203 HAN 
author, particularly in the accompaniment, where we 
hear the gavot of Otlio. Bel placer, is a light natural 
air, wholly unaccompanied even by a bafe. If the 
finger, Ifabella Girardeau, had a remarkable fine, mel¬ 
lifluous, and fleady, voice, it was giving it a fair hear¬ 
ing in all its purity; which would pleafe natural ears 
more than thofe that are depraved, in the language of 
Rouffeau, by harmony. Hor la tromba , is an excellent 
air of fpirit for Nlcolini, with a trumpet accompaniment, 
and bold and new effects. The laff chorus is an agree¬ 
able gavot' ljke that in the overture to Pajlorfido , and 
like many other movements in Handel’s fubfequent 
works. But no one of them requires ns to mount up to 
: the time in yvhich.it was compofed fo much as'“ Rinaldo,” 
which'has been not only pillaged by others, but by him- 
fejt. It is, however, fo fuperior in compofition to any 
opera of that period which had ever been performed in' 
England, that its great fuccefs does honour to our na¬ 
tion.”—Such is dated to be the merit of his firfl opera ; 
and fuch has beemtne captivating effect of mod of his 
fubfequent ones, Radamido, Aleffandro, Ariadne, Dei- 
damia, as prove them to be compofitions of no ordi¬ 
nary cad. 
Thofe who think order and regularity incompatible 
with genius, will be furprifed at the minute exaftnefs 
with which this great man conducted all his affairs. 
That love of regularity and order, which enabled him 
to give to the world fo many adonifhing proofs of genius 
and diligence, never quitted him, in hurry, ficknefs, or 
perturbation. The lad opera which he compofed was 
his Deidamia, in 1740,; but tlipugh lad, not lead. And 
when it isYecolleCted that, exclnfive of the operas which 
he had fet in Germany and Italy, before his arrival in 
London, this was the thirty-ninth Italian drama which 
he had compofed for. the Englifli dage, the fertility.and 
vigour of his invention mud appear adonidiing! The 
airs in this lad opera of Deidamia are as much contraded 
in dyle, defign, and paflages, as thofe he compofed thirty 
years before; and in this particular, Handel’s refources 
feem fuperior to thofe of any voluminous opera-compofer 
whatfoever. After this period, having no concern in 
the compofition or management.of-Italian operas, lie ne¬ 
ver fet any other words than Englifh, and thofe were 
wholly confined to facred fubjetts. He inherited, from 
his childhood, a ffrong fpirit of independence, which 
was never known to forfake him in the mod didrefsful 
feafons of his life : and it is remarkable, that he refuted 
the greated offers from perfons of the fird didindtion, 
nay, and even the highed favours from the faired of the 
fair fex, only becaufe he would not be cramped or com 
fined by particular attachments. 
A very honourable national tedimony of applaufe to 
the genius of Handel was given in 17S4, by a comme¬ 
moration at Weflm.inder-abbey, confiding of the per¬ 
formance of pieces, (elected from his works, by a band 
of more than five hundred voices and indruments, in the 
prefence of their majedies, and the mod augud perfon- 
?.ges in the kingdom. Thefe were continued for feveral 
fucceflive years, and applied to charitable purpofes. 
His oratorios are dill annually performed in Lent at the 
theatres, and make a part of all great mudcal celebra¬ 
tions in different parts of the kingdom. 
HAN'DELING,/. Dexterity: 
The heavens and your faire kandeling 
Have made you inafler of the field this day. Spen/er. 
HAND'ER,/". Tranfmitter ; conveyer in fuccelfion : 
They would affurhe, With wond’rous art, 
Themfelves to be the whole who are but part, 
Of that vad frame the church : yet. grant they were 
The handers down, can they from thence infer 
A right t’ interpret : or would they alone, 
Who brought the prefent, claim it for their own > Dryden. 
HAND'FAST, f. Hold; cudody. Obfolete —If that 
fftepherd be not in kandfajl , let him fly. Shakefpeare. 
HAN 
To HAND'FAST, v. a. To join two perfons by join, 
ing their hands.—Aufpices were thofe that handfajled the 
- married couple. Whatley's Note to B. Jonfon's Mafques. 
HAND'FUL,/. As much as the hand can gripe or 
contain.—I faw a country gentleman at the fide of Rofa- 
mond’s pond, pulling a handful of oats out of his pock¬ 
et, and gathering the ducks about him. Addifon.—A 
palm ; a hand’s breadth ; four inches.—Take one veffel 
of filver and another of wood, each full of water, and 
knap the tongs together about an handful from the bot¬ 
tom, and the found will be more refounding from the 
veflel of filver than that of wood. Bacon. 
The peaceful fcabbard where it dwelt. 
The rancour of its,edge had felt; 
For of the low'er end two handful 
It had devoured, it was fo manful. Hudibras. 
A fmall number or quantity.—He could not, with fuch 
a handful of men, and without cannon, propofe reafon- 
ably to fight n buttle. Clarendon .— As much as can be 
done.—Being in poffeflion of the town, they had their 
handful to detend themfelves from firing. Raleigh. 
HAND'GRITH, f [honb, Sax. manus , and jjireh, 
pax.~\ Peace or protection given by the king with his 
own hand. Leg. Hen. I. 
HAN'DI.CR AFT, f. Manual occupation ; work per¬ 
formed by the hand.—Particular members of convents 
have excellent mechanical geniufes, and divert them¬ 
felves with painting, fculpture, architecture, gardening, 
and feveral kinds of handicrafts. Addifon. —A nun who 
lives by manual labour: 
T|ie cov’nants thou (halt teach by candle-light, 
When puffing fmiths, and ev’ry painful trade 
Of handicrafts, in peaceful beds are laid. Dryden. 
HANDICRAFT, adj. Belonging to a trade that re¬ 
quires art and manual labour. 
HANDICRAFTSMAN, f. A manufacturer; one 
employed in manual occupation.—The principal bulk 
of the natives are tillers of the ground, free fervants, 
and handieraftfmen •, as fmiths, mafons, and carpenters. 
Bacon. —It is the landed man that maintains the merchant 
and (hopkeeper, and handier aftf man. South. 
HAND'ILY, adv. With lkill; with dexterity. 
HAND'INESS, J'. Readinefs; dexterity. 
HAND'ING, /. The aft of leading by the hand ; of 
conveying'by the hand. 
HANDIWORK,/. Work of the hand; product of 
labour ; manufacture.—The heavens declare the glory 
of God, and the firmament (heweth his handiwork. Pfalms. 
HAND'KERCHER,/'. A corruption of handkerchief: 
Handles no point fo evident and clear, 
(Befides his white gloves) as liis kandkercher. Butler. 
HAND'KERCHIEF,/. A piece of filk or linen ufed 
to wipe the face or cover the neck.—The Romans did 
not make ufe of handkerchiefs, but of the lacinia or border 
of the garment, to wipe their face. Arbuthnot. 
To HAN'DLE, v.a. [ handelen, Dut. from handf To 
touch ; to feel with the hand.—The bodies which we 
daily handle, make us perceive, that whild they remain 
between them, they hinderffhe approach of the part of 
our hands that prels them. Lotke. —To manage; to w ield. 
—That fellow handles his bow like a crowkeeper. Shake. 
fpeare. —To make familiar to the hand by frequent touch¬ 
ing.—An incurable (liynefs is the general vice of the Irifh 
horfes, and is hardly ever feen in Flanders, becaufe the 
hardnefs of the winter forces the breeders there to houfe 
and handle their colts fix months every year. Temple. — 
To treat; to mention in writing'or talk : 
Her eyes, her hair, her cheek, her gait, her voice, 
Thou handlejl in thy difeourfe. Shakefpeare. 
To deal with; to praCtice.—They that handle the law 
know me hot. Jer. ii. 8.—To treat well or ill: 
Talbot, my life, my joy, again return’d ! 
How wert thou handled , being prifoner? Shakefpeare. 
4 To 
