1711.

No. 258, for my Deputy my near Kinsman and Adventurer Wednes Kitt Crotchet, whose long Experience and Improveday, ments in those Affairs need no Recommendation, 'Twas Dec. 26, obvious to every Spectator what a quite different Foot the Stage was upon during his Government; and had he not been bolted out of his Trap-doors, his Garri son might have held out for ever, he having by long Pains and Perseverance arriv'd at the Art of making his Army fight without Pay or Provisions. I must confess it, with a melancholy Amazement, I see so wonderful a Genius laid aside, and the late Slaves of the Stage now become its Masters, Dunces that will be sure to suppress all theatrical Entertainments and Activities that they are not able themselves to shine in!

Sir,

Every Man that goes to a Play is not obliged to have either Wit or Understanding; and I insist upon it, that all who go there should see something which may improve them in a Way of which they are capable, In short, Sir, I would have something done as well as said on the Stage, A Man may have an active Body, though he has not a quick Conception; for the Imitation there fore of such as are, as I may so speak, corporeal Wits or nimble Fellows, I would fain ask any of the present Mismanagers why should not Rope-dancers, Vaulters, Tumblers, Ladder walkers, and Posture-makers appear again on our Stage? After such a Representation, a Five-bar Gate would be leaped with a better Grace next time any of the Audience went a Hunting, these Things cry loud for Reformation, and fall properly under the Province of SPECTATOR General; but how in deed should it be otherwise while Fellows (that for Twenty Years together were never paid but as their Master was in the Humour) now presume to pay others more than ever they had in their Lives; and, in Contempt of the Practice of Persons of Condition, have the Insolence to owe no Tradesman a Farthing at the End of the Week, Sir, all I propose is the publick Good; for no one can imagine I shall ever get a private Shilling by it: Therefore I hope you will recommend this Matter in one of your this Week's Papers, and desire

when

when my house opens you will accept the Liberty of No. 258. it for the Trouble you have received from,

P. S. I have Assurances that the Trunk-maker

will declare for us.

'Mr. SPECTATOR,

Sir,

Wednes
day,
Dec, 26,

1711,

Your humble Servant,

Ralph Crochet.'

We whose Names are subscribed think you the properest Person to signify what we have to offer the Town in Behalf of ourselves, and the Art which we profess, Musick. We conceive Hopes of your Favour from the Speculations on the Mistakes which the Town run into with Regard to their Pleasure of this Kind; and believing your Method of Judging is, that you consider Musick only valuable as it is agreeable to and heightens the Purpose of Poetry, we consent that That is not only the true Way of relishing that Pleasure, but also that without it a Composure of Musick is the same Thing as a Poem, where all the Rules of Poetical Numbers are observed, but the Words of no Sense or Meaning; to say it shorter, meer musical Sounds are in our Art no other than nonsense Verses are in Poetry, Musick therefore is to aggravate what is intended by Poetry; it must always have some Passion or Sentiment to express, or else Violins, Voices, or any other Organs of Sound, afford an Entertainment very little above the Rattles of Children, It was from this Opinion of the Matter, that when Mr. Clayton had finished his Studies in Italy, and brought over the Opera of Arsinoe, that Mr. Haym and Mr. Dieupart, who had the Honour to be well known and received among the Nobility and Gentry, were zealously enclined to assist, by their Sollicitations, in introducing so elegant an Entertainment as the Italian Musick grafted upon English Poetry, For this End Mr. Dieupart and Mr. Haym, according to their several Opportunities, pro moted the Introduction of Arsinoe, and did it to the best Advantage so great a Novelty would allow,

It

Dec, 26,

1711.

No. 258. is not Proper to trouble you with Particulars of the just Wednes Complaints we all of us have to make; but so it is, day, that without Regard to our obliging Pains, we are all equally set aside in the present Opera. Our Application therefore to you is only to insert this Letter in your Papers that the Town may know we have all Three joined together to make Entertainments of Musick for the future at Mr. Clayton's House in York-Buildings. What we promise ourselves, is, to make a Subscription of Two Guineas for eight Times; and that the Enter tainment, with the Names of the Authors of the Poetry, may be printed, to be sold in the House, with an Account of the several Authors of the vocal as well as instrumental Musick for each Night; the Money to be paid at the Receipt of the Tickets, at Mr. Charles Lillie's. It will, we hope, Sir, be easily allowed, that we are capable of Undertaking to exhibit by our joint Force and different Qualifications all that can be done in Musick; but lest you should think so dry a Thing as an Account of our Proposal should be a Matter un worthy your Paper, which generally contains something of publick Use; give us Leave to say, that favouring our Design is no less than reviving an Art, which runs to Ruin by the utmost Barbarism under an Affectation of Knowledge, We aim at establishing some settled Notion of what is Musick, at recovering from Neglect and Want very many Families who depend upon it, at making all Foreigners who pretend to succeed in England to learn the Language of it, as we ourselves have done, and not be so insolent as to expect a whole Nation, a refined and learned Nation, should submit to learn them. In a Word, Mr. SPECTATOR, with all Deference and Humility, we hope to behave ourselves in this Undertaking in such a Manner, that all English Men who have any Skill in Musick may be furthered in it for their Profit or Diversion by what new Things we shall produce; never pretending to surpass others, or asserting that any Thing which is a Science is not attainable by all Men of all Nations who have proper Genius for it: We say, Sir, what we hope for is not expected will arrive to us by contemning

others

others, but through the utmost Diligence recommending No. 258, ourselves,

We are,

Sir,

Wednes day, Dec, 26, 1711.

Quod decet honestum est & quod honestum est decet.-Tull.

T

HERE are some Things which cannot come under certain Rules, but which one would think could not need them, Of this Kind are outward Civilities and Salutations. These one would imagine might be regulated by every Man's common Sense, without the Help of an Instructor, but that which we call common Sense suffers under that Word; for it sometimes implies no more than that Faculty which is common to all Men, but sometimes signifies right Reason, and what all Men should consent to. In this latter Acceptation of the Phrase, it is no great Wonder People err so much against it, since it is not every one who is possessed of it, and there are fewer who, against common Rules and Fashions, dare obey its Dictates, As to Salutations, which I was about to talk of, I observe, as I strole about Town, there are great Enormities committed with regard to this Particular. You shall sometimes see a Man begin the Offer of a Salutation, and observe a forbidding Air, or escaping Eye, in the Person he is going to salute, and stop short in the Pole of his Neck. This in the Person who believed he could do it with a good Grace, and was refused the Opportunity, is justly resented with a Coldness in the whole ensuing Season. Your great Beauties, People in much Favour, or by any Means, or for any Purpose overflattered, are apt to practise this which one may call the preventing Aspect, and throw their Attention another

1711,

No. 259, another Way, lest they should confer a Bow or a Thursday, Curtesie upon a Person who might not appear to de Dec, 27, serve that Dignity. Others you shall find so obsequious, and so very courteous, as there is no escaping their Favours of this Kind, Of this Sort may be a Man who is in the fifth or sixth Degree of Favour with a Minister; this good Creature is resolved to shew the World, that great Honours cannot at all Change his Manners, he is the same civil Person he ever was, He will venture his Neck to bow out of a Coach in full Speed, at once, to shew he is full of Business, and yet is not so taken up as to forget his old Friend. With a Man, who is not so well formed for Courtship and elegant Behaviour, such a Gentleman as this seldom finds his Account in the Return of his Complements, but he will still go on, for he is in his own Way, and must not omit; let the Neglect fall on your Side, or where it will, his Business is still to be well-bred to the End, I think I have read, in one of our English Comedies, a Description of a Fellow that affected know ing every Body, and for Want of Judgment in Time and Place, would bow and smile in the Face of a Judge sitting in the Court, would sit in an opposite Gallery, and smile in the Minister's Face as he came up into the Pulpit, and nod as if he alluded to some Famili arities between them in another Place. But now I happen to speak of Salutation at Church, I must take Notice that several of my Correspondents have impor tuned me to consider that Subject, and settle the Point of Decorum in that Particular.

I do not pretend to be the best Courtier in the World, but I have often on publick Occasions Thought it a very great Absurdity in the Company (during the Royal Presence) to exchange Salutations from all Parts of the Room, when certainly common Sense should suggest that all Regards at that Time should be engaged, and cannot be diverted to any other Object, without Disrespect to the Sovereign. But as to the Complaint of my Corre spondents, it is not to be imagined what Offence some of them take at the Custom of Saluting in Places of Worship, I have a very angry Letter from a Lady,

who