ACCOUNT OF BOOKS. 
and from this time he applied wholly 
_to theatric poetry. In 1729 he 
was invited to Vienna as the Im- 
perial Laureate, and continued to 
furnish such dramas as his patron 
bespoke, until his death in 1782. 
Dr. Burney well observes, that it 
is possible for a man of learning, 
study, and natural acumen, to bea 
good critic on the works of others, 
without genius for producing ori- 
ginal works himself, similar to 
those which he is able to censure. 
The opinion of Metastasio, there- 
fore, may have its weight even 
when he criticises the great opera- 
writers of antiquity ; for the mo- 
dern opera is the only faithful imi- 
tation ot the ancient tragedy. From 
his practice it appears, however, 
that he entertained one fundamen- 
tal error in theory, and had not 
discovered that, in the opera, the 
means of imitation being peculiar- 
ly apparent, the distress should be 
more harassing, and the crimes 
‘more atrocious, in order to excite 
- an equal degree of tragic emotion 
with these representations which 
approach more nearly to real and 
common life. We had selected 
[535 
some passages in order to give an 
idea of the spirit of his criticism : 
but, finding them too long for our 
insertion, we must refer our rea- 
ders to the 3d vol. in which they 
occur, p. 356-379. 
Let it not ‘be a reproach to 
our estimable biographer, that 
he has described, with the vo- 
luminous gravity of history, a 
groupe of poets, singers, actors, 
and musicians. It is well that a 
work of this kind should make its 
appearance. Weare scarcely ac- 
customed as yet to assign,.in hue 
man story, a place to each propore 
tioned to the extent of his influence 
on human happiness. The crowned 
and the titled have their peculiari- 
ties immortalized, although they 
may have never added to the en- 
joyments of a nation ten evenings 
of glowing delight. The amusers 
of our leisure, the artists of our plea. 
sures, may justly be ranked among 
the benefactors of society. Let it 
belong, then, to the muse of fame 
to elevate monuments over their 
remains, and to strew flowers on 
their grave, in token of our grates 
ful remembrance 4 
FUB 
