HAP. I.] Early Recollections. 15 



to receive his lessons, leaving his little companions (with 

 whom our neighbourhood abounded) with the greatest 

 cheerfulness to go to his father, who was so pleased with his 

 performances that I think it must have been in October or 

 November he made him play a solo on the Adempken in 

 Eake's concert, being placed on a table before a crowded 

 company, for which he was very much applauded and 

 caressed, particularly by an English lady, who put a gold 

 coin in his little pocket. 



" It was not long before my father had as many scholars 

 as he could find time to attend, for some of those he had 

 left behind returned to him again, and several families who 

 had sons of about the age of my little brother, became his 

 pupils and proved in time very good performers. And 

 when they assembled at my father's to make little concerts, 

 I was frequently called to join the second violin in an 

 overture, for my father found pleasure in giving me some- 

 times a lesson before the instruments were laid by after 

 practising with Dietrich, for I never was missing at those 

 hours, sitting in a corner with my knitting and listening all 

 the while." 



A serious interruption of this and all other occupa- 

 tions was caused by a severe attack of typhus fever 

 which in the summer of 1761 threatened to be fatal, 

 and 



" reduced my strength to that degree that for several 

 months after I was obliged to mount the stairs on my hands 

 and feet like an infant ; but here I will remark that from 

 that time to this present day (June 5, 1821) I do not 

 remember ever to have spent a whole day in bed." 



In spite of her strong objections to learning, the 



