: compulfion as it was neceffary to bind Silenus before he would fing; and Proteus, to oblige him to give oracles. He has long been inverted with the title and appointments of imperial laureate; and when the emperor, emprefs, or any one of the imperial family orders it, he fits down and writes, two hours at a time only, juft as he would transcribe a poem written by any one elfe; never waiting for a call, invoking the Mufe, or even receiving her favours at any other than his own ftated periods. He was applied to by the editors of the Encyclopedie, to write the article Opera for that work; but he politely declined the task, fuppofing it impoffible that his fentiments on the fubject should be pleafing to the French nation. Taffo is his favourite of all poets; he likes not Fingal, on account of its wildness and obfcurity; he reads with his feled friends 'ancient and modern authors every evening; he is extremely fond of the writings of count Medini, a Bohemian, whofe poetical compofitions, he fays, are fuperior to thofe of all other living writers. This count is tranflating the Henriade of Voltaire, into Italian Ottave Rime. A perfon of very high rank affured me, that he had been five years in Vienna before he could get acquainted with Metaftafio, or even into converfation with him; and, after that time, but three visits had been exchanged between them in feveral years; indeed, in my applications for letters of recommendation to this exquifite poet, before I left England, I had been mortified by an affurance, that it would be in vain for me to attempt even a fight of Metaftafio, as he was totally worn out, incommunicative, and averse to fociety on all occafions. However, this account had been expreffed in too ftrong terms; for, upon my arrival at Vienna, I found that befides the conftant fociety of his particular friends every evening, he had a kind of levee cach morning, at which he was vifited by a great number of perfons of high rank and diftinguished merit. If he is attended to with complaifance, he converfes very freely and agreeably; but if contradicted, he becomes immediately filent; he is too well bred, as well as too indolent, to difpute; if what he thinks erroneous be advanced, in oppofition to any thing that he has faid, he paffes it over in filence. He likes not animated difcuffions, fuch as generally subsist among men of talents and learning; but rather chufes the eafe and moderation of a private individual, than to lay down the law in the decifive manner of a pub. lic and exalted character. Indeed there feems to be that soft calmnefs in his life, which fubfifis in his writings, where he reasons, even in passion, more than he raves; and that even tenor of propriety and correctnefs which runs through all his works, is, in fome degree, conftitutional. He is as feldom, perhaps, violently agitated in his writings as in his life, and he may be called the poet of the golden age; in which fimplicity and decorum are faid to have reigned, more than the wild and furious paffions. The effufions of patriotiím, love, and friendhip, which he pours out with exquifite fweetness, are affections of a fuft and gentle kind, which his heart felt, and his foul has coloured.' In confequence of a very polite meffage from Metaflafio, lord Stormont carries our author to vifit him. This great poet is lodged, as many other great poots have been before him, in a very exalted fituation, up no less than four pair of ftairs.-The emperor enjoys at Vienna, the prerogative of appropriating, to the ufe cf the officers of his court and army, the first floor of every house and palace in that city, fix or eight privileged places only excepted. On this account, princes, ambaffadors, and nobles, ufually inhabit the second stories; and the third, fourth, and even fifth floors, the houses being very large, and high, are well ́fitted up, for the reception of opulent and noble families; and our poet, though he occupies that part of a houfe, which, in England, is thought only fit for domeftics to fleep in, has, nevertheless, an exceeding good and elegant apartment, in which an imperial Jaureate may, with all due dignity, hold dalliance with the Mufes. He received us with the utmoft chearfulness and good-breeding; and I was no lefs aftonished than pleafed at finding him look fo well: he does not feem more than fifty years of age, though he is at least seventy-two; and, for that time of life, he is the handfomeft man I ever beheld. There are painted on his countenance, all the genius, goodnefs, propriety, benevolence, and rectitude, which conftantly characterife his writings. I could not keep my eyes off his face, it was so pleasing and worthy of contemplation. His converfation was of a piece with his appearance; polite, eafy, and lively.' He told us, in the courfe of our converfation, that when his mistress, the emprefs queen was going to be married to the duke of Lorrain, he was applied to for an opera on the occafion, and he had only eighteen days allowed him to write it in. This opera was Achilles. He faid, that neceffity frequently augmented our powers, and forced us to perform, not only what we thought ourselves incapable of, but in a much more expeditious, and often in a better manner, than the operations of our choice and leifure; he added, that Hypermneftra was produced in nine days, and it is remarkable, that Achilles and Hypermneftra are two of Metaftafio's best dramas. Several jokes efcaped him in the courfe of our conversation, and he was equally chearful, polite, and attentive, the whole time. We stayed with him juft two hours; and, at my going away, he fhook me by the hand, enquired where I lodged, and faid he would wait on me; but I begged he would not give himself that trouble, faying, that I fhould be perfectly happy in a permiffion to pay my refpects to him again: he then defired me to come whenever I pleafed, and affured me that he fhould be always glad to fee me. He called for candles, and faid it was fo dark that our words could not find the way to their deftination. He spoke to his fervant in German, ein Licht: upon which I asked him if he had had patience to learn that language? he replied, "A few words only, to fave my life" meaning to ask for neceffaries, or he should have been ftarved to death.' On Sunday, Sept. 6, our author went in company with the abbate Taruffi, to pay another visit to Metaftafio, of which' he gives the following account. When fignor Taruffi and I arrived at Metaftafio's levee, we found about fix or eight perfons with him, chiefly Italians; his excellency the governor of the city, came in after us. The great poet received me very courteously, and placed me on a fopha, just by him. I now delivered him a letter from Mingotti, and fignor Taruffii read Mr. Baretti's letter concerning me; fo that here were many claims upon him: however lord Stormont had done the bu finefs completely, without any other help. • After the perufal of thefe letters, the converfation turned upon the poet Migliavacca, of Milan, who has long been laureate to the court of Drefden. Metaftafio mentioned him with great praise : be faid that he was a man of infinite knowledge, and of great genius; yet he wrote but little, for he had ideas of perfection which neither himself, nor perhaps any one else, could fatisfy; besides, added Metaftafio, "he has had but little practice. And all is habit in mankind, even virtue itself." The difcourfe then became general and mifcellaneous, till the arrival of a young lady, who was received by the whole company with great refpect. She was well dreffed, and had a very elegant appearance: this was fignora Martinetz, fifter to fignor Martinetz, deputy librarian at the imperial library, whofe father was an old friend of Metaftafio. She was born in the houfe in which he now lives, and educated under his eye: her parents were Neapolitans, but the name is Spanish, as the family originally was. After the high encomiums bestowed by the Abate Taruffi on the talents of this young lady, I was very defirous of hearing and converfing with her; and Metaftafio was foon fo obliging as to propofe her fitting down to the harpsichord, which the immediately did, in a graceful manner, without the parade of diffidence, or the trouble of importunity. Her performance indeed furpaffed all that I had been made to expect. She fung two airs of her own compofition, to words of Metaftafio, which the accompanied on the harpsichord, in a very judicious and masterly manner; and, in playing the ritornels, I could discover a very brilliant finger. To fay that her voice was naturally well toned and fweet, that he had an excellent fhake, a perfect intonation, a facility of executing the most rapid and difficult paffages, and a touching expreffion, would be to fay no more than I have already faid, and with truth, of others; but here I want words that would still encrease the fignificance and energy of thefe expreffions. The Italian augmentatives would, perhaps, gratify my wifh, if I were writing in that language; but as that is not the cafe, let me only add, that in the portamento, and divifions of tones and femi-tones into infinitely minute parts, and yet always ftopping upon the exact fundamental, fignora Martinetz was more perfect than any finger I had ever heard: her cadences too, of this kind, were very learned, and truly pathetic and pleafing. After these two fongs, the played a very difficult leffon, of her own compofition, on the harpsichord, with great rapidity and precifion. She has compofed a Miferere, in four parts, with feveral Pfalms, in eight parts, and is a moft excellent contrapuntist. The company broke up fooner than I wifhed, as it was Metaftafio's time for going to mafs. During this vifit, I discovered that fignora Martinetz, among her other accomplishments, both reads and fpeaks English.' From this time our author was received by this great poet in the most familiar and friendly manner: and admitted at all times without ceremony; the laft vifit concluded thus: Sunday 13th-I went to Metaftafio, for the last time! I found with him much company, and the St. Cecilia Martinetz at the harpfichord, to which the had been finging. At her defire there was a commutation of compofitions between us. She had been fo kind as to have transcribed for me, among other things, a fong of Metaftafio, fet by herfelf, with which I had been greatly ftruck in a former visit. The good old poet embraced me heartily; faid he was forry to lofe me fo foon; that he must have my book when published, and defired to hear from me. Thus we parted at Vienna; but I cannot quit him here, without adding a few lines to this article, long as it is already.Metaftafio laughs at all poetic infpiration, and makes a poem as mechanically as another would make a fhoe, at what time he pleases, and without any other occafion than the want of it. · Metaftafio, like most other perfons in years, has an averfion to the talking about his own age, about the infirmities of his friends, or the calamities, or death, even of perfons that are indifferent to him. He is extremely candid in his judgment of men of genius, and even of poets with whom he has had a difference, which indeed are very few. For, when he has been attacked by them, it has often happened, that, after writing an epigram or couplet, to fhew his particular friends how he could defend himself, he has thrown it into the fire; and he has never been known either to print or publish a line, by way of retaliation, against the bitterest enemy to his perfon or poems. He has a natural chearfulness and pleafantry, in his manner and converfation, which give a gaiety to all around him; and is poffeffed of as eafy an eloquence in fpeaking as in writing. He is, indeed, one of the few extraordinary geniufes who lofe nothing by approximation or acquaintance: for, it is a melancholy reflection that, very few, like him, are equally intitled to the epithets good and great. The following anecdote has been given me by a person of veracity, well informed of every particular, relative to this great poet. Many years ago, when Metaftafio's circumftances were far from affluent, and he was only known at Vienna as an affiftant writer for the opera, under Apoftolo Zeno; a perfon with whom he had contracted a great intimacy and friendship, dying, left him his whole fortune, amounting to fifteen thousand pounds sterling. But Metaftafio hearing that he had relations at Bologna, went thither in search of them; and having found such as he thought beft intitled to thefe poffeffions, told them, that though his deceased friend had bequeathed to him his whole fortune, he could fuppofe it to be no otherwife than in truft, till he should find out the most deferving of his kindred, in order to divide it equitably among them; which he immediately did, without the least reserve in his own favour.' Our large extracts relative to this great genius, oblige us to contract the accounts of many other confiderable characters, which, however, we cannot pafs wholly over in filence. - We fuppofe our readers will expect fome notice to be taken of the imperial family. The emperor, the archduke Maximilian, his brother, and his two fifters, the arch-ducheffes Marianne, and Mary-Elizabeth, were all at a burletta, which the author heard during his refidence at Vienna. The box in which they fate, was very little distinguished from the reft; they came in and went out with few attendants, and without parade. The emperor is of a manly fine figure, and has a fpirited and pleafing countenance; he often changes his place at the opera, to converse with different perfons, and frequently walks about the streets without guards, feeming to fhun, as much as poffible, all kinds of unneceffary pomp. His imperial majefty was extremely attentive during the performance of the opera, and applauded the principal finger, fignora Baglione feveral times very much. The empress queen, it feems, continues ftill in weeds, and has appeared in no public theatre fince the death of the late emperor. Mr. L'Augier, told me that the empress queen had been a notable musician. Some years ago he had heard her fing very well; and in the year 1739, when the was only twenty-two years of age, and very handfome, the fung a duo with Senefino, at Florence, fo well, that, by her voice, which was then a very fine one, and graceful and steady manner, the fo captivated the old man, Sene fino, that he could not proceed without fhedding tears of fatisfaction. Her imperial majefty has fo long been a performer, that, the other day, in pleafantry, he told the old Fauftina, the wife of Haffe, who is ftill living, and upwards of feventy years of age, that the thought herself the first, meaning the oldeft, virtuofa in Europe; for her father brought her on the court stage, at Vienna, when the was only five years old, and made her fing a fong. The whole imperial family is mufical; the emperor perhaps juft enough for a fovereign prince; that is, with fufficient hand, both on the violoncello and harpfichord, to amufe himself, and fufficient taste and judgement to hear, understand, and receive delight from others. A person of great diftinction told me, that he faw, fome years ago, four arch-ducheffes of Auftria, the emperor's fifters, appear at court in the opera of Egeria, written by Metaftafio, and fet by Haffe, exprefsly for their ufe. They were then extremely beautiful, fung and acted very well, for princeffes, and the grand duke of Tulcany, who was likewife very handsome, danced, in the character of Cupid.' Our author it seems made good ufe of his time while at Vienna; for in a refidence of barely one fortnight we find him not only acquainted, but become intimate and familiar with a great number of confiderable perfons who took every me. thod to make his ftay among them ufeful and delightful. Among thefe may be reckoned the agreeable countess Thun, already mentioned; the famous compofer fignor Haffe, and his wife, the no less famous finger fignora Fauftina, fo well known and fo highly admired near fifty years fince in England, The chevalier Gluck, the great rival of fignor Haffe at Vienna, and one of the most extraordinary geniufes of the age; the abate Taruffi, fecretary to monfignor Visconti, the pope's nuncio at that court; Mr. L'Augier, the chief phyfician to the Imperial court; the abate Costa, a man as fingular for his manners as his virtue, together with many others with whom he infenfibly became connected through the means of these already named. We must content ourselves with giving a few traits of fome of these characters in our next Number, in which we fhall conclude our account of this work. II. An Effay on Military Education. 25. Nourse. By Lewis Lochée. 8vo. THIS tlemen who are intended for the army. The plan which is here laid before the public is not the crude and indigetted |