Page:An Essay on the Opera's After the Italian Manner.pdf/17

 Love alone, to thoe mad Orlandos, and thoe melting Rinaldo’s; hearing from them that we ought to acrifice all, nay, ev’n Virtue itelf, to Love, as to the only upreme Divinity; that we can never uffer our elves to take Fire too oon, that bounteous Heaven has betow’d a Heart upon us only that we might love; and all thoe common places of lippery Morals, to which Lully has given freh Fire by the Charms of his Muick. Then how will he be melted, how tranported, how will every Sene be haken in her? I dare not aure thee, that as he comes back, throwing off that Awe which has hitherto been a retraint upon her, and having all her Soul poet with thoe melting Sounds, he does not intantly withdraw to ome convenient Retirement, and with ome young Medoro bring thee fine Speculations to practie. Yet let us uppoe for once, that he comes back as faithful and chaft as he went from this dangerous Shock, &c.

Nothing can be fuller than this paage of Boileau, we could eaily make it appear that Plato and Cicero are of the ame Opinion, but what need can there be of Authorities, when we can hew by experience what Influence the oft and effeminate Meaures of the Italian Opera has upon the Minds and Manners of Men. The Modern Italians have the very ame Sun and Soil which the Antient Romans had, yet are their Manners directly oppoite; their Men are neither Vertuous, nor Wie, nor Valiant, and they who have reaon to know their Women, never trut them out of their ight. ’Tis impoible to give any reaon of o great a Difference between the Ancient Romans, and the Modern Italians but only Luxury, and the Reigning Luxury of Modern Italy, is that oft and effeminate Muick which abounds in the Italian Opera. And if Muick of the ame Nature has not as yet had the ame