Page:An Essay on the Opera's After the Italian Manner.pdf/29

 the very Spirit of Propheie, which was the Spirit of Hebrew Poetry, departing from the Jews in the Babylonih Captivity, was a fatal Omen that Liberty and Empire were never to flourih more with them.

That the Declenion of Poetry hould portend the fall of Empire is not without very good Reaon. Becaue it hews a lackning of the publick Spirit, and an increae of univeral Corruption, which prepares the Fate of Empires, as a preading mortification fore-runs the Fate of Men. If a Poet is not admir’d, tho’ the Man may live, the Spirit of the Poet dies, but a People to admire thoe generous Sentiments which abound in Poetry, mut at leat have omething in them that anwers to them: If they once grow wholly immert and unk in Pleaures of ene, thoe elevated Notions appear as o many Libels upon them, and their ickly Souls either turn away from them, or very feebly anwer to them. In hort, where-ever there is either the Love of Liberty or the Love of Glory, a true Poet may well be admir’d, and in how wretched a condition mut the Nation be where both thoe Qualities are wanting. From what has been aid ’tis manifet that it behoves us to think, before we fully reolve upon banihing o ueful an Entertainment as that of the Drama, for the pernicious Amuement of Opera’s.

The Drama was etablih’d here in England at the ame time with Reformation and Liberty: For the Drama was et up in the Reign of Qu. Elizabeth, in whoe Reign the Reformation was fully etablih’d, and before which the People of England, for Reaons too long to be inerted here, could hardly be aid to be entirely free. As the Drama came in with them, it has flourih’d with them, and gone a good way towards the upporting that Spirit of Liberty on which the Reformation depends. It would here be eaie to make an odd Remark, and that is, that the