ain to which he had subjected his sight when, in order to
educate himself, he had copied out entire many of the works of older
masters. Nor can we overlook the fact that, when a child, his sight
must have been injured by the long, self-imposed task of copying music
by moonlight. He suffered a great deal in consequence of the drugs
which were administered in the hope of restoring his eye-sight, but,
notwithstanding, he continued to work up to the last. On the morning
of the day on which he died--July 28, 1750--he startled those about
him by suddenly regaining his sight, 'but it was the last flickering
of the expiring flame. He was allowed to see the light of this world
once more before leaving it for ever.' A few hours later he became
unconscious, and passed away in his sleep.

[Illustration: '_The King exclaimed repeatedly, "Only one Bach!
Only one Bach!"_']

Considered apart from his works, the life of Sebastian Bach stands out
as a noble example of untiring industry and perseverance; but we miss
the brilliancy and fire which in the case of many other great
musicians have served to render their lives so outwardly striking and
marvellous. The genius of Bach was a mighty power working unseen,
buried beneath a simple exterior. Unlike Handel, that other great
master of his time with whom he has been so often compared, Bach lived
a life of comparative retirement, never travelling beyond the confines
of his own country, making no bid for popularity, and to the last
remaining unaffected by praise or censure. All his life long he was
seeking knowledge and truth, never contenting himself with a belief in
his own unaided powers or judgment, but always showing the keenest
interest in the progress of his art as evinced by the works of other
musicians of his day. One little instance will serve, perhaps, to
bring out clearly this marked difference between these two great men:
Bach was truly desirous of making Handel's acquaintance, and tried on
several occasions to gratify this wish. On the last occasion he
travelled to Halle on learning that Handel was revisiting his
birthplace from the scene of his triumphs in London, only to find on
his arrival that his contemporary had departed for England earlier in
the day. Handel, on the other hand, is not known to have expressed the
least desire to meet the man whose fame rested upon so solid a
foundation of excellence. The one was self-centred, the other wholly
centred upon art fo