Page:An Essay on the Opera's After the Italian Manner.pdf/27

. And as there is no other principle of humane Action but Sentiment, it is wholly impoible but that a People habituated to thee Heroick Notions mut be prepar’d and form’d for the performing Heroick Actions.

Thee unpeakable advantages has lofty Poetry over empty ounds, and harmonious trifles, which, as the pleaure that they give us is a enual Delight, utterly independant of Reaon, mut do omething directly oppoite to this, ince ’tis natural to ene to bring a Man home to himelf, and confine him there, as ’tis natural to Reaon to expand the Soul, if I may have leave to ue the expreion, and throw it out upon the Publick: And as oft and delicious Muick by oothing the Senes, and making a Man too much in Love with himelf, makes him too little fond of the publick, o by emaculating and diolving the mind, it hakes the very foundation of Fortitude, and o is detructive of both branches of the publick Spirit.

But if any one objects that an Opera may be o contriv’d and Writ, as to inpire us with an affection for the Publick, and with a generous contempt of Death; to him I anwer, that an Opera o deign’d, mut be writ with force or without it. If ’tis writ with force ’tis incompatible with Muick, epecially in o maculine a Language as ours; for force in our Language cannot be expret without a great many Cononants, and Words that terminate in Cononants; but a great many Cononants and epecially Cononants terminating Words, cannot be pronounced without very frequently hutting the mouth, which is diametrically oppoite to the expreing of Muick.

But if an Opera o deign’d is not writ with force, I leave it to any one to judge, whether the weaknes of the expreion and of the entiments, are like to make Im- preion