f 2 99 ] 



firft treble being fet before him, he would immediately add an ex* 

 temporary bafe and fecond treble to it. 



Having happened to mention this readinefs in the boy to 

 Bremner (the Printer of mufic in the Strand), he told me that he 

 had fome leflbns which were fuppofed to have been compofed for 

 Queen Elizabeth ; but which none of the harpfichord matters 

 could execute, and would confequently gravel the young per- 

 former. I however deiired that he would let me carry one of 

 thefe compofitions to him by way of trial, which I accordingly 

 did, when the boy immediately placed it upon his delk, and was 

 fitting down to play it ; but I flopped him, by mentioning the 

 difficuties he would foon encounter, and that therefore he muft 

 call: his eye over the mufic before he made the attempt. 



Having done this very rapidly (for he is a devourer of a {core, 

 and conceives at once the effect of the different parts), he faid that 

 Bremner was in the right, for that there were two or three paffages 

 which he could not play at fight, as they were fo queer and auk- 

 ward, but that he had no notion of not trying ; and though he 

 boggled at thefe parts of the leflbn, he executed them cleanly at 

 the fecond practice s, 



I then alked him how he approved of the compofition ? to 

 which he anfwered, " not at all, though he might differ from a 

 if queen ; and that, attention had not been paid to fome of the 

 " eftablifhed rules." He then pointed out the particular paffages 

 to which he objected, and I ftated them to Bremner, who allowed 

 that the boy was right ; but that fome of the great compofef s had 

 occasionally taken the fame liberties. 



5 Poffibly though he fucceeded in this attempt, fome of the other 

 leffons might have been too difficult; but I had only this (ingle one to 

 lay before him. 



Q^q 2 The 



