which he could gaze with certainty of
relief, and that was--death. Constant disappointment introduced
him to indulgences which he had not before permitted himself.

"He became wild in the pursuit of pleasure; whatever changed the
scene was delightful to him, and the more extravagant the better.
His associates, and the frequent guests at his table, were
recommended by their animal spirits and capacity as boon
companions. They were stage-players and orchestral musicians, low
and unprincipled persons, whose acquaintance injured him still
more in reputation than in purse. Two of these men, Schickaneder,
the director of a theatre (for whom Mozart wrote the
'Zauberfloete,') and Stadler, a clarionet-player, are known to have
behaved with gross dishonesty towards the composer; and yet he
forgave them, and continued their benefactor. The society of
Schickaneder, a man of grotesque humour, often in difficulties,
but of inexhaustible cheerfulness and good-fellowship, had
attractions for Mozart, and led him into some excesses that
contributed to the disorder of his health, as he was obliged to
retrieve at night the hours lost in the day. A long-continued
irregularity of income, also, disposed him to make the most of any
favourable moment; and when a few rouleaus of gold brought the
means of enjoyment, the Champagne and Tokay began to flow. This
course is unhappily no novelty in the shifting life of genius,
overworked and ill-rewarded, and seeking to throw off its cares in
the pursuits and excitements of vulgar existence. It is necessary
to know the composer as a man of pleasure, in order to understand
certain allusions in the correspondence of his last years, when
his affairs were in the most embarrassed condition, and his
absence from Vienna frequently caused by the pressure of
creditors. He appears at this time to have experienced moments of
poignant self-reproach. His love of dancing, masquerades, masked
balls, &c., was so great, that he did not willingly forego an
opportunity of joining any one of those assemblies, whether public
or private. He dressed handsomely, and wished to make a favourable
impression in society independently of his music. He was sensitive
with regard to his figure, and was annoyed when he heard that the
Prussian ambassador had said to some one, 'You must not estim