Simplicity. Sometimes too it fhakes the Soul with its Rapidity, and the fympathizing Senfes are enraptured with the Graces capable

to

to be expreffed on it by the masterly Execution of a Giardini.

Mr.Moop, though a very promifing Actor, does not as yet afpire to the Expreffion of Mr. Garrick, whom I compared to the Harpfichord, or the Delicacy of Mr. Barry, whom I confidered as a Violin. I fhall therefore place him on the Stage nearly in the fame Rank that the Violincello holds in the Orchestra. His Elocution to the vulgar Part of the Audience may found harsh and fomewhat grating: but there is a noble Dignity in it; and, like the Inftrument juft mentioned, at the fame Time it is Strong, Loud, and Full, is Delectable, Juft, and Melodious.

I may be cenfured perhaps for faying, that the Hautboy is no bad Refemblance of Mr. Rofs; neither remarkable for its Sweetness or Variety, and rather pleafing than furprising, more useful in a Concerto, when accompanied with better-toned Inftruments, than it is efficacious when playing a Solo.

And here Mr. Quin among the Rest must not be forgotten, as we have fo often heretofore admired him, when he fmote the General Ear, and shook Pit, Box, and Gallery, with his Thunder.

But I

know not whether we may better trace him in the rough Rumbling of the Baffoon, the loud Roaring of the Kettle-Drum, the full Cadence of the Horn, or the deep and ftrong Unifon of the DoubleBafs.

Mrs. Cibber's foft eafy Pipe aptly enough brought to my Remembrance the Mellownefs of a German Flute, when infpired by the almost speaking Breath of a Burk Thumoth. The Plaintiveness of her Accents are expreffive of the liquid Melody peculiar to this Inftrument, whofe Sounds are adapted to the Languifhings of Love, and melt us with extatic Mildness: -not but that fometimes they are raised to a higher Pitch, and startle us with the wild Fury of extravagant Despair. I could with indeed Mrs, Gibber's

Stops

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Stops were regulated with the Judgment of a Pritchard, that we might not be so often tired with a conftant and unaltered Monotony.

But oh! the Mifs Bellamy,-the fine, the charming, the every-thing Mifs Bellamy,-fhe, whom I affirm to be the best Actress, and the handfomest Woman in the World,-fhe, in whom all the Combination of harmonious Utterance are united; whenever the rich Mufic of her Tongue fweetens the Air, (as Romeo calls it,)-O what fingle Inftrument can come up to her Expreffion!-I fhould do her Injuftice even to compare her with the new-invented Lyrichord of Plenius; where the Softness of the Flagellet, the Mellowness of the Flute, and the Fullness of the Hautboy, are, by the Vibrations of the feveral Chords artfully disposed, all of them curiously blended together.-Mifs Bellamy, in my Opinion, is an Organ playing with a vaft Variety of Stops, and makes in herself a complete Concert.

In the Theatres there are feveral meaner-founding Inftruments, neither commanding for their Grace, nor affecting for their Energy-yet they ferve well enough to fill up the Band; and if inelegant, or of diffonant Mood, they pafs off, as without particular Diftinction, fo without particular Dislike; while their unmeaning ill-timed Difcordancy is happily lost and drowned in the general Harmony.

***This is defigned as a Companion to my former (before never heard of) Parallel between Painting and Playing.

I know not what to think of the following: I found it in my Pocket Yefterday: Nor can I guefs how it came thither: 'Twas after my Return from feeing the curious Creature, in whofe

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