Page:An Essay on the Opera's After the Italian Manner.pdf/33

 to urpas us in Opera’s, ince they are almot all cituated under a erener Sky.

If a private Man who mitakes his Talent, and applies himelf to things, for which neither God nor Nature have qualify’d him, does by that very choice deface all his good Qualities, and render himelf contemptible to the World, how much more dihonourable mut it be for a whole Nation?

As all Kingdoms that are in different Latitudes, have Plants with very different Properties, o have they Natives with very different Talents. If any Yeoman of Kent or Suex, hould neglect to ow his Wheat or his Barley, hould grub up his Fruit Trees, and demolih his Hop Grounds, and fall a planting the Olive of Lucca, the Orange of Naples, and the Mucatello of Monte-Fiacone, or of Mont-Alchin; what would his Neighbours think of uch a Proceeding? And yet that Peron would plainly apire in his choice. What then, mut not the French and Italians think of us, who depie the mot generous Productions of our own Minds, and indeed of the Mind of Man, for the vilet of theirs of which we are not capable. Let us take heed, that as we have taken the Opera from the Nations which we depie, it senders us not contemptible to thoe very Nations.