The Spectator Volume I Part 27

[Footnote 3: Henry Purcell died of consumption in 1695, aged 37.

'He was,' says Mr. Hullah, in his Lectures on the History of Modern Music, 'the first Englishman to demonstrate the possibility of a national opera. No Englishman of the last century succeeded in following Purcell's lead into this domain of art; none, indeed, would seem to have understood in what his excellence consisted, or how his success was attained. His dramatic music exhibits the same qualities which had already made the success of Lulli. ... For some years after Purcell's death his compositions, of whatever kind, were the chief, if not the only, music heard in England. His reign might have lasted longer, but for the advent of a musician who, though not perhaps more highly gifted, had enjoyed immeasurably greater opportunities of cultivating his gifts,'

Handel, who had also the advantage of being born thirty years later.]

[Footnote 4: John Baptist Lulli, a Florentine, died in 1687, aged 53. In his youth he was an under-scullion in the kitchen of Madame de Montpensier, niece to Louis XIV. The discovery of his musical genius led to his becoming the King's Superintendent of Music, and one of the most influential composers that has ever lived. He composed the occasional music for Moliere's comedies, besides about twenty lyric tragedies; which succeeded beyond all others in France, not only because of his dramatic genius, which enabled him to give to the persons of these operas a musical language fitted to their characters and expressive of the situations in which they were placed; but also, says Mr. Hullah, because

'Lulli being the first modern composer who caught the French ear, was the means, to a great extent, of forming the modern French taste.'

His operas kept the stage for more than a century.]

[Footnote 5: that he]

[Footnote 6: not]

No. 30. [1] Wednesday, April 4, 1711. Steele.

'Si, Mimnermus uti censet, sine amore Focisque Nil est Jucundum; vivas in amore Jocisque.'

Hor.

One common Calamity makes Men extremely affect each other, tho' they differ in every other Particular. The Pa.s.sion of Love is the most general Concern among Men; and I am glad to hear by my last Advices from _Oxford_, that there are a Set of Sighers in that University, who have erected themselves into a Society in honour of that tender Pa.s.sion.

These Gentlemen are of that Sort of Inamoratos, who are not so very much lost to common Sense, but that they understand the Folly they are guilty of; and for that Reason separate themselves from all other Company, because they will enjoy the Pleasure of talking incoherently, without being ridiculous to any but each other. When a Man comes into the Club, he is not obliged to make any Introduction to his Discourse, but at once, as he is seating himself in his Chair, speaks in the Thread of his own Thoughts, 'She gave me a very obliging Glance, She Never look'd so well in her Life as this Evening,' or the like Reflection, without Regard to any other Members of the Society; for in this a.s.sembly 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 remember'd by each respective Token.

According to the Representation of the Matter from my Letters, the Company appear like so many Players rehearsing behind 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 Pa.s.sion by his Gesture. It is very ordinary in the a.s.sembly for one of a sudden to rise and make a Discourse concerning his Pa.s.sion 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 has declared the Violence of his Flame in more pathetick Terms, he is made President for that Night, out of respect to his superior Pa.s.sion.

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 _Fringe-Glove Club_; but they were Persons of such moderate Intellects even before they were impaired by their Pa.s.sion, that their Irregularities could not furnish sufficient Variety of Folly to afford daily new Impertinencies; by which Means that Inst.i.tution dropp'd. These Fellows could express their Pa.s.sion 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 Phrenzy, 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 mention'd in the Society, under the colour of Laughing at the Pa.s.sion and themselves: But at the same Time, tho'

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 Phrenzy no less diverting than that of the aforesaid accomplish'd _Spaniard_. A Gentleman who, I hope, will continue his Correspondence, is lately admitted into the Fraternity, and sent me the following 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 mention'd, and perhaps never heard of. We distinguish our selves by the t.i.tle of the _Amorous Club_, are all Votaries of _Cupid_, and Admirers of the Fair s.e.x. The Reason that we are so little known in the World, is the Secrecy which we are obliged to live under in the University. Our Const.i.tution runs counter to that of the Place wherein we live: For in Love there are no Doctors, and we all profess so high Pa.s.sion, that we admit of no Graduates in it. Our Presidents.h.i.+p is bestow'd according to the Dignity of Pa.s.sion; our Number is unlimited; and our Statutes are like those of the Druids, recorded in our own b.r.e.a.s.t.s 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 admitted; for he that is not in love enough to rhime, 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 Gown-men, 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 Antients.

'Naevia s.e.x Cyathis, septem Justina bibatur.'

This Method of a Gla.s.s 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 a.s.sembly 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 my self,

Sir,

Your most obedient,

humble Servant,

T. B.

I forgot to tell you, that _Albina_, who has six Votaries in this Club, is one of your Readers.'

R.

[Footnote 1: To this number of the Spectator was added in the original daily issue an announcement of six places at which were to be sold 'Compleat Setts of this Paper for the Month of March.']

No. 31. Thursday, April 5, 1711. Addison.

'Sit mihi fas audita loqui!'

Vir.

Last Night, upon my going into a Coffee-House not far from the _Hay-Market_ Theatre, I diverted my self for above half an Hour with overhearing the Discourse 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 t.i.tle of Projectors. This Gentleman, for I found he was treated as such by his Audience, was entertaining a whole Table of Listners 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, Ent.i.tled, _The Expedition of Alexander the Great_; in which he had disposed of 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 Rary-Show; 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 which the dumb Conjuror, who has been visited by so many Persons of Quality of late Years, is to be introduced as telling him his Fortune; At the same time _Clench_ of _Barnet_ is represented in another Corner of the Temple, as ringing the Bells of _Delphos_, for joy of his arrival. The Tent of _Darius_ is to be Peopled by the Ingenious Mrs.

_Salmon_, [1] 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, tho' they were cut to pieces Limb by Limb, and that they would hang upon their Prey by their Teeth when they had nothing but a Mouth left, there is to be a scene of _Hockley in the Hole_, [2] 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_ must be supposed to pa.s.s 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 be either let loose among the Woods, or driven across the Stage by some of the Country People of _Asia_. In the last great Battel, Pinkethman [3] is to personate King _Porus_ upon an _Elephant_, and is to be encountered by _Powell_ [4]

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 Battel, when the two Kings are thoroughly reconciled, to shew the mutual Friends.h.i.+p and good Correspondence that reigns between them, they both of them go together to a Puppet-Show, in which the ingenious Mr. _Powell, junior_ [5] may have an Opportunity of displaying his whole Art of Machinery, 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 over-ruled.

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 G.o.ds, [6] or any of the like Diversions, which shall then chance to be in vogue.

This Project was receiv'd with very great Applause by the whole Table.

Upon which the Undertaker told us, that he had not yet communicated to us above half his Design; for that _Alexander_ being a _Greek_, it was his Intention that the whole Opera should be acted in that Language, which was a Tongue he was sure would wonderfully please the Ladies, especially when it was a little raised and rounded by the _Ionick_ Dialect; and could not but be [acceptable [8]] to the whole Audience, because there are fewer of them who understand _Greek_ than _Italian_.

The only Difficulty that remained, was, how to get Performers, unless we could persuade some Gentlemen of the Universities to learn to sing, in order to qualify themselves for the Stage; but this Objection soon vanished, when the Projector informed us that the _Greeks_ were at present the only Musicians in the _Turkish_ Empire, and that it would be very easy for our Factory at _Smyrna_ to furnish us every Year with a Colony of Musicians, by the Opportunity of the _Turkey_ Fleet; besides, says he, if we want any single Voice for any lower Part in the Opera, _Lawrence_ can learn to speak _Greek_, as well as he does _Italian_, in a Fortnight's time.