R O S 



It O 8 



upon the ground. Thefe plants fiiould not be pruned until 

 fpring, becaufe their branches are fomewhat tender ; fo 

 that when they are cut in winter, they often die after the 

 knife ; thefe produce their flowers at the extremity of the 

 fame year's (hoots in large bunches, fo that their branches 

 mult not be fhortened in the fummer, left the flowers mould 

 be cut off. The fhrubs will grow to be ten or twelve feet 

 high, and mull not be checked in their growth, if intended to 

 flower well. They are all highly ornamental plants, moltly 

 for the fhrubbery borders and clumps, being planted accord- 

 ing to their habits of growth. 



Rj. \, SALVATORj in Biography, fo well known among 

 the cognoicenti as the author of ipirited and extravagant 

 pictures of banditti, &c, was born at Naples in 1 614, 

 and received his firlt knowledge of delign from his kinf- 

 man, F. Francazano ; but by the death of his father, being 

 reduced to extreme poverty, he was conltrained to provide 

 hunfelf a maintenance by fketching defigns upon paper, 

 and felling them at any price he could obtain. 



In that wretched Situation he laboured for forae time, 

 till one of his defigns, an hiflorical Subject of Hagar and 

 llhmael, accidentally happened to fall into the hands of 

 Lanfranc. .Pleafed with the ability it difplayed, heeagi rly 

 enquired for the artilt ; and as foon as he became acquainted 

 with him, took him under his protection, and provided for 

 him generoully. Tr.is unexpected and happy change in his 

 circumstances, enabled Salvator to purfue his ftudies with 

 more elfect ; and he foon acquired considerable eminence, 

 and his works were eagerly fought after. 



The ftyle which he formed is peculiarly his own, and 

 his bell productions are beautiful imitations of nature; but 

 in general his works are artificial combinations, and wrought 

 with extravagance ; the fpirit and fire with which they are 

 executed, too frequently giving them a confequence and a 

 name they do not deferve. This, indeed, may perhaps be 

 faid, that half the pictures which go under his name, are 

 fpurious or heavy imitations, and he pays the tax which 

 all mannerifts, like him, mult fubmit to. 



He certainly pofiefled a comprehenfive genius ; and was 

 an excellent Satirical poet, as well as an ingenious painter. 

 In landfcape painting he was entirely original, delight- 

 ing in fcenes of defolation and terror; theie he peopled 

 with banditti repofing, or lurking for their prey, or dividing 

 their lpoils ; lonely Shepherds, or forlorn travellers. Some- 

 times he attempted to create an interelt by filling the Scene 

 he drew with (ome facred or hiltoric fubjeft, but in this he 

 feldom fucceeded ; his figures being ill proportioned, falfely 

 attired, and void of expreffion. In colour he fometimes 

 attained excellence. The dull, low, or lurid tone, which 

 fo juftly becomes the character of lonelinefs, of forefts 

 almoit impenetrable, or dreadful to fee, and conveying 

 ideas of danger in their aSpcct, he frequently prefented 

 1 I ■ ctly ; and wrought the various parts with the 



greatelt freedom of touch, and the utmoft readinefs of in- 

 vention. His pictures are not unfrequent in our collections 

 in this country ; and genuine ones of the firlt quality are 

 fold at extravagant prices. He died at the age of 59, in 

 \\r 1673. 



Among mulical MSS. purchafed at Rome in 1770, was 

 the mufic-bookof Salvator Rofa, the painter, in which are 

 contained, not only airs and cantatas fet by Cariffimi, Celli, 

 Lui^i, Cavalli, Legrenzi, Capellini, Pafqualini, and B .;,- 

 Jini, of which the words of feveral are by Salvator Rofa ; 

 but eight entire cantatas written, fet, and transcribed by 

 this celebrated painter himfelf. The book was purchafed 

 of his great yrand-daughter, who inhabited the houle in 

 which her ancettor lived and died. The hand-writing was 



aicertained by collation with his letters and fatires, of which 

 - the originals are ft ill preferved by his descendants. The 

 hiilorians of Italian poetry, though they often mention 

 Salvator as a fatirift, feem never to have heard of his lyrical 

 productions ; and as this book is not only curious for the 

 mufic it contains, but the poetry, we (hall be fomewhat 

 minute in our account of its contents. 



The firlt compofition in this MS. was luckily a fcene in 

 Ccfti's opera of Oroutca, which it would have been difficult 

 to have found elfewhere ; for of the many hundred operas 

 that were compofed for the different theatres of Italy* 

 during the latt century, except two or three that have been 

 printed, an entire copy, in fcore, it would be difficult to find, 

 if not impoffible. 



II. Is a cantata by Capellini, a compofer of no great 

 eminence j yet there is in it a very pleafing air in triple 

 time of -J, in which the crotchets are expreffed by minims 

 hooked or tied like quavers. 



III. Is an elegant iimple air, by Legrenzi, fung to two 

 different Stanzas. See Legrenzi. 



IV. Is a beautiful Sicihana by Cavalli, the compofer of 

 Erifmena. See Cavalli. 



V. Is a cantata written by Salvator Rofa, and fet by 

 Celli. Recitative had not, as yet, banifhed formal clofes, 

 or regular modulation, which encroached too much upon 

 air, and deflroyed its narrative and declamatory plainnefs 

 and (implicit)'. 



Salvator was either the molt miferablc or the molt dif- 

 contented of men. Molt of his cantatas are filled with 

 the bitterelt complaints, either againft his miltrefs, or man- 

 kind in general. In this he fays, that he has had more 

 ' misfortunes than there are Stars in the firmament, and that 

 he has lived fix luitres (thirty years) without the enjoy- 

 ment of one happy day. 



VI. Is a cantata fet by Luigi, almoft wholly in recitative, 

 which, but for the formality of the clofes, would be ad- 

 mirable. See Luigi. 



VII. Another cantata by the fame compofer, of which 

 the words are very beautiful. 



VIII. A cantata fet by Cariffimi, in which the melody 

 is impaflioned, and the recitative admirable. See Cahu>- 

 SIMI. 



IX. Is a pleafing and natural air by Marc Antonio Paf- 

 qualini, which is repeated to different Stanzas. The compofer 

 of this air was admitted into the Papal chapel in 1630; 

 and from the year 1643 to 1670, he was a favourite llage- 

 linger, with a foprano voice. Many of his compolitions 

 are preferved in the collections of the time, in which more 

 grace and facility appear than force and learning. 



X. A cantata, of which the words are by Salvator Rofa, 

 and the mufic by Celti. There are great Itrength and ima- 

 gination in this poetry. 



In the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli de' PP. 

 Certolini, at Rome, where Salvator Rota was buried, th 

 is an infeription on his tomb, at which Creleimbeni, .1 l'lo- 

 rentine, is angry ; as it gives him ;'/ primaio fopra tutli i 

 Rimatori To/can't. This, like almoit all monumental praile, 

 is eertamly hyperbolical; hut Salvator's poetry teems to 

 have great merit for its boldnefs and originality ; it is in- 

 deed fomewhat rough, even in bis lyrics; and li 

 are often coarfe ; but he appears to us always more pithy 

 than his contemporaries, whom Marim\ affectation had 

 perhaps enervated and corrupted. 



Salvator's cantata, of which l now I peaking, is 



the incantation of a female, difiracted with love, disappoint- 

 ment, and revenge. This lyric poem Semis to have fur- 

 nilhed ideas to the author of Purccll'f Mad Bel's — " By 



the 



