Contents
|
Wednesday, March 14, 1711 |
Addison |
... Veteres avias tibi de pulmone revello.
Per.
At my coming to
London
, it was some time before I could settle my self
in a House to my likeing. I was forced to quit my first Lodgings, by
reason of an officious Land-lady, that would be asking every Morning how
I had slept. I then fell into an honest Family, and lived very happily
for above a Week; when my Land-lord, who was a jolly good-natur'd Man,
took it into his head that I wanted Company, and therefore would
frequently come into my Chamber to keep me from being alone. This I bore
for Two or Three Days; but telling me one Day that he was afraid I was
melancholy, I thought it was high time for me to be gone, and
accordingly took new Lodgings that very Night. About a Week after, I
found my jolly Land-lord, who, as I said before was an honest hearty
Man, had put me into an Advertisement of the
Daily Courant
, in the
following Words.
Whereas a melancholy Man left his Lodgings on Thursday
last in the Afternoon, and was afterwards seen going towards Islington;
If any one can give Notice of him to R. B., Fishmonger in the
Strand, he shall be very well rewarded for his Pains.
As I am the best
Man in the World to keep my own Counsel, and my Land-lord the Fishmonger
not knowing my Name, this Accident of my Life was never discovered to
this very Day.
I am now settled with a Widow-woman, who has a great many Children, and
complies with my Humour in everything. I do not remember that we have
exchang'd a Word together these Five Years; my Coffee comes into my
Chamber every Morning without asking for it; if I want Fire I point to
my Chimney, if Water, to my Bason: Upon which my Land-lady nods, as much
as to say she takes my Meaning, and immediately obeys my Signals. She
has likewise model'd her Family so well, that when her little Boy offers
to pull me by the Coat or prattle in my Face, his eldest Sister
immediately calls him off and bids him not disturb the Gentleman. At my
first entering into the Family, I was troubled with the Civility of
their rising up to me every time I came into the Room; but my Land-lady
observing, that upon these Occasions I always cried Pish and went out
again, has forbidden any such Ceremony to be used in the House; so that
at present I walk into the Kitchin or Parlour without being taken notice
of, or giving any Interruption to the Business or Discourse of the
Family. The Maid will ask her Mistress (tho' I am by) whether the
Gentleman is ready to go to Dinner, as the Mistress (who is indeed an
excellent Housewife) scolds at the Servants as heartily before my Face
as behind my Back. In short, I move up and down the House and enter into
all Companies, with the same Liberty as a Cat or any other domestick
Animal, and am as little suspected of telling anything that I hear or
see.
I remember last Winter there were several young Girls of the
Neighbourhood sitting about the Fire with my Land-lady's Daughters, and
telling Stories of Spirits and Apparitions. Upon my opening the Door the
young Women broke off their Discourse, but my Land-lady's Daughters
telling them that it was no Body but the Gentleman (for that is the Name
which I go by in the Neighbourhood as well as in the Family), they went
on without minding me. I seated myself by the Candle that stood on a
Table at one End of the Room; and pretending to read a Book that I took
out of my Pocket, heard several dreadful Stories of Ghosts as pale as
Ashes that had stood at the Feet of a Bed, or walked over a Churchyard
by Moonlight: And of others that had been conjured into the
Red-Sea
,
for disturbing People's Rest, and drawing their Curtains at Midnight;
with many other old Women's Fables of the like Nature. As one Spirit
raised another, I observed that at the End of every Story the whole
Company closed their Ranks and crouded about the Fire: I took Notice in
particular of a little Boy, who was so attentive to every Story, that I
am mistaken if he ventures to go to bed by himself this Twelvemonth.
Indeed they talked so long, that the Imaginations of the whole Assembly
were manifestly crazed, and I am sure will be the worse for it as long
as they live. I heard one of the Girls, that had looked upon me over her
Shoulder, asking the Company how long I had been in the Room, and
whether I did not look paler than I used to do.
put me under some
Apprehensions that I should be forced to explain my self if I did not
retire; for which Reason I took the Candle in my Hand, and went up into
my Chamber, not without wondering at this unaccountable Weakness in
reasonable Creatures,
that they should
love to astonish and terrify
one another.
Were I a Father, I should take a particular Care to
preserve my Children from these little Horrours of Imagination, which
they are apt to contract when they are young, and are not able to shake
off when they are in Years. I have known a Soldier that has enter'd a
Breach, affrighted at his own Shadow; and look pale upon a little
scratching at his Door, who the Day before had march'd up against a
Battery of Cannon. There are Instances of Persons, who have been
terrify'd, even to Distraction, at the Figure of a Tree or the shaking
of a Bull-rush. The Truth of it is, I look upon a sound Imagination as
the greatest Blessing of Life, next to a clear Judgment and a good
Conscience. In the mean Time, since there are very few whose Minds are
not more or less subject to these dreadful Thoughts and Apprehensions,
we ought to arm our selves against them by the Dictates of Reason and
Religion,
to pull the old Woman out of our Hearts
(as
Persius
expresses it in the
Motto
of my Paper), and extinguish those impertinent
Notions which we imbibed at a Time that we were not able to judge of
their Absurdity. Or if we believe, as many wise and good Men have done,
that there are such Phantoms and Apparitions as those I have been
speaking of, let us endeavour to establish to our selves an Interest in
him who holds the Reins of the whole Creation in his Hand, and moderates
them after such a Manner, that it is impossible for one Being to break
loose upon another without his Knowledge and Permission.
For my own Part, I am apt to join in Opinion with those who believe that
all the Regions of Nature swarm with Spirits; and that we have
Multitudes of Spectators on all our Actions, when we think our selves
most alone: But instead of terrifying my self with such a Notion, I am
wonderfully pleased to think that I am always engaged with such an
innumerable Society in searching out the Wonders of the Creation, and
joining in the same Consort of Praise and Adoration.
Milton
has
described this mixed Communion of Men and Spirits
in Paradise; and had doubtless his Eye upon a Verse in old
Hesiod
,
which is almost Word for Word the same with his third Line in the
following Passage.
Nor think, though Men were none,
That Heav'n would want Spectators, God want praise:
Millions of spiritual Creatures walk the Earth
Unseen, both when we wake and when we sleep;
All these with ceaseless Praise his Works behold
Both Day and Night. How often from the Steep
Of echoing Hill or Thicket, have we heard
Celestial Voices to the midnight Air,
Sole, or responsive each to others Note,
Singing their great Creator: Oft in bands,
While they keep Watch, or nightly Rounding walk,
With heav'nly Touch of instrumental Sounds,
In full harmonick Number join'd, their Songs
Divide the Night, and lift our Thoughts to Heav'n.
C.
who
Paradise Lost
, B. IV, lines 675-688.
In Bk. I of the
Works and Days
, description of the
Golden Age, when the good after death
Yet still held state on earth, and guardians were
Of all best mortals still surviving there,
Observ'd works just and unjust, clad in air,
And gliding undiscovered everywhere.
Chapman's Translation.
Contents
|
Thursday, March 15, 1711 |
Addison |
Dic mi hi si fueris tu leo qualis eris?
Mart.
is nothing that of late Years has afforded Matter of greater
Amusement to the Town than Signior
Nicolini's
Combat with a Lion in
the
Hay-Market
` which has been very often exhibited to the general
Satisfaction of most of the Nobility and Gentry in the Kingdom of
Great
Britain
. Upon the first Rumour of this intended Combat, it was
confidently affirmed, and is still believed by many in both Galleries,
that there would be a tame Lion sent from the Tower every Opera Night,
in order to be killed by
Hydaspes
; this Report, tho' altogether
groundless, so universally prevailed in the upper Regions of the
Play-House, that some of the most refined Politicians in those Parts of
the Audience, gave it out in Whisper, that the Lion was a Cousin-German
of the Tyger who made his Appearance in King
William's
days, and that
the Stage would be supplied with Lions at the public Expence, during the
whole Session. Many likewise were the Conjectures of the Treatment which
this Lion was to meet with from the hands of Signior
Nicolini
; some
supposed that he was to Subdue him in
Recitativo
, as
Orpheus
used to
serve the wild Beasts in his time, and afterwards to knock him on the
head; some fancied that the Lion would not pretend to lay his Paws upon
the Hero, by Reason of the received Opinion, that a Lion will not hurt a
Virgin. Several, who pretended to have seen the Opera in
Italy
, had
informed their Friends, that the Lion was to act a part in
High Dutch
,
and roar twice or thrice to a thorough Base, before he fell at the Feet
of
Hydaspes
. To clear up a Matter that was so variously reported, I
have made it my Business to examine whether this pretended Lion is
really the Savage he appears to be, or only a Counterfeit.
But before I communicate my Discoveries, I must acquaint the Reader,
that upon my walking behind the Scenes last Winter, as I was thinking on
something else, I accidentally jostled against a monstrous Animal that
extreamly startled me, and, upon my nearer Survey of it, appeared to be
a Lion-Rampant. The Lion, seeing me very much surprized, told me, in a
gentle Voice, that I might come by him if I pleased:
For (says
he) I do not intend to hurt anybody.
I thanked him very kindly,
and passed by him. And in a little time after saw him leap upon the
Stage, and act his Part with very great Applause. It has been observed
by several, that the Lion has changed his manner of Acting twice or
thrice since his first Appearance; which will not seem strange, when I
acquaint my Reader that the Lion has been changed upon the Audience
three several times. The first Lion was a Candle-snuffer, who being a
Fellow of a testy, cholerick Temper over-did his Part, and would not
suffer himself to be killed so easily as he ought to have done; besides,
it was observ'd of him, that he grew more surly every time he came out
of the Lion; and having dropt some Words in ordinary Conversation, as if
he had not fought his best, and that he suffered himself to be thrown
upon his Back in the Scuffle, and that he would wrestle with Mr
Nicolini
for what he pleased, out of his Lion's Skin, it was
thought proper to discard him: And it is verily believed to this Day,
that had he been brought upon the Stage another time, he would certainly
have done Mischief. Besides, it was objected against the first Lion,
that he reared himself so high upon his hinder Paws, and walked in so
erect a Posture, that he looked more like an old Man than a Lion. The
second Lion was a Taylor by Trade, who belonged to the Play-House, and
had the Character of a mild and peaceable Man in his Profession. If the
former was too furious, this was too sheepish, for his Part; insomuch
that after a short modest Walk upon the Stage, he would fall at the
first Touch of
Hydaspes
, without grappling with him, and giving
him an Opportunity of showing his Variety of
Italian
Tripps: It
is said, indeed, that he once gave him a Ripp in his flesh-colour
Doublet, but this was only to make work for himself, in his private
Character of a Taylor.
must not omit that it was this second Lion
who
treated me with so much Humanity behind the Scenes. The Acting Lion
at present is, as I am informed, a Country Gentleman, who does it for
his Diversion, but desires his Name may be concealed. He says very
handsomely in his own Excuse, that he does not Act for Gain, that he
indulges an innocent Pleasure in it, and that it is better to pass away
an Evening in this manner, than in Gaming and Drinking: But at the same
time says, with a very agreeable Raillery upon himself, that if his name
should be known, the ill-natured World might call him,
The Ass in the
Lion's skin
. This Gentleman's Temper is made out of such a happy
Mixture of the Mild and the Cholerick, that he out-does both his
predecessors, and has drawn together greater Audiences than have been
known in the Memory of Man.
I must not conclude my Narrative, without taking Notice of a groundless
Report that has been raised, to a Gentleman's Disadvantage, of whom I
must declare my self an Admirer; namely, that Signior
Nicolini
and the
Lion have been seen sitting peaceably by one another, and smoking a Pipe
together, behind the Scenes; by which their common Enemies would
insinuate, it is but a sham Combat which they represent upon the Stage:
But upon Enquiry I find, that if any such Correspondence has passed
between them, it was not till the Combat was over, when the Lion was to
be looked upon as dead, according to the received Rules of the
Drama
.
Besides, this is what is practised every day in
Westminster-Hall
,
where nothing is more usual than to see a Couple of Lawyers, who have
been rearing each other to pieces in the Court, embracing one another as
soon 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 Taste of his Audience; he knows very well, that the Lion has
many more Admirers than himself; as they say of the famous
Equestrian
Statue on the
Pont-Neuf
at
Paris
, that more People go to see the
Horse, than the King who sits upon it. On the contrary, it gives me a
just Indignation, to see a Person whose Action gives new Majesty to
Kings, Resolution to Heroes, and Softness to Lovers, thus sinking from
the Greatness of his Behaviour, and degraded into the Character of the
London
Prentice. I have often wished that our Tragœdians would copy
after this great Master in Action. Could they make the same use of their
Arms and Legs, and inform their Faces with as significant Looks and
Passions, how glorious would an
English
Tragedy appear with that
Action which is capable of giving a Dignity to the forced Thoughts, cold
Conceits, and unnatural Expressions of an
Italian
Opera. In the mean
time, I have related this Combat of the Lion, to show what are at
present the reigning Entertainments of the Politer Part of
Great
Britain
.
Audiences have often been reproached by Writers for the Coarseness of
their Taste, but our present Grievance does not seem to be the Want of a
good Taste, but of Common Sense.
C.
The famous Neapolitan actor and singer, Cavalier Nicolino
Grimaldi, commonly called Nicolini, had made his first appearance in an
opera called
Pyrrhus and Demetrius,
which was the last attempt to
combine English with Italian. His voice was a soprano, but afterwards
descended into a fine contralto, and he seems to have been the finest
actor of his day. Prices of seats at the opera were raised on his coming
from 7s. 6d. to 10s. for pit and boxes, and from 10s. 6d. to 15s. for
boxes on the stage. When this paper was written he had appeared also in
a new opera on
Almahide
, and proceeded to those encounters with the
lion in the opera of
Hydaspes
, by a Roman composer, Francesco Mancini,
first produced May 23, 1710, which the
Spectator
has made memorable.
It had been performed 21 times in 1710, and was now reproduced and
repeated four times. Nicolini, as Hydaspes in this opera, thrown naked
into an amphitheatre to be devoured by a lion, is so inspired with
courage by the presence of his mistress among the spectators that (says
Mr Sutherland Edwards in his
History of the Opera
)
'after appealing to the monster in a minor key, and telling him that
he may tear his bosom, but cannot touch his heart, he attacks him in
the relative major, and strangles him.'
that
Contents
|
Friday, March 16, 1711 |
Steele |
... Teque his, Infelix, exue monstris.
Ovid.
I was reflecting this Morning upon the Spirit and Humour of the publick
Diversions Five and twenty Years ago, and those of the present Time; and
lamented to my self, that though in those Days they neglected their
Morality, they kept up their Good Sense; but that the
beau Monde
,
at present, is only grown more childish, not more innocent, than the
former. While I was in this Train of Thought, an odd Fellow, whose Face
I have often seen at the Play-house, gave me the following Letter with
these words, Sir,
The Lyon presents his humble Service to you, and
desired me to give this into your own Hands.
From my Den in the Hay-market, March 15.
Sir
'I have read all your Papers, and have stifled my Resentment against
your Reflections upon Operas, till that of this Day, wherein you
plainly insinuate, that Signior Grimaldi and my self have a
Correspondence more friendly than is consistent with the Valour of his
Character, or the Fierceness of mine. I desire you would, for your own
Sake, forbear such Intimations for the future; and must say it is a
great Piece of Ill-nature in you, to show so great an Esteem for a
Foreigner, and to discourage a Lyon that is your own
Country-man.
I take notice of your Fable of the Lyon and Man, but am so equally
concerned in that Matter, that I shall not be offended to which soever
of the Animals the Superiority is given. You have misrepresented me,
in saying that I am a Country-Gentleman, who act only for my
Diversion; whereas, had I still the same Woods to range in which I
once had when I was a Fox-hunter, I should not resign my Manhood for a
Maintenance; and assure you, as low as my Circumstances are at
present, I am so much a Man of Honour, that I would scorn to be any
Beast for Bread but a Lyon.
Yours, &c.
I had no sooner ended this, than one of my Land-lady's Children brought
me in several others, with some of which I shall make up my present
Paper, they all having a Tendency to the same Subject,
viz
. the
Elegance of our present Diversions.
Covent Garden, March 13.
Sir,
'I Have been for twenty Years Under-Sexton of this Parish of St.
Paul's, Covent-Garden, and have not missed tolling in to Prayers six
times in all those Years; which Office I have performed to my great
Satisfaction, till this Fortnight last past, during which Time I find
my Congregation take the Warning of my Bell, Morning and Evening, to
go to a Puppett-show set forth by one Powell, under the Piazzas.
By this Means, I have not only lost my two Customers, whom I used to
place for six Pence a Piece over against Mrs Rachel Eyebright, but
Mrs Rachel herself is gone thither also. There now appear among us
none but a few ordinary People, who come to Church only to say their
Prayers, so that I have no Work worth speaking of but on Sundays. I
have placed my Son at the Piazzas, to acquaint the Ladies that the
Bell rings for Church, and that it stands on the other side of the
Garden; but they only laugh at the Child.
I desire you would lay this before all the World, that I may not be
made such a Tool for the Future, and that Punchinello may chuse Hours
less canonical. As things are now, Mr Powell has a full
Congregation, while we have a very thin House; which if you can
Remedy, you will very much oblige,
Sir, Yours, &c.'
following Epistle I find is from the Undertaker of the Masquerade
.
Sir,
'I Have observed the Rules of my Masque so carefully (in not enquiring
into Persons), that I cannot tell whether you were one of the Company
or not last Tuesday; but if you were not and still design to come, I
desire you would, for your own Entertainment, please to admonish the
Town, that all Persons indifferently are not fit for this Sort of
Diversion. I could wish, Sir, you could make them understand, that it
is a kind of acting to go in Masquerade, and a Man should be able to
say or do things proper for the Dress in which he appears. We have now
and then Rakes in the Habit of Roman Senators, and grave Politicians
in the Dress of Rakes. The Misfortune of the thing is, that People
dress themselves in what they have a Mind to be, and not what they are
fit for. There is not a Girl in the Town, but let her have her Will in
going to a Masque, and she shall dress as a Shepherdess. But let me
beg of them to read the Arcadia, or some other good Romance, before
they appear in any such Character at my House. The last Day we
presented, every Body was so rashly habited, that when they came to
speak to each other, a Nymph with a Crook had not a Word to say but in
the pert Stile of the Pit Bawdry; and a Man in the Habit of a
Philosopher was speechless, till an occasion offered of expressing
himself in the Refuse of the Tyring-Rooms. We had a Judge that danced
a Minuet, with a Quaker for his Partner, while half a dozen Harlequins
stood by as Spectators: A Turk drank me off two Bottles of Wine, and
a Jew eat me up half a Ham of Bacon. If I can bring my Design to
bear, and make the Maskers preserve their Characters in my Assemblies,
I hope you will allow there is a Foundation laid for more elegant and
improving Gallantries than any the Town at present affords; and
consequently that you will give your Approbation to the Endeavours of,
Sir, Your most obedient humble servant.'
I am very glad the following Epistle obliges me to mention Mr
Powell
a
second Time in the same Paper; for indeed there cannot be too great
Encouragement given to his Skill in Motions, provided he is under proper
Restrictions.
Sir,
'The Opera at the
Hay-Market, and that under the little
Piazza in
Covent-Garden, being at present the Two leading Diversions of the
Town; and Mr
Powell professing in his Advertisements to set up
Whittington and his Cat against
Rinaldo and Armida, my Curiosity
led me the Beginning of last Week to view both these Performances, and
make my Observations upon them.
First therefore, I cannot but observe that Mr
Powell wisely
forbearing to give his Company a Bill of Fare before-hand, every Scene
is new and unexpected; whereas it is certain, that the Undertakers of
the
Hay-Market, having raised too great an Expectation in their
printed Opera, very much disappointed their Audience on the Stage.
The King of
Jerusalem is obliged to come from the City on foot,
instead of being drawn in a triumphant Chariot by white Horses, as my
Opera-Book had promised me; and thus, while I expected
Armida's
Dragons should rush forward towards
Argantes, I found the Hero was
obliged to go to
Armida, and hand her out of her Coach. We had also
but a very short Allowance of Thunder and Lightning; tho' I cannot in
this Place omit doing Justice to the Boy who had the Direction of the
Two painted Dragons, and made them spit Fire and Smoke: He flash'd out
his Rosin in such just Proportions, and in such due Time, that I could
not forbear conceiving Hopes of his being one Day a most excellent
Player. I saw, indeed, but Two things wanting to render his whole
Action compleat, I mean the keeping his Head a little lower, and
hiding his Candle.
I observe that Mr
Powell and the Undertakers had both the same
Thought, and I think, much about the same time, of introducing Animals
on their several Stages, though indeed with very different Success.
The Sparrows and Chaffinches at the
Hay-Market fly as yet very
irregularly over the Stage; and instead of perching on the Trees and
performing their Parts, these young Actors either get into the
Galleries or put out the Candles; whereas Mr
Powell has so well
disciplined his Pig, that in the first Scene he and Punch dance a
Minuet together.
I am informed however, that Mr
Powell resolves to
excell his Adversaries in their own Way; and introduce Larks in his
next Opera of
Susanna, or
Innocence betrayed, which will be
exhibited next Week with a Pair of new Elders
2.
The Moral of Mr
Powell's Drama is violated I confess by Punch's
national Reflections on the
French, and King
Harry's laying his
Leg upon his Queen's Lap in too ludicrous a manner before so great an
Assembly.
As to the Mechanism and Scenary, every thing, indeed, was uniform,
and of a Piece, and the Scenes were managed very dexterously; which
calls on me to take Notice, that at the
Hay-Market the Undertakers
forgetting to change their Side-Scenes, we were presented with a
Prospect of the Ocean in the midst of a delightful Grove; and tho' the
Gentlemen on the Stage had very much contributed to the Beauty of the
Grove, by walking up and down between the Trees, I must own I was not
a little astonished to see a well-dressed young Fellow in a
full-bottomed Wigg, appear in the Midst of the Sea, and without any
visible Concern taking Snuff.
I shall only observe one thing further, in which both Dramas agree;
which is, that by the Squeak of their Voices the Heroes of each are
Eunuchs; and as the Wit in both Pieces are equal, I must prefer the
Performance of Mr
Powell, because it is in our own Language.
'
I am, &c.'
Masquerades took rank as a leading pleasure of the town
under the management of John James Heidegger, son of a Zurich clergyman,
who came to England in 1708, at the age of 50, as a Swiss negotiator. He
entered as a private in the Guards, and attached himself to the service
of the fashionable world, which called him 'the Swiss Count,' and
readily accepted him as leader. In 1709 he made five hundred guineas by
furnishing the spectacle for Motteux's opera of
Tomyris, Queen of
Scythia
. When these papers were written he was thriving upon the
Masquerades, which he brought into fashion and made so much a rage of
the town that moralists and satirists protested, and the clergy preached
against them. A sermon preached against them by the Bishop of London,
January 6th, 1724, led to an order that no more should take place than
the six subscribed for at the beginning of the month. Nevertheless they
held their ground afterwards by connivance of the government. In 1728,
Heidegger was called in to nurse the Opera, which throve by his bold
puffing. He died, in 1749, at the age of 90, claiming chief honour to
the Swiss for ingenuity.
'I was born,' he said, 'a Swiss, and came to England without a
farthing, where I have found means to gain, £5000 a-year, — and to
spend it. Now I defy the ablest Englishman to go to Switzerland and
either gain that income or spend it there.'
The
History of Susanna
had been an established puppet
play for more than two generations. An old copy of verses on Bartholomew
Fair in the year 1665, describing the penny and twopenny puppet plays,
or, as they had been called in and since Queen Elizabeth's time,
'motions,' says
Their Sights are so rich, is able to bewitch
The heart of a very fine man-a;
Here's 'Patient Grisel' here, and 'Fair Rosamond' there,
And 'the History of Susanna.'