enchantments, the inhabitants of every other part of Europe heard him with extafy: he had excited rapture in all the great cities of Italy, before he quitted that country; in the three feveral times he had been at Vienna, his favour with the emperor and the whole court was greater the last time than the firft; and, according to Riccoboni, even at Paris, where Italian Mufic was deteited, his voice, at least, had occafioned the higheft pleafure and altonishment; but in Spain, his performance was thought too exquifite for subjects; it was inftantly appropriated to royalty; and the proofs of admiration which his talents acquired in that court were too folid not to be fincere. A penfion of more than .3000 Sterling a year was settled upon him for life. He was honoured with the order of St Jago by his first royal mafter, Philip V. and with that of Calatrava by his fucceffor, Ferdinand VI. Of the manner in which he fpent his time in Spain, fome account has been given, from his own mouth, in a former work. The lovers of anecdotes might, indeed, be gratified with innumerable particulars concerning the effects of his amazing tafents, if anecdotes were not below the dignity of hiftory. One or two, however, that do honour to his heart and natural difpofition as well as vocal powers, my graver and more critical readers will, perhaps, excufe.

It has been often related, and generally believed, that Philip V. King of Spain, being feized with a total dejection of fpirits, which made him refuse to be shaved, and rendered him incapable of attending council or tranfacting affairs of ftate, the Queen, who had in vain tried every common expedient that was likely to contribute to his recovery, determined that an experiment fhould be

made of the effects of Mufic upõh the King her husband, who was extremely fenfible to its charms. Upon the arrival of Farinelli, of whofe extraordinary performance an account had been tranfmitted to Madrid from feveral parts of Europe, but particularly from Paris, her Majesty contrived that there fhould be a concert in a room adjoining to the King's apartment, in which this finger performed one of his mot captivating fongs. Philip appeared at firit furprifcd, then moved; and, at the end of the second air, made the virtuofo enter the royal apartment, loading him with compliments and careffes; afked him how he could futficiently reward fuch talents; affuring him that he could refuse him nothing. Farinelli, previously inftructed, only begged that his Ma jefty would permit his attendants to fhave and drefs him, and that he would endeavour to appear in council as ufual. From this time the King's difeafe gave way to medicine: and the unger had all the honour of the cure. By finging to his Majefty every evening, his favour increafed to fuch a degree that he was regarded as firft minifter; but what is ftill more extraordinary, instead of being intoxicated or giddy with his elevation, Farinelli, never forgetting that he was a mafician, behaved to the Spanish nobles about the court with fuch humility and propriety, that instead of envying his favour, they honoured him with the r efteem and confidence.

One day in going to the King's clofet, to which he had at all times aceefs, he heard an officer of the guard curfe him, and fay to another that was in waiting, "honours can be heaped on fuch fcoundrels as thefe, while a poor foldier, like myself, after thirty years fervice, is unnoticed." Farinelli, without feeming to hear this reproach, complained to

the King that he had neglected an old fervant, and procured a regiment for the perfon who had spoken fo harfhly of him in the anti-chamber; and in quitting his Majefty he gave the, commiffion to the officer, telling him that he had heard him complain of having served thirty years, but added, "you did wrong to accufe the King of neglecting to reward your zeal."

The following story, which is less ferious, was frequently told and believed at Madrid, during the firft year of Farinelli's refidence in Spain. This finger having ordered a fuperb fuit of cloaths for a Gala at court, when the taylor brought it home, he asked him for his bill. "I have made no bill, Sir, fays the taylor, nor ever fhall make one. Instead of money," continues, he, "I have a a favour to beg. I know that what I want is inestimable, and only fit for monarchs; but fince I have had the honour to work for a perfon of whom every one speaks with rapture, all the payment I fhall ever require will be a fong." Farinelli tried in vain to prevail on the taylor to take his money. At length, after a long debate, giving way to the humble entreaties of the trembling tradesman, and flattered perhaps more by the fingularity of the adventure than by all the applaufe he had hitherto received, he took him into his mufic-room, and fung to him fome of his most brilliant airs, taking pleasure in the aftonishment of his ravished hearer; and the more he feemed surprised and affected, the more Farinelli exerted himself in every fpecies of excellence. When he had done, the taylor overcome with ecstacy thanked him in the most rapturous and grateful manner, and VOL. X. No. 56.

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prepared to retire." No," fays Farinelli, "I am a little proud; and it is perhaps from that circumstance that I have acquired fome fmall degree of fuperiority over other fingers; I have given way to your weakness, it is but fair, that, in your turn, you fhould indulge me in mine." And taking out his purse,' he infifted on his receiving a fum amounting to nearly double the worth of the fuit of cloaths.

Farinelli, during two reigns, lived upwards of twenty years at the Spanish court, with a conftant increafe of royal favour, and the efteem of the principal nobility of the kingdom. And Sir Benjamin Keene, when laft in England, fpoke highly of the prudent conduct and amiable character of Farinelli, during his greatest favour at the court of Madrid, with which he feemed no more elated than with the acclamation which his extraordinary talents acquired him, when he fung in public.

On the prefent King of Spain's acceffion to the throne, in 1759, the new monarch and new politics not being favourable to Mufic or to any tranfactions of the former reign, Farinelli had orders to return to Italy; his penfion, however, was continued, and he was allowed to remove his effects. After vifiting Naples, the place of his nativity, he fettled at Bologna in 1761, in the environs of which city he built himself a fplendid manfion, which in Italy is called a palazzo. Here he refided the reft of his life, in the true enjoyment of affluent leifure; refpected by the inhabitants of Bologna; vifited by illuftrious travellers; and ftill enjoying the fmiles of fortune, though denied the blandishments of a court t. This

twelfth centuries, has been generally referred to as Saxon, and commonly fo called.

During these periods the architecture executed in timber frame work, was in the North in general, used in the publick, civil, as well as private and domeftic edifices. It was advanced to great perfection, and became capable of being highly ornamented in its way; and this fpecies of architecture was faid to be more Teutonico.

This model of building in frame work with high pointed arches, formed by the interfections of the timbers, and especially of an high arch between two leffer ones, is fpecifically described by Stubs, in his Actus Pontificum Eboracenfium, art. Alured. 'Supra oftium chori, ære & auro opereque incomparabili pulpitum fabricari fecit: & ex utraque parte pulpiti arcus: & in medio fupra pulpitum, arcum eminentiorem, crucem in fummitate geftantem, fimiliter ex ære, auro, & argento opere Teutonico fabricatum erexit.' Here is the first, and, as far as I can find, the only mention made of the Teutonic order exprefsly defcribed as a fabrication of frame work.

A fact, which coincides with this period, offers itself to me, that, the churches throughout all the Northern parts of Europe being in a ruinous ftate, the Pope created feveral corporations of Roman or Italian architects and artists, with corporate powers and exclufive privileges; particularly with a power of fetting by themselves the prices of their own work and labour; independent of the municipal laws of the country wherein they worked, according as Hiram had done by the corporations of architects and mechanicks which he fent to Solomon. The Pope not only thus formed them into fuch a corporation, but is faid to have font them (as exclufively appropri

ated) to repair and rebuild these churches and otherreligious edifices.' This body had a power of taking apprentices, and of admitting or accepting into their corporation approved mafons. The common and usual appellation of this corporation in England was that of the free and accepted mafons. It will be found that claiming to hold primarily and exclufively under the Pope, they affumed a right, as Free-mafons, of being exempt from the regulations of the ftatutes of labourers, laws in England which made regulations for the price of labour: 2dly, In order to regulate these matters amongst themselves, as well as all matters refpecting their corporation, they held general chapters and other congregations. Doing this they conftantly refufed obedience, and to conform themselves to thefe ftatutes, which regulated the price of the labour of all other labourers and mechanics, although they were specifically mentioned therein. One might collect hiftorical proofs of this, but as the fact ftands upon record in our statute laws, I fhall rest on that. These statutes of labourers were repeatedly renewed through feveral reigns down to Henry VI. and as repeatedly difobeyed by the Free-masons, until in the 3d of Henry VI, an ordinance was by advice of the Lords, on the petition of the Commons, made, reciting the fact of the contumacious difobedience of these Free-masons, to the fubverfion of all law, and the great detriment of the community, and stating the neceffity of applying a remedy, which remedy was the declaring this corporation illegal, and enacting that perfons calling and holding these chapters or other congregations fhould be deemed felons: and all other masons afsembling as fuch should be imprifoned, and pay fine and ransom at the will of the King.

This ftatute afcertains these facts;