keeping a fhop at Rome, but Pietro having difcovered, at ten years old, a wonderful talent for fpeaking extempore verses, was noticed by the celebrated civilian Gravina, and, ere long, adopted by him. Gravina taught him Greek, Latin, and the fciences, and though he patronized him originally for his power of making verfes, was very defirous to make him a lawyer. Metaftafio, always grateful and well difpofed, was defirous alfo, He on his part, to gratify the wifhes of his excellent patron. applied himself earnestly to the civil law, but in spite of his. efforts, nature occafionally broke forth in poctical excurfions. At the age of fourteen, he wrote a tragedy called Giuftino, which being executed ftrictly upon the Greek model, was approved by Gravina; and induced him not only to tolerate, but encourage his pupil's attachment to the Mufes. The law was nevertheless his leading purfuit till, at the age of twenty, he loft his learned preceptor and patron, who completed his kindnefs by making him his heir. Being now his own master, and in poffeflion of a fortune, Metaftafio could no longer refift his predilection for poetry. He had taken orders, by the advice of Gravina, not from any partiality for that line, but as the most likely path through which to arrive at honour and emolument, even in his profeffion of the law. Hence it was that he arrived at the title of Abate. His oeconomy did not prove more found than his refolution to purfue a laborious profeffion, and before he obtained the appointment of Imperial Poet, which was, as we have said, in 1730, he had run through the chief part of his fortune, not by vice or extravagance, but by too liberal hofpitality and generofity. The remainder of his life was paffed, as was mentioned above, in the fervice of the Imperial Court, and diverfified with few events, except the production of hisfeveral dramas, and other works. Among the detached poems of Metaftafio, no one has been more celebrated than his "La Liberta," or farewell to Nice, beginning "Grazie agl'inganni tuoi," which has been tranflated into all European languages, and by various authors into our own. Dr. Burney prefents us with this in his first volume, and, as a musical curiofity, with the very air to which it was originally fet, compofed by Metaftafio himfelf. It is fet with much elegant fimplicity; but what feems rather extraordinary, as a duo; which, confidering it as the farewell of one man to his mistress, we fhould not have thought proper, had it not been the work of the poet himself. The original is here accompanied by a new tranflation, fo formed as to be adapted to the fame mufic. As a performance rather lefs known than the Libertà, we hall give La Partenza, or the Separation, written by Metafta fio fio, at the defire of a young man who was compelled to leave his miftrefs, and characterized by the fame beauties as the former poem. Quanti vedrai giungendo Penfa qual dolce ftrale, VI. What votaries foon will croud VII. Think of the fatal dart, Vol. i. p. 350. A very interefting part of the hiftory of Metaftafio is his long and fteady friendship with Farinelli. They called each other Gemelli, or twins, from appearing before the public with fuccefs about the fame time, in 1723, and they continued their attachment to the death of Metaftafio, only a few months before that of Farinelli. The letters of the poet to this friend are therefore very numerous, and ftrongly prove at once the warmth and goodnefs of his heart, and that regard of which the other was fo well worthy. The obfervations of this eminent poet on musicians and authors are very valuable, but we did not ob ferve any thing more interefting than his comparifon of Taffo and Ariosto. "Your fecond request, that I would pronounce between the meri of Ariosto and Taffo, is too difficult a tafk for the limits of my faculties. You know, Sir, with what tumults the Parnaffus of Italy wa agitated, when Godfrey first attempted to difpute the primacy with Orlando, of which he had juftly been fo long in poffeffion. You know alfo how the prefs groaned with the useless labours of your Pellegrinis, Reffis, Salviatis, and a hundred other champions on both fides. You likewife know that the pacific Orazio Arifto, the defcendant of Lodovico, vainly endeavoured to reconcile the combatants, telling them that the poems of thefe two divine bards were of a fpecies fo different, that they admitted of no parallel; that Torquato had determined never to lay down the trumpet, and had in a marvellous manner, adhered to his refolution; that Lodovico's defign was to delight his readers with a variety of ftyle, mixing in a pleasant manner with the heroic, the jocofe, and the feftive, and had wonderfully fucceeded. That the first had demonftrated the magic power of art, * We have seen other English verfions of this poem. BRIT. CRIT. VOL. VII. Z z the the other the felicity of unrestrained nature; that both had juftly acquired the applaufe and admiration of the public; and that both had arrived at the fummit of poetical glory, but by different roads, and without intentional rivalry. You cannot in fhort, be ignorant of the more brilliant than folid diftinction: that Taffo is the best poet, but Ariotto the greateft. Now, knowing all this, how can you imagine, that I fhould venture to arrogate to myfelf, fufficient authority to refolve this queftion, which, after fo many obftinate literary conflicts, ftill remains undecided? However, if it is not allowed me in fuch ftrifes to fit pro tribunali, I may, at least, be permitted to relate, historically, the effects, which I my felf have experienced in reading thefe great poets. When I first began the ftudy of literature, I found the world divided into parties. That illuftrious Lyceum, into which I had the good fortune to be received, followed that of the Homer of Ferrara, and with that excefs of fervor, which ufually accompanies fuch contefts. In order to fecond my poetical inclination, my mafter recommended to me the perufal and imitation of Ariosto; judging his free and natural style to be more likely to feed and fertilize genius, than the fervile regularity (as they called it) of his rival. I was perfuaded by authority; and the infinite merit of the writer, occupied me afterwards to fuch a degree, that not fatiated with several perufals, I was induced to learn a great part of Orlando by heart; and woe to the bold man who dared affert that Ariotto could have a rival, or that he was not wholly immaculate! I met with friends, however, who in order to feduce me, recited from time to time fome of the fineft paffages of the Jerufalem delivered, and I found myself extremely affected and delighted by them; but faithful to my fect, I detefted this complacence, and regarded it as one of those finful inclinations to which corrupt human nature is prone, and which it is our duty to correct: and in this opinion, I paffed all thofe years in which our judgment is the mere imitation of others. At length, arrived at that period in which we begin to combine our own ideas, and weighing them in the fcales of juftice, yet more from fatiety and a defire of change, than hopes of pleasure and profit, I read Jerufalem delivered. It is now impoffible for me to defcribe the extraordinary revolution which this perufal occafioned in my mind. The fpectacle, which I faw as in a picture, prefenting at one view a great and fingle action, clearly propofed, conducted in a mafterly manner, and perfectly completed; the variety of events which produced and enriched it, without confufion; the magic of a ftyle that is always clear, fublime, and fonorous; always ennobling the most common and humble objects; the vigour of the colouring with which the author compares and defcribes; the feducing evidence with which he narrates, and perfuades; the truth and confiftence of the characters, the connexion of ideas, the learning, judgment, and, above all things, the wonderful force of genius, which instead of be ing exhaufted, as generally happens in labours of long continuance, is marvellously encreased to the laft verfe of the poems all these circumftances filled me with a new delight, a respectful admiration, a lively remorse for my obftinate injuftice, and an implacable anger againft thofe who imagined Ariofto to be injured, merely by comparing him " with Taffo. Not but that I ftill fee in him fome flight marks of human imperfection. But who can be faid to be exempt from them? Can his great predeceffor? If Taffo fometimes difpleafes by too much. labour and ftudy, Ariofto as frequently offends by too little. If you would expunge from the one a few mean conceits, below the dignity of his own mind, you would as readily part with incidents in the other that are too profligate and indecent for the public eye; and if we fhould wish for lefs rhetoric in Godfrey, the amorous tenderness of Orlando, would give us much more pleasure if it were more natural. Verum opere in longo fas eft obrepere fomnum: and it would be a malignant and pedantic vanity to point out with feverity the little fpots in two fuch bright luminaries, quas aut incuria fudit, aut humana parum All this, you will fay, does not anfwer your question. You wish to know exactly, and clearly, to which of the two you fhould affign the pre-eminence? I have already, my dear Sir, refpectfully declared my utter repugnance to fuch a daring decifion; and in mere obedience, have disclosed to you, with the utmoft fincerity, in my own way, the emotions which each of thefe divine poets has occafioned in my mind. If all this does not fuffice, take the following refult of a late examination of myfelf upon the fubject.. If our good father Apollo, in oftentation of his power, were ever capricioufiy to refolve on making me a great poet, and commanded me openly to confefs, which of the two bards I moft wifhed to resemble, I should certainly hefitate in the choice; yet, perhaps my native love of order, exactitude, and fyftem, would at length incline me to Taffo." Vol.ii. p. 309. cavit natura. Among musicians, Metaftafio is moft warm in the praises of Jomelli, and very unfavourable to Gluck; but we must not allow ourselves to particularize any thing more, except his criticifm on the Night Thoughts of Young, as tranflated by Dr. Giuseppe Bottoni, which is too interefting to English readers, to be omitted, and indeed too juft to be controverted. "I have perufed with avidity, and infinite pleasure, which I never expected to receive from excefs of melancholy, the firt x Night Thoughts of the celebrated poet Young, in your elegant verfion; and am extremely grateful to you for enabling me to have a knowledge of the English Mufes, in fpite of my involuntary ignorance of this excellent language. Thanks to your affiftance, I have underfood, and admired, thefe peems to fuch a degree, that they did not feem at all to have changed their drefs. I have not oberved in your tranflation, any of those uncertain and fervile rokes of the pencil, which ufually diftinguish a copy from an original; and am pended, that in the fublime author had fug on the banks of the Atau, e vond 2) ve aye y pred his thoughts in that flowing, clear, and noble manong and with that conftant and varied harmony, with which gear are tranflated and enriched him. I can eally comprehend what innle otwritrope pains fuch a dithcult task must have colt you; but it for wat wo thy of your labour. The extraordinary merit of this ex. pears, even in his defects; for notwithstanding to want of e.de, and connexion, his frequent repetitions, determined obtimacy in ways |