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MADAME D'ARBLAY.

MISS FRANCES BURNEY, afterwards Madame D'Arblay, was born at Lynn Regis, in Norfolk, on the 13th June, 1752. She was the second daughter and third child of Dr. Burney, a musical professor of great skill, afterwards well known in the literary world as the author of an erudite History of Music.

She was, during her childhood, the most backward of all his family; indeed, at eight years old, she was ignorant of the letters of the alphabet, though at ten, she began scribbling almost incessantly, little works of invention, in private, in characters illegible to all but herself.

Previous to this time, which she herself terms the period of her "writing mania," she recollected hearing a neighbouring lady recommend to her mother the quickening of her attention by chastisement; but her alarm was instantly superseded by gratitude and surprise, when she heard gently murmured in reply, “No, no,-I am not uneasy about Fanny !"

She soon began to convert every scrap of white paper which she could procure, into elegies, odes, plays, songs,

stories, tragedies, and epic poems; which, however, were never shown to any one but to her younger sister Susanna, whose praises rendered their secret readings the happiest moments of their girlish days.

At fifteen, Miss Burney began to consider it as her duty to subdue this writing passion, and accordingly, seizing an opportunity when her parents were from home, she made a bonfire of all her literary performances, in a paved play-court, resolving henceforth to abstain from scribbling.

The last of her works committed to the flames was one entitled "The History of Caroline Evelyn." Of this tale, however, she retained so vivid and animated an impression, and the singular situations to which Caroline's infant daughter, "Evelina," might be exposed between the elegant connexions of her mother, and the vulgar ones of her grandmother, were so irresistibly and unconsciously imprinted on her mind, and pent up in her memory, long before a paragraph was committed to paper, that, subsequently, her celebrated novel, entitled EVELINA," was the result of these recollections; and ten years afterwards, in 1788, it was given to the world, under very peculiar circumstances, which have been recently disclosed by herself, in her delightful "Diary and Correspondence,"to which the reader is referred for the most interesting and curious account of any celebrated literary production that was perhaps ever put on record. In the meantime we must glance briefly at the period of her life preceding this event.

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Notwithstanding all her precautions, Mrs. Burney's

See Vol. I. of the " Diary and Correspondence of the Author of Evelina."

vigilant eye had early discovered her step-daughter's love of seclusion, and from scraps of writing, and other tokens of her favourite employments, perhaps arose her alarm lest she should become that dreaded thing, an authoress. In spite, however, of her vigilance, it was to be! Miss Burney's vocation was her pen, and she eventually became one of the most popular writers of the day.

When in London, she used to write in a little playroom up two pair of stairs, which contained the toys of the younger members of the family. At Lynn, to which place they paid annual visits, after they had quitted it as a residence, she would shut herself up in a summerhouse, which went by the name of the cabin, and there amuse herself by committing to paper the numerous ideas with which her mind was teeming.

After the heroic immolation of her compositions to filial duty, the embryo authoress, for some time perhaps adhering to her resolution of composing no more works of fiction, made herself amends by commencing a Journal,* which she continued without intermission for many years, and which she dedicated to "NOBODY."

"To whom" (she says) "must I dedicate my wonderful, surprising, and interesting adventures ?-to whom dare I reveal my private opinions of my nearest relations? my secret thoughts of my dearest friends? my own hopes, fears, reflections, and dislikes?-Nobody." In the introduction to her Journal, she says, have some account of my thoughts, manners, acquaintance, and actions, when the hour arrives at which time is more nimble than memory, is the reason which induces

"To

*This is the "Diary" which we have referred to in a preceding page.

me to keep a Journal-a Journal in which I must confess my every thought, must open my whole heart."

Finding, probably, that her early literary performances procured her more discredit than honour, Miss Burney very sagely resolved to devote herself to some usual and commonplace feminine avocations, and in her Lynn Journal she states, that " she never indulged herself with writing and reading except in the afternoon, always scrupulously devoting her time to needlework till after dinner."

Luckily for the world, these repasts were taken at a much earlier period when Miss Burney was a child, than in the present day, or perhaps, instead of "Evelina," "Cecilia," and "Camilla," no memorials of her would have been handed down to posterity, beyond some old screen and chair covers, even now so often the resource from the attacks of ennui, of the industrious idlers of more modern times.

In company, or before strangers, Miss Burney, from the earliest childhood, was exceedingly silent and reserved, and from the gravity and composure of her appearance, was often termed "the old lady," by the friends who frequented her father's house. But, like many other persons, she was an acute observer of what was passing around, and at times, when her timidity was overcome by an ebullition of spirits, she would enact imaginary characters of her own invention, or, after seeing a play, take off the actors, and compose speeches for them, before she could read their parts.

The only regular instruction she ever received, was when she was, together with her sister Susanna, placed for a short period at a boarding-school in Queen-square, that they might be out of the way during their mother's

last illness; and when the melancholy tidings of this lady's death were communicated to them, the agony of Frances, though then but nine years of age, was so great, that the governess declared she had never met with a child of such intense feelings.

But though she received little regular education, there was no want of industry and application on her part; for, at an early age, she became acquainted with the best authors in her father's library, of which she had the uncontrolled range; and she was accustomed to make extracts from, and remarks upon, the books she read, some of which it is said would not have disgraced her maturer judgment.

She had also the advantage of the example of her father's own industry and perseverance, to stimulate her to exertion; for Dr. Burney, notwithstanding his numerous professional engagements as a teacher of music, studied and acquired the French and Italian languages on horseback, from pocket grammars and vocabularies he had written out for the purpose.

In the French language his daughter Frances received some instructions from her sister Susanna, who was educated in France; and in Latin, at a later period, she had some lessons from Dr. Johnson himself, though, it must be confessed, she does not seem to have taken much delight in this study-applying to that learned language rather to please her tutor than herself.

Dr. Burney had at this period a large circle of intellectual and even literary acquaintance, and at his house often congregated an agreeable but miscellaneous society, including, besides many eminent for literature, several accomplished foreigners, together with our native artists and scientific men; and his children, emancipated