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ger. And as there is no other principle of humane Action but Sentiment, it is wholly impoſſible but that a People habituated to theſe Heroick Notions muſt be prepar’d and form’d for the performing Heroick Actions.
Theſe unſpeakable advantages has lofty Poetry over empty ſounds, and harmonious trifles, which, as the pleaſure that they give us is a ſenſual Delight, utterly independant of Reaſon, muſt do ſomething directly oppoſite to this, ſince ’tis natural to ſenſe to bring a Man home to himſelf, and confine him there, as ’tis natural to Reaſon to expand the Soul, if I may have leave to uſe the expreſſion, and throw it out upon the Publick: And as ſoft and delicious Muſick by ſoothing the Senſes, and making a Man too much in Love with himſelf, makes him too little fond of the publick, ſo by emaſculating and diſſolving the mind, it ſhakes the very foundation of Fortitude, and ſo is deſtructive of both branches of the publick Spirit.
But if any one objects that an Opera may be ſo contriv’d and Writ, as to inſpire us with an affection for the Publick, and with a generous contempt of Death; to him I anſwer, that an Opera ſo deſign’d, muſt be writ with force or without it. If ’tis writ with force ’tis incompatible with Muſick, eſpecially in ſo maſculine a Language as ours; for force in our Language cannot be expreſt without a great many Conſonants, and Words that terminate in Conſonants; but a great many Conſonants and eſpecially Conſonants terminating Words, cannot be pronounced without very frequently ſhutting the mouth, which is diametrically oppoſite to the expreſſing of Muſick.
But if an Opera ſo deſign’d is not writ with force, I leave it to any one to judge, whether the weakneſs of the expreſſion and of the ſentiments, are like to make Im-
