THE HISTORY OF CHOICE SPIRITS AND BALLAD SINGING.

JUBAL, or TUBAL CAIN, was the firſt compoſer of Tunes; his Lyre preceded Orion's, Amphion's, and even the Harp of Orpheus.

ORION, when making his voyage upon the Dolphin's back, invented Wa⯑ter Muſic.

AMPHION introduced Cotillons as well as Country Dancing.

ORPHEUS, to pleaſe his Eurydice, ex⯑hibited the firſt Harmonic Meeting.

[5]And on the mountain Gibello, CIRCE held her firſt Court for COMUS. The Magazines of the Ancients, thoſe moſt uſeful repoſitories of ready-made erudi⯑tion tell us, that BACCHUS inſtituted a Club at this very period, called the Baccae or Bacchantes, and which are now called the BUCKS; as it appears, not only by Nimrod's ancient Charter depoſited in the Archives of the Babylonian Lodge in the environs of Soho, but alſo by the authenticated Records belonging to the Pewter Platter in Biſhopſgate-precinct.

And to theſe two Bodies of that Noble and Ancient Order, the following En⯑graving of the famous GOBLET, or CUP uſed by the GRAND BUCK at Rome, when he celebrated the Secular Games, is here addreſſed, with its original Inſcrip⯑tion, and a Tranſlation, for the mutual entertainment of thoſe diſtinct Claſſes of Critics, the LEARNED and UN⯑LEARNED, who alternately take the lead in all Converſations.

THUS TRANSLATED:

[7]The reaſon for introducing this Antique unto the Reader's acquaintance is, ac⯑cording to the modern cuſtom of Book-making, to ſhew the Author's ERUDI⯑TION; which is ſtill farther diſplayed in the following account of CHOICE SPIRITS.

After Circe's elopement with Ulyſſes, they became wanderers upon the Face of the Earth, and like Jews, and Strol⯑ing-players, continue Itinerants even unto this day; they have nevertheleſs mul⯑tiplied exceedingly, propagating their Convivialities into the different Orders of GRIGS, GREGS, and GREGORIANS; —ANTIGALLICANS, FREE MASONS, and MACARONI;—SONS of SOUND SENSE and SATISFACTION;—SONS of KIT, and OLD SOULS;—TRUE BLUES, PUR⯑PLES, and ALBIONS; — The BEEF STEAK, JOCKEY, and CATCH CLUBS; —The MAGDALENS, and LUMBER TROOP, with many Others; all which acknowledge the Affinity they bear to their paternal Society, by celebrating [8]their Evening Myſteries with a Song and a Sentiment.

The CHOICE SPIRITS have ever been famous for their Talents as Muſical Artiſts. They uſually met at the har⯑veſt-homes of Grape-gathering: There exhilerated by the preſſings of the Vin⯑tage, they were wont to ſing Songs, tell Stories, and ſhew Tricks, from their firſt emerging, until their Perihelion under the Preſidentſhip of Mr. GEORGE ALEXANDER STEVENS, Ballad-Laureat to the Society of CHOICE SPIRITS, and who appeared at Ranelagh in the Cha⯑racter of COMUS, ſupported by thoſe Droles of merry Memory.

Unparalleled were their performances, as firſt Fiſts upon the SALT-BOX, and inimitable the variations they would twang upon the forte and piano JEWS-HARP. Excellent was Howard in the CHIN CONCERTO; whoſe Noſe alſo ſupplied the melodious Tones of the BAGPIPE. — Upon the STICCADO Matt. Skeggs remains ſtill unrivalled.—And we cannot now boaſt of one real [9]Genius upon the genuine HURDY GURDY.

Alas! theſe Stars are all extinguiſhed; and the remains of ancient Britiſh Har⯑mony is now confined to the manly Muſic of MARROW-BONES and CLEAVERS.

Every thing muſt ſink into Obli⯑vion; —"Corn now grows where Troy Town ſtood."—Ranelagh may be meta⯑morphoſed into a Methodiſt's Meeting-Houſe! Vaux-Hall cut into Skittle-Alleys! the two Theatres converted into Auction-Rooms; and the New Pantheon become the ſtately Habitation of ſome Jew Pawn-Broker:—Nay, the SONS OF LIBERTY themſelves * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *.

Caetera deſunt.