M ETAS 
parties or political intrigues, familiar with a few inti¬ 
mates, he maintained a kind of decent and polite referve 
in general fociety; and, without neglefting to pay his 
court where it w“as expeiiied, was never forward or obfru- 
five. His life was extremely regular and uniform, and 
he purfued the vocation of a poet with as much unre¬ 
mitting affiduity as other men employ in ordinary occu¬ 
pations. It was his maxim that no other inlpiration was 
neceflary for the compofition of a poem than the neceffity 
of the talk. Hence he was always ready to anfwer any 
demand upon him for a poetical compliment on a courc- 
rnarriage or birth-day, in which he generally difplayed 
much ingenuity and elegance of invention. 
The poetical chara&eriftics of Metaftafio are great 
fweetnefs, correftnefs, purity, and jfimplicity; much pa¬ 
thos, but of the loft and tender rather than the highly- 
impafTIoned kind ; and refined and elevated fentiment, 
perhaps too liberally diffufed among his dramatic per- 
fonages, who rather referable beings of a fancied golden 
age than ordinary mortals. Even his villains are ufu- 
aliy. foftened and reformed, and efcape rigorous poetic 
juilice. In liis-reprefentation of love, he is a true pupil 
of the French dramatic fchool. It is with him a molt 
ferious and fubtilifed pafiion, the prime mover in human 
jdtairs; his heroines are goddefles, and his heroes the 
molt humble and obfequious of lovers. His dramas have 
therefore confiderable uniformity, and will in general ap¬ 
pear fomewhat infipid to thofe who have been nourifhed 
with ftronger poetic food. Of his fmaller pieces, many 
are ingenioufly turned, and pofiefs much fentimental and 
defcriptive beauty. Some have acquired a popularity 
throughout civililed Europe, and have been tranflated 
into all its languages. Indeed, fcarceiy any name for a 
long period was more familiar to the votaries of elegant 
literature than that of Metadafio. 
His courfe of life, after his removal to Vienna, was 
little varied by events. In 1738 he was fpontaneoufly 
complimented by the city of Affifi with a patent of no¬ 
bility. His appointments at Vienna and the profits of 
his competitions enabled him to fupport a refpeftable 
appearance in fociety, and to live with all the comforts 
defirable to one of his retired and moderate habits. He 
divided his apartments with the family of fignor Marti¬ 
nets, the imperial librarian, whole filler, brought up from 
the cradle by the poet, and highly accomplifhed in lite¬ 
rature, both ufeful and ornamental, devoted herfelf with 
filial attachment to his amufement. As he grew old, 
lie became difficult of accefs to ftrangers 5 but no one 
could furpafs him in polite attentions to thole whom he 
indulged with his converfation. Dr. Burne.y found him, 
at leventy-two, looking like one of fifty, and the hand- 
fomelt man for his age he had ever beheld : “ On his 
countenance was painted all the genius, goodnefs, pro¬ 
priety, benevolence, and redlitude, which charablerifes 
his writings.” He had the common frailty of advanced 
years, that of being averfe to declaring his age; nor was 
lie ever known to allude to his humble parentage. Never 
having had the fmall pox, he could not bear to hear the 
very word mentioned : and, when Louis XV. died of that 
diftemper, not only that circumftance, but even every 
thing concerning the court of France, were forbidden 
topics in his pretence. This weaknel's was the refill t of 
the uncommon dread of death with which he was tor¬ 
mented ; and which proceeded fo far, that, when any of 
his friends were given over, he never enquired more about 
them, and would not permit any further mention of their 
names in his company. Thefe were foibles in a charafter 
upon the whole highly amiable and eftimable; for, if 
not poflefled of the ftrong and aftive virtues, he was 
perfectly free from envy, jealoufy, malignity, and the 
felfilh paffions that often predominate in weak minds. 
He died, after a lhort illnefs, at Vienna, in April 1782, 
having completed his eighty-fourth year, and was in¬ 
terred at the parilh-church of St. Michael. The funeral 
rites were performed with fplendour, by his grateful 
heir, fignor Jofeph Martinetz, in deipite of the poet’s 
Vox.. XV. No. ^039. 
T A S I O. 245 • 
injunftions, who had forbidden all kind of pomp. The 
inheritance of Martinetz confided of a well-furnifhed ha¬ 
bitation, a coach and horfes, a great quantity of princely 
prefents, a very ample and felebt colieftion of books, with 
a capital of 130,000 florins; from which, however, were 
to be deduced, 20,000 for each of the executor’s fidcra, 
and 3000 for each of his younger brothers. 
The poet’s attachment to the Martinetz family was of 
long Handing. In the year 1730, on his arrival at Vienna, 
the firfi: houle in which he took up his refidence, was that 
Nicolo Martinetz, mader of- the ceremonies to the apof- 
tolic nuncio in that city. The elded 1 'on of this gentle- 
man he appointed his heir, jointly with his elded filter, 
Marianna Martinetz, educated under his eye, and uni- 
verfaily admired for her talents and accomplifhments, 
particularly in mufic, not only as an excellent performer 
on the harpfichord, and an exquifite finger, but for her 
genius and abilities in compofition. She was an eleve of 
the great Haydn, who redded three years under the fame 
roof with Metadafio during her mufical ftudies ; and had 
lefibns in finging from the celebrated Porpora, who had 
many years before been the poet’s own mufic-mader. 
The productions of'mademoifelie Martinetz were commu¬ 
nicated to, and approved by, the greatedmaders of Italy ; 
and her name is inferibed as a member of the Philharmonic 
Academy in Bologna and Mantua. 
Many editions of the works of Metadafio appeared 
during his life, but none gave him latisfaftion ; they 
were tull of defeats 5 many poems were inferted which 
he never wrote ; and almod all thofe that he had writ¬ 
ten were disfigured. Amongd the beff of thefe was one 
publifhed under the dire&ion of the chevalier de Calfa- 
bigi, with learned notes ; but this had many faults, and 
contained fome lpurious pieces; moreover, four of the 
dramas had been conlklerably altered. We mud not 
omit the edition printed at the royal prefs at Turin, 10 
vols. fmall and large 8vo. fince Metadafio preferred it 
to any other that had then been publiflied. We have 
not noticed the infinite number of copies of fingle dramas 
which were printed as each came out, becaufe every per- 
fon knows that they are liable to many errors from the 
caprice of the abtors and the ignorapee of printers, to the 
great difgrace of Italian literature. Such was the date of 
the various editions of Metadafio’s works in the year 
1780, when Jofeph Pezzariza began his edition at Paris.' 
This contained his works complete in 12 vols. q.to. and 
8vo. and was dedicated to the queen of France. It had 
been well corrected, and was printed on fine paper with: 
ahandfome type. This edition left every other far be¬ 
hind ; for it not only contained all the poetical works, 
but was enriched with the Extrafts from Aridotle’s Art 
of Poetry, and tranflation of that of Horace. The four 
dramas, which had been altered by Calfabigi, were redored 
by Metadafio himfelf. No fooner was this edition pub- 
liihed, than many perfona began to print copies of it ■„ 
but none of thefe are equal to the original printed at 
Paris. Zotti’s edition contains a Life of Metadafio, 
written by the abbe Giovanni Francefco Altanefi. Fi¬ 
nally, the Typographical Society at Nice pubiifhed a.p 
edition in 15 volumes nmo. They have equalled the 
Paris edition for correftnefs ; but have adopted a different 
arrangement, affigning to each different fpecies of poetry a 
l’eparate place, indead of following the order in which the 
poems were written. They were at much pains to pro¬ 
cure the fird and lad editions, and, comparing them 
carefully, they made their own as correct as poffible. This 
edition contained a Life of the author by the abbate Cario 
Criftini; from which, and from Dr. Burney^ Mufical 
Tour, the above particulars have been felebted.” 
METAS'TASIS, j. [from the Gr. y.rra,, againd, .and 
a Handing.] In medicine, a tranflation, the removal 
of a morbid afieftion from one part to another.—His dil- 
eafe was a dangerous afthnia ; the caule a meiajiajis, or 
tranflation of tartarous humours from his joints to his 
lungs. Harvey on Confaviptions. —In rhetoric, it is ufed for 
removing the blame from the perfon aepuied to another 
3 & pcrfbnl 
