The air which Purcell "sang with incredible graces" we are able to identify by means of various separate publications of the song. The title of one copy printed in 1692 or 1693 reads thus, "'Tis Nature's Voice (Ode for St. Cecilia's day), a song set by Mr. H. Purcell, and sung by himself at St. Cecilia's Feast in 1692, the words by N. Brady." The "incredible graces" are, of course, numerous division passages, commonly called runs. These graces were much in vogue in Purcell's day, and unfortunately he too often pandered to the vulgar taste of the multitude, and injured his music by writing many such, both in his sacred and secular works. The fashion was probably borrowed from the Italians. Bedford, in his _Abuse of Musick_, printed in 1711, says:-- "Among the varieties which have been brought into our musick, the _divisions_ of many and short notes to a syllable is the most obvious to every hearer. These must be allowed to be some of the finest _graces_ to our modern performances. They are design'd to strike upon the passions, and increase our rapture, and when they are well compos'd and well perform'd they set off the voice in a most excellent and extraordinary manner." The following curious anecdote told by Tony Aston, in his _Brief Supplement to Colley Cibber_, further illustrates the custom of _gracing_ music which descended to our own times:-- "As Mr. Verbruggen had nature for his directress in acting, so had a known singer, Jemmy Bowen, the same in music. He, when practising a song set by Mr. Purcell, some of the musick told him to grace and run a division in such a place. 'O let him alone,' said Mr. Purcel; 'he will grace it more naturally than you or I can teach him.'" The "Cecilia Ode" of 1692 was frequently performed, and must have been an especial favourite, if we may judge by the numerous manuscript copies of the score still in existence. The work was published by "The Musical Antiquarian Society" a few years since. In 1693 Purcell composed music for the plays, the _Old Bachelor_, a comedy by Congreve; the _Richmond Heiress_, a comedy by D'Urfey; the _Maid's Last Prayer_, a comedy by Southerne; and _Henry II._, a tragedy by Bancroft. In addition to these pieces he composed music for the "Queen's Birthday Ode," commencing "Celebrate this festival," the libretto of which was written by Nahum Tate. The overture to this ode is the same as that to the "Cecilia Ode" of the same year, transposed one note lower, from D to C. It has been printed in a very incorrect manner by Goodison.