acquainted with this objection, generously ordered him to be told, that his acceptance of the pension should not restrain him from his promise, but that he should be at full liberty to be absent a year or more if he chose it. Soon after the place of master of the chapel was bestowed upon Handel; and having visited his mother, who was now aged and blind, and his old master Zackaw, and staid some time at the court of the elector palatine, he set out for England, where he arrived in 1710. Operas were then a new entertainment here, and Handel set a drama called. Rinaldo, which was performed with uncommon success. Having staid a year in this country he returned to Hanover; but, in 1712, again came over to England; and, the peace of Utrecht being concluded a few months afterward, he composed a grand Te Deum and Jubilate on the occasion. He now found the nobility very desirous that he should resume the direction of the opera house in the Hay Market; and queen Anne having added her authority to their solicitations, and conferred on him a pension of £200 a year, he remained in Britain till the death of the queen and the accession of king George I.; who added a pension of £200 a year to that bestowed by queen Anne; and this was soon after increased to £400, on his being appointed to teach the young princesses music.

In 1715 Handel composed his opera of Amadige; but from that time to 1720 he composed only Teseo and Pastor Fido. About this time a project was formed by the nobility for erecting a kind of academy at the Hay Market, to secure to themselves a constant supply of operas composed by Handel, and performed under his direction. No less than £50,000 were subscribed for this scheme, and it was proposed to continue the undertaking for fourteen years. Handel went over to Dresden, to engage singers, and returned with Senesino and Duristanti. Buononcini and Attilio had still a strong party, but not equal to that of Handel; and therefore in 1720 he obtained leave to perform his opera of Radamisto. The house was so crowded that many fainted; and £2 were offered by some for a seat in the gallery. The contention, however, still ran very high between Handel's party and that of the two Italian masters. It was on this occasion that dean Swift wrote the following epigram :

Some say that signior Buononcini
Compared to Handel 's a mere ninny :
Others do swear that to him Handel
Is hardly fit to hold the candle.
Strange that such high contests should be
*Twixt Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee!

At last it was determined that the rivals should be jointly employed in an opera, in which each should take a distinct act, and he who by the general suffrage was allowed to have given the best proof of his ability should be put in possession of the house. This opera was called Muzio Scævola, and Handel set the last act. It is said that Handel's superiority was owned even in the overture; but, when the act was performed, there remained no pretence for doubt. The academy was now firmly established, and Handel conducted it for nine years with great success;

but about that time an irreconcileable enmity took place between him and Senesino; whom Handel resolved to dismiss, and the nobility resolved not to permit him. The haughtiness of Handel's temper would not allow him to yield, and the affair ended in the dissolution of the academy. His audience dwindled away, and the offended nobility raised a subscription against him, to carry on operas in the play-house in Lincoln's Inn Fields. Against this opposition Handel bore up four years: three in partnership with Heidegger, and one by himself: but, though his own musical powers were superior to those of his antagonists, the astonishing voice of Farinelli, whom the opposite party had engaged, determined the victory against him. At last Handel, having spent all he was worth in a fruitless opposition, desisted; but was deranged for some time after, and his right arm was rendered useless by a stroke of the palsy. In this deplorable situation he was sent to the baths of Aixla-Chapelle; from which he received relief. Returning to England, in 1736, his Alexander's Feast was performed with applause at Covent Garden. The success and splendor of the Hay Market was by this time so much reduced by mismanagement, that lord Middlesex undertook the direction of it himself, and applied to Handel for composition. He accordingly composed his operas called Faramondo and Alessandro Severo, for which, in 1737, he received £1000. In 1738 he had £1500 from a single benefit, and nothing seemed wanting to retrieve his affairs, except such concessions on his part as his opponents had a right to expect. These, however, he could not be prevailed upon to make; and refused to enter into any engagements upon subscription. After having tried a few more operas at Covent Garden, without success, he introduced that species of music called oratorios, which he thought better suited to the gravity of an English audience. This was by some thought a profanation, and the oratorios at first met with little success; so that in 1741 Handel again quitted England, and went to Dublin. His Messiah here brought him into universal favor. In nine months he had brought his affairs into order; and on his return to England, in 1742, found the public more favorably disposed towards his oratorios. Messiah became a great favorite; and Handel, with a generous humanity, determined to perform it annually for the benefit of the Foundling Hospital. In 1743 he had a return of his paralytic disorder; and in 1751 became quite blind. This last affliction sunk him into the deepest despondency; and, finding it impossible to manage his oratorios alone, he was assisted by Mr. Smith, with whose aid they were continued till within eight days of his death. During the latter part of his life his mind was often disordered, yet at times it appears to have resumed its full vigor, and he composed several songs, choruses, &c. From October, 1758, his health declined very fast. On the 6th of April, 1759, his last oratorio was performed, at which he was present, and he died on the 14th. On the 20th he was buried in Westminster Abbey. His musical powers are best expressed by Arbuthnot's reply to Pope, who seriously asked his opinion of him

His

as a musician; 'Conceive,' said he, 'the highest you can of his abilities, and they are much beyond any thing you can conceive.'

HAND FAST, n. s. Hand and fast. custody. Obsolete.

Thou shalte stond by the post,
As thou were honde-fast.

Hold;

Chaucer. The Cokes Tale. If that shepherd be not in handfast, let him fly. Shakspeare. HAND-FASTING, an ancient custom which formerly took place in various parts of Scotland every year. At a stated time it was the custom for the unmarried persons of both sexes to choose a companion with whom they were to live till that time next year. If they were pleased with each other at that time, then they continued together for life; if not, they separated, and were free to make another choice as at first. The fruit of their connexion, if there were any, was always attached to the disaffected person. A priest, whom they named Book i' bosom,

because he carried in his bosom a bible or a register of the marriages, came from time to time to confirm the marriages. Mr. Brown traces this custom from the Romans.

HANDFUL, n. s. As much as the hand can grasp, or contain; sometimes expressive of length, or distance, rather than quantity; also a small quantity by comparison.

Being in possession of the town, they had their handful to defend themselves from firing. Raleigh. Take one vessel of silver and another of wood, each full of water, and knap the tongs together about an handful from the bottom, and the sound will be more resounding from the vessel of silver than that of wood.

Bacon.

He could not, with such a handful of men, and without cannon, propose reasonably to fight a battle. Clarendon.

The peaceful scabbard where it dwelt,
The rancour of its edge had felt;
For of the lower end two handful

It had devoured, it was so manful. Hudibras I saw a country gentleman at the side of Rosamond's pond, pulling a handful of oats out of his pocket, and gathering the ducks about him. Addison. HA'ND-GALLOP, n. s. A slow and easy gallop, in which the hand presses the bridle to hinder increase of speed.

Ovid, with all his sweetness, has as little variety of numbers and sounds as he: he is always upon a hand-gallop, and his verse runs upon carpet ground. Dryden.

The covenants thou shalt teach by candle-light, When puffing smiths, and every painful trade Of handicrafts, in peaceful beds are laid. Dryden. Particular members of convents have excellent mechanical geniuses, and divert themselves with painting, sculpture, architecture, gardening, and several kinds of handicrafts. Addison.

The prophaneness and ignorance of handicraftsmen, small-traders, servants, and the like, are to a degree very hard to be imagined greater. Swift.

It is the landed man that maintains the merchant Id.

and shop-keeper, and handicraftsmen. The nurseries for children of ordinary gentlemen and handicraftsmen are managed after the same manGulliver's Travels.

ner.

HAN'DIWORK, n. s. Handy and work. Work of the hand; product of labor; manufacture. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth his handiwork. Psalms. have gone upon my handiwork. As proper men as ever trod upon neat's-leather Shakspeare.

will of God, which wisheth to the works of his own hands, in that they are his own handiwork, all happiness; although, perhaps, for some special cause in our own particular, a contrary determination have seemed more convenient. Hooker.

In general they are not repugnant unto the natural

He parted with the greatest blessing of human nature for the handiwork of a taylor. L'Estrange. HANDKERCHIEF, n. s. Hand and kerchief. A piece of silk or linen used to wipe the face,

or cover the neck.

He was torn to pieces with a bear: this avouches the shepherd's son, who has not only his innocence, but a handkerchief and rings of his, that Paulina knows. Shakspeare.

She found her sitting in a chair, in one hand holding a letter, in the other her handkerchief, which had lately drunk up the tears of her eyes. Sidney.

Confederate in the cheat, they draw the throng, And cambric handkerchiefs reward the song. Gay. The Romans did not make use of handkerchiefs, but of the lacinia or border of the garment, to wipe their face. Arbuthnot.

HAN'DLE, v. a. & n. s. Belg. handelen; Swe. handla; Dan. handle. To touch, or feel, with the hand to manage; to make familiar with: figuratively, to treat; to mention in writing or conversation; to deal with, or practise upon : handle, that part by which any thing is held; and hence, figuratively, that of which use is made.

They that handle the law know me not.

Jerem. ii. 8. Leaving to the author the exact handling of every particular, and labouring to follow the rules of abridg2 Mac.

ment.

He left nothing fitting for the purpose Untouched, or slightly handled in discourse.

Camden. Manual occupa

O miserable age! virtue is not regarded in handicraftsmen. Shakspeare.

He has simply the best wit of any handicraftsman in Athens.

The principal bulk of the vulgar natives are tillers of the ground, free servants, and handicraftsmen; as smiths, masons, and carpenters. Bacon.

Fortune turneth the handle of the bottle, which is easy to be taken hold of; and after the belly, which is hard to grasp.

Bacon.

Then Criticism the Muse's handmaid proved, To dress her charms and make her more beloved.

more, when we handle the communication of sounds.

Id.

There is nothing but hath a double handle, or at least we have two hands to apprehend it. Taylor.

By Guidas Ubaldus, in his treatise, for the explication of this instrument, the subtilties of it are largely and excellently handled. Wilkins's Dædalus.

They were well enough pleased to be rid of an enemy that had handled them so ill. Clarendon.

A carpenter that had got the iron work of an axe, begged only so much wood as would make a handle to it. L'Estrange.

An incurable shyness is the general vice of the Irish horses, and is hardly ever seen in Flanders, because the hardness of the winters forces the breeders there to house and handle their colts six months every year.

Temple.

HAND'MILL, n. s. moved by the hand.

Byron. Don Juan, Hand and mill. A mill

Oft the drudging ass is driven with toil; Returning late, and loaden home with gain Of bartered pitch, and handmills for the grain. Dryden. HANDS off. A vulgar phrase for keep off; forbear.

They cut a stag into parts; but, as they were entering upon the dividend, hands off says the lion.

L'Estrange.

My buckler cut through and through, and my sword hacked like a handsaw. Shakspeare.

To perform this work, it is necessary to be provided with a strong knife and a small handsaw. Mortimer.

HANDSEL, n. s. & v. a. Dutch, hansel, a first gift. The first act of using any thing; the first act of sale. It is now not used, except in the dialect of trade.

The apostles term it the pledge of our inheritance, and the handsel or earnest of that which is to come. Hooker.

Thou art joy's handsel; heaven lies flat in thee, Subject to every mounter's bended knee. Herbert. In timorous deer he handsels his young paws, And leaves the rugged bear for firmer claws. Cowley. I'd show you

How easy 'tis to die, by my example,

And handsel fate before you.

HA'NDSOME, adj. & v. a.

HAND'SOMELY, adv.
HAND'SOMENESS, n. s.

dexterous.

Dryden.

Gothic, handsum; Dut. handsaem, ready,

These words denote a species of corporeal beauty, and is a general assemblage of whatever is agreeable in person or figure: in manner, it signifies dignity; grace; elegance; in act, convenience; liberality; generosity.

A carpenter, after he hath sawn down a tree, hath wrought it handsomely, and made a vessel thereof. Wisdom.

Under it he may cleanly convey any fit pillage that cometh handsomely in his way. Spenser.

For a thief it is so handsome, as it may seem it was first invented for him. Id.

For handsomeness' sake, it were good you hang the upper glass upon a nail. Bacon.

Him all repute

For his device in handsoming a suit;

To judge of lace he hath the best conceit. Donne. In cloths, cheap handsomeness doth bear the bell. Herbert.

Accompanying her mourning garments with a doleful countenance, yet neither forgetting handsomeness in her mourning garments, nor sweetness in her doleful Sidney.

countenance.

When the kind nymph, changing her faultless shake,

Becomes unhandsome, handsomely to 'scape.

Waller.

That easiness and handsome address in writing is hardest to be attained by persons bred in a meaner way. Felton. HAND-VICE, n. s. Hand and vice. A vice to hold small work in.-Moxon.

HAND-WRITING, n. s. Hand and writing. A cast or form of writing peculiar to each hand. That you beat me at the mart, I have your hand to show;

If the skin were parchment, and the blows you gave me ink,

Your own handwriting would tell you what I think.

Shakspeare.

To no other cause than the wise providence of God can be referred the diversity of handwritings.

Cockburn. HA'NDY-DANDY, n. s. A play in which children change hands and places.

See how yond justice rails upon yond simple thief! Hark in thine ear: change places; and, handy-dandy, which is the justice, which is the thief? Shakspeare, Neither cross and pile, nor ducks and drakes, are quite so ancient as handy-dandy.

Arbuthnot and Pope. HANG, v. a. Preter. and part. pass. hanged or hung, anciently hong. Sax. pangan. All the northern dialects have this word. To suspend; to fasten in such a manner as to be sustained, not below, but above.

Strangely visited people he cures ; Hanging a golden stamp about their necks; Put on with holy prayers.

Shakspeare.

The beauties of this place should mourn; The immortal fruits and flowers at my return Should hang their withered head; for sure my breast Is now more poisonous. Dryden. The rose is fragrant, but it fades in time; The violet sweet, but quickly past the prime; While lilies hang their heads, and soon decay; And whiter snow in minutes melts away. The cheerful birds no longer sing; Each drops his head, and hangs his wing.

Id.

Prior. To fix in such a manner as in some directions to be moveable.

The gates and the chambers they renewed, and hanged doors upon them. 1 Mac. iv. 57.

To cover or charge by any thing suspended. Hung be the heavens with black, yield day to night! Shakspeare.

The pavement ever foul with human gore; Heads and their mangled members hung the door. Dryden.

To furnish with ornaments or draperies fastened to the wall.

Musick is better in chambers wainscotted than hanged. Bacon.

If e'er my pious father for my sake Did grateful offerings on thy altars make, Or I increased them with my sylvan toils, And hang thy holy roofs with savage spoils, Give me to scatter these. Sir Roger has hung several parts of his house with the trophies of his labours. Addison.

Dryden.

Thus o'er the dying lamp the unsteady flame, Hangs quivering on the point, leaps off by fits And falls again as loth to quit its hold.

HANG, v. n.

Id.

To depend; to fall loosely on the lower part; to dangle.

Upon her shoulders wings she wears, Like hanging sleeves, lined through with ears. Hudibras.

If gaming does an aged sire entice, Then

my young master swiftly learns the vice, And shakes in hanging sleeves the little box and dice. Dryden.

To bend forward.

By hanging is only meant a posture of bending forward to strike the enemy. Addison. To float; to play.

And fall these sayings from that gentle tongue, Where civil speech and soft persuasion hung? Prior. To be supported by something raised above the ground.

Whatever is placed on the head may be said to hang; as we call hanging gardens such as are planted on the top of the house. Addison.

To rest upon by embracing.

She hung about my neck, and kiss on kiss
Shakspeare.

She vied.

HANG'ER, n. s. HANG'ER-ON, HANG'ING, n. s. HANG'MAN, n. s.

Derivatives of hang. Hanger is that by which any thing

Shangs in a depending po

sition; a short broad sword. Hanger-on, a dependent; one who eats and drinks without payment. Hanging, drapery hung against the walls by way of ornament; foreboding death by the halter. Hangman, a public executioner; a term of reproach.

Beforen his triumphe walketh she, With gilte chaines on hire necke honging.

Chaucer. The Monkes Tale.

One cried, God bless us! and Amen! the other; As they had seen me with these hangman's hands : Listening their fear, I could not say Amen, When they did say God bless us.

Shakspeare, will,

A storm, or robbery, call it what you Shook down my mellow hangings, nay, my leaves, And left me bare to weather.

Id.

In so ill case, that God hath with his hand Signed kings blank charters to kill whom they hate; Nor are they vicars, but hangmen to fate. Donne. Being informed that his breakfast was ready, he drew towards the door, where the hangings were held up.

Clarendon.

If the wife or children were absent, their rooms were supplied by the umbræ, or hangers-on. Browne. This monster sat like a hangman upon a pair of gallows; in his right hand he was painted holding a crown of laurel, and in his left hand a purse of money. Sidney.

Her eyes with scalding rheum were galled and red, Cold palsy shook her head, her hands seemed withered,

And on her crooked shoulders she had wrapped
The tattered remnants of an old striped hanging,
Which served to keep her carcase from the cold.
Otway's Orphan.

Now purple hangings cloath the palace walls, And sumptuous feasts are made in splendid halls. Dryden. Lucas Van Leyden has infected all Europe with his designs for tapestry, which, by the ignorant, are called ancient hangings. Id.

What Ethiops lips he has!

How full a snout, and what a hanging face! Id. They all excused themselves save two, which two he reckoned his friends, and all the rest hangers-on. L'Estrange.

I never new a critick, who made it his business to lash the faults of other writers, that was not guilty of greater himself; as the hangman is generally a worse malefactor than the criminal that suffers by his hand. Addison.

Rome oft has heard a cross haranguing, With prompting priests behind the hanging.

Prior. He is a perpetual hanger-on, yet nobody knows how to be without him. Swift.

HANGER (George), or colonel Hanger, lord Coleraine, was destined for the army, and a commission was procured for him at an early period of life. He served in America during the war of independence, but was never after