Anxious to improve as well as to prosper2 in his profession, he also elaborately studied composition, and brought forth7 several musical pieces; all of
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which that are authenticated8, will be enumerated9 in a general list of his musical works.
And thus, with a felicity that made toil10 delicious, through labour repaid by prosperity; exertions11, by comfort; fatigue12, by soothing13 tenderness; and all the fond passions of juvenile14 elasticity15, by the charm of happiest sympathy,—began, and were rolling on, equally blissful and busy, the first wedded16 years of this animated17 young couple;—when a storm suddenly broke over their heads, which menaced one of those deadly catastrophes18, that, by engulphing one loved object in that “bourne whence no traveller returns,” tears up for ever by the root all genial19, spontaneous, unsophisticated happiness, from the survivor20.
Mr. Burney, whether from overstrained efforts in business; or from an application exceeding his physical powers in composition; or from the changed atmosphere of Cheshire, Shropshire, and Wiltshire, for the confined air of our great and crowded city; which had not then, as now, by a vast mass of improvement, been made nearly as sane21 as it is populous22; suddenly fell, from a state of the most vigorous health, to one the most alarming, of premature23 decay. And to this defalcation24 of strength was
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shortly added the seizure25 of a violent and dangerous fever that threatened his life.
The sufferings of the young wife, who was now also a young mother, can only be conceived by contrasting them with her so recent happiness. Yet never did she permit grief to absorb her faculties26, nor to vanquish27 her fortitude28. She acted with the same spirited force of mind, as if she had been a stranger to the timid terrors of the heart. She superintended all that was ordered; she executed, where it was possible, all that was performed; she was sedulously29 careful that no business should be neglected; and her firmness in all that belonged to the interests of her husband, seemed as invulnerable as if that had been her sole occupation; though never, for a moment, was grief away from her side, and though perpetually, irresistibly30 she wept,—for sorrow with the youthful is always tearful. Yet she strove to disallow31 herself that indulgence; refusing time even for gently wiping from her cheeks the big drops of liquid anguish32 which coursed their way; and only, and hastily, almost with displeasure, brushing them off with her hand; while resolutely33 continuing, or renewing, some useful operation, as if she were but mechanically engaged.
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All this was recorded by her adoring husband in an elegy34 of after-times.
The excellent and able Dr. Armstrong, already the friend of the invalid35, was now sent to his aid by the Hon. and Rev36. Mr. Home, who had conceived the warmest esteem37 for the subject of these memoirs38. The very sight of this eminent39 physician was medicinal; though the torture he inflicted40 by the blister41 after blister with which he deemed it necessary to almost cover, and almost flay42 alive, his poor patient, required all the high opinion in which that patient held the doctor’s skill for endurance.
The unsparing, but well-poised, prescriptions43 of this poetical44 Æsculapius, succeeded, however, in dethroning and extirpating45 the raging fever, that, perhaps, with milder means, had undermined the sufferer’s existence. But a consumptive menace ensued, with all its fearful train of cough, night perspiration46, weakness, glassy eyes, and hectic47 complexion48; and Dr. Armstrong, foreseeing an evil beyond the remedies of medicine, strenuously49 urged an adoption50 of their most efficient successor, change of air.
The patient, therefore, was removed to Canonbury-house; whence, ere long, by the further advice, nay51, injunction, of Dr. Armstrong, he was compelled
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to retire wholly from London; after an illness by which, for thirteen weeks, he had been confined to his bed.
Most fortunately, Mr. Burney, at this time, had proposals made to him by a Norfolk baronet, Sir John Turner, who was member for Lynn Regis, of the place of organist of that royal borough52; of which, for a young man of talents and character, the Mayor and Corporation offered to raise the salary from twenty to one hundred pounds a year; with an engagement for procuring53 to him the most respectable pupils from all the best families in the town and its neighbourhood.
Though greatly chagrined54 and mortified55 to quit a situation in which he now was surrounded by cordial friends, who were zealously56 preparing for him all the harmonical honours which the city holds within its patronage57; the declining health of the invalid, and the forcibly pronounced opinion of his scientific medical counsellor, decided58 the acceptance of this proposal; and Mr. Burney, with his first restored strength, set out for his new destination.
点击收听单词发音
1 housekeeper | |
n.管理家务的主妇,女管家 | |
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2 prosper | |
v.成功,兴隆,昌盛;使成功,使昌隆,繁荣 | |
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3 meridian | |
adj.子午线的;全盛期的 | |
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4 influential | |
adj.有影响的,有权势的 | |
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5 vacancy | |
n.(旅馆的)空位,空房,(职务的)空缺 | |
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6 fabrics | |
织物( fabric的名词复数 ); 布; 构造; (建筑物的)结构(如墙、地面、屋顶):质地 | |
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7 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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8 authenticated | |
v.证明是真实的、可靠的或有效的( authenticate的过去式和过去分词 );鉴定,使生效 | |
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9 enumerated | |
v.列举,枚举,数( enumerate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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10 toil | |
vi.辛劳工作,艰难地行动;n.苦工,难事 | |
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11 exertions | |
n.努力( exertion的名词复数 );费力;(能力、权力等的)运用;行使 | |
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12 fatigue | |
n.疲劳,劳累 | |
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13 soothing | |
adj.慰藉的;使人宽心的;镇静的 | |
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14 juvenile | |
n.青少年,少年读物;adj.青少年的,幼稚的 | |
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15 elasticity | |
n.弹性,伸缩力 | |
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16 wedded | |
adj.正式结婚的;渴望…的,执著于…的v.嫁,娶,(与…)结婚( wed的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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17 animated | |
adj.生气勃勃的,活跃的,愉快的 | |
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18 catastrophes | |
n.灾祸( catastrophe的名词复数 );灾难;不幸事件;困难 | |
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19 genial | |
adj.亲切的,和蔼的,愉快的,脾气好的 | |
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20 survivor | |
n.生存者,残存者,幸存者 | |
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21 sane | |
adj.心智健全的,神志清醒的,明智的,稳健的 | |
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22 populous | |
adj.人口稠密的,人口众多的 | |
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23 premature | |
adj.比预期时间早的;不成熟的,仓促的 | |
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24 defalcation | |
n.盗用公款,挪用公款,贪污 | |
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25 seizure | |
n.没收;占有;抵押 | |
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26 faculties | |
n.能力( faculty的名词复数 );全体教职员;技巧;院 | |
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27 vanquish | |
v.征服,战胜;克服;抑制 | |
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28 fortitude | |
n.坚忍不拔;刚毅 | |
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29 sedulously | |
ad.孜孜不倦地 | |
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30 irresistibly | |
adv.无法抵抗地,不能自持地;极为诱惑人地 | |
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31 disallow | |
v.不允许;拒绝 | |
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32 anguish | |
n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦,烦恼 | |
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33 resolutely | |
adj.坚决地,果断地 | |
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34 elegy | |
n.哀歌,挽歌 | |
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35 invalid | |
n.病人,伤残人;adj.有病的,伤残的;无效的 | |
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36 rev | |
v.发动机旋转,加快速度 | |
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37 esteem | |
n.尊敬,尊重;vt.尊重,敬重;把…看作 | |
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38 memoirs | |
n.回忆录;回忆录传( mem,自oir的名词复数) | |
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39 eminent | |
adj.显赫的,杰出的,有名的,优良的 | |
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40 inflicted | |
把…强加给,使承受,遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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41 blister | |
n.水疱;(油漆等的)气泡;v.(使)起泡 | |
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42 flay | |
vt.剥皮;痛骂 | |
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43 prescriptions | |
药( prescription的名词复数 ); 处方; 开处方; 计划 | |
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44 poetical | |
adj.似诗人的;诗一般的;韵文的;富有诗意的 | |
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45 extirpating | |
v.消灭,灭绝( extirpate的现在分词 );根除 | |
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46 perspiration | |
n.汗水;出汗 | |
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47 hectic | |
adj.肺病的;消耗热的;发热的;闹哄哄的 | |
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48 complexion | |
n.肤色;情况,局面;气质,性格 | |
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49 strenuously | |
adv.奋发地,费力地 | |
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50 adoption | |
n.采用,采纳,通过;收养 | |
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51 nay | |
adv.不;n.反对票,投反对票者 | |
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52 borough | |
n.享有自治权的市镇;(英)自治市镇 | |
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53 procuring | |
v.(努力)取得, (设法)获得( procure的现在分词 );拉皮条 | |
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54 chagrined | |
adj.懊恼的,苦恼的v.使懊恼,使懊丧,使悔恨( chagrin的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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55 mortified | |
v.使受辱( mortify的过去式和过去分词 );伤害(人的感情);克制;抑制(肉体、情感等) | |
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56 zealously | |
adv.热心地;热情地;积极地;狂热地 | |
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57 patronage | |
n.赞助,支援,援助;光顾,捧场 | |
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58 decided | |
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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