Jubilate apon the occafion, The nobility being very defirous that he he fhould refume the direction of the opera house in the Hay-market, the Queen was pleafed to add the weight of her authority to their folicitations, and as a teftimony of her regard to his merit, fettled upon him a penfion of 200 l. a year for his life. Notwithstanding his engagements at Hanover, Handel coutinued here till the Queen's death in the year 1714, the time in which he ought to have returned having been long lapfed. Upon the arrival of his late majefty, Handel, confcious of his ill behaviour, did not dare to appear at court. But his friend Baron Kilmanfeck, happening to come over with his majefty, interested several of the nobility in his behalf; and having engaged the King in a party of pleasure on the water, Handel was apprifed of the defign, and ordered to prepare fome mufic upon the occafion; this he executed with a readiness and attention equal to his interest in the event, and on the day appointed it was performed and conducted by himfelf; the King being equally pleafed and furprized, enquired whofe it was, and how this entertainment came to be provided without his knowledge. The baron then produced the delinquent, and afked leave to prefent him to his majesty as one too fenfible of his fault to attempt an excufe, but fincerely defirous to attone for it. This interceffion was accepted,, Handel was reftored to favour, his water mufic was honoured with the higheft approbation, and the King added a pension of 200l. a year for life, to that which had been granted him by the Queen, and foon after increased it to 4001. upon his being appointed to teach the young Princeffes mufic. In the year 1715, he made the opera of Amadige, and from that time to the year 1718, he was almoft conftantly at the Earl of Burlington's. As Mr. Pope was very intimate with his lordship, it frequently happened that Handel and he were together at his table. Pope, though he had the most delicate ear for poetical harmony, had none for mufic, for he often declared after Handel had been playing fome of his beft compofitions, that they gave him no pleasure; he was, however, convinced of his fuperiority by his friend Arbuthnot, who, when Pope once feriously asked his opinion, replied, "Conceive the higheft that you can of his abilities, and they are much beyond any thing you can conceive." From the year 1718 to 1720, Handel was chiefly at Cannons, the famous feat of the Duke of Chandois, which was then in all its glory; during the last two years he compofed only Tefeo and Paftor Fido, for Buononcini and Attilio were compofers for the opera; but about this time a project was formed by the nobility for erecting a kind of an academy at the Hay-market, with a view of fecuring to themfelves a conftant fupply of operas to be compofed by Handel, and performed under his direction. A fubfcription for this purpose was fet on foot, at the head of which appeared the name of the King himfelf, and the fociety was dignified with the title of the royal academy. As the fum fubfcribed was no lefs than 50,000l. of which the King fubfcribed one thoufand, it was intended to continue the undertaking for fourteen years certain. To purfue this project, Handel quitted Can nons, nons, and went over to Drefden in queft of fingers, where he engaged Senefino and Duriftanti, and brought them with him into England. Buononcini and Attilio had ftill a ftrong party in their favour, but not equal to Handel's affociation. In the year 1720, therefore, he obtained leave to perform his opera of Radamifto, when the houfe was fo crouded that many fainted through exceffive heat, and many who were ftill without offered forty fhillings for a feat in the gallery, after having in vain attempted to get a place elfewhere. Yet the contention between Buononcini's party and Handel's ftill ran very high, and the nobility were divided into two factions, which oppofed each other with great vehemence. It was, however, at length agreed, that the rival mafters fhould be jointly employed in making an opera, in which each fhould take a diftin&t act, and he, who by the general fuffrage, fhould be allowed to have given the best proofs of his abili. ties, was to be put in poffeffion of the house. This opera was called Muzio Scævola, and Handel fet the laft a&t. It is faid that his fuperiority was acknowledged, even in the overture before it; but when the act was performed there remained no pretence of doubt or difpute. The academy therefore was now firmly established, and Handel being appointed compofer, conducted it with great fuccefs for near nine years; but about that time it hap pened that Handel and Senefino quarrelled; Senefino accused Handel of tyranny, and Handel accufed Senefino of rebellion. An accommodation between thefe important perfonages became hope lefs, and though the nobility thought fit to become mediators, their mediation was without fuccess, and at length they became parties in the quarrel. They would not suffer Handel to difmifs a perfon effential to their entertainment to gratify his own refentment, and he would not confent to have any farther connection with him to give them pleasure. A like dreadful quarrel alfo happened between Fauftina and Cuzzoni, and a fociety of which the king himfelf was at the head, and which confifted of almost the whole court, after having fubfcribed fo large a fum as 50,000l. to procure themfelves a mufical entertainment, were at laft disappointed by the arrogance of those whom their own folly had intoxicated with pride, by extravagant praise, and profuse liberality. But though the academy was thus diffolved, Handel ftill continued at the Hay-market; yet he foon became fenfible that he was not of the importance he had fuppofed: Senefino being difmiffed, his audience melted away, and the public juftly refented the infolence with which he had determined to gratify his refentment at their expence. He then entered into an agreement with Mr. Heidegger to carry on operas in conjunction with him, and foon after went over into Italy to engage new performers; he returned with Strada, Bernachi, Fabri, Bartoldi, and others, but he foon found the difference between a connection with the British court and a partnership with Heidegger. The nobility, whom he had offended, raised a new fubfcription to carry on operas against him at the play-house in Lincoln's-Inn Fields, and engaged among others Porpora and and Farinelli; Porpora was author of feveral cantatas which had been much admired, and Farnelli fafcinated all that heard him by the aftonishing powers of his voice. Againft this oppofition Handel bore up three years in partnership with Heidegger, and one year alone, but at length he funk under it, and was obliged to leave the Hay-market to his rivals. After this, he made a faint attempt to procure an audience at the house which his rivals had deferted in Lincoln's-inn-fields, but having no profpect of fuccefs, he foon removed to Covent-garden, and entered into a partnership with Mr. Rich. At Covent-garden he performed his opera of Ariadne in the winter of 1733; while an opera of the fame name, composed by Porpora, was performed at the Hay-market; and he had the mortification to find that, fuppofing he could have made a stand against Porpora's mufic, he could make none against Farinelli's voice; and this was the more humbling, as he had arrogated his former fuccefs to himself, and had affected to defpife a finger who, as this experiment proved, had a right to divide it with him: yet he continued his oppofition with the famé fpirit of obftinacy that had begun it, till he was obliged to draw out of the funds almost all he was worth to difcharge the debts in which it had involved him; then, indeed, he thought fit to defift, and his dif appointment had fuch an effect upon his paffions, that for a time it coft him not only his health, but his understanding his right arm was rendered ufelefs by a ftroke of the pally, and by fits he faid and did fo many extravagant things, that there was no room to doubt of his being out of his mind. From this deplorable ftate he was at length recovered, chiefly by the ufe of the baths at Aix la Chapelle, and returned again to London in 1736. Soon after his return, his Alexander's Feaft was performed at Covent-garden, and was well received. In the mean time, many mifunderstandings and much mifmanagement had fo greatly reduced the fuccefs and fplendor of the Hay-market, that, ro retrieve them, Lord Middlefex undertook the direction of it himself, and applied once more to Handel to supply it with compofitions. Handel made two operas for his lordship, called Faramondo and Aleffandro Severo. Aleffandro Severo was a pafticio. Both were performed at the Hay-market in 1737, and Handel received for them one thousand pounds. The public refentment against Handel now began to yield to the fenfe of his abilities. In the year 1738, he received 1500l. from a fingle benefit at the Hay-market, and nothing was wanting to recover his affairs but fuch conceffions on his part, as his opponents had a right to expect. Thefe conceffions, however, his temper would not fuffer him to make, and that he might no more be thought under obligations to act as he was directed by others, he refufed to enter into any engagements upon fubfcriptions. After performing a few more operas at Covent-garden without fuccefs, he introduced another fpecies of mufic called Oratorios, which he thought better fuited to the native gravity of an English audience. As the fubjects of thefe pieces were always C taken taken from facred hiftory, it was, by fome, thought a prophanation to fet them to mufic, and perform them at a play house. These notions, however, were not general enough to prevent oratorios from being fung as dramatic dialogues; but they prevailed against acting them, and thus rendered the entertainment much lefs expenfive and perfect, than it might have been made by action, dreffes, and fcenery. His oratorios, however, had not the fuccefs they deferved, yet he continued, to perform them in Lent, till the year 1741, when his affairs were in fo bad a fituation, that he quitted England, and went to try his fortune at Dublin. The first thing he did at Dublin was to perform his Meffiah, (which had been but coldly received in England,) for the benefit of the city prifon. This brought together not only all who loved mufic, but all whofe pity for distress was ftrong enough to incline them to relieve it. As there was a peculiar propriety in the fubject of the oratorio chofen for this defign, fo the particular fituation of Handel's affairs gave this act of his bounty a peculiar grace; he was received in Ireland in a manner that fhewed a frong fenfe of his merit, and it was a tacit reproach to the oppofition fo long continued against him here. During his ftay in Ireland, which was about nine months, his affairs were brought into a better fituation at his return in 1741-2, he found the public much more favourably difpofed, and at length became again its favourite, to which it is probable the honourable manner, in which Mr. Pope mentioned him in the 4th book of his Dunciad, did not a little contribute. He immediately recommenced his oratorios at Covent-garden, beginning with Sampfon, and they were received with great applaufe. In the year 1743, he had fome return of his paralytic diforder, and in 1744 he fell under the heavy difpleasure of a certain fafhionable lady, who exerted all her influence against him, but without fuccefs. His Meffiah, which had been before fo coldly received, now became a favourite performance; and Handel, therefore, with a generous humanity, that would have done honour to any character, determined to perform it annually for the benefit of the Foundling Hofpital, an institution then in its infancy, and fupported only by private benefactions. In the year 1751, he became blind, by a disease in the eyes called a gutta ferena, which for a time funk him into the deepest defpóndency, and he could not rest till he had undergone fome operations as fruitless as they were painful. All this time he had continued his oratorios with uninterrupted fuccefs; but now finding it impoffible to manage them alone, he was affifted by Mr. Smith, who, at his requeft, frequently played for him, and conducted them in his ftead; with this affiftance he continued his oratorios till within eight days of his death. From about October, 1758, his health declined very fast, and his appetite, which had been remarkably keen, and which he had gratified to a great degree, left him; he was very fenfible of the approach of death, and refufed to be flattered with any hopes of recovery; yet his mind, though at times it was greatly difordered during the latter part of his life, ftill continued in its full vigour, as appears by feveral fongs and choruffes, and other compofitions, which, from their date, may be confidered almost as the laft founds of his dying voice. On the 6th of April, 1759, his laft oratorio was performed, at which he was prefent, and on the 14th he died. On the zoth he was buried by the Right Rev. Dr. Pearce, bishop of Rochester, in WeftminfterAbbey, where, by his own order, and at his own expence, a monument is to be erected to his memory. Such was Handel, in whofe character whatever there was wrong, there was nothing mean; though he was proud, his pride was uniform; he was not by turns a tyrant and a flave, a cenfor in one place and a fycophant in another; he maintained his liberty in a ftate, in which many others would have been vain of dependence; he was liberal, even when he was poor, and remembered his former friends when he was rich. While he was yet a lad, he remitted money to his mother, when the thought it neceffary to remit money to fupport him; he fent money to the widow of his old mafter Zackaw, when he heard she was ill provided for, more than once; and he would have affifted her fon, if he had not been well affured that to give him money would be only to increase his vices. He left the bulk of his fortune, which was very confiderable, to the daughter of his fitter, but be queathed his mufic to Mr. Smith, by whom the oratorios are ftill continued in conjunction conjunction with Mr. Stanley, with whofe abilities the public has been long acquainted. The following Letters being authentic, deferve to be inferted, as a remark able inftance of the happy effects of indefatigable and chearful in duftry. But though they do honour to the very excellent man who is the fubject of them, they reflect a heavy difgrace on that part of our national establishment, which makes fo wretched and fcandalous a provifion for great numbers of the moft learned and blameless body of ecclefiaftics in the world, by which means that induftry muft bé often exerted to procure a scanty livelihood, which ought folely to be employed in their facred ftudies; and the work of their miniftry. To Mr. SIR, miles from this place, where I met with a very striking object, and of a nature not very common. Going into a clergyman's houfe, (of whom I had frequently heard, but with whom I had never any personal acquaintance,) I found him fitting at the head of a long fquare table, fuch as is commonly used in this country by the lower clafs of people, dreffed in a coarse blue frock, trimmed with black horn buttons; a checked fhirt, a leathern strap about his neck for a stock, a coarfe apron, and a pair of great heavy wooden-foled fhoes, plated with iron to preferve them (what we call clogs in thefe parts) with a child upon his knee eating his breakfast: his wife, and the remainder of his family, which confifts of nine children, were fome of them employed on waiting on each other, the reft in teazing and fpinning wool, at which trade he is a great proficient ; and moreover, when it is made ready for fale, will lug it by 16 or 32 1 |