on of words, which
were drawn out of the phrase of one tongue into that of another, made the
music appear very absurd in one tongue that was very natural in the
other. I remember an Italian verse that ran thus, word for word:

"And turned my rage into pity;"

which the English for rhyme's sake translated:

"And into pity turned my rage."

By this means the soft notes that were adapted to pity in the Italian
fell upon the word rage in the English; and the angry sounds that were
turned to rage in the original, were made to express pity in the
translation. It oftentimes happened, likewise, that the finest notes in
the air fell upon the most insignificant words in the sentence. I have
known the word "and" pursued through the whole gamut; have been
entertained with many a melodious "the;" and have heard the most
beautiful graces, quavers, and divisions bestowed upon "then," "for," and
"from," to the eternal honour of our English particles.

The next step to our refinement was the introducing of Italian actors
into our opera; who sang their parts in their own language, at the same
time that our countrymen performed theirs in our native tongue. The king
or hero of the play generally spoke in Italian, and his slaves answered
him in English. The lover frequently made his court, and gained the
heart of his princess, in a language which she did not understand. One
would have thought it very difficult to have carried on dialogues after
this manner without an interpreter between the persons that conversed
together; but this was the state of the English stage for about three
years.

At length the audience grew tired of understanding half the opera; and
therefore, to ease themselves entirely of the fatigue of thinking, have
so ordered it at present, that the whole opera is performed in an unknown
tongue. We no longer understand the language of our own stage; insomuch
that I have often been afraid, when I have seen our Italian performers
chattering in the vehemence of action, that they have been calling us
names, and abusing us among themselves; but I hope, since we put such an
entire confidence in them, they will not talk against us before our
faces, though they may do it with the same safety as if it were behind
our backs. In the meantime, I cannot forbear thinking how naturally an
historian who writes two or three hundred years hence, and does not know
the taste of his wise forefathers, will make the following re