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known to the mufieal world that his portrait was engraved, which 

 is a very ftrong refemblance. • Some of thefe lefibns have paf- 

 fages which are rather too difficult for common performers, and 

 therefore they are not calculated for a general vogue. 



His father, the Rev. Mr. Wefley, will permit any one to fee 

 the fcore of his Oratorio of Ruth, which he really compofed at 

 fix years of age, but did not write till he was eight ; his quick - 

 nefs in thus giving utterance to his mufieal ideas is amazingly 

 great ; and, notwithstanding the rapidity, he feldom makes a blot 

 or a miftake. 



Numbers of his other compofitions, and almofr. of all kinds, 

 may be likewife examined ; particularly an anthem to the fol- 

 lowing words, which I felected for him m , and which hath been 

 performed at the Chapel Royal, and St. Paul's : 



*' 1 . O Lord God of Hofts, how long wilt thou be angry 



" at the prayer of thy people ? 

 " 2. Turn thee again, O Lord, and we fhall be fayed ! 

 " 3. For thou art a great God, and a great King above all 



" gods." 



The firffc part of this anthem was compofed for a fingle tenor ; 

 the fecond a duet for two boys ; and the third a chorus. With 

 regard to the merits, I mail refer to that moft diftinguimed 

 finger of cathedral mufic the Rev. Air. Mence, who hath frequently 

 done it moft ample juftice. 



m In pitching upon thefe words, I attended to a circumftance which 

 perhaps deferves fome confideration in compofitions for the voice. The 

 third perfon fingular in the Englifh verbs as written, when our tranflation 

 of the Bible was made, ends with th, which cannot be pronounced by 

 many foreigners, nor founds well even in the mouth of an Englifhman. 

 Words with fuch a termination are not to be found in thefe paffages ; nor 

 is it eafy to felectmany fuch from our verfion of the Pfalms. 



Rr 2 As 



