
Account of Goldoni. 
ees; which obtained unjiverfal admira- 
tion. - Feeling a ftrong inclination to re- 
fide fome time in Tulcany, he repaired 
to Florence and Pifa, where he wrote 
The Footman of two Mafters, and, The 
Sow of Harlequin lof? and found again. He 
returned to Venice, and fet about exe- 
cuting more and more his favourite 
{cheme of reform. He was now attached 
to the theatre of S. Angelo, and employ- 
ed himfelf in writing both for the com- 
pany, and for his own purpofes. The 
conftant toils he underwent in thefe en- 
gagements impaired his health. He 
wrote, in the courfe of twelve months, fix- 
teen new comediés, befides forty-two pie- 
ces for the theatre ; among thefe many are 
confidered as the beft of his productions. 
The firft edition of his works was pub- 
lifhed in 1753, in ro vols. 8vo. Ashe 
wrote afterwards a great number of new 
pieces for the theatre of S. Luca, a fepa- 
rate edition of thefe was publifhed, un- 
der the title of The New Comic Theatre: 
among thefe was the Terence, called by 
she author his favourite, and judged tobe 
the mafter piece of his works. He made 
another journey to Parma, on the invi- 
tation of Duke Philip, and frem thence 
he paffed to Rome. 
$9 other pieces fo late as the year 1761, 
five of which were defioned for the parti- 
cular ufe of Marque Albergati Capacell, 
and confequently adapted to the theatre 
of a private company. Here ends. the 
literary life of Goldoni in Italy. 
‘Through the channel of the French am- 
baffador in Venice, he had received 2 
letter from Mr. Zenuzzi, the fir actor 
in the Italian theatre at Paris, containing 
a propofal for an engagement of two 
years inthat city. He accordingly re- 
paired to Paris, where he found a feleét 
and numerous company of excellent per- 
formers in the [Italian theatre. They 
were, however, chargeable with the fame 
faults which he had corrected in Italy ; 
and ‘the French fepported, and even ap- 
plauded in the Italians, what they would 
have reprobated on their own ftage. Gol- 
doni wifhed to extend, even to that coun- 
try, his plan: of ‘reformation, without 
sonfidering the extreme dithtculty of the 
undertaking.” Scurrilities and jefts, 
which are ever accompanied by actions, 
geftures, and motions, are the famein all 
countries, and almoft perfectly under- 
ftood even ih a foreign tongue: while the 
beauties of fentiment and dialogue, and 
ether things which lead to the under- 
ftanding bf chara€ters and intrigues, re- 
euirg a familiar acquaintance with the 
He had compefed — 
325° 
tongue of the writer. The fir attempt » 
of Goldeni towards his withed-for re- 
pepe was the piece called The Father for 
ove; and its bad fuccefS was a fuffi< 
cient warning to him to defift fromhis — 
undertaking. He continued; during the 
remainder of his engagement, to produce 
pieces agreeable to the genera} tafte, . 
and publifhed twenty-four comedies-; 
-among which The Love of Zelinda and 
Lindor is reputed the beft. The term of 
two years being expired, Goldoni was - 
preparing to return to Italy, when a 
lady, reader to the dauphinefs, mother 
to the late king, introduced him at court; 
in the capacity of Italian mafter to the. 
princefles, aunts tothe king. He did 
not live in the court; but reforted there, 
at each fummons, in a poft-chaife, fent 
to him for the purpofe. ‘Thefe journies 
were the caufe of a diforder in the eyes, 
which afflicted him the reft of his hfe; 
for being accultomed to read while inthe 
chaife, he loft his fight on a fudden, and 
in {pite of the moft potent remedies, could 
never afterwasds recover it entirely. For - 
about fix months lodgings were provided 
him in the chateau of Verfailles. The 
death, however, of the dauphin, changed. 
the face of affairs. Goldoni loft his 
lodgings, and only, at the end of three 
years, received a bounty of 1oo lovis if 
a gold box, and the grant of a penfion of 
four thoufand livres a year. ' This fers 
tlement would not have-been fufficient 
for him, if he had not gamed, by other- 
means, farther fums. He wrote ‘now. 
and. then comedies for the theatres of 
Italy and Portugal; and, during thefe. 
oceupations, was defirous to fhew to the 
French that he merited..a high rank 
among their dramatic writers. For this 
purpoie, he neglected ‘nothing which 
could be of ufe to render himfelf mafter 
of the Frénch language. » He ‘heard, 
fpoke, and converied 10 much ‘in it, that, 
in his 62d year, he-ventured to write a 
comedy in French, and to have it repre- 
fented in the court theatre; on the occa- 
fion of the marriage of the king. This 
piece was the Bourru Bienfaifant; an& it 
metawith fo great fuccels, that the author 
received a bounty of 150 lougs from the ° 
king, another gratification from the per-: 
formers, and confiderable fums from the” 
bookfellers whe published it. He publifhed, * 
foon after, another comedy in Frenen 
called L’ Avare Faffuenx.. After the 
death of Louis XV. Goldoni- was ap) 
pointed Italian’ teacher to the prineesy 
Clotilde: the prefent-princeis or Pieg_- 
waont; and efter her marriege he attena- 
aay allo? 
