With the death of Cromwell, the sun of the Puritan world vanished, but happily at the same time a new star in the musical firmament arose. Cromwell died in 1658, at Whitehall, and in the same year, within a bow-shot of the Palace, was born the favoured child of the muses, destined to raise the musical fame of England to a height it had never before attained, and by his beautiful creations to make for himself a name of undying fame. This welcome prodigy was Henry Purcell, his birth-place St. Ann's Lane, Old Pye Street, Westminster. The precise day of his birth there is unknown, but there is no doubt about the year 1658. Some remains of the house are still standing. A sketch of it and the adjoining premises was made on the 15th of April, 1845, by R. W. Withall. The original drawing, of which a reduced copy is given, has the following note:-- "Three ancient houses in Westminster; in the right-hand one of which the great H. Purcell was born, 1658, and passed his early life. They are now in the last state of ruin, and have long been uninhabited. The houses adjoining that of Purcell are of modern date, and project before the others, as well as encroach somewhat on Purcell's doorway, hiding one side of the door-frame. Of the old houses the windows and doorways are nearly all boarded up in the roughest manner, under which, however, the original panelled doors are still to be partly found. The houses are of old red brick. The first door was the back way into the public-house called the 'Bell and Fish,' kept by Mr. Oldsworth, who lost his licence. The second door the entrance to the skittle-ground. The third was Purcell's house." [Illustration: PURCELL'S HOUSE.] Purcell was named Henry after his father, a thoroughly competent and efficient musician, of whom Pepys made this quaint entry in his diary on the 21st of February, 1659:-- "After dinner I back to Westminster Hall with him (Mr. Crewe) in his coach. Here I met with Mr. Lock and Pursell, masters of musique, and with them to the Coffee House, into a room next the water, by ourselves, where we spent an hour or two, till Captain Taylor came and told us that the House had voted the gates of the city to be made up again, and the members of the city that are in prison to be set at liberty; and that Sir G. Booth's case be brought into the House to-morrow. Here we had variety of brave Italian and Spanish songs, and a canon for eight voices, which Mr. Lock had lately made on these words, 'Domine salvum fac Regem,'--an admirable thing. Here out of the window it was a most pleasant sight to see the city from one end to the other with a glory about it, so high was the light of the bonfires, and so thick round the City; and the bells rang everywhere."