nce that night. For my own part, I was fully
satisfied with the sight of an actor, who, by the grace and propriety of
his action and gesture, does honour to a human figure, as much as the
other vilifies and degrades it. Every one will easily imagine I mean
Signor Nicolini,[5] who sets off the character he bears in an opera by
his action, as much as he does the words of it by his voice. Every limb,
and every finger, contributes to the part he acts, insomuch that a deaf
man might go along with him in the sense of it. There is scarce a
beautiful posture in an old statue which he does not plant himself in,
as the different circumstances of the story give occasion for it. He
performs the most ordinary action in a manner suitable to the greatness
of his character, and shows the prince even in the giving of a letter,
or the despatching of a message. Our best actors are somewhat at a loss
to support themselves with proper gesture, as they move from any
considerable distance to the front of the stage; but I have seen the
person of whom I am now speaking, enter alone at the remotest part of
it, and advance from it with such greatness of air and mien, as seemed
to fill the stage, and at the same time commanding the attention of the
audience with the majesty of his appearance. But notwithstanding the
dignity and elegance of this entertainment, I find for some nights past,
that Punchinello has robbed the gentleman of the greater part of his
female spectators. The truth of it is, I find it so very hard a task to
keep that sex under any manner of government, that I have often resolved
to give them over entirely, and leave them to their own inventions. I
was in hopes that I had brought them to some order, and was employing my
thoughts on the reformation of their petticoats, when on a sudden I
received information from all parts, that they run gadding after a
puppet-show. I know very well, that what I here say will be thought by
some malicious persons to flow from envy to Mr. Powell; for which
reason, I shall set the late dispute between us in a true light.[6] Mr.
Powell and I had some difference about four months ago, which we managed
by way of letter, as learned men ought to do; and I was very well
contented to bear such sarcasms as he was pleased to throw upon me, and
answered them with the same freedom. In the midst of this our
misunderstanding and correspondence, I happened to give the world an
account of the order of esquires[7]; up