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ORIGINAL ANECDOTES AND REMAINS

OF

EMINENT PERSONS.

[In our next Number we propose to commence an extenfive series of interefting articles, under the bead of WALPOLIANA, being a collection of original Bon-mots, Anecdotes, &c. by Horace Walpole, late Earl of Orford; taken from his MSS. notes, and from numerous converfations with Extracts from many of his unpublished Letters. This valuable article will be furnished by a literary Gentleman, who was bonoured with the Earl's intimate acquaintance for fifteen years, from 1782 to his death.]

CHAR

GOLDONI, THE MODERN ITALIAN · DRAMATIST. (Communicated by Mr. Damiani.) HARLES Goldoni was born at Venice, in the year 1707. He gave early indications of his humourous character, as well as his invincible propenfity to thofe ftudies, which have rendered his name immortal. His father, perceiving that the darling amufement of his fon was dramatic performances, had a fmall theatre erected in his own house, in which Goldoni, while yet an infant, amused himself, with three or four of his companions, by acting comedies. Before he was fent to fchool, his genius prompted him to become an author. In the feventh and eighth years of his age, ere he had fcarcely learned to read correctly, all his time was devoted to the perufing comic writers, among whom was Cicognini, a Florentine, little known in the dramatic commonwealth. After having well ftudied thefe, he ventured to sketch out the plan of a comedy, which needed more than one eye-witness of the greatest probity, to verify its being the production of a child.

After having finished his grammatical studies at Venice, and his rhetorical ftudies at the Jefuit's College in Perugia, he was fent to a boarding-fchool at Rimini, to ftudy philofophy. The impulfe of nature, however, fuperfeded with him the study of Ariftotle's works, fo much in vogue in thofe times. He frequented the theatres with uncommon curiofity; and paffing gradually from the pit to the kage, entered into a familiar acquaintance with the actors. When the feafon of comic performances was over, and the actors were to remove to Chiozza, young Goldoni made his efcape in their company. This was the first fault he committed, which, according to his own confeffion, drew a great many others after it. His father had intended him to be a phyfician, like himself: the young man, however, was wholly averfe to the ftudy. He propofed afterwards to make him an

advocate, and fent him to be a practitioner in Modena. An horrid ceremony of ecclefiaftical jurifdiction, at which he was prefent, infpired him with a melancholy turn, and he determined to become a Capuchin. His father, perceiving the whimsical inconftant humour of his fon, feigned to fecond this propofal, and promiled to go and prefent him to the guardian of the Capuchins in Venice, în the hope that after fome stay in that extenfive and merry city, his melancholy fit would ceafe. The fcheme fucceeded; for the young man, indulging in all the fashionable diffipation of the place, was cured of his foolish refolution. It was however neceflary for him to be fettled in fome employment, and he was prevailed upon by his mother, after the death of his father, to exercife the profeffion of a lawyer in Venice. By a fudden reverse of fortune he was compelled to quit at once both the bar and Venice. He then went to Milan, where he was employed by the refident of Venice in the capacity of fecretary, where becoming acquainted with the manager of the theatre, he wrote a farce, entitled, Il Gondoliere Venezian, the Venetian Gondolier; which was the first comic production of his that was performed and printed. Some time after, Goldoni broke with the Venetian refident, and removed to Verona. There was in this place, at that time, the company of comedians of the theatre of St. Samuel of Venice, and among them the famous actor Cofali, an old acquaintance of Goldoni, who introduced him to the manager. He began therefore to work for the theatre, and became infenfibly united to the company, for which he compofed feveral pieces. Having remov. ed along with them to Genoa, he was for the first time feized with an ardent paffion for a lady, who foon afterwards became his wife. He returned with the company to Venice, where he difplayed, for the first time, the powers of his genius, and executed his plan of reforming the Italian ftage. He wrote the Momolo, Courtisan, the Squanderer, and other pie

cesa

Account of Goldoni.

ses, which obtained aniverfal admira-
tion. Feeling a strong inclination to re-
fide fome time in Tulcany, he repaired
to Florence and Pifa, where he wrote
The Footman of two Mafters, and, The
Son of Harlequin loft and found again. He
returned to Venice, and fet about exe-
cuting more and more his favourite
fcheme of reform. He was now attached
to the theatre of S. Angelo, and employ-
ed himself in writing both for the com-
pany,
and for his own purpofes. The
conftant toils he underwent in these en-
gagements impaired his health. He
wrote, in the course of twelve months,fix-
teen new comedies, befides forty-two pie-
ces for the theatre; among these many are
confidered as the beft of his productions.
The first edition of his works was pub-
lifhed in 1753, in 10 vols. 8vo. As he
wrote afterwards a great number of new
pieces for the theatre of S. Luca, a fepa-
rate edition of thefe was published, un-
der the title of The New Comic Theatre:
among these was the Terence, called by
the author his favourite, and judged to be
the mafter piece of his works. He made
another journey to Parma, on the invi-
tation of Duke Philip, and from thence
he paffed to Rome. He had compofed
59 other pieces fo late as the year 1761,
five of which were defigned for the parti-
cular ufe of Marque Albergati Capacelli,
and confequently adapted to the theatre
of a private company. Here ends the
literary life of Goldoni in Italy.
Through the channel of the French am
baffador in Venice, he had received a
letter from Mr. Zenuzzi, the first actor
in the Italian theatre at Paris, containing
a propofal for an engagement of two
years in that city. He accordingly re-
paired to Paris, where he found a felect
and numerous company of excellent per-
formers in the Italian theatre. They
were, however, chargeable with the fame
faults which he had corrected in Italy;
and the French fupported, and even ap-
plauded in the Italians, what they would
have reprobated on their own ftage. Gol-
doni wifhed to extend, even to that coun-
try, his plan of reformation, without
confidering the extreme difficulty of the
undertaking. Scurrilities and jets,
which are ever accompanied by actions,
gestures, and motions, are the fame in all
countries, and almost perfectly under-
ftood even in a foreign tongue: while the
beauties of fentiment and dialogue, and
other things which lead to the under-
ftanding of characters and intrigues, re-
quire a familiar acquaintance with the

125

tongue of the writer. The first attempt
of Goldoni towards his wifhed-for re-
form, was the piece called The Father for
Love; and its bad fuccefs was a fuffi-
cient warning to him to defift from his
undertaking. He continued, during the
remainder of his engagement, to produce
pieces agreeable to the general tafte,
and published twenty-four comedies;
among which The Love of Zelinda and
Lindor is reputed the beft. The term of
two years being expired, Goldoni was
preparing to return to Italy, when a
lady, reader to the dauphinefs, mother
to the late king, introduced him at court,
in the capacity of Italian mafter to the
princeffes, aunts to the king. He did
not live in the court, but reforted there,
at each fummons, in a poft-chaife, fent
to him for the purpose. These journies
were the caufe of a diforder in the eyes,
which afflicted him the rest of his life;
for being accustomed to read while in the
chaife, he loft his fight on a fudden, and
in fpite of the most potent remedies, could
never afterwards recover it entirely. For
about fix months lodgings were provided
him in the chateau of Verfailles. The
death, however, of the dauphin, changed
the face of affairs. Goldoni loft his
lodgings, and only, at the end of three
years, received a bounty of 100 louis in
a gold box, and the grant of a pension of
four thoufand livres a year. This fet-
tlement would not have been fufficient
for him, if he had not gained, by other
means, farther fums. He wrote now
and then comedies for the theatres of
Italy and Portugal; and, during these
occupations, was defirous to fhew to the
French that he merited a high rank
among their dramatic writers. For this
purpose, he neglected nothing which
could be of ufe to render himself master
of the French language. He heard,
fpoke, and converfed to much in it, that,
in his 62d year, he ventured to write a
comedy in French, and to have it repre-
fented in the court theatre, on the occa-
fion of the marriage of the king. This
piece was the Bourru Bienfaifant; and it
met with fo great fuccefs, that the author
received a bounty of 150 louis from the
king, another gratification from the per-
formers, and confiderable fums from the
bookfellers who published it. He published,
foon after, another comedy in Frenc
called L'Avare Faftueux. After the
death of Louis XV. Goldoni was ap
pointed Italian teacher to the princess
Clotilde, the prefent princess of Pied.
mont; and after her marriage he atten

ed

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126

Additions and Corrections to Account of Mr. Wilkes.

ed the late unfortunate princefs Elizabeth in the fame capacity. The approach of old age obliged him to quit Verfailles, and to live in Paris, the air of which, lefs sharp, was better adapted to his conftitution. The laft work of Goldoni was The Volponi, written after his retirement from court, from which time he bad a lafting adieu to writing. Unfortunately for him, he lived to fee his penfions cut off at the revolution, like others, and he spent his laft days in poverty and diftrefs. He died in 1792, at a crifis when, according to the expreffion of a deputy in the Convention, the French nation was ready to repay him every debt of gratitude. Goldoni is on a par with the greatest comic poets of modern times, with regard to dramatic talents, and is thought fuperior to them all with regard to the fertility of his genius. His works were printed at Leghorn in 1788---91, in 31 vols. 8vo. He has been generally called the Moliere of Italy, and Voltaire, in one of his letters to Marquis Albergati, ftiles him, The Painter of Nature. Goldoni is one of thofe authors whofe writings will be relifhed in the most remote countries, and by the latest pofterity. His profound knowledge of the human heart, his extenfive description of the vices and virtues of men, in all ages and ftations, willjuftify my concluding this imperfect eulogy with applying to him the following lines of Horace:

Acque pauperibus prodeft, locupletibus aeque :

Aeque neglectum pueris, fenibufque no

nebit.

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R. John Wilkes was born in Lendon. He was the eldest ion of Mr. Nathaniel Wilkes, and has been fuppofed, from no better authority perhaps than the name, to have been defcended, by the Father's tide, from Colonel Wilkes, a man of tome celebrity during the civil wars, who lided with the parliament against Charles I. His brother Ifrael is faid to be still alive, and to refide at New York. Hie mother was a diffenter, and he himfelt is reported to have been educated in diffenting principles, both civil and religious; certain it is, that from the time of his first-launching into public life, he

uniformly profeffed himself attached to the caufe of freedom. His addrefs to the electors of Berwick, for which place he became a candidate in 1754, breathes a noble fpirit of independence, and confutes the calumnies of those, who, adverting to his conduct at a later period, confidered him as a patriot by accident, and more attached to his own interefts, than the caufe of his country.

He received a confiderable part of his education abroad, at Leyden or Utrecht : and a decifive proof of the reputation he had acquired at that period, was given by that eminent metaphyfician, Mr. Andrew Baxter, who dedicated to Mr. Wilkes the " Appendix of his Enquiry into the Nature of the Human Soul." In this dedication, Mr. Baxter fpeaks of a philofophical converfation which paffed between them in the Capuchin's garden at Spa, in the fummer of 1745. Baxter was long a refident at Utrecht, as tutor to fome young men of rank ftudying at that univerfity. He continued his correfpondence with Mr. Wilkes; and addreffed to him a very friendly and affectionate letter during his laft illness in 1750.

Soon after finishing his education, Mr. Wilkes returned to England, and married Mifs Mead, a lady of confiderable fortune; fhe however was not the daughter of the celebrated Dr. Mead. That phyfician was twice married; but of the two daughters who furvived him, one became the wife of Dr. Wilmot, the other of Dr. Nicholls. Mrs. Wilkes was of a family enriched by trade, and faid to have been related to this eminent practitioner.

By this lady, from whom he afterwards feparated, Mr. Wilkes had an amiable and accomplished daughter, who is ftill alive, and between whom and himfelf there exifted the most cordial regard; a warm paternal affection on his part, and unbounded duty and attachment on hers. During all his political fruggles, and perfonal afflictions, her care and attention were uniform and undiminished, and he has recorded her filial piety, in an infcription at his cottage in the Isle of Wight.

The perfonal bravery of Mr. W. was unquestionable; in addition to his duc! with Mr. Martin, mentioned in the aft Monthly Magazine, he fought another with Lord Talbot, and conducted himself in both with great fpirit.

· The feverity of reprehenfion with which he treated the Scotch nation, begat him many enemies among the natives of

the

Additions and Corrections to Account of Mr. Wilkes.

the northern parts of the ifland; Dunn, who feems to have been a maniac, wifhed to bereave him of his life by affalli nation, and Forbes, an officer, by fingle combat. When his papers were feized, a letter from his friend, Earl Temple, was found, in which the bitterness of his enmity to the North Britons was cenfured. This fame nobleman fupported Mr. W. during his conteft with government, in a manner highly honourable to himfelf. His counfel and his purfe, on this occafion, were equally at the fervice of the public. Mr. Pitt (afterwards Lord Chatham) deferted him, but he remained firm; and it is to Lord Temple that we are in a great measure indebted for the abolition of general warrants. Mr. W. has the fole merit, by a vigorous and uniform pe feverance, of procuring the odious decifion refpecting the Middlefex election, to be refcinded from the journals of the house of commons.

Unfortunately for both parties, an unlucky difpute took place between the Rev. Mr. Horne, (now John Horne Tooke, Efq.) and Mr. Wilkes; and the former * foon after afferted, "that Mr. Wilkes did commiftion Mr. Robert Walpole to folicit for him a pention of one thousand pounds on the Irifh establishment for thirty years." The apparent extravagance of the demand, and the feeming apoftacy implied by the application, appeared at that time of day fuch, as to render the whole charge almost incredible; fince that period, however, we have witneffed, almoft without furprife, a man of great talents indeed, but who had neither fuffered perfecution nor imprisonment in the public cause, receive no lefs than three penfions, two for three lives, of 1160l. and 1340l.; and a third for two lives, of 1200l. per ann. under the title of remuneration! Junius calls this period of Mr. W's life, "a moment of despair."

Mr. Wilkes, who was a high-bred man, and profeffed elegant and engaging manners, was intimate with many diftin.guished perfons; and on the trial of Mr. Tooke, fat on the bench, and converfed very familiarly with Earl Mansfield, whose character as a judge he had treated

Sce" Junius's Letters," 8vo. ed. Letter LIII. dated July 31, 1771, p. 288.

Thefe are faid to have been fold for

37,000l.

MONTHLY MAG. No. XXVIII,

127

with no common degree of feverity. This was deemed inconfiftent at least, and was animadverted upon accordingly with much warmth by Mr. T.:

He was naturally attached to men of talents, and cultivated their fociety and converfation. He himself was an author, and fome of his letters are written with great fpirit and animation.It is greatly to be lamented, that his hiftory of England, from the revolution to the elevation of the Brunswick line, was never compleated; the truth is, however, that a continuance of pecuniary diftress could alone have induced him to proceed' in fo laborious an undertaking; for, notwithstanding his frequent appearance on the public ftage, he was naturally indo-lent, and his ftudies were alwaysdefultory.

Although he had refided for a confiderable time in France, Mr. W. was, ftrictly speaking, an Anti-Gallican; and carried his patriotifin, or prejudice (for on this subject there will be different opinions) fo far, as to object to French wines at the city feafts.

He died in the 71st year of his age, having been born October 17, 1727, O. S. His body was interred in a vault in Grof. venor chapel, South Audley-street. Eight labouring men, dreffed in new black clothes, in confequence of an intimation during his life, conveyed his corpfe to the place of interment, and he is faid to have directed a tablet to be erected to his memory, with an infcription implying that he was "A Friend to Liberty."

In mentioning Mr. W's. political principles fome difcrimination is neceffary. He does not appear to have confidered liberty in the abstract̃, but to have bottomed all his notions on the practical benefits arifing from the revolution. In fhort, he was a whig of the old school.

It is much to his honour, that on fome occafions he demanded the inftructions of his conftituents, and on all, profeffed a determination to obey them: it would alfo be injuftice to omit, that the rumours relative to the immenfe fortune he left be hind him, are entirely groundless. After fatisfying a variety of bequests, Mifs WILKES, the refiduary legatee, will have but a very fmall fum to receive: luckily, however, fhe is abundantly provided for, ther's family. as fhe enjoys a large income from her mo

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FROM MY PORT-FOLIO.

A TRIPLET OF SIMILITUDES.

(Communicated.) I.

I Meature,
N act 4. fcene I. of "Meafure for

the first stanza of a very beautiful fonnet, which Mr. Malone has published entire in "The Paffionate Pilgrim." (See Malone's Shakspeare, vol. x. p. 340.) The fonnet is well known, but it takes little room, and had better be tranfcribed for the more eafy comparison of it with fome lyric lines of Gallus, a poet of the Auguftan age.

Take, oh take thofe lips away,

That fo fweetly were forfworn;
And thofe eyes, the break of day,

Lights that do miflead the morn :
But my kiffes bring again,
Seals of love, but feal'd in vain.
Hide, oh, hide thofe hills of fnow,

Which thy frozen bofom bears,
On whofe tops the pinks that grow
Are of thofe that April wears :
But first fet my poor heart free,
Bound in thofe icy chains by thee.

In an edition of Catullus, Tibullus, Propertius, and the fragments of Gallus, published at Venice about two hundred years ago, in 1553, are the following lines, to which is prefixed this caution: "Sequens Lyricum quia à plerifque Cor. Gallo attribuitur, bic adijcere libuit."

Lidia bella puella, candida,

Quæ bene fuperas lac, et lilium,
Albamq; fimul rosam rubidam,
Aut expolitum ebur Indicum.
Pande puella, pande capillulos
Flavos, lucentes ut aurum nitidum,
Pande puella collum candidum,
Productum bene candidis humeris.
Pande puella ftellatos oculos,
Flexaq; fuper nigra cilia.
Pande puella genas rofeas,
Perfufas rubro purpure Tyriæ,
Porrige labra, labra corrallina,
Da columbatim mitia bafia:
Sugis amentis partem animi:
Cor mihi penetrant hæc tua basia,
Quid mihi fugis vivum fanguinem?
Conde papillas, conde gemipomas,
Compreffo lacte quæ modò pullulant,
Sinus expanfa profert cinnama
Vndique furgunt ex te deliciæ.
Conde papillas, quæ me fauciant
Candore, et luvu nivei pectoris.
Sæva non cernis quod ego languco?
Sic me deftituis iam femimortuum ?

II.

When Milton wrote the morning hymn of Adam and Eve, (fee "Paradije Loft," book v. line 153,) beginning, "Thefe are thy glorious works, &c."

canticle in the morning service of the church of England, beginning with, "O all ye works of the Lord, blefs ye the Lord: praise him and magnify him for ever." Any one who will take the trouble of comparing the paffages will be ftruck with their fimilitude. III.

The figns of love which Mrs. Barbauld has enumerated in her beautiful little fong, "Come here, fond youth, whoe'er thou be," &c. if they are not an imitation of Shakespeare, at least very ftrongly remind us of the dialogue between Silvius, Phebe, Rofalind, and Orlando, in act 5, scene II. of “As you like it." The paffage begins, "Good fhepherd, tell this youth what 'tis to love."

KING JAMES THE SIXTH'S COUNTERBLAST TO TOBACCO. (Communicated.)

THE ufe of TOBACCO had been inSir Walter Raleigh, not long before troduced into England, I think by James's acceffion to the English throne. James hating Raleigh, and probably dif liking the fmell of TOBACCO, refolved to write this herb out of fashion, fince he could not otherwife perfuade his courtiers to forbear the ufe of it. For this

end he compofed that precious morfel of wifdom and eloquence, his coUNTER

BLAST TO TOBACCO.

In this treatise he inveighs against TOBACCO; as having been borrowed from a favage people, from whom had been also caught the infection of an obscene and peculiarly loathfome difeafe; as tending rather to dry and heat the brain in a degree prejudicial to health, than merely, as was fuppofed, to evaporate its excefs of moisture; as owing its general reception merely to the caprice of fashion, and to the weakness of thofe filly-minded people who are ever apt to think any thing good that is new and ftrange; as never having effected any cures of difeafe, that could be undeniably afcribed to it alone; as being an article of vain luxury, the ufe of which was pernicious to manly virtue, as being in

its

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