tailor, for then I should have a Sunday's holiday!" Meantime a cough,
the herald of consumption, tormented him, and "the slow minings of the
hectic fire" within began to manifest themselves more visibly in days
and nights of feverish excitement. It was in the midst of this that he
accepted the task of composing an opera for Covent Garden Theatre. His
fame, which had gradually made its way through the North of Germany
(where his Freyschütz was played in 1823) to England, induced the
managers to offer him liberal terms for an opera on the subject of
Oberon, the well-known fairy tale on which Wieland has reared his
fantastic, but beautiful and touching comic Epos. He received the first
act of Planché's manuscript in December, 1824, and forthwith began his
labours, though he seems to have thought that the worthy managers,
in the short time they were disposed to allow him, were expecting
impossibilities, particularly as the first step towards its composition,
on Weber's part, was the study of the English language itself, the right
understanding of which, Weber justly considered as preliminary to any
attempt to marry Mr. Planché's ephemeral verses to his own immortal
music. These exertions increased his weakness so much, that he found
it necessary to resort to a watering-place in the summer of 1825. In
December he returned to Berlin, to bring out his Euryanthe there in
person. It was received, as might have been anticipated, with great
applause, though less enthusiastically than the Freyschütz, the wild
and characteristic music of which, came home with more intensity to the
national mind. After being present at two representations, he returned
to his labours at Oberon.

The work, finally, having been completed, Weber determined himself to
be present at the representation of this his last production. He hoped,
by his visit to London, to realize something for his wife and family;
for hitherto, on the whole, poverty had been his companion. Want had,