Page:An Essay on the Opera's After the Italian Manner.pdf/19



Here appears to have been of late Years, a Combination of all orts of People, to et up Opera’s, and Entertainments of Singing and Dancing in the room of Dramatick Poems. At a time when we are contending with our Enemies for our very Being; we are aukwardly Aping their Luxuries and their Vices, which we neglected or contemn’d while we were at full Peace with them; as if by a certain foreboding Deluion we were preparing our elves for Slavery, and endeavouring to make our elves agreeable to our new Maters.

But that o many people of great Quality, and of greater Parts, Lovers of their Country, and Encouragers of Art, and of Poetry more particularly, hould prove o zealous in the encouraging and promoting Entertainments, which tend o directly to the Detriment of the Publick, to the Detriment of Arts, and epecially of expiring Poetry; Entertainments which are o directly contrary to their Nobler Pleaures, and their real Interets, can proceed from nothing but from that Weight of Affairs which opprees them, and deprives them of time and leiure to conider deliberately of thee things.

There is no Man living, who has either a higher eteem than my elf for their natural and acquir’d Endowments, or a greater Veneration for their retles Endeavours to promote the real good of their Country in