Farewell songs Durastanti performed on stage

Signora Margarita Durastanti was engaged by Mr. Handel at the same time with Senesino, and came with him into England. She sung in the operas composed by Handel, Bononcini, and Attilio till the year 1723. For the reason of her quitting England we are to seek, unless we may suppose, that the applause bestowed on Cuzzoni, who appeared on the stage for two or three winters with her, was more than she could bear. However, she made a handsome retreat; and, as it seems, took a formal leave of the English nation by singing on the stage a song written for her in haste by Mr. Pope, at the earnest request of the Earl of Peterborough, which, together with a burlesque of it by Dr. Arbuthnot, were lately printed in some of the public papers from a volume of poems among the Harleian manuscripts in the British Museum. Both poems are here inserted.

Source
This text was originally published in Chapter 189 (CLXXXIX) of John Hawkins: A general history of the science and practice of music (originally published in 1776) - see its reprint in [http://www.archive.org/stream/ageneralhistory01hawkgoog#page/n392/mode/2up/search/senesino John Hawkins: A general history of the science and practice of music. Novello, Ever & Co., London 1875. Vol 2, pp. 872]

The same text was republished, without an author's name, in The Westminster Magazine: or, The Pantheon of Taste, vol. 5 (1777), pp. 395.