Dr. Thomas Arne himself had a very interesting story. He was the son of a wealthy upholsterer in London and was born in 1704. He was educated at Eton, and his father intended him for the law, but while in school he had such a craving for music that he would often dress himself in servant's livery and sit in the upper gallery at the theaters. He learned to play with the strings of his spinet muffled in a handkerchief. One day his father attended a musicale at the house of a friend, and to his great astonishment and disgust, his own son occupied the place of first violinist. The father, however, decided to make the best of it, and not to fight against nature. From that time on the music-loving boy was allowed to play at home, and it was not very long before the whole family were proud of his achievements. He was the first English composer to rival Italian music in compass and difficulty. Doctor Arne lived and died absorbed in musical tones. Death came to him in the midst of his work, March 5, 1778. While attempting to illustrate a musical idea, he sang an air in faltering tones; the sound grew fainter, until song and breathing ceased together. Perhaps if he could have chosen his way to die this would have pleased him best of all. The words for this _Masque of Alfred_, in which _Rule Britannia_ appears, were written jointly by James Thomson, the author of _The Seasons_, and David Mallet, a Scotch tutor. It is not certain who was the author of these verses, Thomson, or Mallet. During Thomson's life in the newspapers of the day he alone was mentioned as the author. He died in 1751, and Mallet brought out, in 1755, his _Masque of Britannia_, at Drury Lane Theater, and it was received with great applause. The _Monthly Review_, a Scottish magazine of the time, in noticing it says: "_Britannia_, a Masque set to music by Doctor Arne. Mr. David Mallet is its reputed author. His design is to animate the sons of Britannia to vindicate their country's rights, and avenge her wrongs." On the whole, the weight of evidence seems to be in favor of the famous ode having been written by Thomson, but no one will ever be able to prove certainly as to whether it originated in his brain or Mallet's. [Illustration: _THE TOWER OF LONDON_] _Rule Britannia_ soon became a favorite with the Jacobite party. Many parodies of it have been written, some of which were very famous in their time. One is to be found in _The True Royalist_, a collection of English songs long since out of print, which is perhaps worth repeating here:-- "Britannia, rouse at heav'n's command! And crown thy native Prince again; Then Peace shall bless thy happy land, And Plenty pour in from the main: Then shalt thou be--Britannia thou shalt be From home and foreign tyrants free.