never could
do it, there never having been any musique here better than ballads.
Nay, says, "Hermitt poore" and "Chevy Chese"

["Like hermit poor in pensive place obscure" is found in "The
Phoenix Nest," 1593, and in Harl. MS. No. 6910, written soon after
1596. It was set to music by Alfonso Ferrabosco, and published in
his "Ayres," 1609. The song was a favourite with Izaak Walton, and
is alluded to in "Hudibras" (Part I., canto ii., line 1169). See
Rimbault's "Little Book of Songs and Ballads," 1851, p. 98. Both
versions of the famous ballad of "Chevy Chase" are printed in
Percy's "Reliques."]

was all the musique we had; and yet no ordinary fiddlers get so much
money as ours do here, which speaks our rudenesse still. That he hath
gathered our Italians from several Courts in Christendome, to come to
make a concert for the King, which he do give L200 a-year a-piece to:
but badly paid, and do come in the room of keeping four ridiculous
gundilows,

[The gondolas mentioned before, as sent by the Doge of Venice. See
September 12th, 1661]

he having got, the King to put them away, and lay out money this way;
and indeed I do commend him for it, for I think it is a very noble
undertaking. He do intend to have some times of the year these operas to
be performed at the two present theatres, since he is defeated in what
he intended in Moorefields on purpose for it; and he tells me plainly
that the City audience was as good as the Court, but now they are most
gone. Baptista tells me that Giacomo Charissimi is still alive at Rome,
who was master to Vinnecotio, who is one of the Italians that the King
hath here, and the chief composer of them. My great wonder is, how this
man do to keep in memory so perfectly the musique of the whole act, both
for the voice and the instrument too. I confess I do admire it: but in
recitativo the sense much helps him, for there is but one proper way of
discoursing and giving the accents. Having done our discourse, we all
took coaches, my Lord's and T. Killigrew's, and to Mrs. Knipp's chamber,
where this Italian is to teach her to sing her part. And so we all
thither, and there she did sing an Italian song or two very fine, while
he played the bass upon a harpsicon there; and exceedingly taken I am
with her singing, and believe that she will do miracles at that and
acting. Her little girl is mighty pretty and witty. After being there
an hour