_Passage in Whiston_ (Vol. viii., p. 244.).--J. T. complains of not being
able to find a passage in Whiston, which he says is referred to in p. 94.
of _Taylor on Original Sin_, Lond. 1746. I do not know what Taylor he
refers to. Jeremy Taylor wrote a treatise on original sin; but he lived
before Whiston. I have looked into two editions of the _Scripture Doctrine
of Original Sin_, by John Taylor, one of Lond. 1741, and another of Lond.
1750; but in neither of these can I find any mention of Mr. Whiston.
[Greek: Halieus].
Dublin.
"_When Orpheus went down_" (Vol. viii., pp. 196. 281.).--In addition to the
information given upon this old song by MR. OLDENSHAW, I beg to add the
following. It was written for and sung {398} by Mr. Beard, in a pantomimic
entertainment entitled _Orpheus and Euridice_, acted at the theatre in
Lincoln's Inn Fields in 1740. The author of the entertainment was Mr. Henry
Sommer, but the song in question was "translated from the Spanish" by the
Rev. Dr. Samuel Lisle, who died Rector of Burclere, Hants, 1767. It was
long very popular, and is found in almost all the song-books of the latter
half of the last century. Mr. Park, the editor of the last edition of
Ritson's _English Songs_ (vol. ii. p. 153.), has the following note upon
this song:
"An answer to this has been written in the way of echo, and in defence
of the fair sex, whom the Spanish author treated with such libellous
sarcasm."
As this "echo song" is not given by Ritson or his editor, I have
transcribed it from a broadside in my collection. It is said to have been
written by a lady.
"When Orpheus went down to the regions below,
To bring back the wife that he lov'd,
Old Pluto, confounded, as histories show,
To find that his music so mov'd:
That a woman so good, so virtuous, and fair,
Should be by a man thus trepann'd,
To give up her freedom for sorrow and care,
He own'd she deserv'd to be damn'd.
"For punishment he never study'd a whit,
The torments of hell had not pain
Sufficient to curse her; so Pluto thought fit
Her husband should have her again.
But soon he compassion'd the woman's hard fate,
And, knowing of mankind so well,
He recall'd her again, before 'twas too late,
And said, she'd be happier in hell."