As many of thofe who may be prefent when this letter may 

 :..ve the honour of being read before the foeiety, may not poffibly 

 be acquainted with the difficulty of playing thus at fight from a 

 mufical fcore, I will endeavour to explain it by the moft fimilar 

 comparifon I can think of. 



I muft, at the fame time, admit, that the illuftration will fail 

 in one particular, as the voice in reading cannot comprehend 

 more than what is contained in a {ingle line. I muft fuppole, 

 however, that the reader's eye, by habit and quicknefs, may take 

 in other lines, though the voice cannot articulate them as the 

 mufician accompanies the words of an air by his harpfichord. 



Let it be imagined, therefore, that a child of eight years old; 

 was directed to read five lines a at once, in four b of which the. 

 letters of the alphabet were to have different powers. 



For example, in the firft line A, to have its common powers.. 



In the fecond that of B. 



In the third of C. 



In the fourth of D. 



Let it be conceived alfo, that the lines fo compofed of cha- 

 racters, with different powers, are. not ranged fo as to be read air 



a By this I'mean^ 



The two parts for the violins. 

 The upper part for the voice. 

 The words fet to mufic. 

 And laftly, . the bafe. 



k By this I mean, 



The violin parts in the common treble cleff. 



The upper part for the voice in the conunter-tenor cleff, as before- 

 mentioned. 

 The words in common characters. 

 And the bafe in its common cleff. 



all 



