The reputation of Metastasio, author of the following drama, is too well established in the learned world, to need any apology for giving the public a translation of Artaxerxes, an opera performed and admired all over Europe. But as the narrative part of this drama may seem too barren of forcible epithets, which, in reading or speaking, dignify the stile, it may be necessary to give mr. Dryden’s and lord Lansdown's sentiments on the occasion, which exactly correspond with those of our author. Mr. Dryden says, ..."that no critic can justly determine the merit or difficulty of writing a poem for music, till he has been frequently conversant with some skilful musician, and acquired, by experience, a knowledge of what is most proper for musical expression;" and lord Lansdown, in his preface to the British enchanters, exclaims against that species of dramatic dialogue, which (instead of being free, natural, and easy, as conversation should be) is precise, or formal, argumenting pro and con, like disputants in a school; he further asks the question, "Whether in writing, as in dress, it is not possible to be too exact, too starched, and too formal?" and concludes thus, ..."pleasing negligence many have seen; who ever saw pleasing formality?"

Metastasio, in his dialect, seems to affect simplicity; and from his great experience in writing for music, has given the following plan for the poetry of an opera, viz.

' That the fable, or recitative, to which fixed musical sounds are adapted, should be simple dialect; hard and dissonant eithets (though ever so forcible in other respects) being destructive to music, and, when sung, for the chief part, unintelligible. — That the similes be confined to the songs; and that the words, which are to express them, be as smooth and sonorous as possible, left the composer be cramped in his fancy, and the singers rendered incapable of shewing their skill, which chiefly consists in openly displaying the tones of their voices, on running executive passages.

The translator of this opera has no merit, but from his endeavour to follow the author in all these particulars. He therefore submits this first attempt of the kind to the favour. and indulgence of the public, not doubting that (if they consider the dificulty of writing under such restrictions, the necessity of sometimes departing from the author, on account of the different idioms of our language; and of leaving out many beauties in the narrative part of the drama, for the sake of brevity) they will rather peruse it with an eye of favour than severity.