everal ambassadors then at court?" Bales was likewise very dexterous
in imitating handwritings, and between 1576 and 1590 was employed by
Secretary Walsingham in certain political manoeuvres. We find him at the
head of a school near the Old Bailey, London, in 1590, in which year he
published his _Writing Schoolemaster, in three Parts_. This book included
an _Arte of Brachygraphie_, which is one of the earliest attempts to
construct a system of shorthand. In 1595 he had a great trial of skill with
one Daniel Johnson, for a golden pen of L20 value, and won it; and a
contemporary author further relates that he had also the arms of
calligraphy given him, which are azure, a pen or. Bales died about the year
1610.

BALFE, MICHAEL WILLIAM (1808-1870), Irish musical composer, was born on the
15th of May 1808, at Dublin. His musical gifts became apparent at an early
age. The only instruction he received was from his father, who was a
dancing master, and from a musician, C. E. Horn (1786-1849). Between 1814
and 1815 he played the violin for his father's dancing-classes, and at the
age of seven composed a polacca. In 1817 he appeared as a violinist in
public, and in this year composed a ballad, first called "Young Fanny" and
afterwards, when sung in _Paul Pry_ by Madame Vestris, "The Lovers'
Mistake." On the death of his father in 1823 he was engaged in the
orchestra of Drury Lane, and being in possession of a small but pleasant
baritone voice, he chose the career of an operatic singer. An unsuccessful
debut was made at Norwich in _Der Freischuetz_. In 1825 he was taken to
Rome by Count Mazzara, being introduced to Cherubini on the way. In Italy
he wrote his first dramatic work, a ballet, _La Perouse_. At the close of
1827 he appeared as Figaro in Rossini's _Barbiere_, at the Italian opera in
Paris. Balfe soon returned to Italy, where, during the next nine years, he
remained, singing at various theatres and composing a number of operas.
During this time he married Mdlle Luisa Roser, a Hungarian singer whom he
had met at Bergamo. Fetis says that the public indignation roused by an
attempt at "improving" Meyerbeer's opera _Il Crociato_ by interpolated
music of his own compelled Balfe to throw up his engagement at the theatre
La Fenice in Venice. By this time he had produced his first complete opera,
_I Rivali di se stessi_, at Palermo in the carnival season of 1829-1830;
the opera _Un Avvertimento ai gelosi_ at Pavia; and _Enrico Quar