Charles Young refused to sanction his daughter's marriage with Arne on account of the latter's religious principles. It is said he never forgave her.[6] In the year of his marriage, Arne wrote the incidental music for "Zara," a tragedy produced at Drury Lane Theatre, in which his sister Mrs. Cibber first gave proof of her extraordinary ability as a tragic actress as well as singer. She captivated everyone by her native sweetness of voice and powers of expression; "It was difficult to say which of the two received the greater applause, the actress for her interesting person, pathetic voice and manner, or the musician (the composer Arne) for his natural and pleasing strains, particularly the March which was encored every night." Mrs. Cibber's fame became pronounced. Handel thought so highly of her that he engaged her to sing the contralto part in "The Messiah" at its first performance, in Dublin. How well she merited his selection was proved at the conclusion of the Air "He was despised"; her singing was so natural and touching that the Dean of St. Patrick's, Dr. Delaney, arose from his seat and audibly exclaimed, "Woman, for this thy sins be forgiven thee!" Mrs. Cibber was not only a great artist, but also a very accomplished and amiable woman, as is proved by her correspondence with David Garrick. When she died, in 1766, Garrick declared that "tragedy expired with her." She was buried in the North Cloister of Westminster Abbey. [Illustration: MRS. CIBBER.] The only other composition of Arne's which can be traced to the year of his marriage, 1736, is a Serenata, the words by Thomas Phillips, written to commemorate the marriage of the Prince of Wales with the beautiful Princess Augusta of Saxe Gotha, which took place in April. The Serenata was performed at Drury Lane Theatre. Arne's connection with the theatre provided him with a splendid opening for his talent as composer. Dr. John Dalton, a Prebendary of Worcester Cathedral and Rector of St. Mary-at-hill, London, prepared a stage version of Milton's "Comus." He interpolated verses taken from other works of the poet, and added some songs of his own, all requiring music; and, as the sequel proved, no composer could have carried out the task more efficiently than Arne, who entered upon his welcome labours with real enthusiasm, and easily earned the reputation of being the best English composer of the day. His music combined graceful melody and expressive accent, needing no extraneous ornamentation to enhance its beauty. The songs "Now Phoebus sinketh in the West," "By dimpled brook," "How gentle was my Damon's Airs," and "Sweet Echo," are amongst the gems. The various characters were well represented on the stage. Comus by Mr. Quin; the Lady, Mrs. Cibber; the Brothers, Mr. Milward and Mr. Cibber; First Spirit, Mr. Mills; Second Spirit, Mr. Hill; Euphrosyne, Mrs. Clive; Sabrina, Mrs. Arne; Attendant Spirit, Mr. Beard. The Masque is preceded by a sprightly Overture scored