In the meantime his imagination was not idle. After helping Steele in the composition of his _Tender Husband_, which was acted in 1705, he found time for engaging in a fresh literary enterprise of his own. The principles of operatic music, which had long been developed in Italy, had been slow in making their way to this country. Their introduction had been delayed partly by the French prejudices of Charles II., but more, perhaps, by the strong insular tastes of the people, and by the vigorous forms of the native drama. What the untutored English audience liked best to hear was a well-marked tune, sung in a fine natural way: the kind of music which was in vogue on the stage till the end of the seventeenth century was simply the regular drama interspersed with airs; _recitative_ was unknown; and there was no attempt to cultivate the voice according to the methods practised in the Italian schools. But with the increase of wealth and travel more exacting tastes began to prevail; Italian singers appeared on the stage and exhibited to the audience capacities of voice of which they had hitherto had no experience. In 1705 was acted at the Haymarket _Arsinoe_, the first opera constructed in England on avowedly Italian principles. The words were still in English, but the dialogue was throughout in _recitative_. The composer was Thomas Clayton, who, though a man entirely devoid of genius, had travelled in Italy, and was eager to turn to account the experience which he had acquired. In spite of its badness _Arsinoe_ greatly impressed the public taste; and it was soon followed by _Camilla_, a version of an opera by Bononcini, portions of which were sung in Italian, and portions in English--an absurdity on which Addison justly comments in a number of the _Spectator_. His remarks on the consequences of translating the Italian operas are equally humorous and just. "As there was no great danger," says he, "of hurting the sense of these extraordinary pieces, our authors would often make words of their own which were entirely foreign to the meaning of the passages they pretended to translate; their chief care being to make the numbers of the English verse answer to those of the Italian, that both of them might go to the same tune. Thus the famous song in _Camilla_, 'Barbara si t'intendo,' etc. 'Barbarous woman, yes, I know your meaning,' which expresses the resentment of an angry lover, was translated into that English lamentation, 'Frail are a lover's hopes,' etc.