On quitting Shrewsbury to return to his parents at Chester, the ardour
of young Burney for improvement was such as to absorb his whole being;
and his fear lest a moment of daylight should be profitless, led him to
bespeak a labouring boy, who rose with the sun, to awaken him regularly
with its dawn. Yet, as he durst not pursue his education at the expense
of the repose of his family, he hit upon the ingenious device of tying
one end of a ball of pack-thread round his great toe, and then letting
the ball drop, with the other end just within the boy’s reach, from an
aperture in the old-fashioned casement of his bed-chamber window.
This was no contrivance to dally with his diligence; he could not
choose but rise.
He was yet a mere youth, when, while thus unremittingly studious, he
was introduced to Dr. Arne, on the passage of that celebrated musician
through the city of Chester, when returning from Ireland: and this most
popular of English vocal composers since the days of Purcel, was so
much pleased with the talents of this nearly self-instructed performer,
as to make an offer to Mr. Burney senior, upon such conditions as are
usual to such sort of patronage, to complete the musical education of
this lively and aspiring young man; and to bring him forth to the world
as his favourite and most promising pupil.
To this proposal Mr. Burney senior was induced to consent; and, in the
year 1714, at the age of seventeen, the eager young candidate for fame
rapturously set off, in company with Dr. Arne, for the metropolis.