3s 
and father of the prefent fcientific and 
amgenious Meflrs. Charles and Samuel 
Wefley, fet to mufic a colletion of 
Hymns, written by that gentleman, the» path of excellence. 
melodies of which are peculiarly elegant, 
yet exceedingly chafte and appropriate. 
In the catch and glee flyle he has given 
the moft convincing examples of his di- 
verfity of tafle and ingenuity ; mm evidence 
of which it is only neceflary to mention 
his ‘* OG my Clariia, cruel Fair?—“ I 
Tou'd thee, beautiful and kind “—* Con- 
fen’'d to Daft beneath this Stone’’— 
** Here on his Back lies Sir John Keeling”’ 
—and “‘ Ye Birds for whom I rear’d this 
Grove.” About the year 1770 he was 
zmong the candidates for the gold-medal 
given by the Nob!lemen’s Catch-club at 
the Thatched Houte, St, James’s-fireet, 
to the compofer of the belt cheerful glee, 
which medal he obtained by his charming 
and well-known glee for three voices, 
€¢ Underneath this myrtle fhade.”” As 
proofs of the beauty. and originality of his 
taney in ballad compofition, every one 
will admit the charming paitoral melody 
~ ef ** Ye Shepherds and Nymphs of the 
Grove’’—the mellifluous and affetting 
air of ** When Damon lapguifhed at my 
Feet,’ formerly {ung by Mrs. Baddely, 
in the Tragedy of the Gamefter,—the ex- 
preffive paflages in ‘‘ When Beauty onthe 
over’s Cheek,’ and above all, his po- 
pular and univerfally admired ‘* Kate of 
tiberdeen,” fung by Mifs Polly Young, 
at Ranelagh, the beauty and {weetnefs of 
which will be felt and acknowledged in 
this country as long as talte for vocal 
youtic exiks. 
Mr. Battithill having poffefied fuch ex- 
traordinary refources of mind, heightened 
and poiifhed by early ftudy and praétical 
application, the world wil] naturally be 
furprized, that during fo many of the 
Hatter years of his life he has appeared fo 
feidom in the lift of publifhing compofers ; 
tor excepting two excellent collections of 
three and four-part fongs, publithed by 
fub{cription, twenty-fix years ago, and a 
few airs compoied for a work projected 
about twelve years fince by Mr. Harrt- 
fon, late cf Paternofter-row, nothing from 
his pen has appeared within thefe laft 
thirty years. 
Tt is feared that an exceflive indulgence 
of his love of reading, and a too-frequent 
diffipation of his time in convivial parties, 
jeft but little opportunity for the proyer 
exertion of thofe faculties with which na-. 
ture had fo liberally endowed him: to 
thefe cauies may, perhaps, he added, the 
pernicious but tuo frequent effect of early: 
Memsirs of the late Mr. Batiifpill 
* Feb. i; 
_ praife, a reputation too rapidly acquired, 
and the want of the neceffary ftimulus of 
fome powerful rival in his own particular 
His library was al- 
ways increafing ; and he had at one time 
‘ acoumulated between fix and feven thou-- 
fand volumes of the bef editions of our 
claffical authors, moft of them fuperbly 
bound.  Amidi thefe he employed alf 
the hours not occupied with his pupils or 
.feftive friends. To this negleét of mu- 
fical ftudy, and ftrange divifion of his 
time (from whatever caufe they fprung), 
we are to attribute his not becoming the 
greateft mufician this country ever pro-~ 
duced, Purcel excepted, and the lofs’ of 
many a compofition that would have done 
honour to the catalogue of Enelifh mufic. 
To this fame fupmenefs we are alfo to — 
impute the premature decay of that energy 
and warmth of imagination which had 
formerly been infeparable from his per- 
formance on the organ. Yet he fome- 
times, even to the lait, recovered a gleam 
of his native fire, and in finely-conceived 
fugues poured forth all the powers of har- 
mony and refponfive melody. 
In the year 1775 Mrs. Battifhill died ; 
after her deceafe, lefs of Mr. Battifhill’s 
time was fpent at home than during her 
life, fo that, though he read lefs, pro- 
feffional ftudy was equally neglected, and 
he remained contented with the repute he 
had already acquired. He was bleft with 
an uncommonly {trong conflitution: but the 
excefies in which he of late too frequently in- 
dulged, together with his infuperable grief 
for the lofs of his friend Colonel Morris, 
lately killed in Flanders, vifibly preyed 
upon his health; and he beeame fo “ill 
during the laft autumn, as to be confined 
to his chamber. He was advifed to try 
fea-bathing and the air of Margate, but 
thefe rendered him no fervice. He re- 
turned from that place rather worfe than 
when he left town ; and, agreeably to the. 
advice of his phyficians, took apartments 
at Iflingten, where his general debility 
ftill continued to increafe, and where he 
expired on Thurfday, the roth of De- 
cember, 1801, aged fixty-three years. _ 
During his illnefs many of his friends 
were folicitoufly attentive to his fituation: 
amongft the kindeft of whom were Ro- 
bert James, efq. of Queen-fquare ; Mifs 
Pope, of Drury-lane Theatre; and Mr. 
Page, vicar-choral of St. Paul’s.- On 
the Tuefday: following he was ‘1tnterred, 
according to his dying-with, in the vaults” 
of that Cathedral, near the grave of Dr. 
Boyce, on which occafion his own-excel- 
lent Anthem, * @all to. Remembrance,” ” 
was 
