engaging manners, and liberal connections, had not only established his character, but raised even the credit of his profession. Wood says, that his most beneficent friends, during his sufferings for the royal cause, in the rebellion and afterwards, were the ladies Alice and Mary, the Earl of Bridgewater's daughters before meutiqued. But in 1660 he was restored to his places and practice; and had the happiness to compose the coronation anthem for the exiled monarch. He died in 1662, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. Of all the testimonies paid to his merit by his contemporaries, Milton's commendation, in the thirteenth Sonnet, and in some of the speeches in Comus, must be esteemed the most honourable. And Milton's praise is likely to be founded on truth. Milton was no specious or occasional flatterer; and, at the same time, was a skilful performer on the organ, and a judge of musick. And it appears probable, that, even throughout the rebellion, he had continued his friendship for Lawes; for long after the king was restored, he added the Sonnet to Lawes in the new edition of his poems, printed under his own direction, in 1673. Nor has our author only complimented Lawes's excellencies in musick. For in Comus, having said that Thyrsis with his soft pipe, and smooth-dittied song, could still the roaring winds, and hush the waving woods, he adds, v. 88. less faith." And he joins his worth with his skill, Sonn. xiii. v. 5. In 1784, (says Mr. Warton,) in the house of Mr. Elderton, an attorney at Salisbury, I saw an original portrait of Henry Lawes on board, marked with his name, and "Etat. suæ 26, 1626." This is now in the bishop's palace at Salisbury. It is not ill-painted; the face and ruff in tolerable preservation; the drapery, a cloak, much injured. Another in the musick-school at Oxford; undoubtedly placed there before the rebellion, and not long after the institution of that school, in 1626, by his friend Dr. William Heather, a gentleman of the royal chapel. 66 uor of Henry's brother, William, a composer of considerable eminence, was killed in 1645, at the siege of Chester; and it is said that the king wore a private mourning for his death. There are two bulky manuscript volumes of his works in score, for various instruments, in the music school at Oxford. THE ORIGINAL MUSICK TO COMUS, And the general Character of the Composition, Peck asserts, that Milton wrote Comus at the request of Lawes, who promised to set it to musick. Most probably, this Mask, while in projection, was the occasion of their acquaintance, and first brought them together. Lawes was now a domestick, for a time at least, in Lord Bridgewater's family; for it is said of Thyrsis, in Comus, v. 85. to one "That to the service of this house belongs," &c, And, as we have seen, he taught the Earl's daughters to sing; of whom, the Lady Alice, the Song to Echo was allotted. And Milton was a neighbour of the family. It is well known, that Lawes's Musick to Comus was never printed. But by a manuscript in his own hand-writing it appears, that the three songs, Sweet Echo, Sa«To brina Fair, and Back Shepherds Back, with the lyrical Epilogue, The Ocean now I fly," were the whole of the original musical compo sitions for this drama. Sir John Hawkins has printed Lawes's Song of Sweet Echo, with the words, Hist. Mus. Vol. iv. p. 53. So has Dr. Burney. One is surprized that more musick was not introduced in this performance, especially as Lawes might have given further proofs of the vocal skill and proficiency of his fair scholar. As there is less musick, so there is less machinery, in Comus, than in any other mask. The intrinsick graces of its exquisite poetry disdained assistance. Without a rigorous adherence to counterpoint, but with more taste and feeling than the pedantry of theoretick harmony could confer, Lawes communicated to verse an original and expressive melody. He exceeded his predecessors and contemporaries in a pathos and sentiment, a simplicity and propriety, an articulation and intelligibility, which so naturally adapt themselves to the words of the poet. Hence, says our author, Sonn. xiii. 7, "To after age thou shalt be writ the man "That with smooth air could humour best our tongue." Which lines stand thus in the manuscript: "To after age thou shalt be writ the man "That didst reform thy art." And, in Comus, Milton praises his "soft pipe, and smooth-dittied song." v. 86. One of his excellencies was an exact accommodation of the accents of the musick to the quantities of the verse. As in the Sonnet just quoted. v. 1. seq. "Harry whose tuneful and well-measured song "First taught our English musick how to span "Words with just note and accent, not to scan "With Midas-ears, committing short and long." Waller joins with Milton in saying, that other composers admit the poet's sense but faintly and dimly, like the rays through a church window of painted glass: while his favourite Lawes -" could truly boast "That not a syllable is lost. And this is what Milton means, when he says in the Sonnet so often cited. "Thou honour'st verse" v. 9. In vocal execution he made his own subservient to the poet's art. In his tunes to Sandy's Psalms, his observance of the rythmus and syllabick accent, an essential requisite of vocal composition, is very striking and perceptible; and his strains are joyous, plaintive, or supplicatory, according to the sentiment of the stanza. These Psalms are for one singer. The solo was now coming into vogue; and Lawes's talent principally consisted in songs for a single voice; and here his excellencies above-mentioned might be applied with the best effect. The Song to Echo in Comus was for a single voice, where the composer was not only interested in exerting all his skill, but had at the same time the means of showing it to advantage; for he was the preceptor of the lady who sung it, and consequently must be well acquainted with her peculiar powers and characteristical genius. The poet says, that this song rose like a steam of rich-distilled perfumes, and stole upon the air,' &c. v. 555. Here seems to be an allusion to Lawes's new manner; although the lady's voice is perhaps the more immediate object of the compliment. Perhaps this song wants embellishments, and has too much simplicity for modern criticks, and a modern audience. But it is the opinion of one whom I should be proud to name, and to which I agree, that were Mrs. Siddons to act the Lady in Comus, and sing this very simple air, when every word would be heard with a proper accent and pathetick intonation, the effect would be truly theatrical.* Dr. Burney is unwil ling to allow that Lawes had much address in adapting the accents of the musick and the quantities of the verse. He observes that in this Song to Echo, a favourable opportunity was suggested to the musician for instrumental iterations, of which he made no use: and that, as the words have no accompaniment but a dry bass, the notes were but ill calculated to awaken Echo, however courteous, and to invite her to give an answer. Hist. Mus. It is certain, that the words and subject of this exquisite song, afford many tempting capabilities for the tricks of a modern composer. The bass of this song has been very skilfully altered or improved, and the melody modernized, by the late Mr. Mason, the poet, who also encouraged and patronised a republication of Lawes's Psalm tunes to Sandy's Paraphrase, with variations by the ingenious Mr. Matthew Camidge, of York Cathedral. From the 'judicious preface to that work, written by Mr. Mason, many of these criticisms on Lawes's musical style are adopted. WARTON. Besides the musick for the measure, between verses 144 and 145, and the soft musick prescribed before verse 659, we are told after verse 889, that "Sabrina rises, attended by water-nymphs, and SINGS By the rushy-fringed bank, &c." And before verse 966 it is said "this second song presents them to their father and mother." So that though no more of the original musick is to be found, than that said to subsist in the composer's own hand-writing, yet more seems to have been produced, even by Milton's own direction. BURNEY. (Hist. Mus.) Mr. Warton has not noticed the division of the lyrical Epilogue into two compositions. These compositions were originally unconnected; for the drama appears to have opened with the former, beginning "From the Heavens," instead of " To the ocean," as it closed with the latter, "Now my task is smoothly done." Having been informed by the Reverend Mr. Egerton, that Dr. Philip Hayes was in possession of the musick of Comus in Lawes's own hand-writing, I wrote to the Doctor, and was favoured with an answer, dated Feb. 8. 1797, from which I have extracted the following account, relating to the original manuscript: "Henry Lawes has written before the Songs in Comus, The 5 Songes followinge were sett for a Maske presented at Ludlo Castle, before the Earle of Bridgewater, Lord President of the Marches. October 1634. *Mrs. Siddons acted the Lady in Comus, for her benefit, on the th of May, 1786. L. "5th Songe. Now my taske is smoothly done, I can Aye, or I can run. "No such song appears, as To the Ocean now I fly. I fear none of the intermediate instrumental strains are recoverable. I have none of them in the manuscript before me." ORIGIN OF COMUS. TODD. In Fletcher's Faithful Shepherdess, an Arcadian comedy, recently published, Milton found many touches of pastoral and superstitious imagery, congenial with his own conceptions. Many of these, yet with the highest improvements, he has transferred into Comus'; together with the general cast and colouring of the piece. He catched also from the lyrick rhymes of Fletcher, that Dorique delicacy, with which Sir Henry Wotton was so much delighted in the songs of Milton's drama. Fletcher's comedy was coldly received the first night of its performance. But it had ample revenge in this conspicuous and indisputable mark of Milton's approbation. It was afterwards represented as a mask at court, before the king and queen on twelfth-night, in 1633. I know not indeed, if this was any recommendation to Milton; who, in the Paradise Lost, speaks contemptuously of these interludes, which had been among the chief diversions of an elegant and liberal monarch. B. iv. 767.. "court-amours, "Mix'd dance, and wanton mask, or midnight ball, &c." And in his Ready and easy Way to establish a free Commonwealth, written in 1660, on the inconveniencies and dangers of readmitting kingship, and with a view to counteract the noxious humour of returning to Bondage, he says, a king must be adored as a demigod, with a dissolute and haughty court about him, of vast expence and luxury; Masks and Revels, to the debauching our prime gentry, both male and female, not in their pastimes only, &c." Pr. W. i. 590. I believe the whole compliment was paid to the genius of Fletcher. But in the mean time it should be remembered, that Milton had not yet contracted an aversion to courts and courtamusements; and that, in L'Allegro, masks are among his pleasures. Nor could he now disapprove of a species of entertainment, to which as a writer he was giving encouragement. The Royal Masks, however, did not, like Comus, always abound with Platonick recommendations of the doctrine of chastity. The ingenious and accurate Mr. Reed has pointed out a rude outline, from which Milton seems partly to have sketched the plan of the fable of Comus. See Biograph. Dramat. ii. p. 441. It is an old play, with this title, "The old Wives Tale, a pleasant conceited comedie, plaied by the Queene's Majesties players. Written by G. P. [i. e. George Peele ] Printed at London by John Danter, and are to be sold by Ralph Hancocke and John Hardie, 1595." In quarto. This very scarce and curious piece exhibits, among other parallel incidents, two Brothers wandering in quest of their Sister, whom an enchanter had imprisoned. This magician had learned his art from his mother Meroe, as Comus had been instructed by his mother Circe. The brothers call out on the lady's name, and Echo replies. The enchanter had given her a potion which su D pends the powers of reason, and superinduces oblivion of herself. The brothers afterwards meet with an old Man, who is also skilled in magick, and, by listening to his soothsayings, they recover their lost sister. But not 'till the enchanter's wreath had been torn from his head, his sword wrested from his haud, a glass broken and a light extinguished. The names of some of the characters, as Sacrapant, Chorebus, and others, are taken from the Orlando Furioso. The history of Meroe a witch, may be seen in "The xi Bookes of the Golden Asse, containing the Metamorphosie of Lucius Apulcius, interlaced with sundry pleasant and delectable Tales, &c. translated out of Latin into English by William Adlington, Lond. 1566." See Chap. iii. "How Socrates in his returne from Macedony to Larissa was spoyled and robbed, and how he fell acquainted with one Meroe a witch." And Chap. iv. "How Meroe the witch turned divers persons into miserable beasts” Of this book there were other editions, in 1571, 1596, 1600, and 1693. All in quarto, and the black letter. The translator was of University College. See also Apuleius in the original. A Meroe is mentioned by Ausonius, Epig. xix. Peele's Play opens thus: Anticke, Frolicke, and Fantasticke, three adventurers, are lost in a wood, in the night. They agree to sing the old song, "Three merrie men, and three merrie men, "And three merrie men be wee; "I in the wood, and thou on the ground, They hear a dog, and fancy themselves to be near some village. A cottager appears, with a lantern: on which Frolicke says, "I perceive the glimryng of a gloworme, a candle, or a catseye, &c." They intreate him to shew the way: otherwise, they say, 66 wee are like to wander among the owlets and hobgoblins of the forest." He invites them to his cottage; and orders his wife to lay a crab in the fire, to roast for lambes-wool, &c." They sing "When as the rie reach to the chin, "And chopcherrie, chopcherrie, ripe within; "And schoole-boyes playing in the streame, &c." At length, to pass the time trimly, it is proposed that the wife shall tell "a merry winters," or, "C an old wiues winters tale," of which sort of stories she is not without a score. She begins, There was a king, or duke, who had a most beautiful daughter, and she was stolen away by a necromancer, who turning himself into a dragon, carried her in his mouth to his castle. The king sent out all his men to find his daughter; "at last, all the king's men went out so long, that hir Two Brothers went to seeke hir." Immediately the two Brothers, enter, and speake, + This old Ballad is alluded to in Twelfth Night, A. ii. S. iii. Sir Toby says, my Lady's a Catalan, we are politicians, Malvolio's a Pega Ramsey, and "three merry men be we.” WARTON. |