Page:An Essay on the Opera's After the Italian Manner.pdf/21

 mut o far debauch the Minds of Men, as to make them incapable of thoe reaonable Diverions, which have got the jut Poeion of the Stage.

Thus unles we ue timely Prevention, the Britih Mue is like to meet with the ame Fate that Tithonus is aid to have done of old, who had no other Fruit of his Immortality, than to ee himelf depriv’d by the length of Days, of all his Strength, his Spirit, and his Tow’ring Thoughts, and eaten and conum’d by the Jaws of Time, till nothing remain’d of him but an empty Voice.

’Tis undeniable, that in whatever Countries Opera’s have been etablish’d after the manner of Italy, they have driven out Poetry from among that People. ’Tis now more than a Hundred Years ince the very pecies of Poets has diappear’d in Italy; and at preent there is not o much as one Poet in o vat a Kingdom as France, allowing Boileau to be uperannuated.

In the beginning of this War, we were perhaps the only People in Europe, who could jutly boat of freedom or of Poetry. We have indeed very bravely defended our Liberties, but we have at the ame time abandon’d our Poetry to the very Nations who have attack’d the other, and by I know not what Whimey of Fate, while in the Field we have been knocking their bravet Men on the Head, we have been careing and hugging the Off-cowring of them at home.

That Poetry is like from the Progres of Muick, to have the ame Fate in England, that it met with in France and Italy; we have very good reaon to believe, when we conider that of late Years, they who have had ome Talent for writing, have, for the mot part, till writ wore and wore, and when that which has been well writ, has been wore received by our diences;