Our Correfpondents are particularly requested to direct their future favours to the care of Meffrs. Scatcherd and Whitaker, No. 12, Ave-Maria-Lane, London. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENT S. Our Correfpondent Nicodemus, from Hackney, has our thanks for the notices he has fent us. A variety of circumftances which cannot be detailed have occafioned the errors be reminds us of. We hope that effectual care has been taken to prevent the like for the future. D's Verfes, beginning with two lines from Eugene Aram's Poem, and entitled, The Condemned Criminal's Soliloquy, we apprehend, have been printed already. If our Correfpondens will fatisfy us that they have not already appeared, they fhall be inferted. Juvenis's poetical effufions are too juvenile for publication. The fact fo ftrongly recommended by Drury, bas been already served up to the Public. Cato's bint fhall be attended to. The pieces pointed out to us by Benevolus bave great merit. We will endeavour to begin the Series in our next. The pieces figned F. G.—Amorata―J. N.-R. S.-Z. Z.-Negative-A Suffolk Farmer→→ and Inventus-are received, and under confideration. T A LIST of NEW PUBLICATIONS. HE Fourth Satire of Perfius imitated, and applied to Mr. Pitt. Pamph. An Effay on Eletricity. By G. Adams. The Chronology and Hiftory of the World, from the Creation. By Dr. Blair. Vulgar Errors. Pamph. Confiderations on the prefent Situation of Great Britain and the United States of North America. Pamph. A complete System of practical Arithmetic. By W. Taylor. Obfervations on the prefent State of Denmark, Rullia, and Switzerland. Obfervations on the Commerce of the American States; a new Edition, greatly enlarged. By John Lord Sheffield. Memoirs of the Life and Writings of the tate Rev. Thomas Baker, B. D. The Modern Atalantis. Edwy; a Dramatic Poem. Laws concerning the Election of Members of Parliament, continued to the End of the last Seffion. The Refolutions of the Houfe of Commons, from Dec. 17, 1783, to March 10, 1784. Pamph. An authentic Narrative of the Diffentions in the Royal Society. Hiftory of Modern Europe. Part the Second. 2 Vols. Mifcellaneous Pieces in Profe and Verfe. By Mrs. Upton. Impartial Advice relative to the Receipt Conftitutional Truths. Pamph. 3 Vols. A new Translation of Jeremiah and La The Temple of Wit, and the Temple of mentations. By Benjamin Blaney, B. D. 4to. Folly; Vifion. Plays of Three Acts. By William HayJey, Elq. The Book of the Wars of Westminster. Pamph. The Royal Ecclefiaftical Gazetteer. THE EUROPEAN MAGAZINE, AND LONDON REVIEW; An Account of the LIFE of GEORGE-FREDERICK HANDEL: with a DESCRIPTION of the INTENDED CELEBRITY at WESTMINSTER-ABBEY and the PANTHEON in Commemoration of his Memory. THE Accompanied with an elegant engraved LIKENESS. HE English nation have feldom been wanting in gratitude to those who have Contributed either to the glory or to the entertainment of the country. In no part of the world have there arifen monuments to eternize the memory of statesmen, legiflators, warriors, or benefactors to fociety, at the public expence, more than in England. In no quarter of the globe have those who have contributed to the amufements of life, been more amply rewarded, or more respectfully noticed. The Jubilee in commemoration of Shakipeare a few years fince, though ridiculed by the wits of the time, was not unworthy of a nation's gratitude; and the like mark of respect now in contemplation, under the fanction of Royalty, to do honour to the Shakspeare of mufick, GEORCE-FREDERICK HANDEL, will afford another proof that diffinguished merit will not be buried in oblivion, and, it may be prefumed, twill excite a fpirit of emulation in others to deferve, and to obtain the like marks of respect and reverence. Curiofity naturally enquires after those perfons who have rendered themselves objects of public attention. To gratify that curiosity which the prefent Jubilee will excite, we fhall lay before our readers the following outline of Mr. Handel's life. George-Frederick Handel was born at Halle, a city in the circle of Upper Saxony, on Februray 24, 1684. His father was a phyfician and furgeon at that place, and was more than fixty years old when this his for was born; he had also one daughter by the fame wife, and a fon by a former marriage, who was a domestic to the Duke of Saxe Weifenfels, and refided at his court. The deftination of Mr. Handel by his fi ther was to the law, but a fuperior propenfity to mufick rendered every effort of his father to attach him to legal pursuits ineffectual. He is faid, when forbid to touch mufical inftruments, to have found means to get a little clavichord conveyed into a room at the top of his father's houfe, to which he conftantly reforted as foon as the family retired to reft, and, aftonishing as it will feem, without any rules to direct his finger, or any other inftructor than his own ear, he found means to produce from the inftrument both melody and harmony. At the age of feven years, by perfeverance and refolution, he may be faid to have compelled his father to take him on a vifit to his brother at the court of Saxe- Weifenfels, where he was allowed to indulge his fondnefs for mufick without interruption. By the recommendation of the Duke, his inclination was no longer oppofed; and on his return to Halle, he was placed under the care of Fre derick-William Zachau, organift of the great church in that city. At the age of nine years he compofed motets for the fervice of the church, and continued to make one almost every week for three years. By the time he had arrived at the age of thirteen years, he determined to vifit Berlin, where he arrived in 1698. He continued there a short time, and then returned home; foon after which he loft his father. His attachment to his native place being much lessened by this event, he determined on another place of refidence. He therefore went to Hamburgh, X 2 and and performed at the opera there with great reputation. It was here at the age of fourteen years he composed his first opera, called Almeria, which was performed thirty nights without intermiffion. At Hamburgh he remained three years, and during that time compofed two other operas, namely, Florinda and Nerone. He then refolved to vifit Italy, and accordingly accepted an invitation he had received from the Grand Duke of Tufcany to go to Florence. After a year's stay there, he went to Venice, and from thence to Rome, at each of which places he compofed fome operas. From Rome he went to Naples, and then returned to Germany. He foon fixed on Hanover for his refidence, and received particular marks of diftinction from the Princefs Sophia and her fon the Elector, afterwards King George I. In the year 1710, by permission of his patrons at Hanover, he came to England and engaged with Mr. Aaron Hill, who had the management at that time of the Theatre in the Haymarket, where the opera of Rinaldo was performed, a work compofed in a fortnight. It was represented with great fuccefs, and the perfon who printed the mufick is faid to have got 1500l. by it. Though much folicited to stay in England, he this time refifted the temptation, and returned to Hanover, where he remained two years. He then obtained leave to revifit England, upon condition of his returning within a reasonable time. He arrived in London about the latter end of the year 1712, at which time the negociations for the treaty of Utrecht were in great forwardness. On the restoration of peace, he compofed a Te Deum and Jubilate, which were performed at St. Paul's Cathedral, her majesty herself attending the fervice. The queen died in 1714, and the Elector of Hanover came to the crown. Handel had given offence to his new fovereign both by his remaining in England, and by exerting his talents in celebrating a peace which was confidered as a difgraceful one by the court of Hanover. To restore him to the king's favour, Baron Kilmanfegge contrived a party on the Thames, at which Handel produced his celebrated water mufick. Enquiry being made concerning the compofer, he was foon afterwards introduced to the king, and reftored to his former fituation. Being now determined to make England his refidence, he accepted an invitation to refide firft with Mr. Andrews, of Barn Elms, in Surry, and afterwards with Lord Burlington. With this nobleman he continued three years he then received a preffing invitation from the Duke of Chandos to undertake the direction of the chapel at his fuperb manfion, Cannons. He went there in the year 1718, and refided with his Grace until the inftirution of the Mufical Academy for the performance, of operas at the Hay-market, under the patronage of the King and moft of the principal nobility. Of this exhibition Mr. Handel was appointed director; and in that station he remained until 1726, when difputes arifing between him and his employers, the academy was broke up, and a new subfcription entered into with a new manager. On this event, Mr. Handel engaged with Heidegger, in oppofition to his former friends, and they continued together for three years. At the end of that term, he undertook to perform operas on his own account, and this fcheme he perfifted in, until he had expended almost the whole property he had acquired; his health too fuffered in an equal degreeTo get rid of that dejection of mind which his repeated disappointments had brought on him, he was advised to use the waters at Tunbridge, and a regimen calculated to affift their operation: his diforder was, however, too deeply rooted; his mental powers were even affected; and, to complete his distress, the palfy feized his right arm, and he was rendered incapable of using it in any manner. Medicines being found ineffectual, he was prevailed upon to try the baths of Aix-laChapelle, which foon restored him to his former health. On his return to London, he again tried his fortune with some new operas; but not being fatisfied with their reception, he ftruck out a new mode of entertainments. These were oratorios, which were for fome time favourably received; but on a fufpicion that the public were growing indifferent towards them, he determined to try the temper of the people of Ireland. Accordingly, he went to Dublin in the year 1741, and gave a performance of the Messiah, for the benefit of the prisoners in that city. He returned to London in the year 1742, and performed Sampfon, which was received with fuch applaufe, as feemed to infure him fuccefs in his future attempts of that kind. From this period may be dated that almost uninterrupted flow of fuccefs which attended him in his oratorios, during the rest of his life. In gratitude for the favour fhewn him by the public, and actuated by motives of be nevolence, he performed the Meffiah for the benefit of an inftitution which then stood in need of every afsistance, the Foundling Hofpital; and this he continued to do for feveral years. At the theatre his Meffiah was frequently performed to fuch audiences as he could no otherwife accommodate than by erecting feats on the stage to fuch a gumber |