A STATE of the BAROMETER in inches and decimals, and of Farenheit's THERMOMETER in the open air, taken bet and 3 o'clock, afternoon; and the quantity of rain-water fallen, in inches and decimals, from the 30th of June 1787, to the 30th of July 1787, near the foot of Arthur's Seat. Mackintosh THE EDINBURGH MAGAZINE, OR LITERARY MISCELLANY. T VIEWS IN SCOTLAND. BORTHWICK CASTLE, in Mid-Lothian. HIS Caftlè is feated on an eminence, in the midst of a pretty vale, bounded by hills covered with corn and woods; a most picturesque fcene. It confifts of a vaft square tower, ninety feet high, with fquare and round bastions at equal diftances from its bafe. The ftate. rooms are on the firft ftorey, once acceffible by a draw-bridge. Some of the apartments were very large; the hall forty feet long, and had its mufic gallery the roof lofty, and once adorned with paintings. This caftle was built by a Lord Borthwick, once a potent family. In the vault lies one of the name, in armour, and a little bonnet, with his lady by him. On the fide are numbers of little elegant human figures. The place was once the property of the Earl of Bothwel, who, a little before the battle of Carberry-hill, took refuge here with his fair confort. Pennant. AN On the Rife and Progrefs of the Italian Opera. Ń Opera is defined by the critics-a poetical tale or fic tion, reprefented by vocal and in ftrumental mufic, adorned with fcenes, machines, and dancing. It is faid to have been invented in Italy, towards the clofe of the 16th century. The first performance of this kind deferving much notice was exhibited in Florence, upon occafion of the marriage of Henry IV. of France with a princefs of the Medicean family. It was written by a Florentine poet, named Rinuc A eino, and compofed by Peri, a mu fician of fome eminence in that age. The fubject was the death of Euri dice, and the defcent of Orpheus into the infernal regions. A ftory happily-enough chofen for the introduction of ftriking fcenes, gro tefque figures, and dreffes, furpri fing deceptions by machinery, and mufic of powerful and various expreffion. Accordingly, its fuccefs was very great, and it remained a long time as a ftandard of imitation for fuceceding poets and musicians. 2 For For a confiderable period the marvellous was confidered as the foundation of this Drama, the fubject was generally "no mortal bufinefs," the music an imitation of “no found that this earth owns," and the perfons, gods, demigods, devils, fairies, and forcerers; beings whofe actions and appearances were not to be hampered by nature, truth, or probability. To fupport and adorn thofe reprefentations vaft expences were lavished, and every fource of pleafure in the fine arts explored. Theatres arofe over all Italy, rival ing in magnificence the palaces of kings, and in elegance the monuments of antiquity. In them artifts of every kind vied with each other in the exertion of their respective abilities: the most ingenious machines, and the most enchanting fcenery conspired to fascinate the eye; while multitudes of inftruments and voices aftonished the ear. Such a reprefentation, though very imperfect, and very abfurd in many refpects, was highly admired; and the Wits of the time congratulated themselves on the invention of what they thought a new species of Drama, unknown to the ancients. Here, faid they, we have difcovered a new scenic power to intereft and to charm, Admiration; and we can join it to Ariftotle's Terror and Pity. All the merit of the invention may, perhaps, be granted them, while the novelty of it is denied. The Opera, so far from being unknown to the ancients, and especially to the Greeks, appears to me to have been the only Drama they knew. The Greek tragedies are all ferious operas; their comedies, at least those that still remain, may, without any difrespect, be called Burlettas. We have reason to believe that the declamation of their theatre was a true recitative, and that for the most part accom panied. Their chorus anfwered to the modern ballad, tho' far more correct and fignificant. In the articles of decoration and machinery, they appear to have gone greater lengths than the critics are aware of. How, otherwife, fhall we account for the enormous expence attending the representation of their pieces, and the wonderful stage-effects which we perceive they produced?What kind of flying chariot was it in which Medea made her triumphant exit?-What curious device made the back-fcene, which at firft appeared to Strepfiades in the form of clouds, gradually roll forward, and change into the more engaging fpectacle of feveral clever laffes, who advanced, and with great good nature gave the honeft man a fong? Thefe, and other particulars that might be mentioned, feem to prove that the Greek theatre was not only fupported by excellent poets, but by excellent muficians, painters, architects, and mechanics; and give fome colour to the opinion, that the pieces there exhibited differed in nothing from modern operas, but in being much better written, and in wanting the diftinction of air and recitative. I do not imagine, however, that the inventors of the Italian Opera availed themselves of this, or indeed that they knew any thing of it; for had that been the cafe, it is natural to fuppofe their firft performances would have been direct tranflations of Greek plays. I rather incline to think they took their idea from the old Mafque, an entertainment brought into Spain by the Saracens, from whence it fpread over Europe, and became the conftant attendant of mirthful folemnities, in the courts of princes, and the caftles of the great barons. It was an interlude of a few fongs, mixed with dances by fantastic figures, and feats of agility; and in it were found moft of the perfo nages Introduction into England. nages which first appeared in the great Opera-gods, dæmons, heroes, dwarfs, magicians, and scaramouches. The ftretch of invention was not much from finging fome detached airs to make them reprefent a short story. There is nothing in this but what happened long before, in the affair of Thefpis and his hymns to Bacchus. Such was the rife of this Drama. In the course of near 200 years it has undergone feveral alterations, improvements, and refinements; but those have been very unequally applied. In Italy, they have been happy in difcarding many foolish tricks of the stage, and in cultivating impaffioned mufic: in France, the chief stress is ftill laid on "inexplicable dumb fhews," and noife. It was in the former of those countries that fome genuifes of the first rank arofe, fuch as Vinci, Pergolefe, Porpora, and Durante; men not only of profound skill in mufic, but of chaste and elegant tafte. They foon perceived, that harmony and melody, when applied to words, were not things indifferent; that they were capable of affuming almoft every variation of fentiment and paffion; and that, confequently, inftead of being employed, as for merly, to excite a pleasure merely phyfical, they might be addreffed to the imagination and the heart. Upon this account, many perfonages of high renown were driven from the theatre; the whole rabblement of mythological beings were difcarded, (except Orpheo, who keeps his ground to this day;) and fubjects were chofen from real hiftory, more proper for affording interesting situations. The machines of poets and carpenters were deftroyed, and the lyric drama put on a form more noble and graceful. Every thing that could touch the 5 heart was introduced with fuccefs : they found themselves no longer in need of filling their fcenes with imaginary characters; and being able to reprefent mortals, they be came independent of the gods*. The mufic thus was made fo characteristic and appropriated, as to be in a manner loft during the reprefentation, fo that a fenfible fpectator could hardly feparate the expreffion of the orchestre from the expreffion of the poet. A raging hero ftalked along the fcene-and it feemed not abfurd that he should rage in fong; for the fong was fuch as fhook every foul of feeling with pleafing terror. A mourning heroine appeared and the tender and pathetic accents which the mufician gave her to breathe, could not be diftinguished from the real ones of grief. The Opera was arrived at that perfection in Italy, when it was firft introduced into England; and if Mr Addifon's accounts of it were to be believed, it might feem aftonishing how a representation, fo clumfy and bungling, could ever be endured, far lefs become the favourite amufement of the nation. This, however, happened in fpite of all the powers of ridicule that he and his affociates could mufter against it. We may fufpect, therefore, that he ought not implicitely to be credited; and for this there are feveral good reasons, one of which is, that he appears to have known little of the fubject. In the first paragraph of the firft paper he writes concerning it, there are as many mistakes as fentences. It is the fifth SPEC. and the third of his writing, for he feems eager to have a thruft at the new arrived Syren. An Opera, (fays the great man) may be allowed to be extravagantly lavish in its decorations, as its only defign is to gratify the fenfes, and Rouffeau. keep keep up an indolent attention in the audience." Is it poffible that three artifts, and fo many at least there must be in getting up every opera, could combine their talents in come pofing a work of which the only defign fhould be to keep up an indolent attention? Would they ne ver think of throwing out a bait for the applaufe of the audience? The love fcenes in Cato are as power fully foporific as a long recitativo; yet from this we may not conclude, that the only defign of tragedy is to lull men afleep, "Common fenfe, (continues he) requires, however, that there fhould be nothing in the fcenes and machines which may appear childish and abfurd." But why fo for furely there are feveral things both childish and abfurd which will gratify the fenfes, and keep up an indolent attention. "How (cries he) would the wits of King Charles's time have laughed, to have feen Nicolini expofed to a tempeft in robes of ermine, and failing in an open boat upon a fea of pafteboard?" Now this bullying queftion is not eafily anfwered; for there feems nothing more rifible in one's being overtaken by a tempeft in a coat of ermine, than in a coat of buckram or Kendal-green; and as to the fea of pafteboard, it is no more laughable than a tree of pafteboard, a column, or an arch of pafteboard; things which are feen every night in every theatre, without exciting a convulfion in any body's midriff. He goes on, A little kill in criticifm would inform us that fhadows and realities ought not to be mixed together in the fame piece, and that the fcenes which are defigned as the reprefentations of Nature, fhould be filled with refemblances, and not with the things themfelves." If this be true, it will follow, that Mr Adifon knew nothing of criticifm, for he was him felf guilty of this fuppofed abfurdity in the moft glaring manner, at the reprefentation of his own tragedy. I fuppofe he had directed the manager of the theatre to have a Roman hall or faloon reprefented as exactly as poffible by the fcenery: therefore, instead of fuffering Mr Booth to play Cato, he ought to have procured a man of pasteboard and painted canvas; for verily the fcenes, both back and fide, were compofed of fuel materials. In ano ther paper, he fhews his knowledge of mufic, by telling us of a lion that was to be killed by Hydafpes, and " to roar twice or thrice, ere he died, to a thorough bafs: doubtlefs, the most extraordinary piece of hiftory extant concerning that noble ani mal. To have roar'd fimply a bafs, might have been fufficiently won' derful, but the roaring of a thorough bafs, as Bottom fays, would have done any man's heart good to have heard him." I mention thefe little flips of Addifon, because he has written a great deal, and with the air of connoiffeurfhip on the fubject; and becaufe I know many people take their ideas of it entirely from his humorous, though abfurd reprefentations. But though perfect faith ought not to be given to him, it is undeniable, that there was in his time, and ftill is, ample field for exerting the feverities of criticifm on the lyric ftage. There is perhaps no department of the fine arts where more might be done by a perfon of good tafte, information, and knowledge of the fubject. Mr Addifon, by pouring forth his ridicule on the tailor in the lion's fkin, and the fparrows acting the parts of finging birds, has done nothing. Thofe abfurdities muft foon have failed of themfelves. Had he been capable of touching what was effential, the båd taste of the compofers, and the improper licences taken by the fingers, he would have done good fervice to the national tafte, and our theatrical mufic |