OR, THE
BY
WHEREIN
WHEREBY
BEING
Pars pedibus plaudant Choreas
,----Virg. Aenid. 6.
LONDON: Printed by H. Meere, at the Black Fryars,for the Author, and are to be sold by P.Valliant, French Booksellernear Catherine-Street, in the Strand. 1706.
Tho’
Dancing
and
Musick
seem to be of near an equal Antiquity,and even of an equal Extent, yet
Musick
has long receiv’d an Advantage,which
Dancing
wanted.
Musick
has employ’d the Pens of manyof the Learned, both Ancient and Modern, and has had the Benefit of anuniversal Character, which convey’d the harmonious Compositions to allLovers of the
Art
in all Nations.
Dancing
, on the contrary,tho’ celebrated by Ancient Authors in an extraordinary manner, and withuncommon Praises, (as I shall shew in a Treatise, which I shall suddenlypublish on that Subject) yet among the Moderns, it has been wholly unknownto the Learned, and destitute of all Pens, in either the speculative orpractick part of the
Art
, which for want of an universal Character,was confin’d to the immediate Master and Scholar, or at farthest, to anarrow traditional Instruction, which none could participate of withouta Teacher, who had been taught by some other, either Composer, or Scholarof such Composer. This Inconvenience at length stirr’d up Monsieur
Beauchamp
to begin what Monsieur
Feuillet
accomplish’d in the following Treatise,which tho’ for some time enjoy’d by the
French
Nation, as a nativeGrowth,
now first appears
in its true and just Extent in its Transplantationinto the
English
Climate and Language.
The Service to the Lovers and Professors of this Art, havingbeen the chief Motive of my Undertaking so difficult a Province, that wewho enjoy the Happiness of so Great a Master as Mr. Isaac, shouldnot want the Advantage of spreading that Excellence in this Art,which renders him so admir’d by all who have any Taste of it; so havingreceiv’d such great and generous Encouragement in this Study from you,Sir; the Product of that Encouragement and Study does, as it were, outof a natural Right and just Gratitude, seek Shelter u