242 METAS 
he placed himfelf under the guidance of an advocate of 
the name of Paglietti, earneltly entreating his affiftance 
in the lludy of jurifprudence, and promifing, on his own 
part, to fecond the inftrublions which he Ihould receive 
■with all poffible diligence and docility. Paglietti was one 
of the moil eminent lawyers, at that time, in the city of 
Naples ; but fo rigorous a difciplinarian, and fo totally de¬ 
voted to his profelfion, that he not only delpifed but 
abfolutely hated every lpecies of ornamental knowledge. 
Poetry was therefore ranked by him among the raoft 
deadly fins of which an advocate couid poffibly be guilty. 
Metallafio was not ignorant of his feverity and invin¬ 
cible hatred for poetry; but, inftead of looking upon it 
as an evil, he was the more eager to place himfelf under 
his molt rigid difcipline, in order to prevent a relapfe into 
what had hitherto been to him fo unprofitable a lludy. 
But who ihn.ll reftrain nature ? The firft breach of 
contract with the rugged advocate, and firft fedublion 
of the mufe during his relidence at Naples, w'as in the 
beginning of 1731, at the inltigation of the countefs of 
Althan, who prevailed on him to write an Epithalamium 
for the nuptials of her relation, the marquis Pignatelli; 
it confifts of near a hundred obtave ftanzas, is full of ele¬ 
gance, and in the higheft clals of poetry. The drama of 
j Endymion, the firlt that he produced exprefsly for mufic, 
is faid to have been written on the fame occafion. Me- 
taftafio’s next infringement of the laws againft the wdclced 
practice of poetry was occafioned by an application from 
the viceroy of Naples himfelf, that he would write a drama 
for mufic, to be performed on the birth-day of the em- 
prefs Elizabeth, confort of the emperor Charles VI. who 
was then in polleffion of that kingdom. It is faid that 
he was with difficulty prevailed on to enter on this talk, 
and only complied upon a promife that it fliould be kept 
a profound fecret. Our bard, in perpetual fear of the in¬ 
exorable lawyer, was obliged to facrifice his hours of deep 
to this contraband commerce with the mules. The piece 
was entitled “ The Gardens of the Hefperides,” and is 
one of the moll beautiful of his early produdlions. The 
next drama that was written at the expenle of his legal 
lludies, or his moments of reft and recreation, was Ange¬ 
lica. This was printed at Naples in 1722, and fet to mufic 
by Porpora for the emprels’s birth-day. It has been faid, 
in fome accounts of Metaftafio’s early produdtions, that 
Farinelli’s firlt public performance was in this ferenata. 
The poems which he produced at Naples were the ad¬ 
miration of all perfons poffefied of a love and tafte for 
poetry, particularly The Gardens of Hefperides; but none 
felt its beauties fo forcibly as Mariana Bulgarella, detta 
Romanina, the greateft female finger and act refs of her 
time; who, having performed the part of Venus in that 
cccafional drama, was fo enchanted with the uncommon 
beauty of the poetry, that Ihe could not reft till Ihe had 
been introduced to the acquaintance of the author. In¬ 
deed tradition fays, that this drama had an effeft upon 
the audience in general, which Naples had never before 
experienced. The recitative was hardly begun, when the 
fpeclators formed a more curious lpedtacle than the adtors 
themfelves: fo great was the change in their behaviour 
and mode of liftening that was inltantly produced. Vio¬ 
lent noife and unbridled clamour ufed to reign in every 
part of that theatre, and could never be fubdued but 
with great difficulty, even when fome capital finger had 
a favourite air to perform ; and it was no lboner over 
than the din was renewed with fuch vehemence, that 
even the orcheftra could not be heard. But now every 
one, delighted by the new and decorous arrangement of 
the Icenes, the original beauty and fweetnels of the verfe, 
the force of the fentiments, the texture of the parts, 
and all the wonders of Metaftafio’s dramatic poetry, 
was forced, almoft infenfibly, into profound filence and 
attention. 
Univerfal curiofity was excited, and inquiries made 
after the author, who, though a poet and fond of praife, 
is faid to have wifhecl to lie concealed, on account of his 
law-engagemen'c. But he had foon reafon to believe, from 
T A S I O. 
the countenance and behaviour of Paglietti, that neither 
his theatrical produSlion, nor the new ftage-acquaintance 
which he had made, w r as unknown to him. The praifes 
he received from the Romanina, (for fo Mad. Bulgarella 
was generally called, from her being a native of Rome,) 
and all thofe to whom the fecret had been divulged, and 
their prelfing inftances that he would continue to write, 
awakened his paffion for poetry, which he had flattered 
himfelf was wholly fubdued. His refledlions upon the 
fordidnefs of facrificing his whole life to a diftafteful bufi- 
nefs, for the mere hope of acquiring wealth, (as he after¬ 
wards confelfed to his confidential friends,) joined to the 
harfh treatment of the old advocate, which became more 
intolerable in proportion as the affiduity of Metallafio di- 
miniffied, entirely determined him to quit both him and 
his profeffion. His female friend perceived the conflict 
and internal war; and, in order to llimulate his courage 
and relolution, Ihe and her huffiand invited him in the 
moll prelfing manner to refide under the fame roof, and 
allured him that they would contribute every thing in. 
their power-to render his life as eafy and comfortable as 
poffible. He remained feveral months in a Hate of uncer¬ 
tainty ; but at length determined to accept their offer, to 
return to poetry, and to enjoy the pleafures of fociety in 
full liberty. 
The Bulgarella w'as engaged to fing at the theatre of 
Naples during the carnival of 1724 ; and, being very am¬ 
bitious of appearing to as much advantage in the next 
opera as ihe had done in that for the birth-day of the 
emprefs, llie prefled the poet to write a drama, in which, 
as firlt woman, fuch a character might fall to her ffiare, 
as would give her an opportunity of dilplaying all her 
powers, both as an aftrefs and a finger. It is eafy to ima¬ 
gine with what zeal the poet went to work, in order to 
gratify her wilh. After many heroines had palled in re¬ 
view, Dido was at length chofen, and the drama, entitled 
Didone Ahbandonata, produced; in which he chofe the 
period of the hero, Aineas, quitting the Carthaginian 
queen; as it furnilhed feenes of the greateft force and 
paffion, as well as more expreffion for his pen, and more 
abundant opportunities for the difplay of the Romanina’s 
abilities, than any other. This was the firft perfect mufi- 
cal drama, perhaps, that ever graced the Italian ftage. 
The applaule it obtained was equal to that of the Hef¬ 
perides ; and, though the ftory was fo well known, that 
no effefts could be produced by furprife, yet the plealure 
of the audience was exceffive. It was fet by Sarro, and 
the part of Alneas w\is performed by Nicolini. 
In the carnival of 1726, while the dramas of Metallafio 
received fuch unbounded applaufe at Venice, Didone, as 
fet by Vinci, was received at Rome with acclamation-. 
The famous ex-jefuit Cordara, who was there at that 
time, in his eloge of Metallafio, recited at Alexandria in 
1782, defcribes its reception in the following manner : 
“ Every feene produced one continued applaufe. But 
who can delcribe the rapture of the pit, when the queen 
of Carthage, difdainfully rifing from the throne, reprefles 
the inlolent preteniions of the king of Mauritania, w r ith 
the dignity of an independent princefs, by the fpirited 
air, Son reginu, &c. ? The noife leaned to lhake the theatre 
to its foundation.” 
In 1727, the Romanina, having fulfilled all her theatri¬ 
cal engagements at .Naples and elfewhere, prepared to 
return to Rome; yet declared, at the fame time, that ffie 
would never fee her native city again, unlefs in the com¬ 
pany of her dear friend. He remained for a while irrefo- 
lute; but, at length, the warm affe&ion he retained for 
the place of his nativity, in fpite of the neglelft and dif- 
appointment which had driven him thence, heightened 
perhaps by his regard for the Bulgarella, and fortified by 
the defire of feeing his father, and the reft of his family, 
determined him to quit Naples, in company with his be- 
nefadlrels ; but not before he had obtained a promife from 
her, that, in return for the hofpitality which he had re¬ 
ceived under her roof at Naples, Ihe and her family ffiould 
become his guells at Rome. To this propoiition all par¬ 
ties 
