With a spirit greatly hurt through a lively sense of injustice, and
a laudable ambition surreptitiously suppressed by misconception and
prejudice, all that was left for Dr. Burney in this ungracious business
was to lament loss of time, and waste of meditation.
Yet, the matter being without redress, save by struggles which he
thought beneath the fair design of the enterprise, he combatted
the intrusion of availless discontent, by calling to his aid his
well-experienced antidote to inertness and discouragement, a quickened
application to changed, or renewed pursuits.
Again, therefore, he returned to his History of Music; and now,
indeed, he went to work with all his might. The capacious table of his
small but commodious study, exhibited, in what he called his chaos,
the countless increasing stores of his materials. Multitudinous, or,
rather, innumerous blank books, were severally adapted to concentrating
some peculiar portion of the work. Theory, practice; music of the
ancients; music in parts; national music; lyric, church, theatrical,
warlike music; universal biography of composers and performers, of
patrons and of professors; and histories of musical institutions, had
all their destined blank volumes.
And he opened a widely circulating correspondence, foreign and
domestic, with various musical authors, composers, and students,
whether professors or dilettante.
And for all this mass of occupation, he neglected no business, he
omitted no devoir. The system by which he obtained time that no one
missed, yet that gave to him lengthened life, independent of longevity
from years, was through the skill with which, indefatigably, he
profited from every fragment of leisure.
Every sick or failing pupil bestowed an hour upon his pen. Every
holiday for others, was a day of double labour to his composition. Even
illness took activity only from his body, for his mind refused all
relaxation. He had constantly, when indisposed, one of his daughters by
his side, as an amanuensis; and such was the vigour of his intellect,
that even when keeping his bed from acute rheumatism, spasmodic pains,
or lurking fever, he caught at every little interval of ease to
dictate some illustrative reminiscence; to start some new ideas, or to
generalize some old ones; which never failed to while away, partially
at least, the pangs of disease, by lessening their greatest torment to
a character of such energy, irreparable loss of time.
The plan, with proposals for printing the History by subscription, was
no sooner published, than the most honourable lists of orders were sent
to his booksellers, from various elegant classic scholars, and from all
general patrons or lovers of new enterprises and new works.
But that which deserves most remark, is a letter from two eminent
merchants of the city, Messieurs Chandler and Davis, to acquaint
the Doctor that a gentleman, who wished to remain concealed, had
authorised them to desire, that Dr. Burney would not suffer any failure
in the subscription, should any occur, to induce him to drop the work;
as this gentleman solemnly undertook to be himself responsible for
every set within the five hundred of the Doctor’s stipulation, that
should remain unsubscribed for on the ensuing Christmas. And Messrs.
Davis and Chandler were invested with full powers, to give any security
that might be demanded for the fulfilment of this engagement.
Dr. Burney wrote his most grateful thanks to this munificent protector
of his project; but declined all sort of tie upon the event. And
the subscription filled so voluntarily, that this generous unknown
was never called forth. Nor did he ever present himself; nor was he
ever discovered. But the incident helped to keep warmly alive the
predilection which the Doctor had early imbibed, in favour of the noble
spirit of liberality of the city and the citizens of his native land,
for whatever seems to have any claim to public character.