When his lordship had perceived me, he approached me with the utmost politeness, and made signs for me to sit down, and accompany him upon the bassoon, which I did ’till dinner-time. After dinner, I intreated my lady _Diddle-doodle_ to prevail upon the noble lord to sing, which he did; but I was rather disappointed at finding that his voice was only pack-thread[3]. However, he sung in tune; had a shake, and was far from vulgar. My lady afterwards made ample amends by her own singing. Her voice was a skane of silk, without the least mixture of worsted. She understood all the lights and shades of melody. Her back-ground; her mezzotints; and her clare-obscure were charming, and there was such a roundness and dignity in all the tones, that every thing she did became interesting. [3] “His voice is now but a thread.” TOUR TO ITALY. It was in this part of _England_, I paid a visit to Mr. _Quaver_, with recommendatory letters from lord _Diddle-doodle_; I found him to be a gentleman of considerable and original musical genius; his taste was pure, chaste, refined; and his execution, particularly upon the Jew’s harp, was exquisite; he executed with great taste and powers, _Nancy Dawson_, _Lillabullero_, and _Old Sir Simon the king_. After dinner he explained to me his system for the improvement of sound, which was at once sublime and original. “The Author of Nature,” said he, “has with an equal and judicious hand distributed his gifts among his creatures: to one he has given strength; to another, dexterity; to a third, perseverance; in the same manner has he divided the agreeable qualifications; and the courtier and the fine gentleman need not blush to receive instruction from the spaniel and the monkey—Now as the philosopher models his life upon an imitation of the virtues of animals, the true connoisseur will do the same”—there he stopp’d, as if afraid to explain himself; but I told him, that there was something so original and masterly in his conceptions that I should never be easy, until he communicated them. Upon which, after a short pause, he seized me by the hand, and grasping it with affection, “since,” said he, “I find in you the true spirit of your science, I will no longer maintain any reserve; know then, that after a profound meditation upon the sublimest mysteries of our profession, I have traced them up to the creation”—“how!” said I, with amaze, “I thought that the greatest Antiquarians had never brought them with any certainty higher than the Deluge.” “I knew,” said he, “I should surprize you; but it is certain that _Adam_, amongst his other qualifications, possessed that of expressing every sound that ever has or can be uttered; hence he could not only sing base and treble, counter-tenor, and soprano to admiration; but also squeak like a pig, croak like a frog, bellow like a bull, whinny like a colt, and bray like an ass.”