MadameD’ARBLAY.
By lord Macaulay.
Frances Burney was descended from a family which bore
the name of Macburney, and which, though probably
of Irish origin, had been long settled in Shropshire
and was possessed of considerable estates in that
county. Unhappily, many years before her birth,
the Macburneys began, as if of set purpose and in a
spirit of determined rivalry, to expose and ruin themselves.
The heir apparent, Mr. James Macburney offended his
father by making a runaway rnatch with an actress
from Goodman’s -fields — The old gentleman
could devise no more judicious mode of wreaking vengeance
on his undutiful boy than by marrying the cook.
The cook gave birth to a son, named Joseph, who succeeded
to all the lands of the family, while James was cut
off with a shilling. The favourite son, however,
was so extravagant that he soon became as poor as
his disinherited brother. Both were forced to
earn their bread by their labour. Joseph turned
dancing-master and settled in Norfolk. James
struck off the Mac from the beginning of his name
and set up as a portrait painter at Chester.
Here he had a son, named Charles, well known as the
author of the “History of Music” and as
the father of two remarkable children, of a son distinguished
by learning and of a daughter still more honourably
distinguished by genius.
Charles early showed a taste for that art of which,
at a later period, he became the historian.
He was apprenticed to a celebrated musician(1) in
London, and He applied himself to study with vigour
and success. He early found a kind and munificent
Patron in Fulk Greville, a highborn and highbred man,
who seems to have had in large measure all the accomplishments
and all the follies, all the virtues and all the vices,
which, a hundred years ago, were considered as making
up the character of a fine gentleman. Under
such protection, the young artist had every pros-Page
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pect of a brilliant career in the capital. But
-his health failed. It became necessary for him
to retreat from the smoke and river fog of London
to the pure air of the coast. He accepted the
place of organist at Lynn, and settled at that town
with a young lady who had recently become his wife.(2)
At Lynn, in June, 1752, Frances Burney was born.(3)
Nothing in her childhood indicated that she would,
while still a young woman, have secured for herself
an honourable and permanent place among English writers.
She was shy and silent. Her brothers and sisters
called her a dunce, and not altogether without some
show of reason ; for at eight years old she did not
know her letters.
In 1760, Mr. Burney quitted Lynn for London, and took
a house in Poland-street; a situation which had been
fashionable in the reign of Queen Anne, but which,
since that time, had been deserted by most of its
wealthy and noble inhabitants. He afterwards
resided in St. Martin’s- street, on the south
side of Leicestersquare. His house there is still
well known, and will continue to be well known as
long as our island retains any trace of civilisation
; for it was the dwelling of Newton, and the square
turret which distinguishes it from all the surrounding
buildings was Newton’s observatory,
