DIBDIN, CHARLES, in whose person the British bard may be said to have been revived, was born in ]745 at Southampton, near which place his grandfather, a considerable merchant, founded a village that bears his name. When Charles Dibdin was born, his mother had reached her fiftieth year, and ho was her eighteenth child. He had a brother, Thomas, twenty-nine years older than himself, on whose death he wrote the beautiful ballad ' Poor Tom Bowling.' This gentleman was captain of an East-Indiaman, and father of Thomas Frognall Dibdin, D.D.
The subject of the present notice was educated at Winchester, and originally designed for the clerical profession. But his love for music predominated, and after receiving some instruction from the cele brated Kent, organist of Winchester Cathedral, he was sent to London, and commenced his career, as poet and musician, at the early age of sixteen, when ho produced an opera at Covent Carden Theatre, written and composed by himself, called The Shepherd's Artifice.' A few years after he appeared as an actor, and was, in 1768, the original Muugo in his own 'Padlock.' In 1778 he became musical manager of Covent Garden theatre, at a salary of ten pounds a week. About 1782 he built the Circus theatre (afterwards opeucd under the name of the Surrey), which continued under his management some three or four yearn. Iu 1788 he published his ' Musical Tour,' in one vol. 4to; and in 1789 presented to the public, at Hutchina'a auction rooms, King Street, Covent Garden, the first of those entertainments whereby hese eminently distinguished hiwself,—aud of which he was sole author, composer, and performer,—under the title of The Whim of the Moment.' In this, among sixteen other songs, was the ballad 'Poor Jack,' an effusion of genius that immediately established his repu tation, both as a lyric poet and melodist. The year 1791 saw Dibdiu
in his Sans Souci, an exhibition-room in the Strand, fitted up by him; end In 1796 ho erected a small theatre in Leicester giving it the above-named title. This he sold in 1805, and retired from public life ; but not having been provident while the means of making some provision for the future were in his power, his retreat watt not accompanied by independence. This having been properly repisaented, government granted him a pension of 200/. per annum, an act evincing both a sense of justice and a right feeling. Of this ho was for a time deprived by Lord Grenville, but a more liberal ministry restored it. Towards the close of the year 1313 he was attacked by paralysis, and died in the July following. Mr. Ditalin published one or two novels, and some smaller work., but his fame Is built on his songs, of which—so prolific was his muse, and so great his facility iu composition—he produced the amazing timelier of nine hundred Out of this large number we may readily ackuowledge a conaiderable portion to be comparatively worthless. His sea sons however have become permanent favourites, and it is said that, during the war, their influence was most strongly felt in supplying the navy with volunteers. And it is not too much to say that no English song usher ever pro duced so many ballads so thoroughly adapted to the popular taste, and which, as has been truly said, ate so generally "on the bide of virtue ;" humanity, constancy, love of country, and courage being almost always the sot jecte of his song and the themes of his praise.