It has not been possible for me to notice all his work as I would wish to have done, but we must all feel that, not only was he the last of my _Twelve Good Musicians_, but by far the greatest. A translation of the lines upon his gravestone in Westminster Abbey may fitly close this chapter. Applaud so great a guest, celestial powers, Who now resides with you but once was ours, Yet let invidious earth no more reclaim Her short-lived fav'rite and her chiefest fame, Complaining that so prematurely died Good-natured pleasure and devotion's pride. Died? no, he lives while yonder Organs sound And sacred echoes to the Choir rebound. {139} NOTE Since the preceding pages were written I have been in correspondence with Dr W. H. Grattan-Flood, of Enniscorthy, with reference to the Irish Purcells mentioned on p. 120. Dr Grattan-Flood claims to have proved Henry Purcell to be descended from a distinguished Irish family. Before quoting from his kind communication, I may say it seems to me very probable the Purcells were of good family. Both the elder Henry and his brother Thomas, were musicians of note when we first hear of them, and at the Restoration were members of the King's Band, Henry being also "Master of the Choristers" of Westminster Abbey. Edward Purcell, an elder brother of the composer, was a distinguished officer, who took part in the Siege of Gibraltar, and ended his days in honourable retirement at the seat of the Earl of Abingdon, at Wytham, near Oxford, in the chancel of which Church he is interred. Another small point is the fact that Purcell's first published work, the Sonatas, was issued with a portrait of the composer and with a coat-of-arms. All this looks as if "Roger Purcell, the 'Bayliffe' of Mr. Giles," (see p. 120) is not so likely to have been an ancestor of the musician as one of the Irish Purcells. I am not able to give all the matter kindly sent to me--which I hope Dr Grattan-Flood will make public--but append his observations on the most important points:-- "Henry Purcell, the composer, was the younger son of Henry Purcell the Elder; and was adopted at the age of six by his uncle Thomas. The puzzle, then, is: Who was the father of Henry Purcell the Elder and of Thomas Purcell? {140} "In order to answer this, I have made a systematic search in the _Fiants_ of Elizabeth and James I, in the _Calendars of State Papers, Ireland_, 1623-1670, in the _Inquisitions, Funeral Entries in the Office of Arms_, etc., and have succeeded in tracing the father and grandfather of Henry Purcell the Elder. I had unusual opportunities of making this investigation inasmuch as I assisted Capt R. P. Mahaffy, B.L., in the editing of the _Irish State Papers of Charles I and Charles II_.