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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..86c8a67 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #50156 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50156) diff --git a/old/50156-0.txt b/old/50156-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index f64c6f3..0000000 --- a/old/50156-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8177 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Anecdotes about Authors and Artists, by John Timbs - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Anecdotes about Authors and Artists - -Author: John Timbs - -Release Date: October 8, 2015 [EBook #50156] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ANECDOTES ABOUT AUTHORS AND ARTISTS *** - - - - -Produced by Chris Curnow, ChuckGreif and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - - ANECDOTES - - ABOUT - - AUTHORS, - - AND - - ARTISTS. - - BY - - JOHN TIMBS. - - [Illustration: colophon] - - LONDON: - - DIPROSE & BATEMAN, SHEFFIELD STREET, - - LINCOLN’S INN FIELDS. - - LONDON: - - DIPROSE, BATEMAN AND CO., PRINTERS, - - LINCOLN’S INN FIELDS. - - - - - ANECDOTES - - ABOUT - - BOOKS - - AND - - AUTHORS. - - PART I. - - - - -NOTE. - -This collection of anecdotes, illustrative sketches, and _memorabilia_ -generally, relating to the ever fresh and interesting subject of BOOKS -AND AUTHORS, is not presented as complete, nor even as containing all -the choice material of its kind. The field from which one may gather is -so wide and fertile, that any collection warranting such a claim would -far exceed the compass of many volumes, much less of this little book. -It has been sought to offer, in an acceptable and convenient form, some -of the more remarkable or interesting literary facts or incidents with -which one individual, in a somewhat extended reading, has been struck; -some of the passages which he has admired; some of the anecdotes and -jests that have amused him and may amuse others; some of the -reminiscences that it has most pleased him to dwell upon. For no very -great portion of the contents of this volume, is the claim to -originality of subject-matter advanced. The collection, however, is -submitted with some confidence that it may be found as interesting, as -accurate, and as much guided by good taste, as it has been endeavoured -to make it. - - - - -BOOKS AND AUTHORS. - -_CURIOUS FACTS AND CHARACTERISTIC SKETCHES._ - - -THE FINDING OF JOHN EVELYN’S MS. DIARY AT WOTTON. - -The MS. Diary, or “Kalendarium,” of the celebrated John Evelyn lay among -the family papers at Wotton, in Surrey, from the period of his death, in -1706, until their rare interest and value were discovered in the -following singular manner. - -The library at Wotton is rich in curious books, with notes in John -Evelyn’s handwriting, as well as papers on various subjects, and -transcripts of letters by the philosopher, who appears never to have -employed an amanuensis. The arrangement of these treasures was, many -years since, entrusted to the late Mr. Upcott, of the London -Institution, who made a complete catalogue of the collection. - -One afternoon, as Lady Evelyn and a female companion were seated in one -of the fine old apartments of Wotton, making feather tippets, her -ladyship pleasantly observed to Mr. Upcott, “You may think this -feather-work a strange way of passing time: it is, however, my hobby; -and I dare say you, too, Mr. Upcott, have _your hobby_.” The librarian -replied that his favourite pursuit was the collection of the autographs -of eminent persons. Lady Evelyn remarked, that in all probability the -MSS. of “_Sylva_” Evelyn would afford Mr. Upcott some amusement. His -reply may be well imagined. The bell was rung, and a servant desired to -bring the papers from a lumber-room of the old mansion; and from one of -the baskets so produced was brought to light the manuscript Diary of -John Evelyn--one of the most finished specimens of autobiography in the -whole compass of English literature. - -The publication of the Diary, with a selection of familiar letters, and -private correspondence, was entrusted to Mr. William Bray, F.S.A.; and -the last sheets of the MS., with a dedication to Lady Evelyn, were -actually in the hands of the printer at the hour of her death. The work -appeared in 1818; and a volume of Miscellaneous Papers, by Evelyn, was -subsequently published, under Mr. Upcott’s editorial superintendence. - -Wotton House, though situate in the angle of two valleys, is actually on -part of Leith Hill, the rise from thence being very gradual. Evelyn’s -“Diary” contains a pen-and-ink sketch of the mansion as it appeared in -1653. - - -FAMILIES OF LITERARY MEN. - -A _Quarterly_ Reviewer, in discussing an objection to the Copyright Bill -of Mr. Sergeant Talfourd, which was taken by Sir Edward Sugden, gives -some curious particulars of the progeny of literary men. “We are not,” -says the writer, “going to speculate about the causes of the fact; but a -fact it is, that men distinguished for extraordinary intellectual power -of any sort rarely leave more than a very brief line of progeny behind -them. Men of genius have scarcely ever done so; men of imaginative -genius, we might say, almost never. With the one exception of the noble -Surrey, we cannot, at this moment, point out a representative in the -male line, even so far down as the third generation, of any English -poet; and we believe the case is the same in France. The blood of beings -of that order can seldom be traced far down, even in the female line. -With the exception of Surrey and Spenser, we are not aware of any great -English author of at all remote date, from whose body any living person -claims to be descended. There is no real English poet prior to the -middle of the eighteenth century; and we believe no great author of any -sort, except Clarendon and Shaftesbury, of whose blood we have any -inheritance amongst us. Chaucer’s only son died childless; Shakspeare’s -line expired in his daughter’s only daughter. None of the other -dramatists of that age left any progeny; nor Raleigh, nor Bacon, nor -Cowley, nor Butler. The grand-daughter of Milton was the last of his -blood. Newton, Locke, Pope, Swift, Arbuthnot, Hume, Gibbon, Cowper, -Gray, Walpole, Cavendish (and we might greatly extend the list), never -married. Neither Bolingbroke, nor Addison, nor Warburton, nor Johnson, -nor Burke, transmitted their blood. One of the arguments against a -_perpetuity_ in literary property is, that it would be founding another -_noblesse_. Neither jealous aristocracy nor envious Jacobinism need be -under such alarm. When a human race has produced its ‘bright, consummate -flower’ in this kind, it seems commonly to be near its end.” - - -THE BLUE-STOCKING CLUB. - -Towards the close of the last century, there met at Mrs. Montague’s a -literary assembly, called “The Blue-Stocking Club,” in consequence of -one of the most admired of the members, Mr. Benjamin Stillingfleet, -always wearing _blue stockings_. The appellation soon became general as -a name for pedantic or ridiculous literary ladies. Hannah More wrote a -volume in verse, entitled _The Bas Bleu: or Conversation_. It proceeds -on the mistake of a foreigner, who, hearing of the Blue-Stocking Club, -translated it literally _Bas Bleu_. Johnson styled this poem “a great -performance.” The following couplets have been quoted, and remembered, -as terse and pointed:-- - - “In men this blunder still you find, - All think their little set mankind.” - - “Small habits well pursued betimes, - May reach the dignity of crimes.” - - -DR. JOHNSON AND HANNAH MORE. - -When Hannah More came to London in 1773, or 1774, she was domesticated -with Garrick, and was received with favour by Johnson, Reynolds, and -Burke. Her sister has thus described her first interview with Johnson:-- - -“We have paid another visit to Miss Reynolds; she had sent to engage Dr. -Percy, (‘Percy’s Collection,’ now you know him), quite a sprightly -modern, instead of a rusty antique, as I expected: he was no sooner gone -than the most amiable and obliging of women, Miss Reynolds, ordered the -coach to take us to Dr. Johnson’s very own house: yes, Abyssinian -Johnson! Dictionary Johnson! Ramblers, Idlers, and Irene Johnson! Can -you picture to yourselves the palpitation of our hearts as we approached -his mansion? The conversation turned upon a new work of his just going -to the press (the ‘Tour to the Hebrides’), and his old friend -Richardson. Mrs. Williams, the blind poet, who lives with him, was -introduced to us. She is engaging in her manners, her conversation -lively and entertaining. Miss Reynolds told the Doctor of all our -rapturous exclamations on the road. He shook his scientific head at -Hannah, and said she was ‘a silly thing.’ When our visit was ended, he -called for his hat, as it rained, to attend us down a very long entry to -our coach, and not Rasselas could have acquitted himself more _en -cavalier_. I forgot to mention, that not finding Johnson in his little -parlour when we came in, Hannah seated herself in his great chair -hoping to catch a little ray of his genius: when he heard it, he laughed -heartily, and told her it was a chair on which he never sat. He said it -reminded him of Boswell and himself when they stopped a night, as they -imagined, where the weird sisters appeared to Macbeth. The idea so -worked on their enthusiasm, that it quite deprived them of rest. -However, they learned the next morning, to their mortification, that -they had been deceived, and were quite in another part of the country.” - - -MISS MITFORD’S FAREWELL TO THREE MILE CROSS. - -When Miss Mitford left her rustic cottage at Three Mile Cross, and -removed to Reading, (the Belford Regis of her novel), she penned the -following beautiful picture of its homely joys:-- - -“Farewell, then, my beloved village! the long, straggling street, gay -and bright on this sunny, windy April morning, full of all implements of -dirt and mire, men, women, children, cows, horses, wagons, carts, pigs, -dogs, geese, and chickens--busy, merry, stirring little world, farewell! -Farewell to the winding, up-hill road, with its clouds of dust, as -horsemen and carriages ascend the gentle eminence, its borders of turf, -and its primrosy hedges! Farewell to the breezy common, with its islands -of cottages and cottage-gardens; its oaken avenues, populous with rooks; -its clear waters fringed with gorse, where lambs are straying; its -cricket-ground where children already linger, anticipating their summer -revelry; its pretty boundary of field and woodland, and distant farms; -and latest and best of its ornaments, the dear and pleasant mansion -where dwelt the neighbours, the friends of friends; farewell to ye all! -Ye will easily dispense with me, but what I shall do without you, I -cannot imagine. Mine own dear village, farewell!” - - -SMOLLETT’S “HUGH STRAP.” - -In the year 1809 was interred, in the churchyard of St. Martin’s-in-the -Fields, the body of one Hew Hewson, who died at the age of 85. He was -the original of Hugh Strap, in Smollett’s _Roderick Random_. Upwards of -forty years he kept a hair-dresser’s shop in St. Martin’s parish; the -walls were hung round with Latin quotations, and he would frequently -point out to his customers and acquaintances the several scenes in -_Roderick Random_ pertaining to himself, which had their origin, not in -Smollett’s inventive fancy, but in truth and reality. The meeting in a -barber’s shop at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the subsequent mistake at the inn, -their arrival together in London, and the assistance they experienced -from Strap’s friend, are all facts. The barber left behind an annotated -copy of _Roderick Random_, showing how far we are indebted to the genius -of the author, and to what extent the incidents are founded in reality. - - -COLLINS’S POEMS. - -Mr. John Ragsdale, of Richmond, in Surrey, who was the intimate friend -of Collins, states that some of his Odes were written while on a visit -at his, Mr. Ragsdale’s house. The poet, however, had such a poor -opinion of his own productions, that after showing them to Mr. Ragsdale, -he would snatch them from him, and throw them into the fire; and in this -way, it is believed, many of Collins’s finest pieces were destroyed. -Such of his Odes as were published, on his own account in 1746, were not -popular; and, disappointed at the slowness of the sale, the poet burnt -the remaining copies with his own hands. - - -CAPTAIN MORRIS’S SONGS. - -Alas! poor Morris--writes one--we knew him well. Who that has once read -or heard his songs, can forget their rich and graceful imagery; the -fertile fancy, the touching sentiment, and the “soul reviving” melody, -which characterize every line of these delightful lyrics? Well do we -remember, too, his “old buff waistcoat,” his courteous manner, and his -gentlemanly pleasantry, long after this Nestor of song had retired to -enjoy the delights of rural life, despite the prayer of his racy verse: - - “In town let me live, then, in town let me die; - For in truth I can’t relish the country, not I. - If one must have a villa in summer to dwell, - Oh! give me the sweet, shady side of Pall Mall.” - -Captain Morris was born about the middle of the last century, and -outlived the majority of the _bon vivant_ society which he gladdened -with his genius, and lit up with his brilliant humour. - -Yet, many readers of the present generation may ask, “Who was Captain -Morris?” He was born of good family, in the celebrated year 1745, and -appears to have inherited a taste for literary composition; for his -father composed the popular song of _Kitty Crowder_. - -For more than half a century, Captain Morris moved in the first circles. -He was the “sun of the table” at Carlton House, as well as at Norfolk -House; and attaching himself politically, as well as convivially, to his -dinner companions, he composed the celebrated ballads of “Billy’s too -young to drive us,” and “Billy Pitt and the Farmer,” which continued -long in fashion, as brilliant satires upon the ascendant politics of -their day. His humorous ridicule of the Tories was, however, but ill -repaid by the Whigs upon their accession to office; at least, if we may -trust the beautiful ode of “The Old Whig Poet to his Old Buff -Waistcoat.” We are not aware of this piece being included in any edition -of the “Songs.” It bears date “G. R., August 1, 1815;” six years -subsequent to which we saw it among the papers of the late Alexander -Stephens. - -Captain Morris’s “Songs” were very popular. In 1830, we possessed a copy -of the 24th edition; we remember one of the ditties to have been “sung -by the Prince of Wales to a certain lady,” to the air of “There’s a -difference between a beggar and a queen.” Morris’s finest Anacreontic, -is the song _Ad Poculum_, for which he received the gold cup of the -Harmonic Society: - - “Come thou soul-reviving cup! - Try thy healing art; - Stir the fancy’s visions up, - And warm my wasted heart. - Touch with freshening tints of bliss - Memory’s fading dream; - Give me, while thy lip I kiss, - The heaven that’s in thy stream.” - -Of the famous Beefsteak Club, (at first limited to twenty-four members, -but increased to twenty-five, to admit the Prince of Wales,) Captain -Morris was the laureat; of this “Jovial System” he was the intellectual -centre. In the year 1831, he bade adieu to the club, in some spirited -stanzas, though penned at “an age far beyond mortal lot.” In 1835, he -was permitted to revisit the club, when they presented him with a large -silver bowl, appropriately inscribed. - -It would not be difficult to string together gems from the Captain’s -Lyrics. In “The Toper’s Apology”, one of his most sparkling songs, -occurs this brilliant version of Addison’s comparison of wits with -flying fish:-- - - “My Muse, too, when her wings are dry, - No frolic flight will take; - But round a bowl she’ll dip and fly, - Like swallows round a lake. - Then, if the nymph will have her share - Before she’ll bless her swain, - Why that I think’s a reason fair - To fill my glass again.” - -Many years since, Captain Morris retired to a villa at Brockham, near -the foot of Box Hill, in Surrey. This property, it is said, was -presented to him by his old friend, the Duke of Norfolk. Here the -Captain “drank the pure pleasures of the rural life” long after many a -bright light of his own time had flickered out, and become almost -forgotten; even “the sweet, shady side of Pall Mall” had almost -disappeared, and with it the princely house whereat he was wont to -shine. He died July 11, 1835, in his ninety-third year, of internal -inflammation of only four days. - -Morris presented a rare combination of mirth and prudence, such as human -conduct seldom offers for our imitation. He retained his _gaieté de -cœur_ to the last; so that, with equal truth and spirit, he -remonstrated: - - “When life charms my heart, must I kindly be told, - I’m too gay and too happy for one that’s so old.” - -Captain Morris left his autobiography to his family; but it has not been -published. - - -LITERARY DINNERS. - -Incredible as it may appear, it is sometimes stated very confidently, -that English authors and actors who give dinners, are treated with -greater indulgence by certain critics than those who do not. But, it has -never been said that any critical journal in England, with the slightest -pretensions to respectability, was in the habit of levying black mail in -this Rob Roy fashion, upon writers or articles of any kind. Yet it is -alleged, on high authority, that many of the French critical journals -are or were principally supported from such a source. For example, there -is a current anecdote to the effect that when the celebrated singer -Nourrit died, the editor of one of the musical reviews waited on his -successor, Duprez, and, with a profusion of compliments and apologies, -intimated to him that Nourrit had invariably allowed 2000 francs a year -to the review. Duprez, taken rather aback, expressed his readiness to -allow half that sum. “_Bien, monsieur_,” said the editor, with a shrug, -“_mais, parole d’honneur, j’y perds mille francs_.” - - -POPULARITY OF THE PICKWICK PAPERS. - -Mr. Davy, who accompanied Colonel Cheney up the Euphrates, was for a -time in the service of Mehemet Ali Pacha. “Pickwick” happening to reach -Davy while he was at Damascus, he read a part of it to the Pacha, who -was so delighted with it, that Davy was, on one occasion, called up in -the middle of the night to finish the reading of the chapter in which he -and the Pacha had been interrupted. Mr. Davy read, in Egypt, upon -another occasion, some passages from these unrivalled “Papers” to a -blind Englishman, who was in such ecstasy with what he heard, that he -exclaimed he was almost thankful he could not see he was in a foreign -country; for that while he listened, he felt completely as though he -were again in England.--_Lady Chatterton._ - - -SWIFT’S DISAPPOINTMENT - -“I remember when I was a little boy, (writes Swift in a letter to -Bolingbroke,) I felt a great fish at the end of my line, which I drew up -almost on the ground, but it dropt in, and the disappointment vexes me -to this day; and I believe it was the type of all my future -disappointments.” - -“This little incident,” writes Percival, “perhaps gave the first wrong -bias to a mind predisposed to such impressions; and by operating with so -much strength and permanency, it might possibly lay the foundation of -the Dean’s subsequent peevishness, passion, misanthropy, and final -insanity.” - - -LEIGH HUNT AND THOMAS CARLYLE. - -The following characteristic story of these two “intellectual -gladiators” is related in “A New Spirit of the Age.” - -Leigh Hunt and Carlyle were once present among a small party of equally -well known men. It chanced that the conversation rested with these two, -both first-rate talkers, and the others sat well pleased to listen. -Leigh Hunt had said something about the islands of the Blest, or El -Dorado, or the Millennium, and was flowing on in his bright and hopeful -way, when Carlyle dropt some heavy tree-trunk across Hunt’s pleasant -stream, and banked it up with philosophical doubts and objections at -every interval of the speaker’s joyous progress. But the unmitigated -Hunt never ceased his overflowing anticipations, nor the saturnine -Carlyle his infinite demurs to those finite flourishings. The listeners -laughed and applauded by turns; and had now fairly pitted them against -each other, as the philosopher of Hopefulness and of the Unhopeful. The -contest continued with all that ready wit and philosophy, that mixture -of pleasantry and profundity, that extensive knowledge of books and -character, with their ready application in argument or illustration, -and that perfect ease and good-nature, which distinguish each of these -men. The opponents were so well matched, that it was quite clear the -contest would never come to an end. But the night was far advanced, and -the party broke up. They all sallied forth; and leaving the close room, -the candles and the arguments behind them, suddenly found themselves in -presence of a most brilliant star-light night. They all looked up. -“Now,” thought Hunt, “Carlyle’s done for!--he can have no answer to -that!” “There!” shouted Hunt, “look up there! look at that glorious -harmony, that sings with infinite voices an eternal song of hope in the -soul of man.” Carlyle looked up. They all remained silent to hear what -he would say. They began to think he was silenced at last--he was a -mortal man. But out of that silence came a few low-toned words, in a -broad Scotch accent. And who, on earth, could have anticipated what the -voice said? “Eh! it’s a _sad_ sight!”---- Hunt sat down on a stone step. -They all laughed--then looked very thoughtful. Had the finite measured -itself with infinity, instead of surrendering itself up to the -influence? Again they laughed--then bade each other good night, and -betook themselves homeward with slow and serious pace. There might be -some reason for sadness, too. That brilliant firmament probably -contained infinite worlds, each full of struggling and suffering -beings--of beings who had to die--for life in the stars implies that -those bright worlds should also be full of graves; but all that life, -like ours, knowing not whence it came, nor whither it goeth, and the -brilliant Universe in its great Movement having, perhaps, no more -certain knowledge of itself, nor of its ultimate destination, than hath -one of the suffering specks that compose this small spot we inherit. - - -COWPER’S POEMS. - -Johnson, the publisher in St. Paul’s Churchyard, obtained the copyright -of Cowper’s Poems, which proved a great source of profit to him, in the -following manner:--One evening, a relation of Cowper’s called upon -Johnson with a portion of the MS. poems, which he offered for -publication, provided Johnson would publish them at his own risk, and -allow the author to have a few copies to give to his friends. Johnson -read the poems, approved of them, and accordingly published them. Soon -after they had appeared, there was scarcely a reviewer who did not load -them with the most scurrilous abuse, and condemn them to the butter -shops; and the public taste being thus terrified or misled, these -charming effusions stood in the corner of the publisher’s shop as an -unsaleable pile for a long time. - -At length, Cowper’s relation called upon Johnson with another bundle of -the poet’s MS., which was offered and accepted upon the same terms as -before. In this fresh collection was the poem of the “Task.” Not alarmed -at the fate of the former publication, but thoroughly assured of the -great merit of the poems, they were published. The tone of the reviewers -became changed, and Cowper was hailed as the first poet of the age. The -success of this second publication set the first in motion. Johnson -immediately reaped the fruits of his undaunted judgment; and Cowper’s -poems enriched the publisher, when the poet was in languishing -circumstances. In October, 1812, the copyright of Cowper’s poems was put -up to sale among the London booksellers, in thirty-two shares. Twenty of -the shares were sold at 212_l._ each. The work, consisting of two octavo -volumes, was satisfactorily proved at the sale to net 834_l._ per annum. -It had only two years of copyright; yet this same copyright produced the -sum of 6764_l._ - - -HEARNE’S LOVE OF ALE. - -Thomas Warton, in his Account of Oxford, relates that at the sign of -Whittington and his Cat, the laborious antiquary, Thomas Hearne, “one -evening suffered himself to be overtaken in liquor. But, it should be -remembered, that this accident was more owing to his love of antiquity -than of ale. It happened that the kitchen where he and his companion -were sitting was neatly paved with sheep’s trotters disposed in various -compartments. After one pipe, Mr. Hearne, consistently with his usual -gravity and sobriety, rose to depart; but his friend, who was inclined -to enjoy more of his company, artfully observed, that the floor on which -they were then sitting was no less than an original tesselated Roman -pavement. Out of respect to classic ground, and on recollection that the -Stunsfield Roman pavement, on which he had just published a -dissertation, was dedicated to Bacchus, our antiquary cheerfully -complied; an enthusiastic transport seized his imagination; he fell on -his knees and kissed the sacred earth, on which, in a few hours, and -after a few tankards, by a sort of sympathetic attraction, he was -obliged to repose for some part of the evening. His friend was, -probably, in the same condition; but two printers accidentally coming -in, conducted Mr. Hearne, between them, to Edmund’s Hall, with much -state and solemnity.” - - -SHERIDAN’S WIT. - -Sheridan’s wit was eminently brilliant, and almost always successful; it -was, like all his speaking, exceedingly prepared, but it was skilfully -introduced and happily applied; and it was well mingled, also, with -humour, occasionally descending to farce. How little it was the -inspiration of the moment all men were aware who knew his habits; but a -singular proof of this was presented to Mr. Moore, when he came to write -his life; for we there find given to the world, with a frankness which -must have almost made their author shake in his grave, the secret -note-books of this famous wit; and are thus enabled to trace the jokes, -in embryo, with which he had so often made the walls of St. Stephen’s -shake, in a merriment excited by the happy appearance of sudden -unpremeditated effusion.--_Lord Brougham._ - -Take an instance from this author, giving extracts from the common-place -book of the wit:--“He employs his fancy in his narrative, and keeps his -recollections for his wit.” Again, the same idea is expanded into “When -he makes his jokes, you applaud the accuracy of his memory, and ’tis -only when he states his facts that you admire the flights of his -imagination.” But the thought was too good to be thus wasted on the -desert air of a common-place book. So, forth it came, at the expense of -Kelly, who, having been a composer of music, became a wine-merchant. -“You will,” said the _ready_ wit, “import your music and compose your -wine.” Nor was this service exacted from the old idea thought -sufficient; so, in the House of Commons, an easy and, apparently, -off-hand parenthesis was thus filled with it, at Mr. Dundas’s cost and -charge, “who generally resorts to his memory for his jokes, and to his -imagination for his facts.” - - -SMOLLETT’S HISTORY OF ENGLAND. - -This man of genius among trading authors, before he began his History of -England, wrote to the Earl of Shelburne, then in the Whig -Administration, offering, if the Earl would procure for his work the -patronage of the Government, he would accommodate his politics to the -Ministry; but if not, that he had high promises of support from the -other party. Lord Shelburne, of course, treated the proffered support of -a writer of such accommodating principles with contempt; and the work of -Smollett, accordingly, became distinguished for its high Toryism. The -history was published in sixpenny weekly numbers, of which 20,000 copies -were sold immediately. This extraordinary popularity was created by the -artifice of the publisher. He is stated to have addressed a packet of -the specimens of the publication to every parish-clerk in England, -carriage-free, with half-a-crown enclosed as a compliment, to have them -distributed through the pews of the church: this being generally done, -many people read the specimens instead of listening to the sermon, and -the result was an universal demand for the work. - - -MAGNA CHARTA RECOVERED. - -The transcript of Magna Charta, now in the British Museum, was -discovered by Sir Robert Cotton in the possession of his tailor, who was -just about to cut the precious document out into “measures” for his -customers. Sir Robert redeemed the valuable curiosity at the price of -old parchment, and thus recovered what had long been supposed to be -irretrievably lost. - - -FOX AND GIBBON. - -When Mr. Fox’s furniture was sold by auction, after his decease in 1806, -amongst his books there was the first volume of his friend Gibbon’s -_Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire_: by the title-page, it appeared -to have been presented by the author to Fox, who, on the blank leaf, had -written this anecdote of the historian:--“The author, at Brookes’s, said -there was no salvation for this country until six heads of the principal -persons in administration were laid upon the table. Eleven days after, -this same gentleman accepted a place of lord of trade under those very -ministers, and has acted with them ever since!” Such was the avidity of -bidders for the most trifling production of Fox’s genius, that, by the -addition of this little record, the book sold for three guineas. - - -DR. JOHNSON’S PRIDE. - -Sir Joshua Reynolds used to relate the following characteristic anecdote -of Johnson:--About the time of their early acquaintance, they met one -evening at the Misses Cotterell’s, when the Duchess of Argyll and -another lady of rank came in. Johnson, thinking that the Misses -Cotterell were too much engrossed by them, and that he and his friend -were neglected as low company, of whom they were somewhat ashamed, grew -angry, and, resolving to shock their suspected pride, by making the -great visitors imagine they were low indeed, Johnson addressed himself -in a loud tone to Reynolds, saying, “How much do you think you and I -could get in a week if we were to work as hard as we could?” just as -though they were ordinary mechanics. - - -LORD BYRON’S “CORSAIR.” - -The Earl of Dudley, in his _Letters_, (1814) says:--“To me Byron’s -_Corsair_ appears the best of all his works. Rapidity of execution is no -sort of apology for doing a thing ill, but when it is done well, the -wonder is so much the greater. I am told he wrote this poem at ten -sittings--certainly it did not take him more than three weeks. He is a -most extraordinary person, and yet there is G. Ellis, who don’t feel his -merit. His creed in modern poetry (I should have said _contemporary_) is -Walter Scott, all Walter Scott, and nothing but Walter Scott. I cannot -say how I hate this petty, factious spirit in literature--it is so -unworthy of a man so clever and so accomplished as Ellis undoubtedly -is.” - - -BOOKSELLERS IN LITTLE BRITAIN. - -Little Britain, anciently Breton-street, from the mansion of the Duke of -Bretagne on that spot, in more modern times became the “Paternoster-row” -of the booksellers; and a newspaper of 1664 states them to have -published here within four years, 464 pamphlets. One Chiswell, resident -here in 1711, was the metropolitan bookseller, “the Longman” of his -time; and here lived Rawlinson (“Tom Folio” of _The Tatler_, No. 158), -who stuffed four chambers in Gray’s Inn so full, that his bed was -removed into the passage. John Day, the famous early printer, lived -“over Aldersgate.” - - -RECONCILING THE FATHERS. - -A Dean of Gloucester having some merry divines at dinner with him one -day, amongst other discourses they were talking of reconciling the -Fathers on some points; he told them he could show them the best way in -the world to reconcile them on all points of difference; so, after -dinner, he carried them into his study, and showed them all the -Fathers, classically ordered, with a quart of sack betwixt each of them. - - -DR. PARR AND SIR JAMES MACKINTOSH. - -Sir James once asked Dr. Parr to join him in a drive in his gig. The -horse growing restive--“Gently, Jemmy,” the Doctor said; “don’t irritate -him; always soothe your horse, Jemmy. You’ll do better without me. Let -me down, Jemmy!” But once safe on the ground--“Now, Jemmy,” said the -Doctor, “touch him up. Never let a horse get the better of you. Touch -him up, conquer him, do not spare him. And now I’ll leave you to manage -him; I’ll walk back.” - - -SIR JAMES MACKINTOSH’S HUMOUR. - -Sir James Mackintosh had a great deal of humour; and, among many other -examples of it, he kept a dinner-party at his own house for two or three -hours in a roar of laughter, playing upon the simplicity of a Scotch -cousin, who had mistaken the Rev. Sydney Smith for his gallant synonym, -the hero of Acre. - - -WRITINGS OF LOPE DE VEGA. - -The number of Lope de Vega’s works has been strangely exaggerated by -some, but by others reduced to about one-sixth of the usual statement. -Upon this computation it will be found that some of his contemporaries -were as prolific as himself. Vincent Mariner, a friend of Lope, left -behind him 360 quires of paper full of his own compositions, in a -writing so exceedingly small, and so exceedingly bad, that no person -but himself could read it. Lord Holland has given a facsimile of Lope’s -handwriting, and though it cannot be compared to that of a dramatist of -late times, one of whose plays, in the original manuscript, is said to -be a sufficient load for a porter, it is evident that one of Mariner’s -pages would contain as much as a sheet of his friend’s, which would, as -nearly as possible, balance the sum total. But, upon this subject, an -epigram by Quarles may be applied, written upon a more serious theme: - - “In all our prayers the Almighty does regard - The judgment of the _balance_, not the _yard_; - He loves not words, but matter; ’tis his pleasure - To buy his wares by _weight_, not by measure.” - -With regard to the quantity of Lope’s writings, a complete edition of -them would not much, if at all, exceed those of Voltaire, who, in labour -of composition, for he sent nothing into the world carelessly, must have -greatly exceeded Lope. And the labours of these men shrink into -insignificance when compared to those of some of the schoolmen and of -the Fathers. - - -POPULARITY OF LOPE DE VEGA. - -Other writers, of the same age with Lope de Vega, obtained a wider -celebrity. Don Quixote, during the life of its ill-requited author, was -naturalized in countries where the name of Lope de Vega was not known, -and Du Bartas was translated into the language of every reading people. -But no writer ever has enjoyed such a share of popularity. - -“Cardinal Barberini,” says Lord Holland, “followed Lope with veneration -in the streets; the king would stop to gaze at such a prodigy; the -people crowded round him wherever he appeared; the learned and studious -thronged to Madrid from every part of Spain to see this phœnix of their -country, this monster of literature; and even Italians, no extravagant -admirers, in general, of poetry that is not their own, made pilgrimages -from their country for the sole purpose of conversing with Lope. So -associated was the idea of excellence with his name, that it grew, in -common conversation, to signify anything perfect in its kind; and a Lope -diamond, a Lope day, or a Lope woman, became fashionable and familiar -modes of expressing their good qualities.” - -Lope’s death produced an universal commotion in the court and in the -whole kingdom. Many ministers, knights, and prelates were present when -he expired; among others, the Duke of Sesa, who had been the most -munificent of his patrons, whom he appointed his executor, and who was -at the expense of his funeral, a mode by which the great men in that -country were fond of displaying their regard for men of letters. It was -a public funeral, and it was not performed till the third day after his -death, that there might be time for rendering it more splendid, and -securing a more honourable attendance. The grandees and nobles who were -about the court were all invited as mourners; a novenary or service of -nine days was performed for him, at which the musicians of the royal -chapel assisted; after which there were exequies on three successive -days, at which three bishops officiated in full pontificals; and on each -day a funeral sermon was preached by one of the most famous preachers of -the age. Such honours were paid to the memory of Lope de Vega, one of -the most prolific, and, during his life, the most popular, of all poets, -ancient or modern. - - -SWIFT’S LOVES. - -The first of these ladies, whom Swift romantically christened Varina, -was a Miss Jane Waryng, to whom he wrote passionate letters, and whom, -when he had succeeded in gaining her affections, he deserted, after a -sort of seven years’ courtship. The next flame of the Dean’s was the -well-known Miss Esther Johnson, whom he fancifully called Stella. -Somehow, he had the address to gain her decided attachment to him, -though considerably younger, beautiful in person, accomplished, and -estimable. He dangled upon her, fed her hopes of an union, and at length -persuaded her to leave London and reside near him in Ireland. His -conduct then was of a piece with the rest of his life: he never saw her -alone, never slept under the same roof with her, but allowed her -character and reputation to be suspected, in consequence of their -intimacy; nor did he attempt to remove such by marriage until a late -period of his life, when, to save her from dissolution, he consented to -the ceremony, upon condition that it should never be divulged; that she -should live as before; retain her own name, &c.; and this wedding, upon -the above being assented to, was performed in a garden! But Swift never -acknowledged her till the day of his death. During all this treatment of -his Stella, Swift had ingratiated himself with a young lady of fortune -and fashion in London, whose name was Vanhomrig, and whom he called -Vanessa. It is much to be regretted that the heartless tormentor should -have been so ardently and passionately beloved, as was the case with the -latter lady. Selfish, hardhearted as was Swift, he seemed but to live in -disappointing others. Such was his coldness and brutality to Vanessa, -that he may be said to have caused her death. - - -COLERIDGE’S “WATCHMAN.” - -Coleridge, among his many speculations, started a periodical, in prose -and verse, entitled _The Watchman_, with the motto, “that all might know -the truth, and that the truth might make us free.” He watched in vain! -Coleridge’s incurable want of order and punctuality, and his -philosophical theories, tired out and disgusted his readers, and the -work was discontinued after the ninth number. Of the unsaleable nature -of this publication, he relates an amusing illustration. Happening one -morning to rise at an earlier hour than usual, he observed his -servant-girl putting an extravagant quantity of paper into the grate, in -order to light the fire, and he mildly checked her for her wastefulness: -“La! sir,” replied Nanny; “why, it’s only _Watchmen_.” - - -IRELAND’S SHAKSPEARE FORGERIES. - -Mr. Samuel Ireland, originally a silk merchant in Spitalfields, was led -by his taste for literary antiquities to abandon trade for those -pursuits, and published several tours. One of them consisted of an -excursion upon the river Avon, during which he explored, with ardent -curiosity, every locality associated with Shakspeare. He was accompanied -by his son, a youth of sixteen, who imbibed a portion of his father’s -Shakspearean mania. The youth, perceiving the great importance which his -parent attached to every relic of the poet, and the eagerness with which -he sought for any of his MS. remains, conceived that it would not be -difficult to gratify his father by some productions of his own, in the -language and manner of Shakspeare’s time. The idea possessed his mind -for a certain period; and, in 1793, being then in his eighteenth year, -he produced some MSS. said to be in the handwriting of Shakspeare, which -he said had been given him by a gentleman possessed of many other old -papers. The young man, being articled to a solicitor in Chancery, easily -fabricated, in the first instance, the deed of mortgage from Shakspeare -to Michael Fraser. The ecstasy expressed by his father urged him to the -fabrication of other documents, described to come from the same quarter. -Emboldened by success, he ventured upon higher compositions in prose and -verse; and at length announced the discovery of an original drama, under -the title of _Vortigern_, which he exhibited, act by act, written in the -period of two months. Having provided himself with the paper of the -period, (being the fly-leaves of old books,) and with ink prepared by a -bookbinder, no suspicion was entertained of the deception. The father, -who was a maniac upon such subjects, gave such _éclat_ to the supposed -discovery, that the attention of the literary world, and all England, -was drawn to it; insomuch that the son, who had announced other papers, -found it impossible to retreat, and was goaded into the production of -the series which he had promised. - -The house of Mr. Ireland, in Norfolk-street, Strand, was daily crowded -to excess by persons of the highest rank, as well as by the most -celebrated men of letters. The MSS. being mostly decreed genuine, were -considered to be of inestimable worth; and at one time it was expected -that Parliament would give any required sum for them. Some conceited -amateurs in literature at length sounded an alarm, which was echoed by -certain of the newspapers and public journals; notwithstanding which, -Mr. Sheridan agreed to give 600_l._ for permission to play _Vortigern_ -at Drury-lane Theatre. So crowded a house was scarcely ever seen as on -the night of the performance, and a vast number of persons could not -obtain admission. The predetermined malcontents began an opposition from -the outset: some ill-cast characters converted grave scenes into -ridicule, and there ensued between the believers and sceptics a contest -which endangered the property. The piece was, accordingly, withdrawn. - -The juvenile author was now so beset for information, that he found it -necessary to abscond from his father’s house; and then, to put an end to -the wonderful ferment which his ingenuity had created, he published a -pamphlet, wherein he confessed the entire fabrication. Besides -_Vortigern_, young Ireland also produced a play of Henry II.; and, -although there were in both such incongruities as were not consistent -with Shakspeare’s age, both dramas contain passages of considerable -beauty and originality. - -The admissions of the son did not, however, screen the father from -obloquy, and the reaction of public opinion affected his fortunes and -his health. Mr. Ireland was the dupe of his zeal upon such subjects; and -the son never contemplated at the outset the unfortunate effect. Such -was the enthusiasm of certain admirers of Shakspeare, (among them Drs. -Parr and Warton,) that they fell upon their knees before the MSS.; and, -by their idolatry, inspired hundreds of others with similar enthusiasm. -The young author was filled with astonishment and alarm, which at that -stage it was not in his power to check. Sir Richard Phillips, who knew -the parties, has thus related the affair in the _Anecdote Library_. - -In the Catalogue of Dr. Parr’s Library at Hatton, (_Bibliotheca -Parriana_,) we find the following attempted explanation by the Doctor:-- - -“Ireland’s (Samuel) ‘Great and impudent forgery, called,’ Miscellaneous -Papers and Legal Instruments, under the hand and seal of William -Shakspeare, folio 1796. - -“I am almost ashamed to insert this worthless and infamously trickish -book. It is said to include the tragedy of _King Lear_, and a fragment -of _Hamlet_. Ireland told a lie when he imputed to _me_ the words which -_Joseph Warton_ used, the very morning I called on Ireland, and was -inclined to admit the possibility of genuineness in his papers. In my -subsequent conversation, I told him my change of opinion. But I thought -it not worth while to dispute in print with a detected impostor.--S. P.” - -Mr. Ireland died about 1802. His son, William Henry, long survived him; -but the forgeries blighted his literary reputation for ever, and he died -in straitened circumstances, about the year 1840. The reputed -Shakspearean MSS. are stated to have been seen for sale in a -pawnbroker’s window in Wardour-street, Soho. - - -HOOLE, THE TRANSLATOR OF TASSO. - -THE GHOST PUZZLED. - -Hoole was born in a hackney-coach, which was conveying his mother to -Drury-lane Theatre, to witness the performance of the tragedy of -_Timanthes_, which had been written by her husband. Hoole died in 1839, -at a very advanced age. In early life, he ranked amongst the literary -characters that adorned the last century; and, for some years before his -death, had outlived most of the persons who frequented the -_conversazioni_ of Dr. Johnson. By the will of the Doctor, Mr. Hoole was -enabled to take from his library and effects such books and furniture as -he might think proper to select, by way of memorial of that great -personage. He accordingly chose a chair in which Dr. Johnson usually -sat, and the desk upon which he had written the greater number of the -papers of the _Rambler_; both these articles Mr. Hoole used constantly -until nearly the day of his death. - -Hoole was near-sighted. He was partial to the drama; and, when young, -often strutted his hour at an amateur theatre in Lincoln’s Inn Fields. -Upon one occasion, whilst performing the ghost in _Hamlet_, Mr. Hoole -wandered incautiously from off the trap-door through which he had -emerged from the nether world, and by which it was his duty to descend. -In this dilemma he groped about, hoping to distinguish the aperture, -keeping the audience in wonder why he remained so long on the stage -after the crowing of the cock. It was apparent from the lips of the -ghost that he was holding converse with some one at the wings. He at -length became irritated, and “alas! poor ghost!” ejaculated, in tones -sufficiently audible, “I tell you I can’t find it.” The laughter that -ensued may be imagined. The ghost, had he been a sensible one, would -have walked off; but no--he became more and more irritated, until the -perturbed spirit was placed, by some of the bystanders, on the -trap-door, after which it descended, with due solemnity, amid roars of -laughter. - - -LORD BYRON’S VANITY. - -During the residence of Lord Byron at Venice, a clerk was sent from the -office of Messrs. Vizard and Co., of Lincoln’s Inn, to procure his -lordship’s signature to a legal instrument. On his arrival, the clerk -sent a message to the noble poet, who appointed to receive him on the -following morning. Each party was punctual to the minute. His lordship -had dressed himself with the most studious care; and, on the opening of -the door of his apartment, it was evident that he had placed himself in -what he thought a becoming _pose_. His right arm was displayed over the -back of a splendid couch, and his head was gently supported by the -fingers of his left hand. He bowed slightly as his visitor approached -him, and appeared anxious that his recumbent attitude should remain for -a time undisturbed. After the signing of the deed, the noble bard made a -few inquiries upon the politics of England, in the tone of a finished -exquisite. Some refreshment which was brought in afforded the messenger -an opportunity for more minute observation. His lordship’s hair had been -curled and parted on the forehead; the collar of his shirt was thrown -back, so that not only the throat but a considerable portion of his -bosom was exposed to view, though partially concealed by some fanciful -ornament suspended round the neck. His waistcoat was of costly velvet, -and his legs were enveloped in a superb wrapper. It is to be regretted -that so great a mind as that of Byron could derive satisfaction from -things so trivial and unimportant, but much more that it was liable to -be disturbed by a recollection of personal imperfections. In the above -interview, the clerk directed an accidental glance at his lordship’s -lame foot, when the smile that had played upon the visage of the poet -became suddenly converted into a frown. His whole frame appeared -discomposed; his tone of affected suavity became hard and imperious; and -he called to an attendant to open the door, with a peevishness seldom -exhibited even by the most irritable. - - -LORD BYRON’S APOLOGY. - -No one knew how to apologize for an affront with better grace, or with -more delicacy, than Lord Byron. In the first edition of the first canto -of _Childe Harold_, the poet adverted in a note to two political -tracts--one by Major Pasley, and the other by Gould Francis Leckie, -Esq.; and concluded his remarks by attributing “ignorance on the one -hand, and prejudice on the other.” Mr. Leckie, who felt offended at the -severity and, as he thought, injustice of the observations, wrote to -Lord Byron, complaining of the affront. His lordship did not reply -immediately to the letter; but, in about three weeks, he called upon Mr. -Leckie, and begged him to accept an elegantly-bound copy of a new -edition of the poem, in which the offensive passage was omitted. - - -FINE FLOURISHES. - -Lord Brougham, in an essay published long ago in the _Edinburgh Review_, -read a smart lesson to Parliamentary wits. “A wit,” says his lordship, -“though he amuses for the moment, unavoidably gives frequent offence to -grave and serious men, who don’t think public affairs should be lightly -handled, and are constantly falling into the error that when a person -is arguing the most conclusively, by showing the gross and ludicrous -absurdity of his adversary’s reasoning, he is jesting, and not arguing; -while the argument is, in reality, more close and stringent, the more he -shows the opposite picture to be grossly ludicrous--that is, the more -effective the wit becomes. But, though all this is perfectly true, it is -equally certain that danger attends such courses with the common run of -plain men. - -“Nor is it only by wit that genius offends: flowers of imagination, -flights of oratory, great passages, are more admired by the critic than -relished by the worthy baronets who darken the porch of -Boodle’s--chiefly answering to the names of Sir Robert and Sir John--and -the solid traders, the very good men who stream along the Strand from -‘Change towards St. Stephen’s Chapel, at five o’clock, to see the -business of the country done by the Sovereign’s servants. A pretty long -course of observation on these component parts of a Parliamentary -audience begets some doubt if noble passages, (termed ‘fine -flourishes,’) be not taken by them as personally offensive.” - -Take, for example, “such fine passages as Mr. Canning often indulged -himself and a few of his hearers with; and which certainly seemed to be -received as an insult by whole benches of men accustomed to distribute -justice at sessions. These worthies, the dignitaries of the empire, -resent such flights as liberties taken with them; and always say, when -others force them to praise--‘Well, well, but it was out of place; we -have nothing to do with king Priam here, or with a heathen god, such as -Æolus; those kind of folk are all very well in Pope’s _Homer_ and -Dryden’s _Virgil_; but, as I said to Sir Robert, who sat next me, what -have you or I to do with them matters? I like a good plain man of -business, like young Mr. Jenkinson--a man of the pen and desk, like his -father was before him--and who never speaks when he is not wanted: let -me tell you, Mr. Canning speaks too much by half. Time is short--there -are only twenty four hours in the day, you know.’ ” - - -MATHEMATICAL SAILORS. - -Nathaniel Bowditch, the translator of Laplace’s _Mécanique Céleste_, -displayed in very early life a taste for mathematical studies. In the -year 1788, when he was only fifteen years old, he actually made an -almanack for the year 1790, containing all the usual tables, -calculations of the eclipses, and other phenomena, and even the -customary predictions of the weather. - -Bowditch was bred to the sea, and in his early voyages taught navigation -to the common sailors about him. Captain Prince, with whom he often -sailed, relates, that one day the supercargo of the vessel said to him, -“Come, Captain, let us go forward and hear what the sailors are talking -about under the lee of the long-boat.” They went forward accordingly, -and the captain was surprised to find the sailors, instead of spinning -their long yarns, earnestly engaged with book, slate, and pencil, -discussing the high matters of tangents and secants, altitudes, dip, -and refraction. Two of them, in particular, were very zealously -disputing,--one of them calling out to the other, “Well, Jack, what have -you got?” “I’ve got the _sine_,” was the answer. “But that ain’t right,” -said the other; “_I_ say it is the _cosine_.” - - -LEWIS’S “MONK.” - -This romance, on its first appearance, roused the attention of all the -literary world of England, and even spread its writer’s name to the -continent. The author--“wonder-working Lewis,” was a stripling under -twenty when he wrote _The Monk_ in the short space of ten weeks! Sir -Walter Scott, probably the most rapid composer of fiction upon record, -hardly exceeded this, even in his latter days, when his facility of -writing was the greatest. - - -THOMSON’S RECITATIONS. - -Thomson, the author of the “Seasons,” was a very awkward reader of his -own productions. His patron, Doddington, once snatched a MS. from his -hand, provoked by his odd utterance, telling him that he did not -understand his own verses! A gentleman of Brentford, however, told the -late Dr. Evans, in 1824, that there was a tradition in that town of -Thomson frequenting one of the inns there, and reciting his poems to the -company. - - -GOLDSMITH’S “SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER.” - -Goldsmith, during the first performance of this comedy, walked all the -time in St. James’ Park in great uneasiness. Finally, when he thought -that it must be over, hastening to the theatre, hisses assailed his ears -as he entered the green-room. Asking in eager alarm of Colman the -cause--“Pshaw, pshaw!” said Colman, “don’t be afraid of squibs, when we -have been sitting on a barrel of gunpowder for two hours.” The comedy -had completely triumphed--the audience were only hissing the after -farce. Goldsmith had some difficulty in getting the piece on the stage, -as appears from the following letter to Colman:--“I entreat you’ll -relieve me from that state of suspense in which I have been kept for a -long time. Whatever objections you have made, or shall make, to my play, -I will endeavour to remove, and not argue about them. To bring in any -new judges either of its merits or faults, I can never submit to. Upon a -former occasion, when my other play was before Mr. Garrick, he offered -to bring me before Mr. Whitehead’s tribunal, but I refused the proposal -with indignation. I hope I shall not experience as hard treatment from -you, as from him. I have, as you know, a large sum of money to make up -shortly; by accepting my play, I can readily satisfy my creditor that -way; at any rate, I must look about to some certainty to be prepared. -For God’s sake take the play, and let us make the best of it; and let me -have the same measure at least which you have given as bad plays as -mine.” - - -SILENCE NOT ALWAYS WISDOM. - -Coleridge once dined in company with a person who listened to him, and -said nothing for a long time; but he nodded his head, and Coleridge -thought him intelligent. At length, towards the end of the dinner, some -apple dumplings were placed on the table, and the listener had no sooner -seen them than he burst forth, “Them’s the jockeys for me!” Coleridge -adds: “I wish Spurzheim could have examined the fellow’s head.” - -Coleridge was very luminous in conversation, and invariably commanded -listeners; yet the old lady rated his talent very lowly, when she -declared she had no patience with a man who would have all the talk to -himself. - - -DR. CHALMERS IN LONDON. - -When Dr. Chalmers first visited London, the hold that he took on the -minds of men was unprecedented. It was a time of strong political -feeling; but even that was unheeded, and all parties thronged to hear -the Scottish preacher. The very best judges were not prepared for the -display that they heard. Canning and Wilberforce went together, and got -into a pew near the door. The elder in attendance stood alone by the -pew. Chalmers began in his usual unpromising way, by stating a few -nearly self-evident propositions, neither in the choicest language, nor -in the most impressive voice. “If this be all,” said Canning to his -companion, “it will never do.” Chalmers went on--the shuffling of the -conversation gradually subsided. He got into the mass of his subject; -his weakness became strength, his hesitation was turned into energy; -and, bringing the whole volume of his mind to bear upon it, he poured -forth a torrent of the most close and conclusive argument, brilliant -with all the exuberance of an imagination which ranged over all nature -for illustrations, and yet managed and applied each of them with the -same unerring dexterity, as if that single one had been the study of a -whole life. “The tartan beats us,” said Mr. Canning; “we have no -preaching like that in England.” - - -ROMILLY AND BROUGHAM. - -Hallam’s _History of the Middle Ages_ was the last book of any -importance read by Sir Samuel Romilly. Of this excellent work he formed -the highest opinion, and recommended its immediate perusal to Lord -Brougham, as a contrast to his dry _Letter on the Abuses of Charities_, -in respect of the universal interest of the subject. Yet, Sir Samuel -undervalued the Letter, for it ran through eight editions in one month. - - -PHYSIOGNOMY OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTIONISTS. - -It is remarkable, (says Bulwer, in his _Zanoni_,) that most of the -principal actors of the French Revolution were singularly hideous in -appearance--from the colossal ugliness of Mirabeau and Danton, or the -villanous ferocity in the countenances of David and Simon, to the -filthy squalor of Marat, and the sinister and bilious meanness of the -Dictator’s features. But Robespierre, who was said to resemble a cat, -and had also a cat’s cleanliness, was prim and dainty in dress, shaven -smoothness, and the womanly whiteness of his hands. Réné Dumas, born of -reputable parents, and well educated, despite his ferocity, was not -without a certain refinement, which perhaps rendered him the more -acceptable to the precise Robespierre. Dumas was a beau in his way: his -gala-dress was a _blood-red_ coat, with the finest ruffles. But Henriot -had been a lacquey, a thief, a spy of the police; he had drank the blood -of Madame de Lamballe, and had risen for no quality but his ruffianism; -and Fouquier Tinville, the son of a provincial agriculturist, and -afterwards a clerk at the bureau of the police, was little less base in -his manners, and yet more, from a certain loathsome buffoonery, -revolting in his speech; bull-headed, with black, sleek hair, with a -narrow and livid forehead, and small eyes that twinkled with sinister -malice; strongly and coarsely built, he looked what he was, the -audacious bully of a lawless and relentless bar. - - -DEATH OF SIR CHARLES BELL. - -This distinguished surgeon died suddenly on April 29, 1842, at Hallow -Park, near Worcester, while on his way to Malvern. He was out sketching -on the 28th, being particularly pleased with the village church, and -some fine trees which are beside it; observing that he should like to -repose there when he was gone. Just four days after this sentiment had -been expressed, his mortal remains were accordingly deposited beside the -rustic graves which had attracted his notice, and so recently occupied -his pencil. There is a painful admonition in this fulfilment. - - -CLASSIC PUN. - -It was suggested to a distinguished _gourmet_, what a capital thing a -dish all fins (turbot’s fins) might be made. “Capital,” said he; “dine -with me on it to-morrow.” “Accepted.” Would you believe it? when the -cover was removed, the sacrilegious dog of an Amphytrion had put into -the dish “Cicero _De finibus_.” “There is a work all fins,” said he. - - -POETRY OF THE SEA. - -Campbell was a great lover of submarine prospects. “Often in my -boyhood,” says the poet, “when the day has been bright and the sea -transparent, I have sat by the hour on a Highland rock admiring the -golden sands, the emerald weeds, and the silver shells at the bottom of -the bay beneath, till, dreaming about the grottoes of the Nereids, I -would not have exchanged my pleasure for that of a connoisseur poring -over a landscape by Claude or Poussin. Enchanting nature! thy beauty is -not only in heaven and earth, but in the waters under our feet. How -magnificent a medium of vision is the pellucid sea! Is it not like -poetry, that embellishes every object that we contemplate?” - - -“FELON LITERATURE.” - -One of the most stinging reproofs of perverted literary taste, evidently -aimed at Newgate Calendar literature, appeared in the form of a -valentine, in No. 31 of _Punch_, in 1842. - -The valentine itself reminds one of Churchill’s muse; and it needs no -finger to tell where its withering satire is pointed:-- - - -“THE LITERARY GENTLEMAN. - - “Illustrious scribe! whose vivid genius strays - ’Mid Drury’s stews to incubate her lays, - And in St. Giles’s slang conveys her tropes, - Wreathing the poet’s lines with hangmen’s ropes; - You who conceive ’tis poetry to teach - The sad bravado of a dying speech; - Or, when possessed with a sublimer mood, - Show “Jack o’Dandies” dancing upon blood! - Crush bones--bruise flesh, recount each festering sore-- - Rake up the plague-pit, write--and write in gore! - Or, when inspired to humanize mankind, - Where doth your soaring soul its subjects find? - Not ’mid the scenes that simple Goldsmith sought, - And found a theme to elevate his thought; - But you, great scribe, more greedy of renown, - From Hounslow’s gibbet drag a hero down. - Imbue his mind with virtue; make him quote - Some moral truth before he cuts a throat. - Then wash his hands, and soaring o’er your craft-- - Refresh the hero with a bloody draught: - And, fearing lest the world should miss the act, - With noble zeal _italicize_ the fact. - Or would you picture woman meek and pure, - By love and virtue tutor’d to endure, - With cunning skill you take a felon’s trull, - Stuff her with sentiment, and scrunch her skull! - Oh! would your crashing, smashing, mashing pen were mine, - That I could “scorch your eyeballs” with my words, - “MY VALENTINE.” - - -DEATH BED REVELATIONS. - -Men before they die see and comprehend enigmas hidden from them before. -The greatest poet, and one of the noblest thinkers of the last age, said -on his death-bed:--“Many things obscure to me before, now clear up and -become visible.” - - -STAMMERING WIT. - -Stammering, (says Coleridge,) is sometimes the cause of a pun. Some one -was mentioning in Lamb’s presence the cold-heartedness of the Duke of -Cumberland, in restraining the duchess from rushing up to the embrace of -her son, whom she had not seen for a considerable time, and insisting on -her receiving him in state. “How horribly _cold_ it was,” said the -narrator. “Yes,” said Lamb, in his stuttering way; “but you know he is -the Duke of _Cu-cum-ber-land_.” - - -ORIGIN OF BOTTLED ALE. - -Alexander Newell, Dean of St. Paul’s, and Master of Westminster School, -in the reign of Queen Mary, was an excellent angler. But Fuller says, -while Newell was catching of fishes, Bishop Bonner was catching of -Newell, and would certainly have sent him to the shambles, had not a -good London merchant conveyed him away upon the seas. Newell was fishing -upon the banks of the Thames when he received the first intimation of -his danger, which was so pressing, that he dared not go back to his own -house to make any preparation for his flight. Like an honest angler, he -had taken with him provisions for the day; and when, in the first year -of England’s deliverance, he returned to his country, and to his own -haunts, he remembered that on the day of his flight he had left a bottle -of beer in a safe place on the bank: there he looked for it, and “found -it no bottle, but a gun--such the sound at the opening thereof; and this -(says Fuller) is believed (casualty is mother of more invention than -industry) to be the original of bottled ale in England.” - - -BAD’S THE BEST. - -Canning was once asked by an English clergyman, at whose parsonage he -was visiting, how he liked the sermon he had preached that morning. -“Why, it was a short sermon,” quoth Canning. “O yes,” said the preacher, -“you know I avoid being tedious.” “Ah, but,” replied Canning, “you -_were_ tedious.” - - -LUDICROUS ESTIMATE OF MR. CANNING. - -The Rev. Sydney Smith compares Mr. Canning in office to a fly in amber: -“nobody cares about the fly: the only question is, how the devil did it -get there?” “Nor do I,” continues Smith, “attack him for the love of -glory, but from the love of utility, as a burgomaster hunts a rat in a -Dutch dyke, for fear it should flood a province. When he is jocular, he -is strong; when he is serious, he is like Samson in a wig. Call him a -legislator, a reasoner, and the conductor of the affairs of a great -nation, and it seems to me as absurd as if a butterfly were to teach -bees to make honey. That he was an extraordinary writer of small poetry, -and a diner-out of the highest lustre, I do most readily admit. After -George Selwyn, and perhaps Tickell, there has been no such man for the -last half-century.” - - -THE AUTHORSHIP OF “WAVERLEY.” - -Mrs. Murray Keith, a venerable Scotch lady, from whom Sir Walter Scott -derived many of the traditionary stories and anecdotes wrought up in his -novels, taxed him one day with the authorship, which he, as usual, -stoutly denied. “What!” exclaimed the old lady, “d’ye think I dinna ken -my ain groats among other folk’s kail?” - - -QUID PRO QUO. - -Campbell relates:--“Turner, the painter, is a ready wit. Once at a -dinner where several artists, amateurs, and literary men were convened, -a poet, by way of being facetious, proposed as a toast the health of the -_painters_ and _glaziers_ of Great Britain. The toast was drunk; and -Turner, after returning thanks for it, proposed the health of the -British _paper-stainers_.” - - -HOPE’S “ANASTASIUS.” - -Lord Byron, in a conversation with the Countess of Blessington, said -that he wept bitterly over many pages of _Anastasius_, and for two -reasons: first, that _he_ had not written it; and secondly, that _Hope_ -had; for it was necessary to like a man excessively to pardon his -writing such a book; as, he said, excelling all recent productions, as -much in wit and talent as in true pathos. Lord Byron added, that he -would have given his two most approved poems to have been the author of -_Anastasius_. - - -SMART REPARTEE. - -Walpole relates, after an execution of _eighteen_ malefactors, a woman -was hawking an account of them, but called them _nineteen_. A gentleman -said to her, “Why do you say _nineteen_? there were but _eighteen_ -hanged.” She replied, “Sir, I did not know _you_ had been reprieved.” - - -COLTON’S “LACON.” - -This remarkable book was written upon covers of letters and scraps of -paper of such description as was nearest at hand; the greater part at a -house in Princes-street, Soho. Colton’s lodging was a -penuriously-furnished second-floor, and upon a rough deal table, with a -stumpy pen, our author wrote. - -Though a beneficed clergyman, holding the vicarage of Kew, with -Petersham, in Surrey, Colton was a well-known frequenter of the -gaming-table; and, suddenly disappearing from his usual haunts in London -about the time of the murder of Weare, in 1823, it was strongly -suspected he had been assassinated. It was, however, afterwards -ascertained that he had absconded to avoid his creditors; and in 1828 a -successor was appointed to his living. He then went to reside in -America, but subsequently lived in Paris, a professed gamester; and it -is said that he thus gained, in two years only, the sum of 25,000_l._ He -blew out his brains while on a visit to a friend at Fontainebleau, in -1832; bankrupt in health, spirits, and fortune. - - -BUNYAN’S COPY OF “THE BOOK OF MARTYRS.” - -There is no book, except the Bible, which Bunyan is known to have -perused so intently as the Acts and Monuments of John Fox, the -martyrologist, one of the best of men; a work more hastily than -judiciously compiled, but invaluable for that greater and far more -important portion which has obtained for it its popular name of _The -Book of Martyrs_. Bunyan’s own copy of this work is in existence, and -valued of course as such a relic of such a man ought to be. It was -purchased in the year 1780, by Mr. Wantner, of the Minories; from him it -descended to his daughter, Mrs. Parnell, of Botolph-lane; and it was -afterwards purchased, by subscription, for the Bedfordshire General -Library. - -This edition of _The Acts and Monuments_ is of the date 1641, 3 vols. -folio, the last of those in the black-letter, and probably the latest -when it came into Bunyan’s hands. In each volume he has written his name -beneath the title-page, in a large and stout print-hand. Under some of -the woodcuts he has inserted a few rhymes, which are undoubtedly his own -composition; and which, though much in the manner of the verses that -were printed under the illustrations of his own _Pilgrim’s Progress_, -when that work was first adorned with cuts, (verses worthy of such -embellishments,) are very much worse than even the worst of those. -Indeed, it would not be possible to find specimens of more miserable -doggerel. - -Here is one of the Tinker’s tetrasticks, penned in the margin, beside -the account of Gardiner’s death:-- - - “The blood, the blood that he did shed - Is falling one his one head; - And dredfull it is for to see - The beginers of his misere.” - -One of the signatures bears the date of 1662; but the verses must -undoubtedly have been some years earlier, before the publication of his -first tract. These curious inscriptions must have been Bunyan’s first -attempts in verse: he had, no doubt, found difficulty enough in -tinkering them to make him proud of his work when it was done; -otherwise, he would not have written them in a book which was the most -valuable of all his goods and chattels. In later days, he seems to have -taken this book for his art of poetry. His verses are something below -the pitch of Sternhold and Hopkins. But if he learnt there to make bad -verses, he entered fully into the spirit of its better parts, and -received that spirit into as resolute a heart as ever beat in a martyr’s -bosom.[1] - - -LITERARY LOCALITIES. - -Leigh Hunt pleasantly says:--“I can no more pass through Westminster, -without thinking of Milton; or the Borough, without thinking of Chaucer -and Shakspeare; or Gray’s Inn, without calling Bacon to mind; or -Bloomsbury-square, without Steele and Akenside; than I can prefer brick -and mortar to wit and poetry, or not see a beauty upon it beyond -architecture in the splendour of the recollection. I once had duties to -perform which kept me out late at night, and severely taxed my health -and spirits. My path lay through a neighbourhood in which Dryden lived, -and though nothing could be more common-place, and I used to be tired to -the heart and soul of me, I never hesitated to go a little out of the -way, purely that I might pass through Gerard-street, and so give myself -the shadow of a pleasant thought.” - - -CREED OF LORD BOLINGBROKE. - -Lord Brougham says:--“The dreadful malady under which Bolingbroke long -lingered, and at length sunk--a cancer in the face--he bore with -exemplary fortitude, a fortitude drawn from the natural resources of his -vigorous mind, and unhappily not aided by the consolations of any -religion; for, having early cast off the belief in revelation, he had -substituted in its stead a dark and gloomy naturalism, which even -rejected those glimmerings of hope as to futurity not untasted by the -wiser of the heathens.” - -Lord Chesterfield, in one of his letters, which has been published by -Earl Stanhope, says that Bolingbroke only doubted, and by no means -rejected, a future state. - - -BUNYAN’S PREACHING. - -It is said that Owen, the divine, greatly admired Bunyan’s preaching; -and that, being asked by Charles II. “how a learned man such as he could -sit and listen to an itinerant tinker?” he replied: “May it please your -Majesty, could I possess that tinker’s abilities for preaching, I would -most gladly relinquish all my learning.” - - -HONE’S “EVERY-DAY BOOK.” - -This popular work was commenced by its author after he had renounced -political satire for the more peaceful study of the antiquities of our -country. The publication was issued in weekly sheets, and extended -through two years, 1824 and 1825. It was very successful, the weekly -sale being from 20,000 to 30,000 copies. - -In 1830, Mr. Southey gave the following tribute to the merits of the -work, which it is pleasurable to record; as these two writers, from -their antipodean politics, had not been accustomed to regard each -other’s productions with any favour. In closing his _Life of John -Bunyan_, Mr. Southey says:-- - -“In one of the volumes, collected from various quarters, which were sent -to me for this purpose, I observe the name of William Hone, and notice -it that I may take the opportunity of recommending his _Every-day Book_ -and _Table Book_ to those who are interested in the preservation of our -national and local customs. By these curious publications, their -compiler has rendered good service in an important department of -literature; and he may render yet more, if he obtain the encouragement -which he well deserves.” - - -BUNYAN’S ESCAPES. - -Bunyan had some providential escapes during his early life. Once, he -fell into a creek of the sea, once out of a boat into the river Ouse, -near Bedford, and each time he was narrowly saved from drowning. One -day, an adder crossed his path. He stunned it with a stick, then forced -open its mouth with a stick and plucked out the tongue, which he -supposed to be the sting, with his fingers; “by which act,” he says, -“had not God been merciful unto me, I might, by my desperateness, have -brought myself to an end.” If this, indeed, were an adder, and not a -harmless snake, his escape from the fangs was more remarkable than he -himself was aware of. A circumstance, which was likely to impress him -more deeply, occurred in the eighteenth year of his age, when, being a -soldier in the Parliament’s army, he was drawn out to go to the siege of -Leicester, in 1645. One of the same company wished to go in his stead; -Bunyan consented to exchange with him, and this volunteer substitute, -standing sentinel one day at the siege, was shot through the head with a -musket-ball. “This risk,” Sir Walter Scott observes, “was one somewhat -resembling the escape of Sir Roger de Coverley, in an action at -Worcester, who was saved from the slaughter of that action, by having -been absent from the field.”--_Southey._ - - -DROLLERY SPONTANEOUS. - -More drolleries are uttered unintentionally than by premeditation. There -is no such thing as being “droll to order.” One evening a lady said to a -small wit, “Come, Mr. ----, tell us a lively anecdote;” and the poor -fellow was mute the rest of the evening. - -“Favour me with your company on Wednesday evening--you are such a lion,” -said a weak party-giver to a young _littérateur_. “I thank you,” replied -the wit, “but, on that evening I am engaged to eat fire at the Countess -of ----, and stand upon my head at Mrs. ----.” - - -ORIGIN OF COWPER’S “JOHN GILPIN.” - -It happened one afternoon, in those years when Cowper’s accomplished -friend, Lady Austen, made a part of his little evening circle, that she -observed him sinking into increased dejection; it was her custom, on -these occasions, to try all the resources of her sprightly powers for -his immediate relief. She told him the story of John Gilpin, (which had -been treasured in her memory from her childhood), to dissipate the gloom -of the passing hour. Its effects on the fancy of Cowper had the air of -enchantment. He informed her the next morning that convulsions of -laughter, brought on by his recollection of her story, had kept him -waking during the greatest part of the night! and that he had turned it -into a ballad. So arose the pleasant poem of John Gilpin. To Lady -Austen’s suggestion, also, we are indebted for the poem of “the Task.” - - -HARD FATE OF AUTHORS. - -Sir E. B. (now Lord) Lytton, in the memoir which he prefixed to the -collected works of Laman Blanchard, draws the following affecting -picture of that author’s position, after he had parted from an -engagement upon a popular newspaper:-- - - “For the author there is nothing but his pen, till that and life - are worn to the stump: and then, with good fortune, perhaps on his - death-bed he receives a pension--and equals, it may be, for a few - months, the income of a retired butler! And, so on the sudden loss - of the situation in which he had frittered away his higher and more - delicate genius, in all the drudgery that a party exacts from its - defender of the press, Laman Blanchard was thrown again upon the - world, to shift as he might and subsist as he could. His practice - in periodical writing was now considerable; his versatility was - extreme. He was marked by publishers and editors as a useful - contributor, and so his livelihood was secure. From a variety of - sources thus he contrived, by constant waste of intellect and - strength, to eke out his income, and insinuate rather than force - his place among his contemporary penmen. And uncomplainingly, and - with patient industry, he toiled on, seeming farther and farther - off from the happy leisure, in which ‘the something to verify - promise was to be completed.’ No time had he for profound reading, - for lengthened works, for the mature development of the conceptions - of a charming fancy. He had given hostages to fortune. He had a - wife and four children, and no income but that which he made from - week to week. The grist must be ground, and the wheel revolve. All - the struggle, all the toils, all the weariness of brain, nerve, - and head, which a man undergoes in his career, are imperceptible - even to his friends--almost to himself; he has no time to be ill, - to be fatigued; his spirit has no holiday; it is all school-work. - And thus, generally, we find in such men that the break up of the - constitution seems sudden and unlooked-for. The causes of disease - and decay have been long laid; but they are smothered beneath the - lively appearances of constrained industry and forced excitement.” - - -JAMES SMITH, ONE OF THE AUTHORS OF “REJECTED ADDRESSES.” - -A writer in the _Law Quarterly Magazine_ says:--To the best of our -information, James’s _coup d’essai_ in literature was a hoax in the -shape of a series of letters to the editor of the _Gentleman’s -Magazine_, detailing some extraordinary antiquarian discoveries and -facts in natural history, which the worthy Sylvanus Urban inserted -without the least suspicion. In 1803, he became a constant contributor -to the _Pic-Nic_ and _Cabinet_ weekly journals, in conjunction with Mr. -Cumberland, Sir James Bland Burgess, Mr. Horatio Smith, and others. The -principal caterer for these publications was Colonel Greville, on whom -Lord Byron has conferred a not very enviable immortality-- - - “Or hail at once the patron and the pile - Of vice and folly, Greville and Argyle.” - -One of James Smith’s favourite anecdotes related to him. The Colonel -requested his young ally to call at his lodgings, and in the course of -their first interview related the particulars of the most curious -circumstance in his life. He was taken prisoner during the American -war, along with three other officers of the same rank; one evening they -were summoned into the presence of Washington, who announced to them -that the conduct of their Government, in condemning one of his officers -to death as a rebel, compelled him to make reprisals; and that, much to -his regret, he was under the necessity of requiring them to cast lots, -without delay, to decide which of them should be hanged. They were then -bowed out, and returned to their quarters. Four slips of paper were put -into a hat, and the shortest was drawn by Captain Asgill, who exclaimed, -“I knew how it would be; I never won so much as a hit of backgammon in -my life.” As Greville told the story, he was selected to sit up with -Captain Asgill, under the pretext of companionship, but, in reality, to -prevent him from escaping, and leaving the honour amongst the remaining -three. “And what,” inquired Smith, “did you say to comfort him?” “Why, I -remember saying to him, when they left us, _D--it, old fellow, never -mind_;” but it may be doubted (added Smith) whether he drew much comfort -from the exhortation. Lady Asgill persuaded the French minister to -interpose, and the captain was permitted to escape. - -Both James and Horatio Smith were also contributors to the _Monthly -Mirror_, then the property of Mr. Thomas Hill, a gentleman who had the -good fortune to live familiarly with three or four generations of -authors; the same, in short, with whom the subject of this memoir thus -playfully remonstrated: “Hill, you take an unfair advantage of an -accident; the register of your birth was burnt in the great fire of -London, and you now give yourself out for younger than you are.” - -The fame of the Smiths, however, was confined to a limited circle until -the publication of the _Rejected Addresses_, which rose at once into -almost unprecedented celebrity. - -James Smith used to dwell with much pleasure on the criticism of a -Leicestershire clergyman: “I do not see why they (the _Addresses_) -should have been rejected: I think some of them very good.” This, he -would add, is almost as good as the avowal of the Irish bishop, that -there were some things in _Gulliver’s Travels_ which he could not -believe. - -Though never guilty of intemperance, James was a martyr to the gout; -and, independently of the difficulty he experienced in locomotion, he -partook largely of the feeling avowed by his old friend Jekyll, who used -to say that, if compelled to live in the country, he would have the -drive before his house paved like the streets of London, and hire a -hackney-coach to drive up and down all day long. - -He used to tell, with great glee, a story showing the general conviction -of his dislike to ruralities. He was sitting in the library at a -country-house, when a gentleman proposed a quiet stroll into the -pleasure-grounds:-- - - “ ‘Stroll! why, don’t you see my gouty shoe?’ - - “ ‘Yes, I see that plain enough, and I wish I’d brought one - too, but they’re all out now.’ - - “ ‘Well, and what then?’ - - “ ‘What then? Why, my dear fellow, you don’t mean to say that - you have really got the gout? I thought you had only put on that - shoe to get off being shown over the improvements.’ ” - -His bachelorship is thus attested in his niece’s album: - - “Should I seek Hymen’s tie, - As a poet I die, - Ye Benedicts mourn my distresses: - For what little fame - Is annexed to my name, - Is derived from _Rejected Addresses_.” - -The two following are amongst the best of his good things. A gentleman -with the same Christian and surname took lodgings in the same house. The -consequence was, eternal confusion of calls and letters. Indeed, the -postman had no alternative but to share the letters equally between the -two. “This is intolerable, sir,” said our friend, “and you must quit.” -“Why am I to quit more than you?” “Because you are James the Second--and -must _abdicate_.” - -Mr. Bentley proposed to establish a periodical publication, to be called -_The Wit’s Miscellany_. Smith objected that the title promised too much. -Shortly afterwards, the publisher came to tell him that he had profited -by the hint, and resolved on calling it _Bentley’s Miscellany_. “Isn’t -that going a little too far the other way?” was the remark. - -A capital pun has been very generally attributed to him. An actor, named -Priest, was playing at one of the principal theatres. Some one remarked -at the Garrick Club, that there were a great many men in the pit. -“Probably, clerks who have taken Priest’s orders.” The pun is perfect, -but the real proprietor is Mr. Poole, one of the best punsters as well -as one of the cleverest comic writers and finest satirists of the day. -It has also been attributed to Charles Lamb. - -Formerly, it was customary, on emergencies, for the judges to swear -affidavits at their dwelling-houses. Smith was desired by his father to -attend a judge’s chambers for that purpose, but being engaged to dine in -Russell-square, at the next house to Mr. Justice Holroyd’s, he thought -he might as well save himself the disagreeable necessity of leaving the -party at eight by dispatching his business at once: so, a few minutes -before six, he boldly knocked at the judge’s, and requested to speak to -him on particular business. The judge was at dinner, but came down -without delay, swore the affidavit, and then gravely asked what was the -pressing necessity that induced our friend to disturb him at that hour. -As Smith told the story, he raked his invention for a lie, but finding -none fit for the purpose, he blurted out the truth:-- - - “ ‘The fact is, my lord, I am engaged to dine at the next - house--and--and----’ - - “ ‘And, sir, you thought you might as well save your own - dinner by spoiling mine?’ - - “ ‘Exactly so, my lord, but----’ - - “ ‘Sir, I wish you a good evening.’ ” - -Smith was rather fond of a joke on his own branch of the profession; he -always gave a peculiar emphasis to the line in his song on the -contradiction of names: - - “Mr. Makepeace was bred an attorney;” - -and would frequently quote Goldsmith’s lines on Hickey, the associate -of Burke and other distinguished cotemporaries: - - “He cherished his friend, and he relished a bumper; - Yet one fault he had, and that was a thumper, - Then, what was his failing? come, tell it, and burn ye: - He was, could he help it? a special attorney.” - -The following playful colloquy in verse took place at a dinner-table -between Sir George Bose and himself, in allusion to Craven-street, -Strand, where he resided:-- - - “_J. S._--‘At the top of my street the attorneys abound, - And down at the bottom the barges are found: - Fly, Honesty, fly to some safer retreat, - For there’s craft in the river, and craft in the street.’ ” - - “_Sir G. R._--‘Why should Honesty fly to some safer retreat, - From attorneys and barges, od rot ’em? - For the lawyers are _just_ at the top of the street, - And the barges are _just_ at the bottom.’ ” - - -CONTEMPORARY COPYRIGHTS. - -The late Mr. Tegg, the publisher in Cheapside, gave the following list -of remunerative payments to distinguished authors in his time; and he is -believed to have taken considerable pains to verify the items: - -Fragments of History, by Charles Fox, sold by Lord Holland, for 5000 -guineas. Fragments of History, by Sir James Mackintosh, 500_l._ -Lingard’s History of England, 4683_l._ Sir Walter Scott’s Bonaparte was -sold, with the printed books, for 18,000_l._; the net receipts of -copyright on the first two editions only must have been 10,000_l._ Life -of Wilberforce, by his sons, 4000 guineas. Life of Byron, by Moore, -4000_l._ Life of Sheridan, by Moore, 2000_l._ Life of Hannah More, -2000_l._ Life of Cowper, by Southey, 1000_l._ Life and Times of George -IV., by Lady C. Bury, 1000_l._ Byron’s Works, 20,000_l._ Lord of the -Isles, half share, 1500_l._ Lalla Rookh, by Moore, 3000_l._ Rejected -Addresses, by Smith, 1000_l._ Crabbe’s Works, republication of, by Mr. -Murray, 3000_l._ Wordsworth’s Works, republication of, by Mr. Moxon, -1050_l._ Bulwer’s Rienzi, 1600_l._ Marryat’s Novels, 500_l._ to 1500_l._ -each. Trollope’s Factory Boy, 1800_l._ Hannah More derived 30,000_l._ -per annum for her copyrights, during the latter years of her life. -Rundell’s Domestic Cookery, 2000_l._ Nicholas Nickleby, 3000_l._ -Eustace’s Classical Tour, 2100_l._ Sir Robert Inglis obtained for the -beautiful and interesting widow of Bishop Heber by the sale of his -journal, 5000_l._ - - -MISS BURNEY’S “EVELINA.” - -The story of _Evelina_ being printed when the authoress was but -seventeen years old is proved to have been sheer invention, to trumpet -the work into notoriety; since it has no more truth in it than a -paid-for newspaper puff. The year of Miss Burney’s birth was long -involved in studied obscurity, and thus the deception lasted, until one -fine day it was ascertained, by reference to the register of the -authoress’ birth, that she was a woman of six or seven-and-twenty, -instead of a “Miss in her teens,” when she wrote _Evelina_. The story -of her father’s utter ignorance of the work being written by her, and -recommending her to read it, as an exception to the novel class, has -also been essentially modified. Miss Burney, (then Madame D’Arblay,) is -said to have taken the characters in her novel of _Camilla_ from the -family of Mr. Lock, of Norbury Park, who built for Gen. D’Arblay the -villa in which the work was written, and which to this day is called -“Camilla Lacy.” By this novel, Madame D’Arblay is said to have realized -3000 guineas. - - -EPITAPH ON CHARLES LAMB. - -Lamb lies buried in Edmonton churchyard, and the stone bears the -following lines to his memory, written by his friend, the Rev. H. F. -Cary, the erudite translator of _Dante_ and _Pindar_:-- - - “Farewell, dear friend!--that smile, that harmless mirth, - No more shall gladden our domestic hearth; - That rising tear, with pain forbid to flow-- - Better than words--no more assuage our woe. - That hand outstretch’d from small but well-earned store - Yield succour to the destitute no more. - Yet art thou not all lost: through many an age, - With sterling sense and humour, shall thy page - Win many an English bosom, pleased to see - That old and happier vein revived in thee. - This for our earth; and if with friends we share - Our joys in heaven, we hope to meet thee there.” - -Lamb survived his earliest friend and school-fellow, Coleridge, only a -few months. One morning he showed to a friend the mourning ring which -the author of _Christabelle_ had left him. “Poor fellow!” exclaimed -Lamb, “I have never ceased to think of him from the day I first heard of -his death.” Lamb died in _five days after_--December 27, 1834, in his -fifty-ninth year. - - -“TOM CRINGLE’S LOG.” - -The author of this very successful work, (originally published in -_Blackwood’s Magazine_,) was a Mr. Mick Scott, born in Edinburgh in -1789, and educated at the High School. Several years of his life were -spent in the West Indies. He ultimately married, returned to his native -country, and there embarked in commercial speculations, in the leisure -between which he wrote the _Log_. Notwithstanding its popularity in -Europe and America, the author preserved his incognito to the last. He -survived his publisher for some years, and it was not till Mr. Scott’s -death that the sons of Mr. Blackwood were aware of his name. - - -CHANCES FOR THE DRAMA. - -The royal patent, by which the performance of the regular drama was -restricted to certain theatres, does not appear to have fostered this -class of writing. Dr. Johnson forced Goldsmith’s _She Stoops to Conquer_ -into the theatre. Tobin died regretting that he could not succeed in -hearing the _Honeymoon_ performed. Lillo produced _George Barnwell_ (an -admirably written play) at an irregular theatre, after it had been -rejected by the holders of the patents. _Douglas_ was cast on Home’s -hands. Fielding was introduced as a dramatist at an unlicensed house; -and one of Mrs. Inchbald’s popular comedies had lain two years -neglected, when, by a trifling accident, she was able to obtain the -manager’s _approval_. - - -FULLER’S MEMORY. - -Marvellous anecdotes are related of Dr. Thomas Fuller’s memory. Thus, it -is stated that he undertook once, in passing to and from Temple Bar to -the farthest conduit in Cheapside, to tell at his return every sign as -they stood in order on both sides of the way, repeating them either -backward or forward. This must have been a great feat, seeing that every -house then bore a sign. Yet, Fuller himself decried this kind of thing -as a trick, no art. He relates that one (who since wrote a book thereof) -told him, before credible people, that he, in Sidney College, had taught -him (Fuller) the art of memory. Fuller replied that it was not so, for -_he could not remember that he had ever seen him before_; “which, I -conceive,” adds Fuller, “was a real refutation;” and we think so, too. - - -LORD HERVEY’S WIT. - -Horace Walpole records Lord Hervey’s memorable saying about Lord -Burlington’s pretty villa at Chiswick, now the Duke of Devonshire’s, -that it was “too small to inhabit, and too large to hang to your watch;” -and Lady Louisa Stuart has preserved a piece of dandyism in eating, -which even Beau Brummell might have envied--“When asked at dinner -whether he would have some beef, he answered, ‘Beef? oh, no! faugh! -don’t you know I never eat beef, nor horse, nor any of those -things?’ ”--The man that said these things was the successful lover -of the prettiest maid of honour to the Princess of Wales--the person -held up to everlasting ridicule by Pope--the vice-chamberlain whose -attractions engaged the affections of the daughter of the Sovereign he -served; and the peer whose wit was such that it “charmed the charming -Mary Montague.” - - -ANACREONTIC INVITATION, BY MOORE. - -The following, one of the latest productions of the poet Moore, -addressed to the Marquis of Lansdowne, shows that though by that time -inclining to threescore and ten, he retained all the fire and vivacity -of early youth. It is full of those exquisitely apt allusions and -felicitous turns of expression in which the English Anacreon excels. It -breathes the very spirit of classic festivity. Such an invitation to -dinner is enough to create an appetite in any lover of poetry:-- - - “Some think we bards have nothing real-- - That poets live among the stars, so - Their very dinners are ideal,-- - (And heaven knows, too oft they are so:) - For instance, that we have, instead - Of vulgar chops and stews, and hashes, - First course,--a phœnix at the head, - Done in its own celestial ashes: - At foot, a cygnet, which kept singing - All the time its neck was wringing. - Side dishes, thus,--Minerva’s owl, - Or any such like learned fowl; - Doves, such as heaven’s poulterer gets - When Cupid shoots his mother’s pets. - Larks stew’d in morning’s roseate breath, - Or roasted by a sunbeam’s splendour; - And nightingales, be-rhymed to death-- - Like young pigs whipp’d to make them tender. - Such fare may suit those bard’s who’re able - To banquet at Duke Humphrey’s table; - But as for me, who’ve long been taught - To eat and drink like other people, - And can put up with mutton, bought - Where Bromham rears its ancient steeple; - If Lansdowne will consent to share - My humble feast, though rude the fare, - Yet, seasoned by that salt he brings - From Attica’s salinest springs, - ’Twill turn to dainties; while the cup, - Beneath his influence brightening up, - Like that of Baucis, touched by Jove, - Will sparkle fit for gods above!” - - -THE POETS IN A PUZZLE. - -Cottle, in his Life of Coleridge, relates the following amusing -incident:-- - -“I led the horse to the stable, when a fresh perplexity arose. I removed -the harness without difficulty; but, after many strenuous attempts, I -could not remove the collar. In despair, I called for assistance, when -aid soon drew near. Mr. Wordsworth brought his ingenuity into exercise; -but, after several unsuccessful efforts, he relinquished the -achievement, as a thing altogether impracticable. Mr. Coleridge now -tried his hand, but showed no more grooming skill than his predecessors; -for, after twisting the poor horse’s neck almost to strangulation and -the great danger of his eyes, he gave up the useless task, pronouncing -that the horse’s head must have grown (gout or dropsy?) since the collar -was put on; for he said ‘it was a downright impossibility for such a -huge _os frontis_ to pass through so narrow a collar!’ Just at this -instant, a servant-girl came near, and, understanding the cause of our -consternation, ‘La! master,’ said she, ‘you don’t go about the work in -the right way. You should do like this,’ when, turning the collar -completely upside down, she slipped it off in a moment, to our great -humiliation and wonderment, each satisfied afresh that there were -heights of knowledge in the world to which we had not yet attained.” - - -SALE OF MAGAZINES. - -Sir John Hawkins, in his “Memoirs of Johnson,” ascribes the decline of -literature to the ascendancy of frivolous Magazines, between the years -1740 and 1760. He says that they render smatterers conceited, and confer -the superficial glitter of knowledge instead of its substance. - -Sir Richard Phillips, upwards of forty years a publisher, gives the -following evidence as to the sale of the Magazines in his time:-- - -“For my own part, I know that in 1790, and for many years previously, -there were sold of the trifle called the _Town and Country Magazine_, -full 15,000 copies per month; and, of another, the _Ladies’ Magazine_, -from 16,000 to 22,000. Such circumstances were, therefore, calculated to -draw forth the observations of Hawkins. The _Gentleman’s Magazine_, in -its days of popular extracts, never rose above 10,000; after it became -more decidedly antiquarian, it fell in sale, and continued for many -years at 3000. - -“The veriest trifles, and only such, move the mass of minds which -compose the public. The sale of the _Town and Country Magazine_ was -created by a fictitious article, called _Bon-Ton_, in which were given -the pretended amours of two personages, imagined to be real, with two -sham portraits. The idea was conceived, and, for above twenty years, was -executed by Count Carraccioli; but, on his death, about 1792, the -article lost its spirit, and within seven years the magazine was -discontinued. _The Ladies’ Magazine_ was, in like manner, sustained by -love-tales and its low price of sixpence, which, till after 1790, was -the general price of magazines.” - -Things have now taken a turn unlooked for in those days. The price of -most magazines, it is true, is still more than sixpence--usually a -shilling, and at that price the _Cornhill_ in some months reached an -impression of 120,000; but the circulation of _Good Words_, at sixpence, -has touched 180,000, and continues, we believe, to be over 100,000. - - -MRS. SOUTHEY. - -And who was Mrs. Southey?--who but she who was so long known, and so -great a favourite, as Caroline Bowles; transformed by the gallantry of -the laureate, and the grace of the parson, into her matrimonial -appellation. Southey, so long ago as the 21st of February, 1829, -prefaced his most amatory poem of _All for Love_, with a tender address, -that is now, perhaps, worth reprinting:-- - - “TO CAROLINE BOWLES. - - “Could I look forward to a distant day, - With hope of building some elaborate lay, - Then would I wait till worthier strains of mine, - Might have inscribed thy name, O Caroline! - For I would, while my voice is heard on earth, - Bear witness to thy genius and thy worth. - But we have been both taught to feel with fear, - How frail the tenure of existence here; - What unforeseen calamities prevent, - Alas! how oft, the best resolved intent; - And, therefore, this poor volume I address - To thee, dear friend, and sister poetess! - - “_Keswick, Feb. 21, 1829._ “ROBERT SOUTHEY.” - -The laureate had his wish; for in duty, he was bound to say, that -worthier strains than his bore inscribed the name of Caroline connected -with his own--and, moreover, she was something more than a dear friend -and sister poetess. - -“The laureate,” observes a writer in _Fraser’s Magazine_, “is a -fortunate man; his queen supplies him with _butts_ (alluding to the -laureateship), and his lady with _Bowls_: then may his cup of good -fortune be overflowing.” - - -DEVOTION TO SCIENCE. - -M. Agassiz, the celebrated palæontologist, is known to have relinquished -pursuits from which he might have been in the receipt of a considerable -income, and all for the sake of science. Dr. Buckland knew him, when -engaged in this arduous career, with the revenue of only 100_l._: and of -this he paid fifty pounds to artists for drawings, thirty pounds for -books, and lived himself on the remaining twenty pounds a year! Thus did -he raise himself to an elevated European rank; and, in his abode, _au -troisième_, was the companion and friend of princes, ambassadors, and -men of the highest rank and talent of every country. - - -DISADVANTAGEOUS CORRECTION. - -Lord North had little reason to congratulate himself when he ventured on -an interruption with Burke. In a debate on some economical question, -Burke was guilty of a false quantity--“_Magnum vectĭgal est -parsimonia_.” “_Vectīgal_,” said the minister, in an audible under-tone. -“I thank the noble lord for his correction,” resumed the orator, “since -it gives me the opportunity of repeating the inestimable adage--“_Magnum -vectīgal est parsimonia_.” (Parsimony is a great revenue.) - - -PATRONAGE OF LITERATURE. - -When Victor Hugo was an aspirant for the honours of the French Academy, -and called on M. Royer Collard to ask his vote, the sturdy veteran -professed entire ignorance of his name. “I am the author of _Notre Dame -de Paris_, _Les Derniers Jours d’un Condamné_, _Bug-Jargal_, _Marian -Delorme_, &c.” “I never heard of any of them,” said Collard. “Will you -do me the honour of accepting a copy of my works?” said Victor Hugo. “I -never read new books,” was the cutting reply. - - -DR. JOHNSON’S WIGS. - -Dr. Johnson’s wigs were in general very shabby, and their fore-parts -were burned away by the near approach of the candle, which his -short-sightedness rendered necessary in reading. At Streatham, Mr. -Thrale’s butler always had a wig ready; and as Johnson passed from the -drawing-room, when dinner was announced, the servant would remove the -ordinary wig, and replace it with the newer one; and this ludicrous -ceremony was performed every day.--_Croker._ - - -SHERIDAN’S “PIZARRO.” - -Mr. Pitt was accustomed to relate very pleasantly an amusing anecdote of -a total breach of memory in some Mrs. Lloyd, a lady, or nominal -housekeeper, of Kensington Palace. “Being in company,” he said, “with -Mr. Sheridan, without recollecting him, while _Pizarro_ was the topic of -discussion, she said to him, ‘And so this fine _Pizarro_ is printed?’ -‘Yes, so I hear,’ said Sherry. ‘And did you ever in your life read such -stuff?’ cried she. ‘Why I believe it’s bad enough,’ quoth Sherry; ‘but -at least, madam, you must allow it’s very loyal.’ ‘Ah!’ cried she, -shaking her head--‘loyal? you don’t know its author as well as I -do.’ ” - - -DR. JOHNSON IN LONDON. - -The following were Dr. Johnson’s several places of residence in and near -London:-- - - 1. Exeter-street, off Catherine-street, Strand. (1737.) - 2. Greenwich. (1737.) - 3. Woodstock-street, near Hanover-square. (1737.) - 4. Castle-court, Cavendish-square; No. 6. (1738.) - 5. Boswell-court. - 6. Strand. - 7. Strand, again. - 8. Bow-street. - 9. Holborn. - 10. Fetter-lane. - 11. Holborn again; at the Golden Anchor, Holborn Bars. (1748.) - 12. Gough-square. (1748.) - 13. Staple Inn. (1758.) - 14. Gray’s Inn. - 15. Inner Temple-lane, No. 1. (1760.) - 16. Johnson’s-court, Fleet-street, No. 5. (1765.) - 17. Bolt-court, Fleet-street, No. 8. (1776.) - - -REGALITY OF GENIUS. - -Gibbon, when speaking of his own genealogy, refers to the fact of -Fielding being of the same family as the Earl of Denbigh, who, in common -with the Imperial family of Austria, is descended from the celebrated -Rodolph, of Hapsburgh. “While the one branch,” he says, “have contented -themselves with being sheriffs of Leicestershire, and justices of the -peace, the others have been emperors of Germany and kings of Spain; but -the magnificent romance of _Tom Jones_ will be read with pleasure, when -the palace of the Escurial is in ruins, and the Imperial Eagle of -Austria is rolling in the dust.” - - -FIELDING’S “TOM JONES.” - -Fielding having finished the manuscript of _Tom Jones_, and being at the -time hard pressed for money took it to a second-rate publisher, with the -view of selling it for what it would fetch at the moment. He left it -with the trader, and called upon him next day for his decision. The -bookseller hesitated, and requested another day for consideration; and -at parting, Fielding offered him the MS. for 25_l._ - -On his way home, Fielding met Thomson, the poet, whom he told of the -negotiation for the sale of the MS.; when Thomson, knowing the high -merit of the work, conjured him to be off the bargain, and offered to -find a better purchaser. - -Next morning, Fielding hastened to his appointment, with as much -apprehension lest the bookseller should stick to his bargain as he had -felt the day before lest he should altogether decline it. To the -author’s great joy, the ignorant trafficker in literature declined, and -returned the MS. to Fielding. He next set off, with a light heart, to -his friend Thomson; and the novelist and the poet then went to Andrew -Millar, the great publisher of the day. Millar, as was his practice with -works of light reading, handed the MS. to his wife, who, having read it, -advised him by no means to let it slip through his fingers. - -Millar now invited the two friends to meet him at a coffee-house in the -Strand, where, after dinner, the bookseller, with great caution, offered -Fielding 200_l._ for the MS. The novelist was amazed at the largeness -of the offer. “Then, my good sir,” said Fielding, recovering himself -from his unexpected stroke of good fortune, “give me your hand--the book -is yours. And, waiter,” continued he, “bring a couple of bottles of your -best port.” - -Before Millar died, he had cleared eighteen thousand pounds by _Tom -Jones_, out of which he generously made Fielding various presents, to -the amount of 2000_l._; and he closed his life by bequeathing a handsome -legacy to each of Fielding’s sons. - - -VOLTAIRE AND FERNEY. - -The showman’s work is very profitable at the country-house of Voltaire, -at Ferney, near Geneva. A Genevese, an excellent calculator, as are all -his countrymen, many years ago valued as follows the yearly profit -derived by the above functionary from his situation:-- - - Francs. - - 8000 busts of Voltaire, made with earth of - Ferney, at a franc a-piece 8,000 - 1200 autograph letters, at 20 francs 24,000 - 500 walking canes of Voltaire, at 50 francs each 25,000 - 300 veritable wigs of Voltaire, at 100 francs 30,000 - ------ - In all 87,000 - - -CLEAN HANDS. - -Lord Brougham, during his indefatigable canvass of Yorkshire, in the -course of which he often addressed ten or a dozen meetings in a day, -thought fit to harangue the electors of Leeds immediately on his -arrival, after travelling all night, and without waiting to perform his -customary ablutions. “These hands are clean!” cried he, at the -conclusion of a diatribe against corruption; but they happened to be -very dirty, and this practical contradiction raised a hearty laugh. - - -MODERATE FLATTERY. - -Jasper Mayne says of Master Cartwright, the author of tolerable comedies -and poems, printed in 1651:-- - - “Yes, thou to Nature hadst joined art and skill; - In thee, Ben Jonson still held Shakspeare’s quill.” - - -EVERY-DAY LIFE OF JAMES SMITH. - -“One of the Authors of the _Rejected Addresses_” thus writes to a -friend:[2]-- - -“Let me enlighten you as to the general disposal of my time. I breakfast -at nine, with a mind undisturbed by matters of business; I then write to -you, or to some editor, and then read till three o’clock. I then walk to -the Union Club, read the journals, hear Lord John Russell deified or -_diablerized_, (that word is not a bad coinage,) do the same with Sir -Robert Peel or the Duke of Wellington; and then join a knot of -conversationists by the fire till six o’clock, consisting of lawyers, -merchants, members of Parliament, and gentlemen at large. We then and -there discuss the three per cent. consols, (some of us preferring Dutch -two-and-a-half per cent.), and speculate upon the probable rise, shape, -and cost of the New Exchange. If Lady Harrington happen to drive past -our window in her landau, we compare her equipage to the Algerine -Ambassador’s; and when politics happen to be discussed, rally Whigs, -Radicals, and Conservatives alternately, but never seriously,--such -subjects having a tendency to create acrimony. At six, the room begins -to be deserted; wherefore I adjourn to the dining-room, and gravely -looking over the bill of fare, exclaim to the waiter, ‘Haunch of mutton -and apple tart.’ These viands despatched, with the accompanying liquids -and water, I mount upward to the library, take a book and my seat in the -arm-chair, and read till nine. Then call for a cup of coffee and a -biscuit, resuming my book till eleven; afterwards return home to bed. If -I have any book here which particularly excites my attention, I place my -lamp on a table by my bed-side, and read in bed until twelve. No danger -of ignition, my lamp being quite safe, and my curtains moreen. Thus -‘ends this strange eventful history,’ ” &c. - - -FRENCH-ENGLISH JEU-DE-MOT. - -The celebrated Mrs. Thicknesse undertook to construct a letter, every -word of which should be French, yet no Frenchman should be able to read -it; while an illiterate Englishman or Englishwoman should decipher it -with ease. Here is the specimen of the lady’s ingenuity:-- - -“Pre, dire sistre, comme and se us, and pass the de here if yeux canne, -and chat tu my dame, and dine here; and yeux mai go to the faire if yeux -plaise; yeux mai have fiche, muttin, porc, buter, foule, hair, fruit, -pigeon, olives, sallette, forure diner, and excellent te, cafe, port -vin, an liqueurs; and tell ure bette and poll to comme; and Ile go tu -the faire and visite the Baron. But if yeux dont comme tu us, Ile go to -ure house and se oncle, and se houe he does; for mi dame se he bean ill; -but deux comme; mi dire yeux canne ly here yeux nos; if yeux love -musique, yeux mai have the harp, lutte, or viol heere. Adieu, mi dire -sistre.” - - -RELICS OF IZAAK WALTON. - -Flatman’s beautiful lines to Walton, (says Mr. Jesse) commencing-- - - “Happy old man, whose worth all mankind knows - Except himself,” - -have always struck us as conveying a true picture of Walton’s character, -and of the estimation in which he was held after the appearance of his -“Angler.” - -The last male descendant of our “honest father,” the Rev. Dr. Herbert -Hawes, died in 1839. He very liberally bequeathed the beautiful painting -of Walton, by Houseman, to the National Gallery; and it is a curious -fact, as showing the estimation in which any thing connected with Walton -is held in the present day, that the lord of the manor in which Dr. -Hawes resided, laid claim to this portrait as a heriot, though not -successfully. Dr. Hawes also bequeathed the greater portion of his -library to the Dean and Chapter of Salisbury; and his executor and -friend presented the celebrated prayer-book, which was Walton’s, to Mr. -Pickering, the publisher. The watch which belonged to Walton’s -connexion, the excellent Bishop Ken, has been presented to his amiable -biographer, the Rev. W. Lisle Bowles. - -Walton died at the house of his son-in-law, Dr. Hawkins, at Winchester. -He was buried in Winchester Cathedral, in the south aisle, called Prior -Silkstead’s Chapel. A large black marble slab is placed over his -remains; and, to use the poetical language of Mr. Bowles, “the morning -sunshine falls directly on it, reminding the contemplative man of the -mornings when he was, for so many years, up and abroad with his angle, -on the banks of the neighbouring stream.” - - -PRAISE OF ALE. - -Dr. Still, though Bishop of Bath and Wells, seems not to have been over -fond of water; for thus he sings:-- - - “A stoup of ale, then, cannot fail, - To cheer both heart and soul; - It hath a charm, and without harm - Can make a lame man whole. - For he who thinks, and water drinks, - Is never worth a dump: - Then fill your cup, and drink it up, - May he be made a pump.” - - -DANGEROUS FOOLS. - -Sydney Smith writes:--If men are to be fools, it were better that they -were fools in little matters than in great; dulness, turned up with -temerity, is a livery all the worse for the facings; and the most -tremendous of all things is a magnanimous dunce. - - -BULWER’S POMPEIAN DRAWING-ROOM. - -In 1841, the author of _Pelham_ lived in Charles-street, -Berkeley-square, in a small house, which he fitted up after his own -taste; and an odd _melée_ of the classic and the baronial certain of the -rooms presented. One of the drawing-rooms, we remember, was in the -Elizabethan style, with an imitative oak ceiling, bristled with -pendents; and this room opened into another apartment, a fac-simile of a -chamber which Bulwer had visited at Pompeii, with vases, candelabra, and -other furniture to correspond. - -James Smith has left a few notes of his visit here: “Our host,” he says, -“lighted a perfumed pastile, modelled from Vesuvius. As soon as the cone -of the mountain began to blaze, I found myself an inhabitant of the -devoted city; and, as Pliny the elder, thus addressed Bulwer, my -supposed nephew:--‘Our fate is accomplished, nephew! Hand me yonder -volume! I shall die as a student in my vocation. Do thou hasten to take -refuge on board the fleet at Misenum. Yonder cloud of hot ashes chides -thy longer delay. Feel no alarm for me; I shall live in story. The -author of _Pelham_ will rescue my name from oblivion.’ Pliny the younger -made me a low bow, &c.” We strongly suspect James of quizzing “our -host.” He noted, by the way, in the chamber were the busts of Hebe, -Laura, Petrarch, Dante, and other worthies; Laura like our Queen. - - -STERNE’S SERMONS. - -Sterne’s sermons are, in general, very short, which circumstance gave -rise to the following joke at Bull’s Library, at Bath:--A footman had -been sent by his lady to purchase one of Smallridge’s sermons, when, by -mistake, he asked for a _small religious_ sermon. The bookseller being -puzzled how to reply to his request, a gentleman present suggested, -“Give him one of Sterne’s.” - -It has been observed, that if Sterne had never written one line more -than his picture of the mournful cottage, towards the conclusion of his -fifth sermon, we might cheerfully indulge the devout hope that the -recording angel, whom he once invoked, will have blotted out many of his -imperfections. - - -“TOM HILL.” - -A few days before the close of 1840, London lost one of its choicest -spirits, and humanity one of her kindest-hearted sons, in the death of -Thomas Hill, Esq.--“Tom Hill,” as he was called by all who loved and -knew him. His life exemplified one venerable proverb, and disproved -another; he was born in May, 1760, and was, consequently, in his 81st -year, and “as old as the hills;” having led a long life and a merry one. -He was originally a drysalter; but about the year 1810, having sustained -a severe loss by a speculation in indigo, he retired upon the remains of -his property to chambers in the Adelphi, where he died; his physician -remarking to him, “I can do no more for you--I have done all I can. I -cannot cure age.” - -Hill, when in business at the unlettered Queenhithe, found leisure to -accumulate a fine collection of books, chiefly old poetry, which -afterwards, when misfortune overtook him, was valued at 6000_l._ Hill -was likewise a Mæcenas: he patronized two friendless poets, Bloomfield -and Kirke White. The _Farmer’s Boy_ of the former was read and admired -by him in manuscript, and was recommended to a publisher. Hill also -established _The Monthly Mirror_, to which Kirke White was a -contributor. Hill was the Hull of Hook’s _Gilbert Gurney_. He happened -to know everything that was going on in all circles; and was at all -“private views” of exhibitions. So especially was he favoured, that a -wag recorded, when asked whether he had seen the new comet, he -replied--“Pooh! pooh! I was present at the private view.” - -Hill left behind him an assemblage of literary rarities, which it -occupied a clear week to sell by auction. Among them was Garrick’s cup, -formed from the mulberry tree planted by Shakespeare in his garden at -New Place, Stratford-upon-Avon; this produced forty guineas. A small -vase and pedestal, carved from the same mulberry-tree, and presented to -Garrick, was sold with a coloured drawing of it, for ten guineas. And a -block of wood, cut from the celebrated willow planted by Pope, at his -villa at Twickenham, brought one guinea. - - -TYCHO BRAHE’S NOSE. - -Sir David Brewster relates that in the year 1566, an accident occurred -to Tycho Brahe, at Wittenberg, which had nearly deprived him of his -life. On the 10th of December, Tycho had a quarrel with a noble -countryman, Manderupius Rasbergius, and they parted ill friends. On the -27th of the same month, they met again; and having renewed their -quarrel, they agreed to settle their differences by the sword. They -accordingly met at seven o’clock in the evening of the 29th, and fought -in total darkness. In this blind combat, Manderupius cut off the whole -of the front of Tycho’s nose, and it was fortunate for astronomy that -his more valuable organs were defended by so faithful an outpost. The -quarrel, which is said to have originated in a difference of opinion -respecting their mathematical attainments, terminated here; and Tycho -repaired his loss by cementing upon his face a nose of gold and silver, -which is said to have formed a good imitation of the original. Thus, -Tycho was, indeed, a “Martyr of Science.” - - -FOOTE’S WOODEN LEG. - -George Colman, the younger, notes:--“There is no Shakspeare or Roscius -upon record who, like Foote, supported a theatre for a series of years -by his own acting, in his own writings; and for ten years of the time, -upon a wooden leg! This prop to his person I once saw standing by his -bedside, ready dressed in a handsome silk stocking, with a polished shoe -and gold buckle, awaiting the owner’s getting up: it had a kind of -tragic, comical appearance, and I leave to inveterate wags the ingenuity -of punning upon a Foote in bed, and a leg out of it. The proxy for a -limb thus decorated, though ludicrous, is too strong a reminder of -amputation to be very laughable. His undressed supporter was the common -wooden stick, which was not a little injurious to a well-kept -pleasure-ground. I remember following him after a shower of rain, upon a -nicely rolled terrace, in which he stumped a deep round hole at every -other step he took, till it appeared as if the gardener had been there -with his dibble, preparing, against all horticultural practice, to plant -a long row of cabbages in a gravel walk.” - - -RIVAL REMEMBRANCE. - - _Mr. Gifford to Mr. Hazlitt._ - - “What we read from your pen, we remember no more.” - - _Mr. Hazlitt to Mr. Gifford._ - - “What we read from your pen, we remember before.” - - -WHO WROTE “JUNIUS’S LETTERS”? - -This question has not yet been satisfactorily answered. In 1812, Dr. -Mason Good, in an essay he wrote on the question, passed in review all -the persons who had then been suspected of writing these celebrated -letters. They are, Charles Lloyd and John Roberts, originally treasury -clerks; Samuel Dyer, a learned man, and a friend of Burke and Johnson; -William Gerard Hamilton, familiarly known as “Single-speech Hamilton;” -Mr. Burke; Dr. Butler, late Bishop of Hereford; the Rev. Philip -Rosenhagen; Major-General Lee, who went over to the Americans, and took -an active part in their contest with the mother-country; John Wilkes; -Hugh Macaulay Boyd; John Dunning, Lord Ashburton; Henry Flood; and Lord -George Sackville. - -Since this date, in 1813, John Roche published an Inquiry, in which he -persuaded himself that Burke was the author. In the same year there -appeared three other publications on Junius: these were, the Attempt of -the Rev. J. B. Blakeway, to trace them to John Horne Tooke; next were -the “Facts” of Thomas Girdlestone, M.D., to prove that General Lee was -the author; and, thirdly, a work put forth by Mrs. Olivia Wilmot Serres, -in the following confident terms:--“Life of the Author of _Junius’s -Letters_,--the Rev. J. Wilmot, D.D., Fellow of Trinity College, Oxford;” -and, like most bold attempts, this work attracted some notice and -discussion. - -In 1815, the Letters were attributed to Richard Glover, the poet of -_Leonidas_; and this improbable idea was followed by another, assigning -the authorship of the Letters to the Duke of Portland, in 1816. In the -same year appeared “Arguments and Facts,” to show that John Louis de -Lolme, author of the famous Essay on the Constitution of England, was -the writer of these anonymous epistles. In 1816, too, appeared Mr. John -Taylor’s “Junius Identified,” advocating the claims of Sir Philip -Francis so successfully that the question was generally considered to be -settled. Mr. Taylor’s opinion was supported by Edward Dubois, Esq., -formerly the confidential friend and private secretary of Sir Philip, -who, in common with Lady Francis, constantly entertained the conviction -that his deceased patron was identical with Junius. - -In 1817, George Chalmers, F.S.A., advocated the pretensions of Hugh -Macaulay Boyd to the authorship of Junius. In 1825, Mr. George Coventry -maintained with great ability that Lord George Sackville was Junius; and -two writers in America adopted this theory. - -Thus was the whole question re-opened; and, in 1828, Mr. E. H. Barker, -of Thetford, refuted the claims of Lord George Sackville and Sir Philip -Francis, and advocated those of Charles Lloyd, private secretary to the -Hon. George Grenville.[3] - -In 1841, Mr. N. W. Simons, of the British Museum, refuted the -supposition that Sir Philip Francis was directly or indirectly -concerned in the writing; and, in the same year, appeared M. Jaques’s -review of the controversy, in which he arrived at the conclusion that -Lord George Sackville composed the Letters, and that Sir Philip Francis -was his amanuensis, thus combining the theory of Mr. Taylor with that of -Mr. Coventry. - -The question was reviewed and revived in a volume published by Mr. -Britton, F.S.A., in June 1848, entitled “The Authorship of the Letters -of Junius Elucidated;” in which is advocated with great care the opinion -that the Letters were, to a certain extent, the joint productions of -Lieut.-Colonel Isaac Barré, M.P., Lord Shelburne, (afterwards Marquess -of Lansdowne,) and Dunning, Lord Ashburton. Of these three persons the -late Sir Francis Baring commissioned Sir Joshua Reynolds, in 1784-5, to -paint portraits in one picture, which is regarded as evidence of joint -authorship. - -Only a week before his death, 1804, the Marquess of Lansdowne was -personally appealed to on the subject of _Junius_, by Sir Richard -Phillips. In conversation, the Marquess said, “No, no, I am not equal to -_Junius_; I could not be the author; but the grounds of secrecy are now -so far removed by death (Dunning and Barré were at that time dead), and -change of circumstances, that it is unnecessary the author of _Junius_ -should much longer be unknown. The world is curious about him, and I -could make a very interesting publication on the subject. I knew Junius, -and _I know all about_ the writing and production of these Letters.” The -Marquess added, “If I live over the summer, which, however, I don’t -expect, I promise you a very interesting pamphlet about Junius. I will -put my name to it; I will set the question at rest for ever.” The death -of the Marquess, however, occurred in a week. In a letter to the -_Monthly Magazine_, July 1813, the son of the Marquess of Lansdowne -says:--“It is not impossible my father may have been acquainted with the -fact; but perhaps he was under some obligation to secrecy, as he never -made any communication to me on the subject.” - -Lord Mahon (now Earl Stanhope) at length and with minuteness enters, in -his History, into a vindication of the claims of Sir Philip Francis, -grounding his partisanship on the close similarity of handwriting -established by careful comparison of facsimiles; the likeness of the -style of Sir Philip’s speeches in Parliament to that of -_Junius_--biting, pithy, full of antithesis and invective; the -tenderness and bitterness displayed by _Junius_ towards persons to whom -Sir Philip stood well or ill affected; the correspondence of the dates -of the letters with those of certain movements of Sir Philip; and the -evidence of _Junius’_ close acquaintance with the War Office, where Sir -Philip held a post. It seems generally agreed that the weight of proof -is on the side of Sir Philip Francis; but there will always be found -adherents of other names--as O’Connell, in the following passage, of -Burke:-- - - “It is my decided opinion,” said O’Connell, “that Edmund Burke was - the author of the ‘Letters of Junius.’ There are many - considerations which compel me to form that opinion. Burke was the - only man who made that figure in the world which the author of - ‘Junius’ _must_ have made, if engaged in public life; and the - entire of ‘Junius’s Letters’ evinces that close acquaintance with - the springs of political machinery which no man could possess - unless actively engaged in politics. Again, Burke was fond of - chemical similes; now chemical similes are frequent in Junius. - Again; Burke was an Irishman; now Junius, speaking of the - Government of Ireland, twice calls it ‘the Castle,’ a familiar - phrase amongst Irish politicians, but one which an Englishman, in - those days, would never have used. Again; Burke had this - peculiarity in writing, that he often wrote many words without - taking the pen from the paper. The very same peculiarity existed in - the manuscripts of Junius, although they were written in a feigned - hand. Again; it may be said that the style is not Burke’s. In - reply, I would say that Burke was master of many styles. His work - on natural society, in imitation of Lord Bolingbroke, is as - different in point of style from his work on the French Revolution, - as _both_ are from the ‘Letters of Junius.’ Again; Junius speaks of - the King’s insanity as a divine visitation; Burke said the very - same thing in the House of Commons. Again; had any one of the other - men to whom the ‘Letters’ are, with any show of probability, - ascribed, been really the author, such author would have had no - reason for disowning the book, or remaining incognito. Any one of - them but Burke would have claimed the authorship and fame--and - proud fame. But Burke had a very cogent reason for remaining - incognito. In claiming Junius he would have claimed his own - condemnation and dishonour, for Burke died a pensioner. Burke was, - moreover, the only pensioner who had the commanding talent - displayed in the writings of Junius. Now, when I lay all these - considerations together, and especially when I reflect that a - cogent reason exists for Burke’s silence as to his own authorship, - I confess I think I have got a presumptive proof of the very - strongest nature, that Burke was the writer.”[4] - - -LITERARY COFFEE-HOUSES IN THE LAST CENTURY. - -Three of the most celebrated resorts of the _literati_ of the last -century were _Will’s Coffee-house_, No. 23, on the north side of Great -Russell-street, Covent Garden, at the end of Bow-street. This was the -favourite resort of Dryden, who had here his own chair, in winter by the -fireside, in summer in the balcony: the company met in the first floor, -and there smoked; and the young beaux and wits were sometimes honoured -with a pinch out of Dryden’s snuff-box. Will’s was the resort of men of -genius till 1710: it was subsequently occupied by a perfumer. - -_Tom’s_, No. 17, Great Russell-street, had nearly 700 subscribers, at a -guinea a-head, from 1764 to 1768, and had its card, conversation, and -coffee-rooms, where assembled Dr. Johnson, Garrick, Murphy, Goldsmith, -Sir Joshua Reynolds, Foote, and other men of talent: the tables and -books of the club were not many years since preserved in the house, the -first floor of which was then occupied by Mr. Webster, the medallist. - -_Button’s_, “over against” Tom’s, was the receiving-house for -contributions to _The Guardian_, in a lion-head box, the aperture for -which remains in the wall to mark the place. Button had been servant to -Lady Warwick, whom Addison married; and the house was frequented by -Pope, Steele, Swift, Arbuthnot, and Addison. The lion’s head for a -letter-box, “the best head in England,” was set up in imitation of the -celebrated lion at Venice: it was removed from Button’s to the -Shakspeare’s Head, under the arcade in Covent Garden; and in 1751, was -placed in the Bedford, next door. This lion’s head is now treasured as a -relic by the Bedford family. - - -LORD BYRON AND “MY GRANDMOTHER’S REVIEW.” - -At the close of the first canto of _Don Juan_, its noble author, by way -of propitiating the reader for the morality of his poem, says:-- - - “The public approbation I expect, - And beg they’ll take my word about the moral, - Which I with their amusement will connect, - As children cutting teeth receive a coral; - Meantime, they’ll doubtless please to recollect - My epical pretensions to the laurel; - For fear some prudish reader should grow skittish, - I’ve bribed my Grandmother’s Review--the British. - - I sent it in a letter to the editor, - Who thank’d me duly by return of post-- - I’m for a handsome article his creditor; - Yet if my gentle muse he please to roast, - And break a promise after having made it her, - Denying the receipt of what it cost, - And smear his page with gall instead of honey, - All I can say is--that he had the money.” - _Canto I. st._ ccix. ccx. - -Now, “the British” was a certain staid and grave high-church review, the -editor of which received the poet’s imputation of bribery as a serious -accusation; and, accordingly, in his next number after the publication -of _Don Juan_, there appeared a postscript, in which the receipt of any -bribe was stoutly denied, and the idea of such connivance altogether -repudiated; the editor adding that he should continue to exercise his -own judgment as to the merits of Lord Byron, as he had hitherto done in -every instance! However, the affair was too ludicrous to be at once -altogether dropped; and, so long as the prudish publication was in -existence, it enjoyed the _sobriquet_ of “My Grandmother’s Review.” - -By the way, there is another hoax connected with this poem. One day an -old gentleman gravely inquired of a printseller for a portrait of -“Admiral Noah”--to illustrate _Don Juan_! - - -WALPOLE’S WAY TO WIN THEM. - -Sir Robert Walpole, in one of his letters, thus describes the relations -of a skilful Minister with an accommodating Parliament--the description, -it may be said, having, by lapse of time, acquired the merit of general -inapplicability to the present state of things:--“My dear friend, there -is scarcely a member whose purse I do not know to a sixpence, and whose -very soul almost I could not purchase at the offer. The reason former -Ministers have been deceived in this matter is evident--they never -considered the temper of the people they had to deal with. I have known -a minister so weak as to offer an avaricious old rascal a star and -garter, and attempt to bribe a young rogue, who set no value upon money, -with a lucrative employment. I pursue methods as opposite as the poles, -and therefore my administration has been attended with a different -effect.” “Patriots,” elsewhere says Walpole, “spring up like mushrooms. -I could raise fifty of them within four-and-twenty hours. I have raised -many of them in one night. It is but refusing to gratify an -unreasonable or insolent demand, and _up starts a patriot_.” - - -DR. JOHNSON’S CRITICISMS. - -Johnson decided literary questions like a lawyer, not like a legislator. -He never examined foundations where a point was already ruled. His whole -code of criticism rested on pure assumption, for which he sometimes gave -a precedent or authority, but rarely troubled himself to give a reason -drawn from the nature of things. He judged of all works of the -imagination by the standard established among his own contemporaries. -Though he allowed Homer to have been a greater man than Virgil, he seems -to have thought the Æneid to have been a greater poem than the Iliad. -Indeed, he well might have thought so; for he preferred Pope’s _Iliad_ -to Homer’s. He pronounced that after Hoole’s translation of _Tasso_, -Fairfax’s would hardly be reprinted. He could see no merit in our fine -old English ballads, and always spoke with the most provoking contempt -of Dr. Percy’s fondness for them. - -Of all the great original works which appeared during his time, -Richardson’s novels alone excited his admiration. He could see little or -no merit in _Tom Jones_, in _Gulliver’s Travels_, or in _Tristram -Shandy_. To Thomson’s _Castle of Indolence_ he vouchsafed only a line of -cold commendation--of commendation much colder than what he has bestowed -on _The Creation_ of that portentous bore, Sir Richard Blackmore. Gray -was, in his dialect, a barren rascal. Churchill was a blockhead. The -contempt which he felt for Macpherson was, indeed, just; but it was, we -suspect, just by chance. He criticized Pope’s epitaphs excellently. But -his observations on Shakspeare’s plays, and Milton’s poems, seem to us -as wretched as if they had been written by Rymer himself, whom we take -to have been the worst critic that ever lived. - - -GIBBON’S HOUSE, AT LAUSANNE. - -The house of Gibbon, in which he completed his “Decline and Fall,” is in -the lower part of the town of Lausanne, behind the church of St. -Francis, and on the right of the road leading down to Ouchy. Both the -house and the garden have been much changed. The wall of the Hotel -Gibbon occupies the site of his summer-house, and the _berceau_ walk has -been destroyed to make room for the garden of the hotel; but the terrace -looking over the lake, and a few acacias, remain. - -Gibbon’s record of the completion of his great labour is very -impressive. “It was on the day, or rather the night, of the 27th of -June, 1787, between the hours of eleven and twelve, that I wrote the -last line of the last page, in a summer-house in my garden. After laying -down my pen, I took several turns in a _berceau_, or covered walk of -acacias, which commands a prospect of the country, the lake, and the -mountains. The air was temperate, the sky was serene, the silver orb of -the moon was reflected from the waves, and all nature was silent.” - -At a little inn at Morges, about two miles distant from Lausanne, Lord -Byron wrote the _Prisoner of Chillon_, in the short space of _two days_, -during which he was detained here by bad weather, June 1816: “thus -adding one more deathless association to the already immortalized -localities of the Lake.” - - -ORIGIN OF “BOZ.” (DICKENS.) - -A fellow passenger with Mr. Dickens in the _Britannia_ steam-ship, -across the Atlantic, inquired of the author the origin of his signature, -“Boz.” Mr. Dickens replied that he had a little brother who resembled so -much the Moses in the _Vicar of Wakefield_, that he used to call him -Moses also; but a younger girl, who could not then articulate plainly, -was in the habit of calling him Bozie or Boz. This simple circumstance -made him assume that name in the first article he risked to the public, -and therefore he continued the name, as the first effort was approved -of. - - -BOSWELL’S “LIFE OF JOHNSON.” - -Sir John Malcolm once asked Warren Hastings, who was a contemporary and -companion of Dr. Johnson and Boswell, what was his real estimation of -Boswell’s _Life of Johnson_? “Sir,” replied Hastings, “it is the -_dirtiest_ book in my library;” then proceeding, he added: “I knew -Boswell intimately; and I well remember, when his book first made its -appearance, Boswell was so full of it, that he could neither think nor -talk of anything else; so much so, that meeting Lord Thurlow hurrying -through Parliament-street to get to the House of Lords, where an -important debate was expected, for which he was already too late, -Boswell had the temerity to stop and accost him with “Have you read my -book?” “Yes,” replied Lord Thurlow, with one of his strongest curses, -“every word of it; I could not help it.” - - -PATRONAGE OF AUTHORS. - -In the reigns of William III., of Anne, and of George I., even such men -as Congreve and Addison could scarcely have been able to live like -gentlemen by the mere sale of their writings. But the deficiency of the -natural demand for literature was, at the close of the seventeenth, and -at the beginning of the eighteenth century, more than made up by the -artificial encouragement--by a vast system of bounties and premiums. -There was, perhaps, never a time at which the rewards of literary merit -were so splendid--at which men who could write well found such easy -admittance into the most distinguished society, and to the highest -honours of the state. The chiefs of both the great parties into which -the kingdom was divided, patronized literature with emulous munificence. - -Congreve, when he had scarcely attained his majority, was rewarded for -his first comedy with places which made him independent for life. Rowe -was not only poet laureate, but land-surveyor of the Customs in the port -of London, clerk of the council to the Prince of Wales, and secretary of -the Presentations to the Lord Chancellor. Hughes was secretary to the -Commissioners of the Peace. Ambrose Phillips was judge of the -Prerogative Court in Ireland. Locke was Commissioner of Appeals and of -the Board of Trade. Newton was Master of the Mint. Stepney and Prior -were employed in embassies of high dignity and importance. Gay, who -commenced life as apprentice to a silk-mercer, became a secretary of -Legation at five-and-twenty. It was to a poem on the death of Charles -II., and to “the City and Country Mouse,” that Montague owed his -introduction into public life, his earldom, his garter, and his -auditorship of the Exchequer. Swift, but for the unconquerable prejudice -of the queen, would have been a bishop. Oxford, with his white staff in -his hand, passed through the crowd of his suitors to welcome Parnell, -when that ingenious writer deserted the Whigs. Steele was a Commissioner -of Stamps, and a member of Parliament. Arthur Mainwaring was a -Commissioner of the Customs, and Auditor of the Imprest. Tickell was -secretary to the Lords Justices of Ireland. Addison was Secretary of -State. - -But soon after the succession of the throne of Hanover, a change took -place. The supreme power passed to a man who cared little for poetry or -eloquence. Walpole paid little attention to books, and felt little -respect for authors. One of the coarse jokes of his friend, Sir Charles -Hanbury Williams, was far more pleasing to him than Thomson’s _Seasons_ -or Richardson’s _Pamela_. - - -LEARNING FRENCH. - -When Brummell was obliged by want of money, and debt, and all that, to -retire to France, he knew no French; and having obtained a grammar for -the purpose of study, his friend Scrope Davies was asked what progress -Brummell had made in French. He responded, that Brummell had been -stopped, like Buonaparte in Russia, by the _Elements_. - -“I have put this pun into _Beppo_, (says Lord Byron), which is a fair -exchange and no robbery, for Scrope made his fortune at several dinners, -(as he owned himself,) by repeating occasionally, as his own, some of -the buffooneries with which I had encountered him in the morning.” - - -JOHNSON’S CLUB-ROOM. - -In a paper in the _Edinburgh Review_, we find this cabinet picture:--The -club-room is before us, and the table, on which stands the omelet for -Nugent, and the lemons for Johnson. There are assembled those heads -which live for ever on the canvas of Reynolds. There are the spectacles -of Burke, and the tall thin form of Langton; the courtly sneer of -Beauclerc, and the beaming smile of Garrick; Gibbon tapping his -snuff-box, and Sir Joshua with his trumpet in his ear. In the -foreground is that strange figure which is as familiar to us as the -figures of those among whom we have been brought up--the gigantic body, -the huge massy face, seamed with the scars of disease; the brown coat, -the black worsted stockings, the grey wig, with the scorched foretop; -the dirty hands, the nails bitten and pared to the quick. We see the -eyes and nose moving with convulsive twitches; we see the heavy form -rolling; we hear it puffing; and then comes the “Why, sir!” and the -“What then, sir?” and the “No, sir!” and the “You don’t see your way -through the question, sir!” - - -DR. CHALMERS’S INDUSTRY. - -In October, 1841, Dr. Chalmers commenced two series of biblical -compositions, which he continued with unbroken regularity till the day -of his decease, May 31, 1847. Go where he might, however he might be -engaged, each week-day had its few verses read, thought over, written -upon--forming what he denominated “Horæ Biblicæ Quotidianæ:” each -Sabbath-day had its two chapters, one in the Old and the other in the -New Testament, with the two trains of meditative devotion recorded to -which the reading of them respectively gave birth--forming what he -denominated “Horæ Biblicæ Sabbaticæ.” When absent from home or when the -manuscript books in which they were ordinarily inserted were not beside -him, he wrote in short-hand, carefully entering what was thus written -in the larger volumes afterwards. Not a trace of haste nor of the -extreme pressure from without, to which he was so often subjected, is -exhibited in the handwriting of these volumes. There are but few words -omitted--scarcely any erased. This singular correctness was a general -characteristic of his compositions. His lectures on the Epistle to the -Romans were written _currente calamo_, in Glasgow, during the most -hurried and overburthened period of his life. And when, many years -afterwards, they were given out to be copied for the press, scarcely a -blot, or an erasure, or a correction, was to be found in them, and they -were printed off exactly as they had originally been written. - -In preparing the “Horæ Biblicæ Quotidianæ,” Chalmers had by his side, -for use and reference, the “Concordance,” the “Pictorial Bible,” -“Poole’s Synopsis,” “Henry’s Commentary,” and “Robinson’s Researches in -Palestine.” These constituted what he called his “Biblical Library.” -“There,” said he to a friend, pointing, as he spoke, to the above-named -volumes, as they lay together on his library-table, with a volume of the -“Quotidianæ,” in which he had just been writing, lying open beside -them,--“There are the books I use--all that is Biblical is there. I have -to do with nothing besides in my Biblical study.” To the consultation of -these few volumes he throughout restricted himself. - -The whole of the MSS. were purchased, after Dr. Chalmers’s death, for a -large sum of money, by Mr. Thomas Constable, of Edinburgh, her Majesty’s -printer; and were in due time given to, and most favourably received by, -the public. - - -LATEST OF DR. JOHNSON’S CONTEMPORARIES.[5] - -In the autumn of 1831, died the Rev. Dr. Shaw, at Chesley, -Somersetshire, at the age of eighty-three: he is said to have been the -last surviving friend of Dr. Johnson. - -On the 16th of January, in the above year, died Mr. Richard Clark, -chamberlain of the City of London, in the ninety-second year of his age. -At the age of fifteen, he was introduced by Sir John Hawkins to Johnson, -whose friendship he enjoyed to the last year of the Doctor’s life. He -attended Johnson’s evening parties at the Mitre Tavern, in -Fleet-street;[6] where, among other literary characters he met Dr. -Percy, Dr. Goldsmith, and Dr. Hawksworth. A substantial supper was -served at eight o’clock; the party seldom separated till a late hour; -and Mr. Clark recollected that early one morning he, with another of the -party, accompanied the Doctor to his house, where Mrs. Williams, then -blind, made tea for them. When Mr. Clark was sheriff, he took Johnson to -a “Judges’ Dinner,” at the Old Bailey; the judges being Blackstone and -Eyre. Mr. Clark often visited the Doctor, and met him at dinner-parties; -and the last time he enjoyed his company was at the Essex Head Club, of -which, by the Doctor’s invitation, Clark became a member. - - -A SNAIL DINNER. - -The chemical philosophers, Dr. Black and Dr. Hutton, were particular -friends, though there was something extremely opposite in their external -appearance and manner. Dr. Black spoke with the English pronunciation, -and with punctilious accuracy of expression, both in point of matter and -manner. The geologist, Dr. Hutton, was the very reverse of this: his -conversation was conducted in broad phrases, expressed with a broad -Scotch accent, which often heightened the humour of what he said. - -It chanced that the two Doctors had held some discourse together upon -the folly of abstaining from feeding on the testaceous creatures of the -land, while those of the sea were considered as delicacies. Wherefore -not eat snails? they are known to be nutritious and wholesome, and even -sanative in some cases. The epicures of old praised them among the -richest delicacies, and the Italians still esteem them. In short, it was -determined that a gastronomic experiment should be made at the expense -of the snails. The snails were procured, dieted for a time, and then -stewed for the benefit of the two philosophers, who had either invited -no guests to their banquet, or found none who relished in prospect the -_pièce de resistance_. A huge dish of snails was placed before them: -still, philosophers are but men, after all; and the stomachs of both -doctors began to revolt against the experiment. Nevertheless, if they -looked with disgust on the snails, they retained their awe for each -other, so that each, conceiving the symptoms of internal revolt -peculiar to himself, began, with infinite exertion, to swallow, in very -small quantities, the mess which he internally loathed. - -Dr. Black, at length, showed the white feather, but in a very delicate -manner, as if to sound the opinion of his messmate. “Doctor,” he said, -in his precise and quiet manner--“Doctor--do you not think that they -taste a little--a very little, green?” “D----d green! d----d green! -indeed--tak’ them awa’,--tak’ them awa’!” vociferated Dr. Hutton, -starting up from table, and giving full vent to his feelings of -abhorrence. So ended all hopes of introducing snails into the modern -_cuisine_; and thus philosophy can no more cure a nausea than honour can -set a broken limb.--_Sir Walter Scott._ - - -CURRAN’S IMAGINATION. - -“Curran!” (says Lord Byron) “Curran’s the man who struck me most. Such -imagination!--there never was anything like it that I ever heard of. His -_published_ life--his published speeches, give you no idea of the -man--none at all. He was a _machine_ of imagination, as some one said -that Prior was an epigrammatic machine.” Upon another occasion, Byron -said, “the riches of Curran’s Irish imagination were exhaustless. I have -heard that man speak more poetry than I have ever seen written--though I -saw him seldom, and but occasionally. I saw him presented to Madame de -Stael, at Mackintosh’s--it was the grand confluence between the Rhone -and the Saone; they were both so d----d ugly, that I could not help -wondering how the best intellects of France and Ireland could have taken -up respectively such residences.” - - -COWLEY AT CHERTSEY. - -The poet Cowley died at the Porch House, Chertsey, on the 21st of July, -1667. There is a curious letter preserved of his condition when he -removed here from Barn Elms. It is addressed to Dr. Sprat, dated -Chertsey, 21 May, 1665, and is as follows:-- - - “The first night that I came hither I caught so great a cold, with - a defluxion of rheum, as made me keep my chamber ten days. And, - too, after had such a bruise on my ribs with a fall, that I am yet - unable to move or turn myself in bed. This is my personal fortune - here to begin with. And besides, I can get no money from my - tenants, and have my meadows eaten up every night by cattle put in - by my neighbours. What this signifies, or may come to in time, God - knows! if it be ominous, it can end in nothing but hanging.”----“I - do hope to recover my hurt so farre within five or six days (though - it be uncertain yet whether I shall ever recover it) as to walk - about again. And then, methinks, you and I and _the Dean_ might be - very merry upon St. Ann’s Hill. You might very conveniently come - hither by way of Hampton Town, lying there one night. I write this - in pain, and can say no more.--_Verbum sapienti._” - -It is stated, by Sprat, that the last illness of Cowley was owing to his -having taken cold through staying too long among his labourers in the -meadows; but, in Spence’s _Anecdotes_ we are informed, (on the authority -of Pope,) that “his death was occasioned by a mere accident whilst his -great friend, Dean Sprat, was with him on a visit at Chertsey. They had -been together to see a neighbour of Cowley’s, who, (according to the -fashion of those times,) made them too welcome. They did not set out for -their walk home till it was too late; and had drank so deep that they -lay out in the fields all night. This gave Cowley the fever that carried -him off. The parish still talk of the drunken Dean.” - - -A PRETTY COMPLIMENT. - -Although Dr. Johnson had (or professed to have) a profound and -unjustified contempt for actors, he succeeded in comporting himself -towards Mrs. Siddons with great politeness; and once, when she called to -see him at Bolt Court, and his servant Frank could not immediately -furnish her with a chair, the doctor said, “You see, madam, that -wherever you go there are _no seats to be got_.” - - -THOMAS DAY, AND HIS MODEL WIFE. - -Day, the author of _Sandford and Merton_, was an eccentric but amiable -man; he retired into the country “to exclude himself,” as he said, “from -the vanity, vice, and deceptive character of man,” but he appears to -have been strangely jilted by women. When about the age of twenty-one, -and after his suit had been rejected by a young lady to whom he had paid -his addresses, Mr. Day formed the singular project of educating a wife -for himself. This was based upon the notion of Rousseau, that “all the -genuine worth of the human species is perverted by society; and that -children should be educated apart from the world, in order that their -minds should be kept untainted with, and ignorant of, its vices, -prejudices, and artificial manners.” - -Day set about his project by selecting two girls from an establishment -at Shrewsbury, connected with the Foundling Hospital; previously to -which he entered into a written engagement, guaranteed by a friend, Mr. -Bicknell, that within twelve months he would resign one of them to a -respectable mistress, as an apprentice, with a fee of one hundred -pounds; and, on her marriage, or commencing business for herself, he -would give her the additional sum of four hundred pounds; and he further -engaged that he would act honourably to the one he should retain, in -order to marry her at a proper age; or, if he should change his mind, he -would allow her a competent support until she married, and then give her -five hundred pounds as a dowry. - -The objects of Day’s speculation were both twelve years of age. One of -them, whom he called Lucretia, had a fair complexion, with light hair -and eyes; the other was a brunette, with chesnut tresses, who was styled -Sabrina. He took these girls to France without any English servants, in -order that they should not obtain any knowledge but what he should -impart. As might have been anticipated, they caused him abundance of -inconvenience and vexation, increased, in no small degree, by their -becoming infected with the small-pox; from this, however, they recovered -without any injury to their features. The scheme ended in the utter -disappointment of the projector. Lucretia, whom he first dismissed, was -apprenticed to a milliner; and she afterwards became the wife of a -linendraper in London. Sabrina, after Day had relinquished his attempts -to make her such a model of perfection as he required, and which -included indomitable courage, as well as the difficult art of retaining -secrets, was placed at a boarding-school at Sutton Coldfield, in -Warwickshire, where she was much esteemed; and, strange to say, was at -length married to Mr. Bicknell. - -After Day had renounced this scheme as impracticable, he became suitor -to two sisters in succession; yet, in both instances, he was refused. At -length, he was married at Bath, to a lady who made “a large fortune the -means of exercising the most extensive generosity.” - - -WASHINGTON IRVING AND WILKIE, IN THE ALHAMBRA. - -Geoffrey Crayon (Irving), and Wilkie, the painter, were -fellow-travellers on the Continent, about the year 1827. In their -rambles about some of the old cities of Spain, they were more than once -struck with scenes and incidents which reminded them of passages in the -_Arabian Nights_. The painter urged Mr. Irving to write something that -should illustrate those peculiarities, “something in the -Haroun-al-Raschid style,” which should have a deal of that Arabian spice -which pervades everything in Spain. The author set to work, _con amore_, -and produced two goodly volumes of Arabesque sketches and tales, founded -on popular traditions. His study was the Alhambra, and the governor of -the palace gave Irving and Wilkie permission to occupy his vacant -apartments there. Wilkie was soon called away by the duties of his -station; but Washington Irving remained for several months, spell-bound -in the old enchanted pile. “How many legends,” saith he, “and -traditions, true and fabulous--how many songs and romances, Spanish and -Arabian, of love, and war, and chivalry, are associated with this -romantic pile.” - - -BOLINGBROKE AT BATTERSEA. - -When the late Sir Richard Phillips took his “Morning’s Walk from London -to Kew,” in 1816, he found that a portion of the family mansion in which -Lord Bolingbroke was born had been converted into a mill and distillery, -though a small oak parlour had been carefully preserved. In this room, -Pope is said to have written his _Essay on Man_; and, in Bolingbroke’s -time, the mansion was the resort, the hope, and the seat of enjoyment, -of Swift, Arbuthnot, Thomson, Mallet, and all the contemporary genius of -England. The oak room was always called “Pope’s Parlour,” it being, in -all probability, the apartment generally occupied by that great poet, in -his visits to his friend Bolingbroke. - -On inquiring for an ancient inhabitant of Battersea, Sir Richard -Phillips was introduced to a Mrs. Gilliard, a pleasant and intelligent -woman, who told him she well remembered Lord Bolingbroke; that he used -to ride out every day in his chariot, and had a black patch on his -cheek, with a large wart over his eyebrows. She was then but a girl, but -she was taught to look upon him with veneration as a great man. As, -however, he spent little in the place, and gave little away, he was not -much regarded by the people of Battersea. Sir Richard mentioned to her -the names of several of Bolingbroke’s contemporaries; but she -recollected none except that of Mallet, who, she said, she had often -seen walking about in the village, while he was visiting at Bolingbroke -House. - - -RELICS OF MILTON. - -Milton was born at the _Spread Eagle_,[7] Bread-street, Cheapside, -December 9, 1608; and was buried, November, 1674, in St. Giles’s Church, -Cripplegate, without even a stone, in the first instance, to mark his -resting-place; but, in 1793, a bust and tablet were set up to his memory -by public subscription. - -Milton, before he resided in Jewin-gardens, Aldersgate, is believed to -have removed to, and “kept school” in a large house on the west side of -Aldersgate-street, wherein met the City of London Literary and -Scientific Institution, previously to the rebuilding of their premises -in 1839. - -Milton’s London residences have all, with one exception, disappeared, -and cannot be recognised; this is in Petty France, at Westminster, where -the poet lived from 1651 to 1659. The lower part of the house is a -chandler’s-shop; the parlour, up stairs, looks into St. James’s-park. -Here part of _Paradise Lost_ was written. The house belonged to Jeremy -Bentham, who caused to be placed on its front a tablet, inscribed, -“SACRED TO MILTON, PRINCE OF POETS.” - -In the same glass-case with Shakspeare’s autograph, in the British -Museum, is a printed copy of the Elegies on Mr. Edward King, the subject -of _Lycidas_, with some corrections of the text in Milton’s handwriting. -Framed and glazed, in the library of Mr. Rogers, the poet, hangs the -written agreement between Milton and his publisher, Simmons, for the -copyright of his _Paradise Lost_.--_Note-book of 1848._ - - -WRITING UP THE “TIMES” NEWSPAPER. - -Dr. Dibdin, in his _Reminiscences_, relates:--“Sir John Stoddart married -the sister of Lord Moncrieff, by whom he has a goodly race of -representatives; but, before his marriage, _he was the man who wrote up -the Times newspaper_ to its admitted pitch of distinction and -superiority over every other contemporary journal. Mark, gentle reader, -I speak of the _Times_ newspaper during the eventful and appalling -crisis of Bonaparte’s invasion of Spain and destruction of Moscow. My -friend fought with his _pen_ as Wellington fought with his _sword_: but -nothing like a tithe of the remuneration which was justly meted out to -the hero of Waterloo befel the editor of the _Times_. Of course, I speak -of remuneration in degree, and not in kind. The peace followed. Public -curiosity lulled, and all great and stirring events having subsided, it -was thought that a writer of less commanding talent, (certainly not the -_present Editor_,) and therefore procurable at a less premium, would -answer the current purposes of the day; and the retirement of Dr. -Stoddart, (for he was at this time a civilian, and particularly noticed -and patronised by Lord Stowell,) from the old _Times_, and his -establishment of the _New Times_ newspaper, followed in consequence. But -the latter, from various causes, had only a short-lived existence. Sir -John Stoddart had been his Majesty’s advocate, or Attorney-General, at -Malta, before he retired thither a _second_ time, to assume the office -of Judge.” - - -RELICS OF THE BOAR’S HEAD TAVERN, EASTCHEAP. - -The portal of the Boar’s Head was originally decorated with carved oak -figures of Falstaff and Prince Henry; and in 1834, the former figure was -in the possession of a brazier, of Great Eastcheap, whose ancestors had -lived in the shop he then occupied since the great fire. The last grand -Shakspearean dinner-party took place at the Boar’s Head about 1784. A -boar’s head, with silver tusks, which had been suspended in some room in -the house, perhaps the Half Moon or Pomegranate, (see _Henry IV._, Act. -ii., scene 3,) at the great fire, fell down with the ruins of the -houses, little injured, and was conveyed to Whitechapel Mount, where it -was identified and recovered about thirty years ago. - - -ORIGIN OF “THE EDINBURGH REVIEW.” - -The _Edinburgh Review_ was first published in 1802. The plan was -suggested by Sydney Smith, at a meeting of _literati_, in the fourth or -fifth flat or story, in Buccleugh-place, Edinburgh, then the elevated -lodging of Jeffrey. The motto humorously proposed for the new review by -its projector was, “_Tenui musam meditamur avena_,”--_i. e._, “We -cultivate literature upon a little oatmeal;” but this being too nearly -the truth to be publicly acknowledged, the more grave dictum of “_Judex -damnatur cum nocens absolvitur_” was adopted from _Publius Syrus_, of -whom, Sydney Smith affirms, “None of us, I am sure, ever read a single -line!” Lord Byron, in his fifth edition of _English Bards and Scotch -Reviewers_, refers to the reviewers as an “oat-fed phalanx.” - - -CLEVER STATESMEN. - -However great talents may command the admiration of the world, they do -not generally best fit a man for the discharge of social duties. Swift -remarks that “Men of great parts are often unfortunate in the management -of public business, because they are apt to go out of the common road by -the quickness of their imagination. This I once said to my Lord -Bolingbroke, and desired he would observe, that the clerk in his office -used a sort of ivory knife, with a blunt edge, to divide a sheet of -paper, which never failed to cut it even, only by requiring a steady -hand; whereas, if he should make one of a sharp penknife, the sharpness -would make it go often out of the crease, and disfigure the paper.” - - -THE FIRST MAGAZINE. - -The _Gentleman’s Magazine_ unaccountably passes for the earliest -periodical of that description; while, in fact, it was preceded nearly -forty years by the _Gentleman’s Journal_ of Motteux, a work much more -closely resembling our modern magazines, and from which Sylvanus Urban -borrowed part of his title, and part of his motto; while on the first -page of the first number of the _Gentleman’s Magazine_ itself, it is -stated to contain “more than any book of the _kind_ and price.” - - -MRS. TRIMMER. - -This ingenious woman was the daughter of Joshua and Sarah Kirby, and was -born at Ipswich, January 6, 1741. Kirby taught George the Third, when -Prince of Wales, perspective and architecture. He was also President of -the Society of Artists of Great Britain, out of which grew the Royal -Academy. It was the last desire of Gainsborough to be buried beside his -old friend Kirby, and their tombs adjoin each other in the churchyard at -Kew. - -Mrs. Trimmer, when a girl, was constantly reading Milton’s _Paradise -Lost_; and this circumstance so pleased Dr. Johnson, that he invited her -to see him, and presented her with a copy of his _Rambler_. She also -repeatedly met Sir Joshua Reynolds, Dr. Gregory, Sharp, Hogarth, and -Gainsborough, with all of whom her father was on terms of intimacy. Mrs. -Trimmer advocated religious education against the latitudinarian views -of Joseph Lancaster. It was at her persuasion that Dr. Bell entered the -field, and paved the way for the establishment of the National Society. -Mrs. Trimmer died, in her seventieth year, in 1810. She was seated at -her table reading a letter, when her head sunk upon her bosom, and she -“fell asleep;” and so gentle was the wafting, that she seemed for some -time in a refreshing slumber, which her family were unwilling to -interrupt. - - -BOSWELL’S BEAR-LEADING. - -It was on a visit to the parliament house that Mr. Henry Erskine, -(brother of Lord Buchan and Lord Erskine,) after being presented to Dr. -Johnson by Mr. Boswell, and having made his bow, slipped a shilling into -Boswell’s hand, whispering that it was for the sight of his -_bear_.--_Sir Walter Scott._ - - -LORD ELIBANK AND DR. JOHNSON - -Lord Elibank made a happy retort on Dr. Johnson’s definition of oats, as -the food of horses in England, and men in Scotland. “Yes,” said he, “and -where else will you see _such horses_, and _such men_?”--_Sir Walter -Scott._ - - -RELICS OF DR. JOHNSON AT LICHFIELD. - -The house in which Dr. Johnson was born, at Lichfield--where his father, -it is well known, kept a small bookseller’s shop, and where he was -partly educated--stood on the west side of the market-place. In the -centre of the market-place is a colossal statue of Johnson, seated upon -a square pedestal: it is by Lucas, and was executed at the expense of -the Rev. Chancellor Law, in 1838. By the side of a footpath leading from -Dam-street to Stow, formerly stood a large willow, said to have been -planted by Johnson. It was blown down, in 1829; but one of its shoots -was preserved and planted upon the same spot: it was in the year 1848 a -large tree, known in the town as “Johnson’s Willow.” - -Mr. Lomax, who for many years kept a bookseller’s shop--“The Johnson’s -Head,” in Bird-street, Lichfield, possessed several articles that -formerly belonged to Johnson, which have been handed down by a clear and -indisputable ownership. Amongst them is his own _Book of Common Prayer_, -in which are written, in pencil, the four Latin lines printed in -Strahan’s edition of the Doctor’s Prayers. There are, also, a -sacrament-book, with Johnson’s wife’s name in it, in his own -handwriting; an autograph letter of the Doctor’s to Miss Porter; two -tea-spoons, an ivory tablet, and a breakfast table; a Visscher’s Atlas, -paged by the Doctor, and a manuscript index; Davies’s _Life of Garrick_, -presented to Johnson by the publisher; a walking cane; and a Dictionary -of Heathen Mythology, with the Doctor’s MS. corrections. His wife’s -wedding-ring, afterwards made into a mourning-ring; and a massive chair, -in which he customarily sat, were also in Mr. Lomax’s possession. - -Among the few persons living in the year 1848 who ever saw Dr. Johnson, -was Mr. Dyott, of Lichfield: this was seventy-four years before, or in -1774, when the Doctor and Boswell, on their tour into Wales, stopped at -Ashbourne, and there visited Mr. Dyott’s father, who was then residing -at Ashbourne Hall.[8] - - -COLERIDGE A SOLDIER. - -After Coleridge left Cambridge, he came to London, where soon feeling -himself forlorn and destitute, he enlisted as a soldier in the 15th -Elliot’s Light Dragoons. “On his arrival at the quarters of the -regiment,” says his friend and biographer, Mr. Gilman, “the general of -the district inspected the recruits, and looking hard at Coleridge, with -a military air, inquired ‘What’s your name, sir?’ ‘Comberbach!’ (the -name he had assumed.) ‘What do you come here for, sir?’ as if doubting -whether he had any business there. ‘Sir,’ said Coleridge, ‘for what most -other persons come--to be made a soldier.’ ‘Do you think,’ said the -general, ‘you can run a Frenchman through the body?’ ‘I do not know,’ -replied Coleridge, ‘as I never tried; but I’ll let a Frenchman run me -through the body before I’ll run away.’ ‘That will do,’ said the -general, and Coleridge was turned in the ranks.” - -The poet made a poor dragoon, and never advanced beyond the awkward -squad. He wrote letters, however, for all his comrades, and they -attended to his horse and accoutrements. After four months’ service, -(December 1793 to April 1794), the history and circumstances of -Coleridge became known. He had written under his saddle, on the stable -wall, a Latin sentence (Eheu! quam infortunii miserrimum est fuisse -felicem!) which led to an inquiry on the part of the captain of his -troop, who had more regard for the classics than Ensign Northerton, in -_Tom Jones_. Coleridge was, accordingly, discharged, and restored to his -family and friends. - - -COBBETT’S BOYHOOD. - -Perhaps, in Cobbett’s voluminous writings, there is nothing so complete -as the following picture of his boyish scenes and recollections: it has -been well compared to the most simple and touching passages in -Richardson’s _Pamela_:-- - - “After living within a hundred yards of Westminster Hall and the - Abbey church, and the bridge, and looking from my own window into - St. James’s Park, all other buildings and spots appear mean and - insignificant. I went to-day to see the house I formerly occupied. - How small! It is always thus: the words large and small are carried - about with us in our minds, and we forget real dimensions. The - idea, such as it was received, remains during our absence from the - object. When I returned to England in 1800, after an absence from - the country parts of it of sixteen years, the trees, the hedges, - even the parks and woods, seemed so small! It made me laugh to hear - little gutters, that I could jump over, called rivers! The Thames - was but ‘a creek!’ But when, in about a month after my arrival in - London, I went to Farnham, the place of my birth, what was my - surprise! Every thing was become so pitifully small! I had to cross - in my postchaise the long and dreary heath of Bagshot. Then, at the - end of it, to mount a hill called Hungry Hill; and from that hill I - knew that I should look down into the beautiful and fertile vale of - Farnham. My heart fluttered with impatience, mixed with a sort of - fear, to see all the scenes of my childhood; for I had learned - before the death of my father and mother. There is a hill not far - from the town, called Crooksbury Hill, which rises up out of a flat - in the form of a cone, and is planted with Scotch fir-trees. Here I - used to take the eggs and young ones of crows and magpies. This - hill was a famous object in the neighbourhood. It served as the - superlative degree of height. ‘As high as Crooksbury Hill,’ meant - with us, the utmost degree of height. Therefore, the first object - my eyes sought was this hill. I could not believe my eyes! - Literally speaking, I for a moment thought the famous hill removed, - and a little heap put in its stead; for I had seen in New Brunswick - a single rock, or hill of solid rock, ten times as big, and four or - five times as high! The post-boy, going down hill, and not a bad - road, whisked me in a few minutes to the Bush Inn, from the garden - of which I could see the prodigious sand hill where I had begun my - gardening works. What a nothing! But now came rushing into my mind - all at once my pretty little garden, my little blue smock-frock, my - little nailed shoes, my pretty pigeons that I used to feed out of - my hands, the last kind words and tears of my gentle and - tender-hearted and affectionate mother. I hastened back into the - room. If I had looked a moment longer, I should have dropped. When - I came to reflect, what a change! What scenes I had gone through! - How altered my state! I had dined the day before at a secretary of - state’s, in company with Mr. Pitt, and had been waited upon by men - in gaudy liveries! I had had nobody to assist me in the world. No - teachers of any sort. Nobody to shelter me from the consequence of - bad, and nobody to counsel me to good behaviour. I felt proud. The - distinctions of rank, birth, and wealth, all became nothing in my - eyes; and from that moment (less than a month after my arrival in - England), I resolved never to bend before them.” - -Cobbett was, for a short time, a labourer in the kitchen grounds of the -Royal Gardens at Kew. King George the Third often visited the gardens -to inquire after the fruits and esculents; and one day, he saw here -Cobbett, then a lad, who with a few halfpence in his pocket, and Swift’s -_Tale of a Tub_ in his hand, had been so captivated by the wonders of -the royal gardens, that he applied there for employment. The king, on -perceiving the clownish boy, with his stockings tied about his legs by -scarlet garters, inquired about him, and specially desired that he might -be continued in his service. - - -COLERIDGE AN UNITARIAN PREACHER. - -During his residence at Nether Stoney, Coleridge officiated as Unitarian -preacher at Taunton, and afterwards at Shrewsbury. Mr. Hazlitt has -described his walking ten miles on a winter day to hear Coleridge -preach. “When I got there,” he says, “the organ was playing the 100th -psalm, and, when it was done, Mr. Coleridge rose and gave out his -text:--‘He departed again into a mountain himself alone.’ As he gave out -his text, his voice rose like a stream of rich distilled perfume; when -he came to the two last words, which he pronounced loud, deep, and -distinct, it seemed to me, who was then young, as if the sounds had -echoed from the bottom of the human heart, and as if that prayer might -have floated in solemn silence through the universe. The idea of St. -John came into my mind, of one crying in the wilderness, who had his -loins girt about, and whose food was locusts and wild honey. The -preacher then launched into his subject, like an eagle dallying with -the wind. The sermon was upon peace and war--upon Church and State; not -their alliance, but their separation; on the spirit of the world and the -spirit of Christianity; not as the same, but as opposed to one another. -He talked of those who had inscribed the cross of Christ on banners -dripping with human gore! He made a poetical and pastoral excursion; -and, to show the fatal effects of war, drew a striking contrast between -the simple shepherd-boy driving his team a-field, or sitting under the -hawthorn, piping to his flock, as though he should never be old, and the -same poor country-lad crimped, kidnapped, brought into town, made drunk -at an alehouse, turned into a wretched drummer-boy, with his hair -sticking on end with powder and pomatum, a long cue at his back, and -tricked out in the finery of the profession of blood. - - “ ‘Such were the notes our once-loved poet sung;’ - -and, for myself, I could not have been more delighted if I had heard the -music of the spheres.” - - -FONTENELLE’S INSENSIBILITY. - -Fontenelle, who lived till within one month of a century, was very -rarely known to laugh or cry, and even boasted of his insensibility. One -day, a certain _bon-vivant_ Abbé came unexpectedly to dine with him. The -Abbé was fond of asparagus dressed with butter; Fontenelle, also, had a -great _goût_ for the vegetable, but preferred it dressed with oil. -Fontenelle said, that, for such a friend, there was no sacrifice he -would not make; and that he should have half the dish of asparagus -which he had ordered for himself, and that half, moreover, should be -dressed with butter. While they were conversing together, the poor Abbé -fell down in a fit of apoplexy; upon which Fontenelle instantly -scampered down stairs, and eagerly bawled out to his cook, “The whole -with oil! the whole with oil, as at first!” - - -PAINS AND TOILS OF AUTHORSHIP. - -The craft of authorship is by no means so easy of practice as is -generally imagined by the thousands who aspire to its practice. Almost -all our works, whether of knowledge or of fancy, have been the product -of much intellectual exertion and study; or, as it is better expressed -by the poet-- - - “the well-ripened fruits of wise decay.” - -Pope published nothing until it had been a year or two before him, and -even then his printer’s proofs were very full of alterations; and, on -one occasion, Dodsley, his publisher, thought it better to have the -whole recomposed than make the necessary corrections. Goldsmith -considered four lines a day good work, and was seven years in beating -out the pure gold of the _Deserted Village_. Hume wrote his _History of -England_ on a sofa, but he went quietly on correcting every edition till -his death. Robertson used to write out his sentences on small slips of -paper; and, after rounding them and polishing them to his satisfaction, -he entered them in a book, which, in its turn, underwent considerable -revision. Burke had all his principal works printed two or three times -at a private press before submitting them to his publisher. Akenside and -Gray were indefatigable correctors, labouring every line; and so was our -prolix and more imaginative poet, Thomson. On comparing the first and -latest editions of the _Seasons_, there will be found scarcely a page -which does not bear evidence of his taste and industry. Johnson thinks -the poems lost much of their raciness under this severe regimen, but -they were much improved in fancy and delicacy; the episode of Musidora, -“the solemnly ridiculous bathing scene,” as Campbell terms it, was -almost entirely rewritten. Johnson and Gibbon were the least laborious -in arranging their _copy_ for the press. Gibbon sent the first and only -MS. of his stupendous work (the _Decline and Fall_) to his printer; and -Johnson’s high-sounding sentences were written almost without an effort. -Both, however, lived and moved, as it were, in the world of letters, -thinking or caring of little else--one in the heart of busy London, -which he dearly loved, and the other in his silent retreat at Lausanne. -Dryden wrote hurriedly, to provide for the day; but his _Absalom and -Achitophel_, and the beautiful imagery of the _Hind and Panther_, must -have been fostered with parental care. St. Pierre copied his _Paul and -Virginia_ nine times, that he might render it the more perfect. Rousseau -was a very coxcomb in these matters: the amatory epistles, in his new -_Heloise_, he wrote on fine gilt-edged card-paper, and having folded, -addressed, and sealed them, he opened and read them in the solitary -woods of Clairens, with the mingled enthusiasm of an author and lover. -Sheridan watched long and anxiously for bright thoughts, as the MS. of -his _School for Scandal_, in its various stages, proves. Burns composed -in the open air, the sunnier the better; but he laboured hard, and with -almost unerring taste and judgment, in correcting.[9] - -Lord Byron was a rapid composer, but made abundant use of the -pruning-knife. On returning one of his proof sheets from Italy, he -expressed himself undecided about a single word, for which he wished to -substitute another, and requested Mr. Murray to refer it to Mr. Gifford, -then editor of the _Quarterly Review_. Sir Walter Scott evinced his love -of literary labour by undertaking the revision of the whole of the -_Waverley_ Novels--a goodly freightage of some fifty or sixty volumes. -The works of Wordsworth, Southey, Coleridge, and Moore, and the -occasional variations in their different editions, mark their love of -the touching. Southey was, indeed, unwearied after his kind--a true -author of the old school. The bright thoughts of Campbell, which sparkle -like polished lances, were manufactured with almost equal care; he was -the Pope of our contemporary authors.[10] Allan Cunningham corrected but -little, yet his imitations of the elder lyrics are perfect centos of -Scottish feeling and poesy. The loving, laborious lingering of Tennyson -over his poems, and the frequent alterations--not in every case -improvements--that appear in successive editions of his works, are -familiar to all his admirers. - - -JOE MILLER AT COURT. - -Joe Miller, (Mottley,) was such a favourite at court, that Caroline, -queen of George II., commanded a play to be performed for his benefit; -the queen disposed of a great many tickets at one of her drawing-rooms, -and most of them were paid for in gold. - - -COLLINS’ INSANITY. - -Much has been said of the state of insanity to which the author of the -_Ode to the Passions_ was ultimately reduced; or rather, as Dr. Johnson -happily describes it, “a depression of mind which enchains the faculties -without destroying them, and leaves reason the knowledge of right, -without the power of pursuing it.” What Johnson has further said on this -melancholy subject, shows perhaps more nature and feeling than anything -he ever wrote; and yet it is remarkable that among the causes to which -the poet’s malady was ascribed, he never hints at the most exciting of -the whole. He tells us how Collins “loved fairies, genii, giants, and -monsters;” how he “delighted to roam through the meanders of -enchantment, to gaze on the magnificence of golden palaces, to repose by -the waterfalls of Elysian gardens.” But never does he seem to have -imagined how natural it was for a mind of such a temperament to give an -Eve to the Paradise of his Creation. Johnson, in truth, though, as he -tells us, he gained the confidence of Collins, was not just the man into -whose ear a lover would choose to pour his secrets. The fact was, -Collins was greatly attached to a young lady who did not return his -passion; and there seems to be little doubt, that to the consequent -disappointment, preying on his mind, was due much of that abandonment of -soul which marked the close of his career. The object of his passion was -born the day before him; and to this circumstance, in one of his -brighter moments, he made a most happy allusion. A friend remarking to -the luckless lover, that his was a hard case, Collins replied, “It is -so, indeed; for I came into the world _a day after the fair_.” - - -MOORE’S EPIGRAM ON ABBOTT. - -Mr. Speaker Abbott having spoken in slighting terms of some of Moore’s -poems, the poet wrote, in return, the following biting epigram: - - “They say he has no heart; but I deny it; - He _has_ a heart--and gets his speeches by it.” - - -NEGROES AT HOME. - -When Lord Byron was in Parliament, a petition setting forth, and calling -for redress for, the wretched state of the Irish peasantry, was one -evening presented to the House of Lords, and very coldly received. “Ah!” -said Lord Byron, “what a misfortune it was for the Irish that they were -not born black! they would then have had plenty of friends in both -Houses”--referring to the great interest at the time being taken by some -philanthropic members in the condition and future of the negroes in our -West Indian colonies. - - -A STRING OF JERROLD’S JOKES. - -At a club of which Jerrold was a member, a fierce Jacobite, and a -friend, as fierce, of the Orange cause, were arguing noisily, and -disturbing less excitable conversationalists. At length the Jacobite, a -brawny Scot, brought his fist down heavily upon the table, and roared at -his adversary, “I tell you what it is, sir, I spit upon your King -William!” The friend of the Prince of Orange rose, and roared back to -the Jacobite, “And I, sir, spit upon your James the Second!” Jerrold, -who had been listening to the uproar in silence, hereupon rang the bell, -and shouted “Waiter, spittoons for two!” - -At an evening party, Jerrold was looking at the dancers, when, seeing a -very tall gentleman waltzing with a remarkably short lady, he said to a -friend at hand, “Humph! there’s the mile dancing with the milestone!” - -An old lady was in the habit of talking to Jerrold in a gloomy, -depressing manner, presenting to him only the sad side of life. “Hang -it,” said Jerrold, one day, after a long and sombre interview, “she -would not allow that there was a bright side to the moon.” - -Jerrold said to an ardent young gentleman, who burned with desire to see -himself in print: “Be advised by me, young man: don’t take down the -shutters before there is something in the windows.” - -While Jerrold was discussing one day, with Mr. Selby, the vexed question -of adapting dramatic pieces from the French, that gentleman insisted -upon claiming some of his characters as strictly original creations. “Do -you remember my Baroness in _Ask No Questions_?” said Mr. Selby. “Yes, -indeed; I don’t think I ever saw a piece of yours without being struck -by your _barrenness_,” was the retort.--_Mark Lemon’s Jest-book._ - - -CONCEITED ALARMS OF DENNIS. - -John Dennis, the dramatist, had a most extravagant and enthusiastic -opinion of his tragedy of _Liberty Asserted_. He imagined that there -were in it some strokes on the French nation so severe, that they would -never be forgiven; and that, in consequence, Louis XIV. would never make -peace with England unless the author was given up as a sacrifice to the -national resentment. Accordingly, when the congress for the negotiation -of the Peace of Utrecht was in contemplation, the terrified Dennis -waited on the Duke of Marlborough, who had formerly been his patron, to -entreat the intercession of his Grace with the plenipotentiaries, that -they should not consent to his surrender to France being made one of the -conditions of the treaty. The Duke gravely told the dramatist that he -was sorry to be unable to do this service, as he had no influence with -the Ministry of the day; but, he added, that he thought Dennis’ case not -quite desperate, for, said his Grace, “I have taken no care to get -myself excepted in the articles of peace, and yet I cannot help thinking -that I have done the French almost as much damage as Mr. Dennis -himself.” At another time, when Dennis was visiting at a gentleman’s -house on the Sussex coast, and was walking on the beach, he saw a -vessel, as he imagined, sailing towards him. The self-important timidity -of Dennis saw in this incident a reason for the greatest alarm for -himself, and distrust of his friend. Supposing he was betrayed, he made -the best of his way to London, without even taking leave of his host, -whom he believed to have lent himself to a plot for delivering him up as -a captive to a French vessel sent on purpose to carry him off. - - -A COMPOSITION WITH CONSCIENCE. - -Lully, the composer, being once thought mortally ill, his friends called -a confessor, who, finding the patient’s state critical, and his mind -very ill at ease, told him that he could obtain absolution only one -way--by burning all that he had by him of a yet unpublished opera. The -remonstrance of his friends was in vain; Lully burnt the music, and the -confessor departed well pleased. The composer, however, recovered, and -told one of his visitors, a nobleman who was his patron, of the -sacrifice he had made to the demands of the confessor. “And so,” cried -the nobleman, “you have burnt your opera, and are really such a -blockhead as to believe in the absurdities of a monk!” “Stop, my friend, -stop,” returned Lully; “let me whisper in your ear: I knew very well -what I was about--_I have another copy_.” - - -SALE, THE TRANSLATOR OF THE KORAN. - -The learned Sale, who first gave to the world a genuine version of the -Koran, pursued his studies through a life of wants. This great -Orientalist, when he quitted his books to go abroad, too often wanted a -change of linen; and he frequently wandered the streets, in search of -some compassionate friend, who might supply him with the meal of the -day. - - -THE LATTER DAYS OF LOVELACE. - -Sir Richard Lovelace, who in 1649 published the elegant collection of -amorous and other poems entitled _Lucasta_, was an amiable and -accomplished gentleman: by the men of his time (the time of the civil -wars) respected for his moral worth and literary ability; by the fair -sex, almost idolized for the elegance of his person and the sweetness of -his manners. An ardent loyalist, the people of Kent appointed him to -present to the House of Commons their petition for the restoration of -Charles and the settlement of the government. The petition gave offence, -and the bearer was committed to the Gate House, at Westminster, where he -wrote his graceful little song, “Loyalty Confined,” opening thus: - - “When love, with unconfined wings, - Hovers within my gates, - And my divine Althea brings - To whisper at my grates; - When I lie tangled in her hair, - And fettered in her eye; - The birds that wanton in the air - Know no such liberty.” - -But “dinnerless the polished Lovelace died.” He obtained his liberation, -after a few months’ confinement. By that time, however, he had consumed -all his estates, partly by furnishing the king with men and money, and -partly by giving assistance to men of talent of whatever kind, whom he -found in difficulties. Very soon, he became himself involved in the -greatest distress, and fell into a deep melancholy, which brought on a -consumption, and made him as poor in person as in purse, till he even -became the object of common charity. The man who in his days of -gallantry wore cloth of gold, was now naked, or only half covered with -filthy rags; he who had thrown splendour on palaces, now shrank into -obscure and dirty alleys; he who had associated with princes, banqueted -on dainties, been the patron of the indigent, the admiration of the wise -and brave, the darling of the chaste and fair--was now fain to herd with -beggars, gladly to partake of their coarse offals, and thankfully to -receive their twice-given alms-- - - “To hovel him with swine and rogues forlorn, - In short and musty straw.” - -Worn out with misery, he at length expired, in 1658, in a mean and -wretched lodging in Gunpowder Alley, near Shoe Lane, and was buried at -the west end of St. Bride’s church, Fleet Street. Such is the account of -Lovelace’s closing days given by Wood in his _Athenæ_, and confirmed by -Aubrey in his _Lives of Eminent Men_; but a recent editor and biographer -(the son of Hazlitt) pronounces, though he does not prove, the account -much exaggerated. - - -PAYMENT IN KIND. - -The Empress Catherine of Russia having sent, as a present to Voltaire, -a small ivory box made by her own hands, the poet induced his niece to -instruct him in the art of knitting stockings; and he had actually half -finished a pair, of white silk, when he became completely tired. -Unfinished as the stockings were, however, he sent them to her Majesty, -accompanied by a charmingly gallant poetical epistle, in which he told -her that, “As she had presented him with a piece of man’s workmanship -made by a woman, he had thought it his duty to crave her acceptance, in -return, of a piece of woman’s work from the hands of a man.”--When -Constantia Phillips was in a state of distress, she took a small shop -near Westminster Hall, and sold books, some of which were of her own -writing. During this time, an apothecary who had attended her once when -she was ill, came to her and requested payment of his bill. She pleaded -her poverty; but he still continued to press her, and urged as a reason -for his urgency, that he had saved her life. “You have,” said -Constantia, “you have indeed done so: I acknowledge it; and, in return, -here is my life”--handing him at the same time the two volumes of her -“Memoirs,” and begging that he would now take _her life_ in discharge of -his demand. - - -CHATTERTON’S PROFIT AND LOSS RECKONING. - -Chatterton, the marvellous boy, wrote a political essay for the _North -Briton_, Wilkes’s journal; but, though accepted, the essay was not -printed, in consequence of the death of the Lord Mayor, Chatterton’s -patron. The youthful patriot thus calculated the results of the -suppression of his essay, which had begun by a splendid flourish about -“a spirited people freeing themselves from insupportable slavery:” - - “Lost, by the Lord Mayor’s death, in this essay, £1 11 6 - - Gained in elegies, £2 2 0 - Do. in essays, 3 3 0 - -------- 5 5 0 - -------- - Am glad he is dead by £3 13 6” - - -LOCKE’S REBUKE OF THE CARD-PLAYING LORDS. - -Locke, the brilliant author of the _Essay on the Human Understanding_, -was once introduced by Lord Shaftesbury to the Duke of Buckingham and -Lord Halifax. But the three noblemen, instead of entering into -conversation on literary subjects with the philosopher, very soon sat -down to cards. Locke looked on for a short time, and then drew out his -pocket-book and began to write in it with much attention. One of the -players, after a time, observed this, and asked what he was writing. “My -Lord,” answered Locke, “I am endeavouring, as far as possible, to profit -by my present situation; for, having waited with impatience for the -honour of being in company with the greatest geniuses of the age, I -thought I could do nothing better than to write down your conversation; -and, indeed, I have set down the substance of what you have said for the -last hour or two.” The three noblemen, fully sensible of the force of -the rebuke, immediately left the cards and entered into a conversation -more rational and more befitting their reputation as men of genius. - - -HAYDN AND THE SHIP CAPTAIN. - -When the immortal composer Haydn was on his visit to England, in 1794, -his chamber-door was opened one morning by the captain of an East -Indiaman, who said, “You are Mr. Haydn?” “Yes.” “Can you make me a -‘March,’ to enliven my crew? You shall have thirty guineas; but I must -have it to-day, as to-morrow I sail for Calcutta.” Haydn agreed, the -sailor quitted him, the composer opened his piano, and in a few minutes -the march was written. He appears, however, to have had a delicacy rare -among the musical birds of passage and of prey who come to feed on the -unwieldy wealth of England. Conceiving that the receipt of a sum so -large as thirty guineas for a labour so slight, would be a species of -plunder, he came home early in the evening, and composed other two -marches, in order to allow the liberal sea captain his choice, or make -him take all the three. Early next morning, the purchaser came back. -“Where is my march?” “Here it is.” “Try it on the piano.” Haydn played -it over. The captain counted down the thirty guineas on the piano, took -up the march, and went down stairs. Haydn ran after him, calling, “I -have made other two marches, both better; come up and hear them, and -take your choice.” “I am content with the one I have,” returned the -captain, without stopping. “I will make you a present of them,” cried -the composer. The captain only ran down the more rapidly, and left Haydn -on the stairs. Haydn, opposing obstinacy to obstinacy, determined to -overcome this odd self-denial. He went at once to the Exchange, found -out the name of the ship, made his marches into a roll, and sent them, -with a polite note, to the captain on board. He was surprised at -receiving, not long after, his envelope unopened, from the captain, who -had guessed it to be Haydn’s; and the composer tore the whole packet -into pieces upon the spot. The narrator of this incident adds the -remark, that “though the anecdote is of no great elevation, it expresses -peculiarity of character; and certainly neither the composer nor the -captain could have been easily classed among the common or the vulgar of -men.” - - -HAYDN’S DIPLOMA PIECE AT OXFORD. - -During his stay in England, Haydn was honoured by the diploma of Doctor -of Music from the University of Oxford--a distinction not obtained even -by Handel, and it is said, only conferred on four persons during the -four centuries preceding. It is customary to send some specimen of -composition in return for a degree; and Haydn, with the facility of -perfect skill, sent back a page of music so curiously contrived, that in -whatever way it was read--from the top to the bottom or the sides--it -exhibited a perfect melody and accompaniment. - - -ORIGIN OF THE BEGGAR’S OPERA. - -It was Swift that first suggested to Gay the idea of the _Beggar’s -Opera_, by remarking, what an odd, pretty sort of a thing a Newgate -pastoral might make! “Gay,” says Pope, “was inclined to try at such a -thing for some time; but afterwards thought it would be better to write -a comedy on the same plan. This was what gave rise to the _Beggar’s -Opera_. He began on it; and when he first mentioned it to Swift, the -doctor did not much like the project. As he carried it on, he showed -what he wrote to both of us; and we now and then gave a correction, or a -word or two of advice, but it was wholly of his own writing. When it was -done, neither of us thought it would succeed. We showed it to Congreve, -who, after reading it over, said, ‘It would either take greatly, or be -damned confoundedly.’ We were all, at the first sight of it, in great -uncertainty of the event, till we were very much encouraged by hearing -the Duke of Argyle, who sat in the next box to us, say, ‘It will do--I -see it in the eyes of them.’ This was a good while before the first act -was over, and so gave us ease soon; for the Duke (besides his own good -taste) has as particular a knack as any one now living, in discovering -the taste of the public. He was quite right in this, as usual; the good -nature of the audience appeared stronger and stronger every act, and -ended in a clamour of applause.” - - -THE TWO SHERIDANS. - -Sheridan made his appearance one day in a pair of new boots; these -attracting the notice of some of his friends: “Now guess,” said he, “how -I came by these boots?” Many probable guesses were then ventured, but in -vain. “No,” said Sheridan, “no, you have not hit it, nor ever will. I -bought them, and paid for them!” Sheridan was very desirous that his son -Tom should marry a young lady of large fortune, but knew that Miss -Callander had won his son’s heart. Sheridan, expatiating once on the -folly of his son, at length broke out: “Tom, if you marry Caroline -Callander, I’ll cut you off with a shilling!” Tom, looking maliciously -at his father, said, “Then, sir, you must borrow it.” In a large party -one evening, the conversation turned upon young men’s allowances at -college. Tom deplored the ill-judging parsimony of many parents in that -respect. “I am sure, Tom,” said his father, “you have no reason to -complain; I always allowed you £800 a-year.” “Yes, father, I confess you -allowed it; but then--it was never paid!” - - -KILLING NO MURDER. - -In a journey which Mademoiselle Scudéry, the Sappho of the French, made -along with her no less celebrated brother, a curious incident befell -them at an inn at a great distance from Paris. Their conversation -happened one evening to turn upon a romance which they were then jointly -composing, to the hero of which they had given the name of Prince -Mazare. “What shall we do with Prince Mazare?” said Mademoiselle Scudéry -to her brother. “Is it not better that he should fall by poison, than by -the poignard?” “It is not time yet,” replied the brother, “for that -business; when it is necessary we can despatch him as we please; but at -present we have not quite done with him.” Two merchants in the next -chamber, overhearing this conversation, concluded that they had formed a -conspiracy for the murder of some prince whose real name they disguised -under that of Mazare. Full of this important discovery, they imparted -their suspicions to the host and hostess; and it was resolved to inform -the police of what had happened. The police officers, eager to show -their diligence and activity, put the travellers immediately under -arrest, and conducted them under a strong escort to Paris. It was not -without difficulty and expense that they there procured their -liberation, and leave for the future to hold an unlimited right and -power over all the princes and personages in the realms of romance. - - -SENSITIVENESS TO CRITICISM. - -Hawkesworth and Stillingfleet died of criticism; Tasso was driven mad by -it; Newton, the calm Newton, kept hold of life only by the sufferance of -a friend who withheld a criticism on his chronology, for no other reason -than his conviction that if it were published while he lived, it would -put an end to him; and every one knows the effect on the sensitive -nature of Keats, of the attacks on his _Endymion_. Tasso had a vast and -prolific imagination, accompanied with an excessively hypochondriacal -temperament. The composition of his great epic, the _Jerusalem -Delivered_, by giving scope to the boldest flights, and calling into -play the energies of his exalted and enthusiastic genius--whilst with -equal ardour it led him to entertain hopes of immediate and extensive -fame--laid most probably the foundation of his subsequent derangement. -His susceptibility and tenderness of feeling were great; and, when his -sublime work met with unexpected opposition, and was even treated with -contempt and derision, the fortitude of the poet was not proof against -the keen sense of disappointment. He twice attempted to please his -ignorant and malignant critics by recomposing his poem; and during the -hurry, the anguish, and the irritation attending these efforts, the -vigour of a great mind was entirely exhausted, and in two years after -the publication of the _Jerusalem_, the unhappy author became an object -of pity and terror. Newton, with all his philosophy, was so sensible to -critical remarks, that Whiston tells us he lost his favour, which he had -enjoyed for twenty years, by contradicting him in his old age; for “no -man was of a more fearful temper.” - - -BUTLER AND BUCKINGHAM. - -Of Butler, the author of _Hudibras_--which Dr. Johnson terms “one of -those productions of which a nation may justly boast”--little further is -known than that his genius was not sufficient to rescue him from its -too frequent attendant, poverty; he lived in obscurity, and died in -want. Wycherley often represented to the Duke of Buckingham how well -Butler had deserved of the royal family by writing his inimitable -_Hudibras_, and that it was a disgrace to the Court that a person of his -loyalty and genius should remain in obscurity and suffer the wants which -he did. The Duke, thus pressed, promised to recommend Butler to his -Majesty; and Wycherley, in hopes to keep his Grace steady to his word, -prevailed on him to fix a day when he might introduce the modest and -unfortunate poet to his new patron. The place of meeting fixed upon was -the “Roebuck.” Butler and his friend attended punctually; the Duke -joined them, when, unluckily, the door of the room being open, his Grace -observed one of his acquaintances pass by with two ladies; on which he -immediately quitted his engagement, and from that time to the day of his -death poor Butler never derived the least benefit from his promise. - - -THE MERMAID CLUB. - -The celebrated club at the “Mermaid,” as has been well observed by -Gifford, “combined more talent and genius, perhaps, than ever met -together before or since.” The institution originated with Sir Walter -Raleigh; and here, for many years, Ben Jonson regularly repaired with -Shakspeare, Beaumont, Fletcher, Selden, Cotton, Carew, Martin, Donne, -and many others whose names, even at this distant period, call up a -mingled feeling of reverence and respect. Here, in the full flow and -confidence of friendship, the lively and interesting “wit-combats” took -place between Shakspeare and Jonson; and hither, in probable allusion to -some of them, Beaumont fondly lets his thoughts wander in his letter to -Johnson from the country:-- - - “What things have we seen - Done at the Mermaid? heard words that have been - So nimble, and so full of subtle flame, - As if that every one from whom they came, - Had meant to put his whole wit in a jest.” - -For the expression, “wit-combats,” we must refer to Fuller, who in his -“Worthies,” describing the character of the Bard of Avon, says: “Many -were the wit-combats between Shakspeare and Ben Jonson. I behold them -like a Spanish great galleon, and an English man-of-war. Master Jonson, -like the former, was built far higher in learning, solid, but slow in -his performances; Shakspeare, like the latter, less in bulk but lighter -in sailing, could turn with all tides, tack about and take advantage of -all winds, by the quickness of his wit and invention.” With what delight -would after generations have hung over any well-authenticated instances -of these “wit-combats!” But, unfortunately, nothing on which we can -depend has descended to us. - - -PORSON’S MEMORY. - -Professor Porson, the great Græcist, when a boy at Eton, displayed the -most astonishing powers of memory. In going up to a lesson one day, he -was accosted by a boy in the same form: “Porson, what have you got -there?” “Horace.” “Let me look at it.” Porson handed the book to his -comrade; who, pretending to return it, dexterously substituted another -in its place, with which Porson proceeded. Being called on by the -master, he read and construed the tenth Ode of the first Book very -regularly. Observing that the class laughed, the master said, “Porson, -you seem to me to be reading on one side of the page, while I am looking -at the other; pray whose edition have you?” Porson hesitated. “Let me -see it,” rejoined the master; who, to his great surprise, found it to be -an English Ovid. Porson was ordered to go on; which he did, easily, -correctly, and promptly, to the end of the Ode. Much more remarkable -feats of memory than this, however, have been recorded of Porson’s -manhood. - - -WYCHERLEY’S WOOING. - -Wycherley being at Tunbridge for the benefit of his health, after his -return from the Continental trip the cost of which the king had -defrayed, was walking one day with his friend, Mr. Fairbeard, of Gray’s -Inn. Just as they came up to a bookseller’s shop, the Countess of -Drogheda, a young, rich, noble, and lovely widow, came to the -bookseller and inquired for the _Plain Dealer_--a well-known comedy of -Wycherley’s. “Madam,” said Mr. Fairbeard, “since you are for the _Plain -Dealer_, there he is for you”--pushing Wycherley towards her. “Yes,” -said Wycherley, “this lady can bear plain dealing; for she appears to me -to be so accomplished, that what would be compliment said to others, -would be plain dealing spoken to her.” “No, truly, sir,” said the -Countess; “I am not without my faults, any more than the rest of my sex; -and yet I love plain dealing, and am never more fond of it than when it -tells me of them.” “Then, Madam,” said Fairbeard, “You and the Plain -Dealer seem designed by Heaven for each other.” In short, Wycherley -walked with the Countess, waited upon her home, visited her daily while -she was at Tunbridge, and afterwards when she went to London; where, in -a little time, a marriage was concluded between them. The marriage was -not a happy one. - - -A CAROUSE AT BOILEAU’S. - -Boileau, the celebrated French comedian, usually passed the summer at -his villa of Auteuil, which is pleasantly situated at the entrance of -the Bois de Boulogne. Here he took delight in assembling under his roof -the most eminent geniuses of the age; especially Chapelle, Racine, -Molière, and La Fontaine. Racine the younger gives the following account -of a droll circumstance that occurred at supper at Auteuil with these -guests. “At this supper,” he says, “at which my father was not present, -the wise Boileau was no more master of himself than any of his guests. -After the wine had led them into the gravest strain of moralising, they -agreed that life was but a state of misery; that the greatest happiness -consisted in having been born, and the next greatest in an early death; -and they one and all formed the heroic resolution of throwing themselves -without loss of time into the river. It was not far off, and they -actually went thither. Molière, however, remarked that such a noble -action ought not to be buried in the obscurity of night, but was worthy -of being performed in the face of day. This observation produced a -pause; one looked at the other, and said, ‘He is right.’ ‘Gentlemen,’ -said Chapelle, ‘we had better wait till morning to throw ourselves into -the river, and meantime return and finish our wine;’ ” but the -river was not revisited. - - -THOMSON’S INDOLENCE. - -The author of the _Seasons_ and the _Castle of Indolence_, paid homage -in the latter admirable poem to the master-passion or habit of his own -easy nature. Thomson was so excessively lazy, that he is recorded to -have been seen standing at a peach-tree, with both his hands in his -pockets, eating the fruit as it grew. At another time, being found in -bed at a very late hour of the day, when he was asked why he did not get -up, his answer was, “Troth, man, I see nae motive for rising!” - - -A LEARNED YOUNG LADY. - -Fraulein Dorothea Schlozer, a Hanoverian lady, was thought worthy of the -highest academical honours of Göttingen University, and, at the jubilee -of 1787, she had the degree of Doctor of Philosophy conferred upon her, -when only seventeen years of age. The daughter of the Professor of -Philosophy in that University, she from her earliest years discovered an -uncommon genius for learning. Before she was three years of age, she was -taught Low German, a language almost foreign to her own. Before she was -six, she had learned French and German, and then she began geometry; and -after receiving ten lessons, she was able to answer very difficult -questions. The English, Italian, Swedish, and Dutch languages were next -acquired, with singular rapidity; and before she was fourteen, she knew -Latin and Greek, and had become a good classical scholar. Besides her -knowledge of languages, she made herself acquainted with almost every -branch of polite literature, as well as many of the sciences, -particularly mathematics. She also attained great proficiency in -mineralogy; and, during a sojourn of six weeks in the Hartz Forest, she -visited the deepest mines, in the common habit of a labourer, and -examined the whole process of the work. Her surprising talents becoming -the general topic of conversation, she was proposed, by the great -Orientalist Michaelis, as a proper subject for academical honours. The -Philosophical Faculty, of which the Professor was Dean, was deemed the -fittest; and a day was fixed for her examination, in presence of all -the Professors. She was introduced by Michaelis himself, and -distinguished, as a lady, with the highest seat. Several questions were -first proposed to her in mathematics; all of which she answered to -satisfaction. After this, she gave a free translation of the -thirty-seventh Ode of the first Book of Horace, and explained it. She -was then examined in various branches of art and science, when she -displayed a thorough knowledge of the subjects. The examination lasted -two hours and a half; and at the end, the degree of Doctor of Philosophy -was unanimously conferred upon her, and she was crowned with a wreath of -laurel by Fraulein Michaelis, at the request of the Professors. - - -A HARD HIT AT POPE. - -Pope was one evening at Button’s Coffee-house, where he and a set of -literati had got poring over a Latin manuscript, in which they had found -a passage that none of them could comprehend. A young officer, who heard -their conference, begged that he might be permitted to look at the -passage. “Oh,” said Pope, sarcastically, “by all means; pray let the -young gentleman look at it.” Upon which the officer took up the -manuscript, and, considering it awhile, said there only wanted a note of -interrogation to make the whole intelligible: which was really the case. -“And pray, Master,” says Pope with a sneer, “what is a _note of -interrogation_?”--“A note of interrogation,” replied the young fellow, -with a look of great contempt, “is a little _crooked thing_ that asks -questions.” - - -DRYDEN DRUBBED. - -“Dryden,” says Leigh Hunt, “is identified with the neighbourhood of -Covent Garden. He presided in the chair at Russell Street (Will’s -Coffee-house); his plays came out in the theatre at the other end of it; -he lived in Gerrard Street, which is not far off; and, alas for the -anti-climax! he was beaten by hired bravos in Rose Street, now called -Rose Alley. The outrage perpetrated upon the sacred shoulders of the -poet was the work of Lord Rochester, and originated in a mistake not -creditable to that would-be great man and dastardly debauchee.” Dryden, -it seems, obtained the reputation of being the author of the _Essay on -Satire_, in which Lord Rochester was severely dealt with, and which was, -in reality, written by Lord Mulgrave, afterwards the Duke of -Buckinghamshire. Rochester meditated on the innocent Dryden a base and -cowardly revenge, and thus coolly expressed his intent in one of his -letters: “You write me word that I am out of favour with a certain poet, -whom I have admired for the disproportion of him and his attributes. He -is a rarity which I cannot but be fond of, as one would be of a hog that -could fiddle, or a singing owl. If he falls on me at the blunt, which is -his very good weapon in wit, I will forgive him if you please, _and -leave the repartee to Black Will with a cudgel_.” “In pursuance of this -infamous resolution,” says Sir Walter Scott, “upon the night of the 18th -December 1679, Dryden was waylaid by hired ruffians, and severely -beaten, as he passed through Rose Street, Covent Garden, returning from -Will’s Coffee-house to his own house in Gerrard Street. A reward of -fifty pounds was in vain offered in the _London Gazette_ and other -newspapers, for the discovery of the perpetrators of this outrage. The -town was, however, at no loss to pitch upon Rochester as the employer of -the bravos; with whom the public suspicion joined the Duchess of -Portsmouth, equally concerned in the supposed affront thus revenged.... -It will certainly be admitted that a man, surprised in the dark, and -beaten by ruffians, loses no honour by such a misfortune. But if Dryden -had received the same discipline from Rochester’s own hand, without -resenting it, his drubbing could not have been more frequently made a -matter of reproach to him; a sign, surely, of the penury of subjects for -satire in his life and character, since an accident, which might have -happened to the greatest hero that ever lived, was resorted to as an -imputation on his character.” - - -ROGERS AND “JUNIUS.” - -Samuel Rogers was requested by Lady Holland to ask Sir Philip Francis -whether he was the author of _Junius’ Letters_. The poet, meeting Sir -Philip, approached the ticklish subject thus: “Will you, Sir -Philip--will your kindness excuse my addressing to you a single -question?” “At your peril, Sir!” was the harsh and curt reply of the -knight. The intimidated bard retreated upon his friends, who eagerly -inquired of him the success of his application. “I do not know,” Rogers -said, “whether he is Junius; but, if he be, he is certainly Junius -_Brutus_.” - - -ALFIERI’S HAIR. - -Alfieri, the greatest poet modern Italy produced, delighted in -eccentricities, not always of the most amiable kind. One evening, at the -house of the Princess Carignan, he was leaning, in one of his silent -moods, against a sideboard decorated with a rich tea service of china, -when, by a sudden movement of his long loose tresses, he threw down one -of the cups. The lady of the mansion ventured to tell him, that he had -spoiled the set, and had better have broken them all. The words were no -sooner said, than Alfieri, without reply or change of countenance, swept -off the whole service upon the floor. His hair was fated to bring -another of his eccentricities into play. He went one night, alone, to -the theatre at Turin; and there, hanging carelessly with his head -backwards over the corner of the box, a lady in the next seat on the -other side of the partition, who had on other occasions made attempts to -attract his attention, broke out into violent and repeated encomiums on -his auburn locks, which were flowing down close to her hand. Alfieri, -however, spoke not a word, and continued his position till he left the -theatre. Next morning, the lady received a parcel, the contents of which -she found to be the tresses which she had so much admired, and which the -erratic poet had cut off close to his head. No billet accompanied the -gift; but it could not have been more clearly said, “If you like the -hair, here it is; but, for Heaven’s sake, leave _me_ alone!” - - -SMOLLETT’S HARD FORTUNES. - -Smollett, perhaps one of the most popular authors by profession that -ever wrote, furnishes a sad instance of the insufficiency of even the -greatest literary favour, in the times in which he wrote, to procure -those temporal comforts on which the happiness of life so much depends. -“Had some of those,” he says, “who were pleased to call themselves my -friends, been at any pains to deserve the character, and told me -ingenuously what I had to expect in the capacity of an author, when -first I professed myself of that venerable fraternity, I should in all -probability have spared myself the incredible labour and chagrin I have -since undergone.” “Of praise and censure both,” he writes at another -time, “I am sick indeed, and wish to God that my circumstances would -allow me to consign my pen to oblivion.” When he had worn himself down -in the service of the public or the booksellers, there scarce was left -of all his slender remunerations, at the last stage of life, enough to -convey him to a cheap country and a restoring air on the Continent. -Gradually perishing in a foreign land, neglected by the public that -admired him, deriving no resources from the booksellers who were drawing -the large profits of his works, Smollett threw out his injured feelings -in the character of Bramble, in _Humphrey Clinker_: the warm generosity -of his temper, but not his genius, seeming to fleet away with his -breath. And when he died, and his widow, in a foreign land, was raising -a plain memorial over his ashes, her love and piety but made the little -less; and she perished in unbefriended solitude. “There are indeed,” -says D’Israeli, “grateful feelings in the public at large for a -favourite author; but the awful testimony of these feelings, by its -gradual process, must appear beyond the grave! They visit the column -consecrated by his name--and his features are most loved, most -venerated, in the bust!” - - -JERROLD’S REBUKE TO A RUDE INTRUDER. - -Douglas Jerrold and some friends were dining once at a tavern, and had a -private room; but after dinner the landlord, on the plea that the house -was partly under repair, requested permission that a stranger might take -a chop in the apartment, at a separate table. The company gave the -required permission; and the stranger, a man of commonplace aspect, was -brought in, ate his chop in silence, and then fell asleep--snoring so -loudly and discordantly that the conversation could with difficulty be -prosecuted. Some gentleman of the party made a noise; and the stranger, -starting out of his nap, called out to Jerrold, “I know you, Mr. -Jerrold, I know you; but you shall not make a butt of me!” “Then don’t -bring your hog’s head in here!” was the instant answer of the wit. - - -AN ODD PRESENT TO SHENSTONE. - -An Edinburgh acquaintance is related to have sent to Shenstone, in 1761, -as a small stimulus to their friendship, “a little provision of the best -Preston Pans snuff, both toasted and untoasted, in four bottles; with -one bottle of Highland Snishon, and four bottles Bonnels. Please to let -me know which sort is most agreeable to you, that I may send you a fresh -supply in good time.” - - -WALLER, THE COURTIER-POET. - -Waller wrote a fine panegyric on Cromwell, when he assumed the -Protectorship. Upon the restoration of Charles, Waller wrote another in -praise of him, and presented it to the King in person. After his Majesty -had read the poem, he told Waller that he wrote a better on Cromwell. -“Please your Majesty,” said Waller, like a true courtier, “we poets are -always more happy in fiction than in truth.” - - - - - ANECDOTES - - ABOUT - - ART - - AND - - ARTISTS. - - PART II. - - - _Compiler of “Anecdotes of Lawyers, Doctors and - Parsons.”--“Inventions, Discoveries,” &c., &c.--“Standard Jest - Book.”--“Railway Book of Fun.”--“Traveller’s New Book of - Fun.”--“Modern Joe Miller.”--“Best Sayings of the Best - Authors.”--“Rule of Life.”--“Maxims for Everyday Life,” and “Art of - Conversation.”_ - - -NOTE. - -Perhaps there is no notable department of human effort and interest--not -excepting literature itself--that furnishes such delightful and -plentiful materials for anecdote and illustration, as ART and ARTISTS. -As the studios of eminent painters or sculptors afford a favourite -lounge for men of taste and leisure; so, to those to whom such a -pleasure is denied, or as regards those sovereigns of the pencil and -chisel who are at rest from their labours, there is a peculiar -gratification in being placed, in fancy, in contact with the creators of -immortal things of beauty and of power. Artists, besides, have been and -are, in very many cases, also men of culture and wit, of refined taste -and powerful intellect--men remarkable quite apart from their -performances on canvas or in marble. Their works, moreover, possess what -we may almost term a personal history and vitality: they are each unique -and full of character, like human beings; and their voyagings and -vicissitudes are at times of even greater interest than those of their -authors--whose life, too, is but as a span in comparison with theirs. -This selection of facts and anecdotes relating to Art and Artists, -therefore, seems to require for its subject-matter no strenuous -recommendation to the favour of the reader; and it is put forth in the -confident hope that it may not be found lacking either in variety or in -interest. - - - - -ART AND ARTISTS. - -_CURIOUS FACTS AND CHARACTERISTIC SKETCHES._ - - -TITIAN AND CHARLES V. - -In 1547, at the invitation of Charles V., Titian joined the imperial -court. The Emperor, then advanced in years, sat to him for the third -time. During the sitting, Titian happened to drop one of his pencils; -the Emperor took it up; and on the artist expressing how unworthy he was -of such an honour, Charles replied that _Titian was_ “_worthy of being -waited upon by Cæsar_.”--(See the Frontispiece.)--After the resignation -of Charles V., Titian found as great a patron in his son, Philip II.; -and when, in 1554, the painter complained to Philip of the irregularity -with which a pension of 400 crowns granted to him by the Emperor was -paid to him, the King wrote an order for the payment to the governor of -Milan, concluding with the following words:--“You know how I am -interested in this order, as it affects Titian; comply with it, -therefore, in such a manner as to give me no occasion to repeat it.” - -The Duke of Ferrara was so attached to Titian, that he frequently -invited him to accompany him, in his barge, from Venice to Ferrara. At -the latter place, he became acquainted with Ariosto. But, to reckon up -the protectors and friends of Titian, would be to name nearly all the -persons of the age, to whom rank, talent, and exalted character -appertained. - - -CHILDHOOD OF BENJAMIN WEST. - -Benjamin West, the son of John West and Sarah Pearson, was born in -Springfield, in the state of Pennsylvania, October 10, 1733. His mother, -it seems, had gone to hear one Edward Peckover preach about the -sinfulness of the Old World and the spotlessness of the New: terrified -and overcome by the earnest eloquence of the enthusiast, she shrieked -aloud, was carried home, and, in the midst of agitation and terror, was -safely delivered of the future president of the Royal Academy. When the -preacher was told of this, he rejoiced, “Note that child,” said he, “for -he has come into the world in a remarkable way, and will assuredly prove -a wonderful man.” The child prospered, and when seven years’ old began -to fulfil the prediction of the preacher. - -Little West was one day set to rock the cradle of his sister’s child, -and was so struck with the beauty of the slumbering babe, that he drew -its features in red and black ink. “I declare,” cried his astonished -sister, “he has made a likeness of little baby!” He was next noticed by -a party of wild Indians, who, pleased with the sketches which Benjamin -had made of birds and flowers, taught him how to prepare the red and -yellow colours with which they stained their weapons; to these, his -mother added indigo, and thus he obtained the three primary colours. It -is also related, that West’s artistic career was commenced through the -present of a box of colours, which was made to him, when about nine -years old, by a Pennsylvanian merchant, whose attention was attracted by -some of the boy’s pen-and-ink sketches. - - -GUIDO’S TIME. - -Guido, when in embarrassment from his habit of gaming and extravagance, -is related by Malvasia, his well-informed biographer, to have sold his -time at a stipulated sum per hour, to certain dealers, one of whom -tasked the painter so rigidly, as to stand by him, with watch in hand, -while he worked. Thus were produced numbers of heads and half figures, -which, though executed with the facility of a master, had little else to -recommend them. Malvasia relates, that such works were sometimes begun -and finished in three hours, and even less time. - - -CHARACTER OF GAINSBOROUGH. - -Shortly after Gainsborough’s death, Sir Joshua Reynolds, then President -of the Royal Academy, delivered a discourse to the students, of which -“the character of Gainsborough” was the subject. In this he alludes to -Gainsborough’s method of handling--his habit of _scratching_. “All these -odd scratches and marks,” he observes, “which, on a close examination, -are so observable in Gainsborough’s pictures, and which, even to -experienced painters, appear rather the effect of accident than -design--this chaos, this uncouth and shapeless appearance--by a kind of -magic, at a certain distance, assumes form, and all the parts seem to -drop into their proper places; so that we can hardly refuse -acknowledging the full effect of diligence, under the appearance of -chaste and hasty negligence.” - - -BENEFIT OF RIVALRY. - -Giorgione is, in some of his portraits, still unsurpassed. Du Fresnoy -observes of him, that he dressed his figures wonderfully well; and it -may truly be said, that, but for him, Titian would never have attained -that perfection, which was the consequence of the rivalship and jealousy -which prevailed between them. - - -BACKHUYSEN. - -Backhuysen’s favourite subjects were wrecks and stormy seas, which he -frequently sketched from nature in an open boat, at the great peril of -himself and the boatmen. He made many constructive drawings of ships for -the Czar Peter the Great, who took lessons of the painter, and -frequently visited his painting-room. Among his other avocations, -Backhuysen also gave lessons in writing, in which he introduced a new -and approved method. He was a man of cheerful eccentricity. Within a few -days of his death, he ordered a number of bottles of choice wine, on -each of which he set his seal. A certain number of his friends were then -invited to his funeral, to each of whom he bequeathed a gold coin, -requesting them to spend it merrily, and to drink the wine with as much -cordiality as he had in consigning it to them. - - -GEORGE MORLAND. - -George Morland, the famous painter of rustic and low life--a great but -dissolute genius--when he left the paternal roof, had for master an -Irishman in Drury-lane, who kept him constantly at his easel by never -leaving his elbow. His meals were brought him by the shop-boy; his -dinner consisting usually of sixpennyworth of beef from a cookshop, and -a pint of beer. If he asked for five shillings, his taskmaster would -growl, “D’ye think I’m made of money?” and give him half-a-crown. -Morland painted pictures for this man enough to fill a room for -admittance to which half-a-crown was charged. From this bondage he was -freed by an invitation to Margate, by a lady of fortune, to paint -portraits in the season; he stole away from his garret, and entered on -profitable labour. In winter he returned to London. He had so risen in -repute, that prints from his pictures had a marvellous sale. Soon, such -was the demand for anything from his hand, that, though often ill-paid, -he could earn from seventy to a hundred guineas a-week. But no man could -be more heedless of money; and he hardly ever knew what it was to be out -of want. He was constantly granting bills, and when they fell due, he -seldom had cash to meet them. To get a note of £20 renewed for a -fortnight, he has been known to give a picture that at once sold in his -presence for £10. His easel was always surrounded by associates of the -lowest cast--horse-dealers, jockeys, cobblers, &c. He had a wooden -barrier placed across his room, with a bar that lifted up, to allow the -passage of those with whom he had business, or who enjoyed his special -favour. He might have been said to be in an academy in the midst of -models. He would get one to stand for a hand, another for a head, an -attitude, or a figure, according as their countenance or character -suited him. Thus he painted some of his best pictures, while his low -companions were regaling on gin and red herrings around him. - -Morland, indeed, neither in nor beyond the studio let slip an -opportunity which he could turn to professional advantage. Nature was -the grand source from which he drew all his images. He dreaded becoming -a mannerist. With other artists he never held any intercourse, nor had -he prints of any kind in his possession; and he often declared that he -would not step across the street to see the finest assemblage of -paintings that ever was exhibited. Once, indeed, he was induced to go to -see Lord Bute’s collection; but, having passed through one room, he -refused to see more, declaring that he did not wish to contemplate the -works of any other man, lest he should become an imitator. - -At the death of his father, Morland was advised to claim the dormant -title of Baronet, which had been conferred on one of his lineal -ancestors by Charles II. Finding, however, that there was no emolument -attached to the title, he renounced the distinction; saying that “plain -George Morland could always sell his pictures, and there was more honour -in being a fine painter than a titled gentleman; that he would have -borne the vanity of a title had there been any income to accompany it; -but as matters stood, he would wear none of the fooleries of his -ancestors.” He died in 1804, while in confinement in consequence of -intemperance. - - -DISINTERESTEDNESS OF ENGLISH PAINTERS. - -There are no examples in the history of painting, of such noble -disinterestedness as has ever been shown by the English Historical -Painters. Hogarth and others adorned the Foundling for nothing; Reynolds -and West offered to adorn St. Paul’s for nothing, and yet were refused! -Barry painted the Adelphi without remuneration; but, as Burke -beautifully says, “the temple of honour ought to be seated on an -eminence. If it be open through virtue, let it be remembered, too, that -virtue is never tried but by some difficulty and some -struggle.”--_Haydon’s Lectures._ - - -THE DOUBLE CHIN. - -One of the finest examples of preserving beauty, even in maturity, is -given in Niobe, the mother. - -“In early life, at a rout, (says Haydon,) I admired and followed, during -the evening, a mother and her daughters, distinguished for their beauty. -The mother did not look old, and yet looked the mother. On scrutinizing -and comparing mother and daughters, I found there was a little double -chin in the mother, which marked her, without diminishing her beauty. I -went at once, on my return to my studio, to the Niobe mother, and found -_this very mark_ in the Niobe mother, which I had never observed before, -under her chin.” - - -SYMPATHY AND CALCULATION. - -When Sir Richard Phillips, in his _Morning’s Walk from London to Kew_, -visited the Church on Kew-green, he halted beside the tomb of -Gainsborough, and said to the sexton’s assistant, “Ah, friend, this is a -hallowed spot--here lies one of Britain’s favoured sons, whose genius -has assisted in exalting her among the nations of the earth.”--“Perhaps -it was so,” said the man; “but we know nothing about the people buried, -except to keep up their monuments, if the family pay; and, perhaps, Sir, -you belong to this family; if so, I’ll tell you how much is due.”--“Yes, -truly, friend,” said Sir Richard, “I am one of the great family, bound -to preserve the monument of Gainsborough; but if you take me for one of -his relatives, you are mistaken.”--“Perhaps, Sir, you may be of the -family, but were not included in the will; therefore, are not -obligated.” Sir Richard could not avoid looking with scorn at the -fellow; but, as the spot claimed better feelings, gave him a trifle, and -so got rid of him. - - -RUSKIN’S “MODERN PAINTERS.” - -In a note-book of 1848, we read of Ruskin’s first work:--One of the most -extraordinary and delightful books of the day, is _Modern Painters_, by -a “Graduate of Oxford;” in which the author admits and vindicates his -direct opposition to the general opinion, in placing Turner and other -modern landscape painters above those of the seventeenth -century--Claude, Gaspar Poussin, Salvator Rosa, Canaletto, Hobbima, &c. - -Yet, this remarkable book has been strangely treated by what is called -the literary world. The larger reviews have taken little or no notice of -it; and those periodicals which are considered to represent the -literature of the fine arts, and to watch over their progress and -interests, almost without an exception, have treated it with the most -marked injustice, and the most shameful derision. Yet, in spite of all -this neglect and maltreatment, the work has found its way into the minds -and hearts of men. This is better shown by the first volume having -reached a third edition, than by any of the most elaborate patronage -from the press. - -A writer in the _North British Review_, waxing eloquently wroth at this -reception of a work of unquestionably high genius by the critics, -observed:--“The national treatment is in this case a good index to the -national mind and feeling; so that it is not to be wondered at, that -such productions as Charles Lamb’s Essays on the Genius of Hogarth, and -on the Barrenness of the Imaginative Faculty in the productions of -Modern Art--Hazlitt’s Works on Art--those of Sir Charles Bell and his -brother John,--should rarely occur, and be not much regarded, and little -understood, when they do, in a country where Hogarth was looked upon by -the majority as a caricaturist fully as coarse as clever,--where -Wilkie’s ‘Distraining for Rent’ could get no purchaser, because it was -an unpleasant subject,--where to this day Turner is better known as -being unintelligible and untrue, than as being more truthful, more -thoughtful, than any painter of inanimate nature, ancient or -modern,--where Maclise is accounted worthy to illustrate Shakspeare, and -embody Macbeth and Hamlet, as having a kindred genius,--and where it was -reserved to a few young, self-relying, unknown Scottish artists, -(students of the Royal Scottish Academy,) to purchase Etty’s three -pictures of Judith, the Combat, and the Lion-like Men of Moab, at a -price which, though perilous to themselves, was equally disgraceful to -the public who had disregarded them, and inadequate to the deserving of -their gifted producer.” - - -RUBENS’S “CHAPEAU DE PAILLE.” - -This exquisite picture was the gem of Sir Robert Peel’s fine collection. -Its transparency and brilliancy are unrivalled: it is all but life -itself. It was bought by Sir R. Peel for 3500 guineas. - -The name of “Chapeau de Paille,” as applied to this picture, appears to -be a misnomer. The portrait is in what is strangely termed a Spanish -hat. Why it has become the fashion in this country to designate every -slouched hat with a feather a Spanish hat, it is hard to say; since at -the period that such hats were worn, (about the reign of Charles I. in -England,) they were not more peculiar to Spain than to other European -countries. Rubens himself wore a hat of this description; and it is -related that his mistress, having placed his hat upon her own head, he -borrowed from this circumstance the celebrated picture in question. With -respect to the misnomer, it has been conjectured that _Span’sh hut_ -being somewhat similar in sound to _Span hut_, Flemish for straw hat, -first led to the incongruous title “_Chapeau de Paille_.” Now, _Span -hut_, the Flemish name of this work, does not mean a straw hat, but a -wide-brimmed hat; and further, whoever has had the good fortune to see -the picture, must be aware that the woman is there represented not in a -straw (_paille_) hat, but a black hat. The French title, “Chapeau de -Paille,” is, therefore, and we think with reason supposed to be but a -corruption of _Chapeau de_ Poil (nap, or beaver,) its real designation. - - -A PROMPT REMEDY. - -Opie was painting an old beau of fashion. Whenever he thought the -painter was touching the mouth, he screwed it up in a most ridiculous -manner. Opie, who was a blunt man, said very quietly, “Sir, if you want -the mouth left out, I will do it with pleasure.” - - -WILKIE’S SIMPLICITY. - -Never, relates Haydon, was anything more extraordinary than the modesty -and simplicity of Wilkie, at the period of his production of “The -Village Politicians.” Jackson told me he had the greatest difficulty to -persuade him to send this celebrated picture to the Exhibition; and I -remember his (Wilkie’s) bewildered astonishment at the prodigious -enthusiasm of the people at the Exhibition when it went, May, 1806. On -the Sunday after the private day and dinner, the _News_ said:--“A young -Scotchman, by name Wilkie, has a wonderful work.” I immediately sallied -forth, took up Jackson, and away we rushed to Wilkie. I found him in his -parlour, in Norton-street, at breakfast. “Wilkie,” said I, “your name is -in the paper.” “Is it, really?” said he, staring with delight. I then -read the puff, _ore rotundo_; and Jackson, I, and he, in an ecstacy, -joined hands, and danced round the table. - - -THE GRAVE OF LAWRENCE. - -Sir Thomas Lawrence, when attending the funeral of Mr. Dawe, R.A., in -the vault of St. Paul’s Cathedral, was observed to look wistfully about -him, as if contemplating the place as that to which he himself would -some day be borne; and, when the service was concluded, it was remarked -that he stopped to look at the inscription upon the stone which covers -the body of his predecessor, West. Within three months from the date of -this incident, the vaults were re-opened to receive Lawrence’s remains. - - -“IT WILL NEVER DO.” - -“Oh, how I hate this expression!” said poor Haydon, in his famous -Lectures. “When Wellington said he would break the charm of Napoleon’s -invincibility, what was the reply? _It will never do!_ When Columbus -asserted there was another hemisphere, what was the reply? _It will -never do!_ And when Galileo offered to prove the earth went round the -sun, the Holy Inquisition said, _It shall never do!_ _It will never do_ -has been always the favourite watch-cry of those, in all ages and -countries, who ever look on all schemes for the advancement of mankind -as indirect reflections on the narrowness of their own petty -comprehensions.” - - -LOST CHANCE OF A NATIONAL GALLERY. - -George the Fourth (when Regent) proposed to connect Carlton House, in -Pall-Mall, with Marlborough House, and St. James’s Palace, by a gallery -of portraits of the sovereigns and other historic personages of England; -but, unfortunately Mr. Nash’s speculation of burying Carlton House and -Gardens, and overlaying St. James’s Park with terraces, prevailed; and -this magnificent design of an historical gallery was abandoned; although -the crown of England possesses materials for an historical collection -which would be infinitely superior to that of Versailles. - - -REYNOLDS’S PORTRAIT OF LORD HEATHFIELD. - -“Of all conceptions, as well as executions of portraits,” says Dr. -Dibdin, “that of Lord Heathfield, by Reynolds, is doubtless amongst the -very finest and most characteristic. The veteran has a key, gently -raised, in his right hand, which he is about to place in his left. It is -the key of the impregnable fortress of Gibraltar; and he seems to say, -‘Wrest it from me at your peril!’ Kneller, and even Vandyke, would have -converted this key into a truncheon. What a bluff spirit of unbending -intrepidity and integrity was the illustrious Elliott! His country knows -no braver warrior of his class than he!” - - -THE ELGIN MARBLES - -“What are these marbles remarkable for?” said a respectable gentleman at -the British Museum to one of the attendants, after looking attentively -round the Elgin Saloon. “Why, sir,” said the man, with propriety, -“because they are so like life.” “Like life!” repeated the gentleman, -with the greatest contempt; “why, what of that?” and walked away. - - -HENRY HOWARD, R.A. - -Mr. Howard, the well-known Secretary and Professor of Painting to the -Royal Academy, died October 5, 1847, in the seventy-eighth year of his -age. He was born in 1770; and was at Rome in 1794, when, in his -twenty-fourth year, he forwarded his first work, “The Death of Cain,” to -the Royal Academy Exhibition. In 1807, he painted “The Infant Bacchus -brought by Mercury to the Nymphs of Nysa;” and in the autumn of the same -year, he was elected a Royal Academician. Of his fellow academicians, in -1848, only two out of forty survived--Sir Martin Archer Shee, and Mr. J. -M. W. Turner. Others, however, elected after him, had died before -him--Callcott, and William Daniell, for instance; Wilkie, Dawe, Raeburn, -Hilton, Collins, Jackson, Chantrey, Constable, and Newton. His diploma -picture on his election was “The Four Angels, loosed from the River -Euphrates.” For fifty-three years, from 1794 to 1847, Mr. Howard never -missed sending to a Royal Academy Exhibition. It would be difficult, -perhaps, to find another example of such assiduity; yet, where his -pictures went--for he had few or no patrons, so called--it is hard to -say. Banks and Flaxman, the two great sculptors, took notice of Howard’s -early efforts, gave him friendly encouragement in all he did, and -suggested, it is said, new subjects for his pencil. Yet, his pictures -were very popular; they are classically cold; his place, therefore, in -the history of Art is not likely to be high or lasting. - - -ORIGINALS OF HOGARTH’S MARRIAGE A-LA-MODE. - -In 1841, Messrs. Smith, the eminent printsellers, of Lisle-street, had -the good fortune to discover in the country a duplicate set of the -pictures of “The Marriage à-la-Mode,” by Hogarth; which appear to have -escaped the researches of all the writers on his works. They are -evidently the finished sketches, from which he afterwards painted the -pictures now in the National Gallery, which are more highly wrought. The -backgrounds of these pictures are very much subdued, which gives a -greater importance to the figures. They became the property of H. R. -Willett, Esq., of Merly House, Dorsetshire, who added them to his -already rich collection of Hogarth’s works. - -These pictures of “The Marriage-à-la-Mode” are painted in an -exceedingly free and sketchy manner and are considered to have been most -probably painted at the same time as the four pictures of the Election, -now in the Soanean Museum, the execution of which they very much -resemble. There is a considerable number of variations between these and -the National Gallery pictures; and such differences throw much light -upon the painter’s technical execution, which is somewhat disputed. -“Although in some respects rather sketchily handled,” says a critic, -“they are not painted feebly; and if they cannot be called highly -finished, these productions are worthy to rank as cabinet pictures. To -be fairly understood, (to use Charles Lamb’s happy expression,) -‘Hogarth’s pictures must be _read_, as well as looked at.’ ” - - -HOMAGE TO ART. - -The first great painter in encaustic, of whose works lengthened -descriptions have been handed down, was Polygnotus. He painted his -celebrated “Triumph of Miltiades and the Victors of Marathon,” by public -desire; and such was the admiration in which it was held, that the -Athenians offered to reward the artist with whatever he might desire. -Polygnotus nobly declined asking anything; upon which the Amphictionic -Council proclaimed that he should be maintained at the public expense -wherever he went. Such was the homage of a whole nation! What, then, -shall we say to the sentiments of the narrow-minded prelate, who -declared that a pin-maker was a more valuable member of society than -Raphael! - - -“COLUMBUS AND THE EGG” ANTICIPATED. - -Brunelleschi was the discoverer of the mode of erecting cupolas, which -had been lost since the time of the Romans. Vasari relates a similar -anecdote of him to that recorded of Columbus; though this has -unquestionably the merit of being the first, since it occurred before -the birth of Columbus. Brunelleschi died in 1446; Columbus was born in -1442. - -A council of the most learned men of the day, from various parts of the -world, was summoned to consult and show plans for the erection of a -cupola, like that of the Pantheon at Rome. Brunelleschi refused to show -his model, it being upon the most simple principles, but proposed that -the man who could make an egg stand upright on a marble base should be -the architect. The foreigners and artists agreeing to this, but failing -in their attempts, desired Brunelleschi to do it himself; upon which he -took the egg, and with a gentle tap broke the end, and placed it on the -slab. The learned men unanimously protested that any one else could do -the same; to which the architect replied, with a smile, that had they -seen his model, they could as easily have known how to build a cupola. - -The work then devolved upon him, but a want of confidence existing among -the operatives and citizens, they pronounced the undertaking to be too -great for one man; and arranged that Lorenzo Ghiberti, an artist of -great repute at that time, should be co-architect with him. -Brunelleschi’s anger and mortification were so great on hearing this -decision, that he destroyed, in the space of half an hour, models and -designs that had cost him years of labour, and would have quitted -Florence but for the persuasions of Donatello. It is almost unnecessary -to add, that the cupola was completed with perfect success by -Brunelleschi; since St. Peter’s, at Rome, and our own St. Paul’s, were -formed upon the model of his dome at Florence. - -By the way, some of the wise men of the day proposed that a centre -column should support the dome; others, that a huge mound of earth (with -quatrini scattered among it) should be raised in the form of a cupola, -the brick or stone wall built upon it. When finished, an order was to be -issued, allowing the people to possess themselves of what money they -might find in the rubbish; the mound would thus be easily removed, and -the cupola be left clear! - - -THE RIVAL OF RAPHAEL. - -When Raphael enjoyed at Rome the reputation of being the mightiest -living master of the graphic art, the Bolognese preferred their -countryman, Francisco Francia, who had long dwelt among them, and was of -eminent talent. The two artists had never met, nor had one seen the -works of the other. But a friendly correspondence existed between them. -The desire of Francia to see some of the works of Raphael, of whom he -ever heard more and more in praise, was extreme; but advanced years -deterred him from encountering the fatigues and dangers of a journey to -Rome. A circumstance at last occurred that gave him, without this -trouble, the opportunity of seeing what he had so long desired. Raphael -having painted a picture of St. Cecilia, to be placed in a chapel at -Bologna, he wrote to Francia, requesting him to see it put up, and even -to correct any defects he might perceive in it. As soon as Francia took -the picture from its case, and put it in a proper light for viewing it, -he was struck with admiration and wonder, and felt painfully how much he -was Raphael’s inferior. The picture was indeed one of the finest that -ever came from Raphael’s pencil; but it was only so much the more a -source of grief to the unhappy Francia. He assisted, as desired, in -placing it in the situation for which it was intended; but never -afterwards had he a happy hour. In one moment he had seen all that he -had ever done, all that had been once so much admired, thrown quite into -the shade. He was too old to entertain any hope, by renewed efforts, of -coming up with the excellence of Raphael, or even approaching it. Struck -to the heart with grief and despair, he took to his bed, from which he -never rose again. He was insensible to all consolation, and in a few -days, the victim of a sublime melancholy, he died, in his sixty-eighth -year. - - -TURNER’S MASTERPIECE. - -“I think,” says the “Graduate of Oxford”--Ruskin--in his _Modern -Painters_, “the noblest sea that Turner has ever painted, and, if so, -the noblest certainly ever painted by man, is that of the Slave Ship, -the chief Academy picture of the Exhibition of 1840. It is a sunset on -the Atlantic, after prolonged storm; but the storm is partially lulled, -and the torn and streaming rain-clouds are moving in scarlet lines to -lose themselves in the hollow of the night. The whole surface of sea -included in the picture is divided into two ridges of enormous swell, -not high nor local, but a low broad heaving of the whole ocean, like the -lifting of its bosom by a deep-drawn breath after the torture of the -storm. Between these two ridges, the fire of the sunset falls along the -trough of the sea, dyeing it with an awful but glorious light,--the -intense and lurid splendour which burns like gold, and bathes like -blood. Along this fiery path and valley, the tossing waves by which the -swell of the sea is recklessly divided, lift themselves in dark, -indefinite, fantastic forms, each casting a faint and ghastly shadow -behind it along the illumined foam. They do not rise everywhere, but -three or four together, in wild groups, fitfully and furiously, as the -under strength of the swell compels or permits them; leaving between -them treacherous spaces of level and whirling water, now lighted with -green and lamp-like fire, now flashing back the gold of the declining -sun, now fearfully dyed from above with the indistinguishable images of -the burning clouds, which fall upon them in flakes of crimson and -scarlet, and give to the reckless waves the added motion of their own -fiery flying. Purple and blue, the lurid shadows of the hollow breakers, -are cast upon the mist of the night, which gathers cold and low, -advancing like the shadow of death upon the guilty ship as it labours -amidst the lightning of the sea, its thin masts written upon the sky in -lines of blood, girded with condemnation in that fearful hue which signs -the sky with horror, and mixes its flaming flood with the sunlight; and -cast far along the desolate heave of the sepulchral waves, incarnadines -the multitudinous sea.” - - -INTENSE EFFECT. - -When Fuseli went with Haydon to the Elgin marbles, on recognising the -flatness of the belly of the Theseus, in consequence of the bowels -having naturally fallen in, he exclaimed, “By Gode, the Turks have -_sawed_ off his belly!” His eye was completely ruined. - - -REYNOLDS AND HAYDN. - -During the residence of Haydn, the celebrated composer, in England, one -of the royal princes commissioned Sir Joshua Reynolds to paint his -portrait. Haydn went to the residence of the painter, and gave him a -sitting; but he soon grew tired. Sir Joshua, with his usual care for his -reputation, would not paint a man of so distinguished genius with a -stupid countenance, and in consequence he adjourned the sitting to -another day. The same weariness and want of expression occurring at the -next attempt, Sir Joshua went and communicated the circumstance to the -commissioning prince, who contrived the following stratagem. He sent to -the painter’s house a pretty German girl who was in the service of the -Queen. Haydn took his seat for the third time, and as soon as the -conversation began to flag, a curtain rose, and the fair German -addressed him in his native tongue, with a most elegant compliment. -Haydn, delighted, overwhelmed the enchantress with questions, his -countenance recovered its animation, and Sir Joshua rapidly and -successfully seized its traits. - - -HAYDON’S FIRST SIGHT OF THE ELGIN MARBLES. - -At my entrance among these divine things, (says Haydon,) for the first -time with Wilkie, 1808, in Park-lane, the first thing I saw was the -wrist of the right hand and arm of one of the Fates, leaning on the -thigh; it is the Fate on the right side of the other, which, mutilated -and destroyed as it was, proved that the great sculptor had kept the -shape of the radius and ulna, as always seen in fine nature, male and -female. - -I felt at once, before I turned my eyes, that _there_ was the nature and -ideal beauty joined, which I had gone about the art longing for, but -never finding! I saw at once I was amongst productions such as I had -never before witnessed in the art; and that the great author merited the -enthusiasm of antiquity, of Socrates, of Plato, of Aristotle, of -Juvenal, of Cicero, of Valerius Maximus, and of Plutarch and Martial. - -If such were my convictions on seeing this dilapidated but immortal -wrist, what do you think they were on turning round to the Theseus, the -horse’s head, and the fighting metope, the frieze, and the Jupiter’s -breast? - -Oh, may I retain such sensations beyond the grave! I foresaw at once a -mighty revolution in the art of the world for ever! I saw that union of -nature and ideal perfected in high art, and before this period -pronounced by the ablest critics as _impossible_! I thanked God with all -my heart, with all my soul, and with all my being, that I was ready to -comprehend them from dissection. I bowed to the Immortal Spirit, which -still hovered near them. I predicted at once their vast effect on the -art of the world, and was smiled at for my boyish enthusiasm! - -What I asserted in their future influence and enormous superiority, -Canova, eight years after, confirmed. On my introduction by Hamilton, -(author of _Egyptiaca_,) I asked Canova what he thought of them? and he -instantly replied, with a glistening Italian fire, “Ils renverseront le -systême des autres antiques.” Mr. Hamilton replied, “I have always said -so, but who believed me? and what was the result of the principles I -laid down? Why, many a squeeze of the hand to support me under my -infirmities, and many a smile in my face in mercy at my delusion. ‘You -are a _young_ man,’ was often said; ‘and your enthusiasm is _all very -proper_.’ ” - -“After seeing them myself,” says Haydon, “I took Fuseli to see them; -and, being a man of quick sensibility, he was taken entirely by -surprise. Never shall I forget his uncompromising enthusiasm; he strode -about, thundering out--‘The Greeks were gods!--the Greeks were gods!’ -When he got home he wanted to modify his enthusiasm; but I always -reminded him of his first impressions, and never let him escape.” - - -PAINTERS IN SOCIETY. - -James Smith says:--“I don’t fancy Painters. General Phipps used to have -them much at his table. He once asked me if I liked to meet them. I -answered, ‘No; I know nothing in their way, and they know nothing out of -it.’ ” - - -ANACHRONISMS IN PAINTING. - -These are to be found in works of all ages. Thus we have Verrio’s -Periwigged Spectators of Christ Healing the Sick; Abraham about to shoot -Isaac with a pistol; Rubens’ Queen-mother, Cardinals, and Mercury; -Velvet Brussels; Ethiopian King in a surplice, boots, and spurs; Belin’s -Virgin and Child listening to a Violin; the Marriage of Christ with St. -Catherine of Siena, with King David playing the Harp; Albert Durer’s -flounced-petticoated Angel driving Adam and Eve from Paradise; Cigoli’s -Simeon at the Circumcision, with “spectacles on nose;” the Virgin Mary -helping herself to a cup of coffee from a chased coffee-pot; N. -Poussin’s Rebecca at the Well, with Grecian architecture in the -back-ground; Paul Veronese’s Benedictine Father and Swiss Soldiers; the -_red_ Lobsters in the Sea listening to the Preaching of St. Anthony of -Padua; St. Jerome, with a clock by his side; and Poussin’s Deluge, with -boats. In our time, West, the President of the Royal Academy, has -represented Paris in a Roman instead of a Phrygian dress; and Wilkie has -painted Oysters in the Chelsea Pensioners Reading the Gazette of the -Battle of Waterloo--in June! - - -MOVING EARS. - -Not one in ten thousand, perhaps, Mr. John Bell says, can move his ears. -The celebrated Mr. Mery used, when lecturing, to amuse his pupils by -saying that in one thing he surely belonged to the long-eared tribe; -upon which he moved his ears very rapidly backwards and forwards. And -Albinus, the celebrated anatomist, had the same power, which is -performed by little muscles, not seen. Mr. Haydon tried it once in -painting, with great effect. In his picture of Macbeth, painted for Sir -George Beaumont, when the Thane was listening in horror before -committing the murder, the painter ventured to press the ears forward, -like an animal in fright, to give an idea of trying to catch the nearest -sound. It was very effective, and increased amazingly the terror of the -scene, without the spectators being aware of the reason. - - -RUSSELL, THE CRAYON PAINTER. - -This ingenious R.A. was a native of Guildford, and the eldest son of Mr. -John Russell, bookseller, of that town. In early youth he evinced a -strong predilection for drawing, and was placed under the tuition of Mr. -Francis Coates, an academician of great talent, after whose decease “he -enjoyed the reputation of being the first artist in crayon painting, in -which he particularly excelled in the delineation of female beauty.” In -1789, Russell was chosen a member of the Royal Academy; and soon after -appointed crayon-painter to the King, the Prince of Wales, and the Duke -of York. Notwithstanding this constant succession of professional -employment, he devoted considerable attention to astronomical pursuits; -and his _Selenographia_, or Model of the Moon, which occupied the whole -of his leisure from the year 1785 until 1797, affords a remarkable -instance of his ingenuity and perseverance. At the time of his decease -he had finished two other drawings, which completed his plan, and -exhibit an elaborate view of the moon in a full state of illumination. -Mr. Russell died at Hull in 1806. - - -WILKIE’S MISTAKEN ANALOGY. - -On the birth of the son of a friend (afterwards a popular novelist), Sir -David Wilkie was requested to become one of the sponsors for the child. -Sir David, whose studies of human nature extended to everything but -infant human nature, had evidently been refreshing his boyish -recollections of kittens and puppies; for, after looking intently into -the child’s eyes, as it was held up for his inspection, he exclaimed to -the father, with serious astonishment and satisfaction, “He sees!” - - -DEATH OF GAINSBOROUGH. - -When assured that the progress of his fatal malady (cancer) precluded -all hopes of life, Gainsborough desired to be buried in Kew churchyard, -and that his name only should be cut on his gravestone. He sent for Sir -Joshua Reynolds, and was reconciled to him: then exclaiming, “We are all -going to heaven, and Vandyke is of the company,” he immediately expired, -in the sixty-first year of his age. Sheridan and Sir Joshua followed him -to his grave. - - -FANATICISM THE DESTROYER OF ART. - -It is curious to reflect, that mistaken views of religion have in all -times been the prime cause of the ruin of art. It was not Alaric or -Theodoric, but an edict from Honorius, that ordered the early Christians -to destroy such images, if any remained. - -Flaxman says: “The commands for destroying sacred paintings and -sculpture prevented the artist from suffering his mind to rise to the -contemplation or execution of any sublime effort, as he dreaded a prison -or a stake, and reduced him to the lowest drudgery in his profession. -This extraordinary check to our national art occurred at a time which -offered the most essential and extraordinary assistance to its -progress.” Flaxman proceeds to remark, that “the civil wars completed -what fanaticism had begun; and English art was so completely -extinguished that foreign artists were always employed for public or -private undertakings.” - -In the reign of Elizabeth it became a fashionable taste to sally forth -and knock pictures to pieces; and in the “State Trials” is a curious -trial of Henry Sherfield, Esq., Recorder of Salisbury, who concealed -himself in the church, and with a long pike knocked a window to pieces: -as he was doing this, he was watched through the door, and seen to slip -down, headlong, where he lay groaning for a long time, and a horse was -sent for to carry him home: he was fined 500_l._, and imprisoned in the -Fleet; and the Attorney-general for the Crown, 1632, said there were -people, he verily believed, who would have knocked off the cherubim from -the ark. By the witnesses examined, it was evidently a matter of -religious conscience in Sherfield, who complained that his pew was -opposite the window, and that the representation of God by a human -figure disturbed him at prayer. - -Queen Elizabeth was the bitterest persecutor: she ordered all walls to -be whitewashed, and all candlesticks and pictures to be utterly -destroyed, so that no memorial remain of the same. - -In Charles the First’s time, on the Journals of the House is found, -1645, July 23: “Ordered, that all pictures having the second person in -the Trinity shall be burnt.” Walpole relates, that one Blessie was hired -at half-a-crown a day to break the painted glass window at Croydon -Church. There is extant the journal of a parliamentary visitor, -appropriately enough named _Dowsing_, appointed for demolishing -superstitious pictures and ornaments of churches, &c.; and by -calculation, he and his agents are found to have destroyed about 4660 -pictures, from June 9, 1643, to October 4, 1644, evidently not all -glass, because when they were glass he specifies them. - -The result of this continued persecution, says Hayden, was the ruin of -“high art;” for the people had not taste enough to feel any sympathy for -it independently of religion, and every man who has pursued it since, -who had no private fortune, and was not supported by a pension like -West, became infallibly ruined. - -Historical painters left without employment began to complain. In the -time of Edward VI. and Elizabeth we find them petitioning for bread! -They revived a little with Charles I. and II. Thornhill got employed in -the early part of the last century; then came the Society in St. -Martin’s Lane, 1760; and in 1768 was established the Royal Academy, _to -help high art_; but there being still no employment for it, the power in -art fell into the hands of portrait-painters, who too long continued to -wield it, with individual exceptions, to the further decay and -destruction of this eminent style. - - -THE THORNHILL MIRACLE. - -Every one remembers the marvellous story of Sir James Thornhill stepping -back to see the effect of his work, while painting Greenwich Hospital; -and being prevented falling from the ceiling to the floor, by a person -intentionally defacing the picture, and causing the painter to rush -forward, and thus save himself. This _may have occurred_; but we rather -suspect the anecdote to be of legendary origin, and to come from no less -distance than the Tyrol; in short, to be a paraphrase of a catholic -miracle, unless the Tyrolese are quizzing the English story, which is -not very probable. At Innspruck, you are gravely told that when Daniel -Asam was painting the inside of the cupola of one of the churches, and -had just finished the hand of St. James, he stepped back on the scaffold -to ascertain the effect: there was no friend at hand gifted with the -happy thought of defacing the work, and thus saving the artist, as in -Sir James Thornhill’s case, and therefore Daniel Asam _fell backward_; -but, to the astonishment of the awe-struck beholders, who were looking -up from beneath, the hand and arm of the saint, which the artist had -just finished, were seen to _extend themselves_ from the fresco, and -grasping the fortunate Asam by the arm, accompany him in his descent of -200 feet, and bear him up _so gently_, that he reached the ground -without the slightest shock. What became of the “awe-struck beholders,” -and why the saint and painter did not fall on their heads, or why they -did not serve as an _easel_ in bringing the pair miraculously to the -ground, we are not told. - -The Painted Hall at Greenwich, contains 53,678 square feet of Sir James -Thornhill’s work, and cost 6,685_l._, being at the rate of 8_l._ per -yard for the ceiling, and 1_l._ per yard for the sides. The whole is -admirably described in Steele’s play of _The Lovers_. - - -THE PICTURES AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE. - -The pictures which now constitute the private gallery of her Majesty at -Buckingham Palace, were principally collected by George the Fourth, -whose exclusive predilection for pictures of the Dutch and Flemish -schools is well known. To those which he brought together here, and -which formerly hung in Carlton House, her present Majesty has made, -since her accession, many valuable additions--some purchased, and others -selected from the royal collections at Windsor and Hampton Court; others -have been added by Prince Albert, from the collection of the late -Professor d’Alton, of Bonn. * * * George IV. began to form his -collection about the year 1802, and was chiefly guided by the advice and -judgment of Sir Charles Long, afterwards Lord Farnborough, an -accomplished man, whose taste for art, and intimacy with the king, then -Prince of Wales, rendered him a very fit person to carry the royal -wishes into execution. The importation of the Orleans gallery had -diffused a feeling--or, it may be, a _fashion_--for the higher specimens -of the Italian schools, but under the auspices of George IV. the tide -set in an opposite direction. In the year 1812, the very select gallery -of Flemish and Dutch pictures collected by Sir Francis Baring was -transferred by purchase to the Prince Regent. Sir Francis Baring had -purchased the best pictures from the collections of M. Geldermeester of -Amsterdam, (sold in 1800,) and that of the Countess of Holderness, (sold -in 1802,) and, except the Hope Gallery, there was nothing at that time -to compare with it in England. Mr. Seguier valued this collection at -eighty thousand pounds; but the exact sum paid for it was certainly much -less. - -The specimens of Rubens and Van Dyck are excellent, but do not present -sufficient variety to afford an adequate idea of the wide range or power -of the first of these great painters, nor of the particular talent of -the last. On the other hand, the works and style of Gerard Douw, -Teniers, Jan Steen, Adrian and Wilhelm Vandevelde, Wouvermans, and -Burghem, may be very advantageously studied in this gallery, each of -their specimens being many in number, various in subject, and good in -their kind. Of Mieris and Metzes, there are finer specimens at Mr. -Hope’s and Sir Robert Peel’s; and the Hobbimas and Cuyps must yield to -those of Lord Ashburton and Lord Francis Egerton. But, on the whole, it -is certainly the finest gallery of this class of works in England. The -collection derives additional interest from the presence of some -pictures of the modern British artists--Reynolds, Wilkie, Allan, Newton, -Gainsborough. It is, however, only just to these painters to add, that -not one of their pictures here ought to be considered as a first-rate -example of their power.--_Mrs. Jameson._ - - -FOUNDATION OF THE HISTORICAL SCHOOL OF PAINTING IN ENGLAND. - -To West must be given the record of achieving this honour; and what he -has thus done in restoring historical painting to the purity of its -original channel, can only be appreciated by those who have contemplated -the debauched taste introduced into this country by Verrio, Laguerre, -and other painters, who revived the ridiculous fooleries patronized in -the reign of James the First; but which had, by the countenance of the -nobility, and people of fashion, taken strong hold of most men’s minds. -“A change,” says Cunningham, “was now to be effected in the character of -British art: hitherto historical painting had appeared in a masquing -habit; the actions of Englishmen seemed all as having been performed, if -costume were to be believed, by Greeks or by Romans. West at once -dismissed this pedantry, and restored nature and propriety in his noble -work of ‘the Death of Wolfe.’ The multitude acknowledged its excellence -at once; the lovers of old art, the manufacturers of compositions, -called by courtesy classical, complained of the barbarism of boots and -buttons, and blunderbusses, and cried out for naked warriors, with bows, -bucklers, and battering rams. Lord Grosvenor, disregarding the frowns of -the amateurs, and the, at best, cold approbation of the Royal Academy, -purchased this work, which, in spite of laced coats and cocked hats, is -one of the best of our historical pictures. The Indian warrior watching -the dying hero to see if he equalled in fortitude the children of the -desert, is a fine stroke of nature and poetry.” - -West, however, was plagued with misgivings as to his new doctrine; and -the dampers came forth in numbers with their unvarying, “It will never -do.” When it was understood that West actually intended to paint the -characters as they appeared on the scene, the Archbishop of York called -on Reynolds, and asked his opinion; they both called upon West to -dissuade him from running so great a risk. Reynolds warned him of the -danger which every innovation incurred of contempt and ridicule; and -concluded by urging him to adopt the costume of antiquity as more -becoming the greatness of the subject than the garb of modern warriors. -West replied that the event to be commemorated happened in the year -1758, in a region of the world unknown to Greeks and Romans, and at a -period when no warriors wearing such costumes existed. The subject to be -represented was a great battle, fought and won; and the same truth which -gives laws to the historian should rule the painter; that he wanted to -mark the place, the time, the people, and to do this he must abide by -the truth. - -The objectors went away, and returned when West had finished the -picture. Reynolds seated himself before it, and examined it with deep -and minute attention for half an hour; then rising, said to Drummond, -“West has conquered--he has treated his subject as it ought to be -treated. I retract my objections: I foresee that this picture will not -only become one of the most popular, but will occasion a revolution in -art,” “I wish,” said king George the Third, to whom West related the -conversation, “that I had known all this before, for the objection has -been the means of Lord Grosvenor’s getting the picture; but you shall -make a copy of it for me.” This anecdote, though it operates against the -foresight of Reynolds, carries truth on the face of it. - -The king not only gave West a pension of 1000_l._ a year, but when the -artist hinted that the noble purpose of historical painting was best -shown in depicting the excellencies of revealed religion, the monarch -threw open St. George’s Chapel to be decorated with sacred subjects; and -on his Majesty’s restoration to health, finding that the work had been -suppressed, and the money withheld, he instantly ordered him to be -paid, and the works proceeded with. The heads of the church, however, -acted otherwise; for when the Academy proposed to decorate St. Paul’s -with works of art, and Reynolds, West, Barry, Dance, Cipriani, and -Angelica Kauffman offered pictures free of expense, the Bishop of -Bristol, Dr. Newton, at that time Dean of St. Paul’s, warmly took up the -idea; but the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London refused -their consent. The Bishop of London said: “My good Lord Bishop of -Bristol, I have already been distantly and imperfectly informed of such -an affair having been in contemplation; but as the sole power at last -remains with myself, I therefore inform your lordship that whilst I live -and have the power, I will never suffer the doors of the metropolitan -church to be opened for the introduction of popery into it.” - -Notwithstanding this heavy blow to the cause of art, the example of the -king was the cause of many altarpieces being painted by West and others; -one of the best of which is the very appropriate one in the chapel of -Greenwich Hospital.[11] - - -THE CAT RAPHAEL. - -Gottfried Mind, a celebrated Swiss painter, was called the _Cat -Raphael_, from the excellence with which he painted that animal. This -peculiar talent was discovered and awakened by chance. At the time when -Frendenberger painted his picture of the Peasant cleaving wood before -his Cottage, with his wife sitting by and feeding her child with pap out -of a pot, round which a cat is prowling, Mind cast a broad stare on the -sketch of this last figure, and said, in his rugged, laconic way, “That -is no cat!” Frendenberger asked, with a smile, whether he thought he -could do it better? Mind offered to try; went into a corner, and drew -the cat, which Frendenberger liked so much that he made his new pupil -finish it out, and the master copied the scholar’s work--for it is -Mind’s cat that is engraved in Frendenberger’s plate. Prints of Mind’s -cats are now very common. - - -SMALL CONVERSATION. - -Fuseli had a great dislike to common-place observations. After sitting -perfectly silent for a long time in his own room, during “the bald -disjointed chat” of some idle callers in, who were gabbling with one -another about the weather, and other topics of as interesting a nature, -he suddenly exclaimed, “We had pork for dinner to-day!” “Dear! Mr. -Fuseli, what an odd remark!” “Why, it is as good as anything you have -been saying for the last hour.” - - -CHANGING HATS. - -Barry, the painter, was with Nollekens at Rome in 1760, and they were -extremely intimate. Barry took the liberty one night, when they were -about to leave the English Coffee-house, to exchange hats with him; -Barry’s being edged with lace, and Nollekens’s a very shabby, plain one. -Upon his returning the hat next morning, he was requested by Nollekens -to let him know why he left him his gold-laced hat. “Why, to tell you -the truth, my dear Joey,” answered Barry, “I fully expected -assassination last night, and I was to have been known by my laced hat.” -Nollekens often used to relate the story, adding: “It’s what the Old -Bailey people would call a true bill against Jem.” - - -SIR THOMAS LAWRENCE’S BOYHOOD. - -When Lawrence was but ten years old, his name had flown over the -kingdom; he had read scenes from Shakspeare in a way that called forth -the praise of Garrick, and drawn faces and figures with such skill as to -obtain the approbation of Prince Hoare; his father, desirous of making -the most of his talents, carried him to Oxford, where he was patronized -by heads of colleges, and noblemen of taste, and produced a number of -portraits, wonderful in one so young and uninstructed. Money now came -in; he went to Bath, hired a house--raised his price from one guinea to -two; his Mrs. Siddons, as Zara, was engraved--Sir Henry Harpur desired -to adopt him as his son--Prince Hoare saw something so angelic in his -face, that he proposed to paint him in the character of Christ, and the -artists of London heard with wonder of a boy who was rivalling their -best efforts with the pencil, and realizing, as was imagined, a fortune. - -The Hon. Daines Barrington has the following record of Lawrence’s -precocious talent in his _Miscellanies_: “This boy is now, (viz. -February, 1780,) nearly ten years and a half old; but, at the age of -nine, without the most distant instruction from any one, he was capable -of copying historical pictures in a masterly style, and also succeeded -amazingly in compositions of his own, particularly that of _Peter -denying Christ_. In about seven minutes he scarcely ever failed of -drawing a strong likeness of any person present, which had generally -much freedom and grace, if the subject permitted.” - - -HARLOW’S TRIAL OF QUEEN KATHERINE. - -This celebrated picture, (known also as “The Kemble Family,” from its -introducing their portraits,) was the last and most esteemed work of J. -H. Harlow, whom Sir Thomas Lawrence generously characterizes as “the -most promising of all our painters.” The painting was commenced and -finished in 1817; immediately after its exhibition at the Royal Academy, -it was finely copied in mezzotint, by G. Clint; and the print in its -time probably enjoyed more popularity than any production of its class. -A proof impression has been known to realize upwards of twenty guineas. - -The picture is on mahogany panel, stated to have cost the artist 15_l._; -it is one and a half inch in thickness, and in size about seven feet by -five feet. It originated with Mr. T. Welsh, the professor of music, who, -in the first instance, commissioned Harlow to paint for him a kit-cat -size portrait of Mrs. Siddons, in the character of Queen Katherine, in -Shakspeare’s play of Henry VIII., introducing a few scenic accessories -in the distance. For this portrait Harlow was to receive twenty-five -guineas; but the idea of representing the whole scene occurred to the -artist, who, with Mr. Welsh, prevailed upon most of the actors to sit -for their portraits; in addition to these are portraits of the friends -of both parties, including the artist himself. The sum ultimately paid -by Mr. Welsh for the picture was one hundred guineas; and a like amount -was paid by Mr. Cribb for Harlow’s permission to engrave the well-known -print, to which we have already adverted. - -Harlow owed many obligations to Fuseli for his critical remarks on this -picture: when he first saw it, chiefly in dead-colouring, he said: “I do -not disapprove of the general arrangement of your work, and I see you -will give it a powerful effect of light and shadow; but you have here a -composition of more than twenty figures, or, I should rather say, parts -of figures, because you have not shown one leg or foot, which makes it -very defective. Now, if you do not know how to draw legs and feet, I -will show you,” and taking up a crayon, he drew two on the wainscot of -the room. Harlow profited by these instructions, and the next time -Fuseli saw the picture, the whole arrangement in the foreground was -changed. He then said to Harlow, “So far you have done well; but now you -have not introduced a back figure, to throw the eye of the spectator -into the picture;” and then pointed out by what means he might improve -it in this particular. Accordingly, Harlow introduced the two boys who -are taking up the cushion. - -It has been stated that the majority of the actors in the scene sat for -their portraits in this picture. John Kemble, however, refused when -asked to do so by Mr. Welsh, strengthening his refusal with emphasis -profane. Harlow was not, however, to be defeated; and he actually drew -Kemble’s portrait in one of the stage-boxes of Covent Garden Theatre, -while the great actor was playing his part. The vexation such a _ruse_ -must have occasioned to a man of Kemble’s temperament may be imagined. -Egerton, Pope, and Stephen Kemble were successively painted for Henry -VIII., the artist retaining the latter. The head or Charles Kemble was -likewise twice painted; the first, which cost him many sittings, was -considered by himself and others to be very successful. The artist -thought otherwise; and, contrary to Mr. Kemble’s wish and remonstrance, -he one morning painted out the approved head: in a day or two, however, -entirely from memory, Harlow repainted the portrait with increased -fidelity. It is stated that but one sitting was required of Mrs. -Siddons: the fact is, the great actress held her uplifted arm frequently -till she could hold it raised no longer, and the majestic limb was -finished from another original. - - -DEATH OF CORREGGIO. - -Towards the close of Correggio’s days, it is said that the canons of one -of the churches which he was employed to embellish, were so disappointed -with the work, that, to insult him, they paid him the price in copper; -that he had this unworthy burthen to carry eight miles in a burning -sun; the length of the way, the weight of the load, and depression of -spirits, brought on a fever which carried him in three days to his -grave. - -Among the many legends respecting this illustrious artist, it is said -that, when young, he looked long and earnestly on one of the pictures of -Raphael--his brow coloured, his eye brightened, and he exclaimed, “I -also am a painter.” Titian, when he first saw his works, exclaimed, -“Were I not Titian, I would wish to be Correggio.” - - -A LUCKY PURCHASE. - -In the spring of 1837, Mr. Atherstone bought for a few guineas a -Magdalen, by Correggio, at the Auction Mart, where he saw it among a -heap of spoiled canvass, that an amateur (no connoisseur) of pictures -had sent to be sold. This gentleman had bought it in Italy for 100_l._, -admiring its beauty, but ignorant of its value. It was in perfect -preservation; in the grandest style of Correggio: and in colouring -surpassing in brilliancy and depth of tone even the famous specimens in -the National Gallery. - - -COPLEY’S “DEATH OF LORD CHATHAM” - -Washington, on seeing this picture, remarked, “this work, highly -valuable in itself, is rendered more estimable in my eye when I remember -that America gave birth to the celebrated artist that produced it.” The -picture is ten feet long, and seven feet six inches high. The painter -refused fifteen hundred guineas for it; it was purchased, we know not -at what price, by the Earl of Liverpool, who used to say that such a -work ought not to be in his possession, but in that of the public. These -words were not heard in vain by the son of the Earl, who munificently -presented it to the National Gallery. - - -THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON’S CORREGGIO. - -Allan Cunningham warms into rapture in speaking of this wondrous -picture, captured by Wellington at Vittoria. “The size is small, some -fifteen inches square, or so; but true genius can work miracles in -little compass. The central light of the picture is altogether heavenly; -we never saw anything so insufferably brilliant; it haunted us round the -room at Apsley House, and fairly extinguished the light of its -companion-pictures. Joseph Bonaparte, not only a good king, but a good -judge of painting, had this exquisite picture in his carriage when the -tide of battle turned against him: it was transferred to the collection -of the conqueror.” - - -GIOTTO AND THE PIGS. - -One day, when Giotto, the painter, was taking his Sunday walk, in his -best attire, with a party of friends, at Florence, and was in the midst -of a long story, some pigs passed suddenly by; and one of them, running -between the painter’s legs, threw him down. When he got on his legs -again, instead of swearing a terrible oath at the pig, on the -Lord’s-day, as a graver man might have done, he observed, laughing, -“People say these beasts are stupid, but they seem to me to have some -sense of justice; for I have earned several thousands of crowns with -their bristles, but I never gave one of them even a ladleful of soup in -my life.” - - -HOW WILKIE BECAME A PAINTER. - -Sir John Sinclair, happening once to dine in company with Wilkie, asked, -in the course of conversation, if any particular circumstance had led -him to adopt his profession. Sir John inquired, “Had your father, -mother, or any of your relations a turn for painting? or what led you to -follow that art?” To which Wilkie replied, “The truth is, Sir John, that -you made me a painter.”--“How, I?” exclaimed the Baronet; “I never had -the pleasure of meeting you before.” Wilkie then gave the following -explanation:--“When you were drawing up the Statistical Account of -Scotland, my father, who was a clergyman in Fife, had much -correspondence with you respecting his parish, in the course of which -you sent him a coloured drawing of a soldier, in the uniform of your -Highland Fencible Regiment. I was so delighted with the sight, that I -was constantly drawing copies of it; and thus, insensibly, I was -transformed into a painter.” - - -CIMABUE AND GIOTTO. - -In the year 1300, Giovani Cimabue and Giotto, both of Florence, were the -first to assert the natural dignity and originality of art; and the -story of these illustrious friends is instructive and romantic. The -former was a gentleman by birth and scholarship, and brought to his art -a knowledge of the poetry and sculpture of Greece and Rome. The latter -was _a shepherd_; when the inspiration of art fell upon him, he was -watching his flocks among the hills; and his first attempts in art were -to draw his sheep and goats upon rocks and stones. It happened that -Cimabue, who was then high in fame, observed the sketches of the gifted -shepherd; entered into conversation with him; heard from his own lips -his natural notions of the dignity of art; and was so much charmed by -his compositions and conversation, that he carried him to Florence, and -became his close and intimate friend and associate. They found Italian -painting rude in form, without spirit, and without sentiment. They let -out their own hearts fully in their compositions, and to this day their -works are highly esteemed for grave dignity of character, and for -originality of conception. Of these great Florentines, Giotto, the -shepherd, is confessedly the more eminent: in him we see the dawn, or -rather the sunrise, of the fuller light of Raphael. - - -MICHAEL ANGELO IN BOYHOOD AND OLD AGE. - -This great man showed from his infancy a strong inclination for drawing, -and made so early a proficiency in it that, at the age of fourteen, he -is said to have corrected the drawings of his master, Domenico -Ghirlandaio. When Michael Angelo was an old man, one of these drawings -being shown to him, he said, “In my youth I was a better artist than I -am now.” - - -HOGARTH’S “MARCH TO FINCHLEY.” - -This celebrated picture was disposed of by the painter by lottery. There -were 1843 chances subscribed for; Hogarth gave the remaining 167 tickets -to the Foundling Hospital, and the same night delivered the picture to -the Governors. The fortunate number is generally stated to have been -among the tickets which the painter handed to the Hospital; but, it is -related in the _Gentleman’s Magazine_, though anonymously, that _a lady_ -was the possessor of the fortunate number, and intended to present it to -the Foundling Hospital; but that some person having suggested what a -door would be opened to scandal, were any of her sex to make such a -present, it was given to Hogarth, on the express condition that it -should be presented in his own name. - - -STORY OF A MINIATURE. - -Mr. Gordon relates:--“M. Averani, a young French artist at Florence, had -extraordinary talent for copying miniatures, giving them all the force -of oil. I had frequently seen him at work in the gallery, and I -purchased of him a clever copy of the Fornarina of Raphael, and one of -the Venus Vestita of Titian, in the Pitti Palace, said to be the only -miniature painted by this great man. It had a good deal of the character -of Queen Mary Stuart, was painted on a gold ground, had great force, and -was highly finished. I gave the artist his price, six sequins, and -brought it to England. When I disposed of my _vertu_, in Sloane-street, -previous to my settling in Scotland, this miniature made a flaming -appearance in the catalogue. The gem was bought by a gentleman for -fifty-five guineas. I thought I had done very well by this transaction, -until I saw it advertised in the _Morning Chronicle_, stating that “an -original portrait of Mary, Queen of Scotland, the undoubted work of -Titian, value one thousand guineas, was to be seen at No. 14, Pall-mall; -price of admission, 2_s._ 6_d._” The bait took; the owner put three or -four hundred pounds into his pocket by the exhibition, and sold the -portrait for seven or eight hundred pounds. Here was I an innocent -accessory to the greatest imposition that was ever practised on the -public. As a work of art, it was worth all I got for it; and I was -offered nearly that sum by a friend who knew its whole history. I -understand that a nobleman was the purchaser of this beautiful -miniature.” - - -SITTING FOR A HUSBAND. - -John Astley, the painter, was born at Wem, in Shropshire. He was a pupil -of Hudson, and was at Rome about the same time with Sir Joshua Reynolds. -After his return to England, he went to Dublin, practised there as a -painter for three years, and in that time earned 3000_l._ As he was -painting his way back to London, in his own postchaise, with an -outrider, he loitered in his neighbourhood, and, visiting Nutsford -Assembly, he there saw Lady Daniel, a widow, who was so captivated by -him, that she contrived to sit to him for her portrait, and then -offered him her hand, which he at once accepted. Poor Astley, in the -decline of life, was disturbed by reflections upon the dissipation of -his early days, and was haunted with apprehensions of indigence and -want. He died at his house, Duckenfield Lodge, Cheshire, Nov. 14, 1787, -and was buried at the church of that village. - - -ARTISTIC TEXT. - -Wills, the portrait-painter, was not very successful in his profession, -and so quitted it, and, having received a liberal education, took -orders. He was for several years curate of Canons, in Middlesex, and at -the death of the incumbent he obtained the living. In the year 1768, he -was appointed chaplain to the chartered Society of Artists; and he -preached a sermon at Covent-garden Church, on St. Luke’s Day, in the -same year; the text being taken from Job, chap. xxxvii. verse 14--“Stand -still, and consider the wondrous works of God.” This discourse was -afterwards printed at the request of the Society; but Wills did not long -enjoy his appointment, in consequence of the disputes which broke out -among the members. - - -GENEROSITY OF CANOVA. - -The celebrated Italian sculptor Canova, when rich and titled, remained -the same simple, unostentatious man as in his unknown and humble youth. -He cared nothing for personal luxuries. Not only the pension of 3000 -crowns granted him by the Pope with the title of Marquis, but a great -part of the wealth acquired by his labours, were bestowed in acts of -charity, and upon unfortunate artists. One year, the harvest failing, he -fed the poor of his native Venetian village all winter at his own -expense. The manner in which he bestowed his favours reflected -additional honour on him. A poor, proud, bad painter, was in danger of -starving, with all his family. Canova knew the man would refuse a gift; -and, out of respect to his feelings, he sacrificed his own taste. He -requested him to paint a picture, leaving the subject and size to his -own choice, and saying he had set aside 400 scudi (not less than £100) -for this purpose, half of which he handed him at present, the other half -should be sent when the work was finished; adding, that the sooner he -received it, he should be the better pleased. - - -HOGARTH’S VANITY. - -Hogarth displayed no little vanity regarding his pretensions as a -portrait-painter. One day, when dining at Dr. Cheselden’s, he was told -that John Freke, surgeon of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, had asserted in -Dick’s coffee-house, that Greene was as eminent in composition as -Handel. “That fellow, Freke,” cried Hogarth, “is always shooting his -bolt absurdly, one way or another. Handel is a giant in music, Greene -only a light Florimel-kind of composer.” “Ay, but,” said the other, -“Freke declared you were as good a portrait-painter as Vandyke.” “There -he was in the right,” quoth Hogarth; “and so I am, give me but my time, -and let me choose my subject.” - -Writing of himself, Hogarth says:--“The portrait which I painted with -most pleasure, and in which I particularly wished to excel, was that of -Captain Coram, for the Foundling Hospital;” and he adds, in allusion to -his detraction as a portrait-painter, “If I am so wretched an artist as -my enemies assert, it is somewhat strange that this, which was one of -the first I painted the size of life, should stand the test of twenty -years’ competition, and be generally thought the best portrait in the -place, notwithstanding the first painters in the kingdom exerted all -their talents to vie with it.” - - -THE FOUNDLING HOSPITAL AND THE ROYAL ACADEMY. - -That Tenterden Steeple was the cause of Goodwin Sands does not appear a -whit more strange than that in the Foundling Hospital originated the -Royal Academy of Arts. Yet, such was the case. The Hospital was -incorporated in 1739, and in a few years the present building was -erected; but, as the income of the charity could not, with propriety, be -expended upon decorations, many of the principal artists of that day -generously gave pictures for several of the apartments of the hospital. -These were permitted to be shown to the public upon proper application; -and hence became one of the sights of the metropolis. The pictures -proved very attractive; and this success suggested the annual Exhibition -of the united artists, which institution was the precursor of the Royal -Academy, in the Adelphi, in the year 1760. Thus, within the walls of the -Foundling, the curious may see the state of British art previously to -the epoch when King George the Third first countenanced the historical -talent of West. - -Among the earliest “governors and guardians” of the Hospital we find -William Hogarth, who liberally subscribed his money, and gave his time -and talent, towards carrying out the designs of his friend, the -venerable Captain Coram, through whose zeal and humanity the Hospital -was established. Hogarth’s first artistical aid was the engraving of a -head-piece to a power-of-attorney, drawn for the collection of -subscriptions towards the Charity; Hogarth next presented to the -Hospital an engraved plate of Coram. - -Among the early artistic patrons of the Charity, we find Rysbrach, the -sculptor; Hayman, the embellisher of Vauxhall Gardens; Highmore, Hudson, -and Allan Ramsay; and Richard Wilson, the prince of English -landscape-painters. They met often at the hospital, and thus advanced -charity and the arts together; for the exhibition of their donations in -paintings &c. drew a daily crowd of visitors in splendid carriages; and -a visit to the Foundling became the most fashionable morning lounge of -the reign of George the Second. The grounds in front of the Hospital -were the promenade; and brocaded silks, gold-headed canes, and laced -three-cornered (Egham, Staines, and Windsor) hats, formed a gay bevy in -Lambs’ Conduit Fields. - -A very interesting series of biographettes of “the artists of the -Foundling,” with a _catalogue raisonnée_ of the pictures presented by -them, will be found in Mr. Brownlow’s “Memoranda; or, Chronicles” of the -Hospital. Among the pictures by Hogarth, are--“Moses brought to -Pharaoh’s Daughter,” the “March to Finchley,” and a “Portrait of Captain -Coram.” Here are, also, “The Charterhouse,” by Gainsborough; “St. -George’s and the Foundling Hospitals,” by Wilson; “Portrait of Handel,” -by Kneller; “The Earl of Dartmouth,” by Reynolds; The Cartoon of “The -Murder of the Innocents,” by Raphael; the altarpiece of the chapel, -“Christ presenting a Little Child,” by West; Portrait of the “Earl of -Macclesfield,” by Wilson; “Dr. Mead,” by Allan Ramsay; “George the -Second,” by Shackleton; “the Offering of the Wise Men,” by Casali; -crayon portrait of “Taylor White,” by Cotes; “A Landscape,” by Lambert; -“A Sea-piece,” by Brooking, &c. - - -M’ARDELL’S PRINTS. - -M’Ardell, (says Smith, in his _Life of Nollekens_), resided at the -Golden Ball, Henrietta-street, Covent Garden. Of the numerous and -splendid productions of this excellent engraver of pictures by Sir -Joshua, nothing can be said after the declaration of Reynolds himself, -that “M’Ardell’s prints would immortalize him;” however, I will venture -to indulge in one remark more, namely, that that engraver has conferred -immortality also upon himself in his wonderful print from Hogarth’s -picture of ‘Captain Coram,’ the founder of the Foundling Hospital. A -brilliant proof of this head in its finest possible state of condition, -in my humble opinion, surpasses anything in mezzotinto now extant. - - -UNFORTUNATE ACCURACY. - -Liotard, a Swiss artist, who came to this country in the reign of George -II., and stayed two years, is best known by his works in crayons. His -likenesses were as exact as possible, and too like to please those who -sat to him: thus he had great business the first year, and very little -the second. Devoid of imagination, and one would think of memory also, -he could render nothing but what he saw before his eyes. Freckles, marks -of the smallpock, everything, found its place; not so much from -fidelity, as because he could not conceive the absence of anything that -appeared to him. Truth prevailed in all his works; grace in very few or -none. Nor was there any ease in his outline; but the stiffness of a bust -in all his portraits. Liotard’s lack of employment may, therefore, -easily be accounted for. - - -IMMORTALITY OF PAINTING. - -It is painful to think how soon the paintings of Raphael, and Titian, -and Correggio, and other illustrious men, will perish and pass away. -“How long,” said Napoleon to David, “will a picture last?” “About four -or five hundred years--a fine immortality!” The poet multiplies his -works by means of a cheap material; and Homer, and Virgil, and Dante, -and Tasso, and Moliere, and Milton, and Shakspeare, may bid oblivion -defiance; the sculptor impresses his conceptions on metal or on marble, -and expects to survive the wreck of nations, or the wrongs of time; but -the painter commits to perishable cloth or wood, the visions of his -fancy, and dies in the certain assurance that the life of his works will -be but short in the land they adorn. - - -SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS’S “PUCK.” - -This merry imp is the portrait of a child, which was painted without any -particular aim as to character. When Alderman Boydell saw it, he said: -“Sir Joshua, if you will make this pretty thing into a Puck, for my -Shakspeare Gallery, I will give you a hundred guineas for it.” The -President smiled and said little, as was his custom: a few hours’ happy -labour made the picture what we see it. - - -RAPHAEL’S CARTOON OF THE MURDER OF THE INNOCENTS. - -This cartoon came into the possession of the Foundling Hospital by the -conditional bequest of Prince Hoare, Esq. Haydon describes it as “one of -the finest instances in the world of variety of expression and beauty of -composition, as a work of ‘high art.’ ” It is the centre part of -one of the best cartoons which belonged to the set executed by Raphael, -at the order of Leo X., and sent afterwards to Flanders, to be copied in -tapestry, for exhibition at the Vatican. - -The original number of the cartoons was thirteen; but in consequence of -the Flemish weavers cutting them into strips for their working -machinery, after the tapestry was executed and sent to Rome, the -original cartoons were left mingled together in boxes. - -When Rubens was in England, he told Charles I. the condition they were -in; and the king, who had the finest taste, desired him to procure them. -Seven perfect ones were purchased, all, it may be inferred, which -remained, and sent to his majesty; what became or had become of the -remainder, nobody knows; but here and there, all over Europe, fragments -have appeared. At Oxford there are two or three heads; and we believe -the Duke of Hamilton or Buccleuch, has others. After Charles’s -misfortunes, the cartoons now at Hampton Court were sold, with the rest -of his Majesty’s fine collection; but by Cromwell’s express orders they -were bought in for three hundred pounds. During the reign of Charles II. -they were offered to France for fourteen thousand francs, but Charles -was dissuaded from selling them. - -The above portion of the “Murder of the Innocents,” was sold at -Westminster many years ago, as disputed property. Prince Hoare’s father, -before the sale, explained to an opulent friend the great treasure about -to be disposed of, and persuaded him to advance the money requisite, on -condition of sharing the property. To his great surprise he bought it -for twenty-six pounds; and his friend, having no taste, told Mr. Hoare -if he would paint him and his family, he would relinquish his right. - -These particulars Mr. Haydon had from Prince Hoare, the son; they are -related in a letter from the painter to Mr. Lievesley, at the Foundling -Hospital, dated October 3, 1837, wherein Haydon suggests the better -exhibition of the work as a model of study; and soon after the -Governors of the Hospital sent the cartoon by way of loan, to the -National Gallery, where it may now be seen and studied.[12] - - -JARVIS SPENCER. - -Spencer was a miniature-painter of much celebrity, contemporaneous with -Hogarth. He was originally a gentleman’s servant, but having a natural -turn for art, he amused himself with drawing. It happened that one of -the family with whom he lived sat for a portrait to a miniature-painter, -and when the work was completed, it was shown to Spencer, who said he -thought he could copy it. He was allowed to make the attempt, when his -success was so great, that the family he lived with at once patronised -him, and by their interest he became a fashionable painter of the day. - - -A DRAPERY PAINTER. - -Peter Jones, a pupil of Hudson, may be considered a portrait-painter, -though his chief excellence was in painting draperies. In this branch of -the art, so useful to a fashionable face-painter, he was much employed -by Reynolds, Cotes, and West. Many of Sir Joshua’s best whole-lengths -are those to which Jones painted the draperies: among them was the -portrait of Lady Elizabeth Keppell, in the dress she wore as bridesmaid -to the queen: for this Jones was paid twelve guineas; but Sir Joshua was -not remarkably liberal on such occasions, of which Jones did not -neglect to complain. When the Royal Academy was founded, he was chosen -one of its members. - - -“STRANGE” ADVENTURE. - -The following anecdote of Sir Robert Strange, (says Smith,) was related -to me by the late Richard Cooper, who instructed Queen Charlotte in -drawing, and was for some time drawing-master to Eton School. “Robert -Strange, (says Cooper,) was a countryman of mine, a North Briton, who -served his time to my father as an engraver, and was a soldier in the -rebel army of 1745. It so happened when Duke William put them to flight, -that Strange, finding a door open, made his way into the house, ascended -to the first-floor, and entered a room where a young lady was seated at -needlework, and singing. Young Strange implored her protection. The -lady, without rising, or being in the least disconcerted, desired him to -get under her hoop. He immediately stooped, and the amiable woman -covered him up. Shortly after this, the house was searched; the lady -continued at her work, singing as before; the soldiers upon entering the -room, considering Miss Lunsdale alone, respectfully retired. Robert, as -soon as the search was over, being released from his concealment, kissed -the hand of his protectress, at which moment, for the first time, he -found himself in love. He married the lady; and no persons, beset as -they were with early difficulties, lived more happily.” - -Strange afterwards became a loyal man, though for a long time he sighed -to be pardoned by his king who, however, was graciously pleased to be -reconciled to him, and afterwards knighted him. Sir Robert was a -conscientious publisher in delivering subscription impressions of -prints; he never took off more proofs than were really bespoken, and -every name was put upon the print as it came out of the press, unless it -were faulty, and then it was destroyed; not laid aside for future sale, -as has been the practice with some of our late publishers. - - -ORIGIN OF THE BEEF-STEAK CLUB. - -George Lambert was for many years principal scene-painter to Covent -Garden Theatre; and being a person of great respectability in character -and profession, he was often visited, while at work, by persons of -consideration. As it frequently happened that he was too much pressed by -business to leave the theatre for dinner, he contented himself with a -beef-steak, broiled upon the fire in the painting-room. In this humble -meal he was sometimes joined by his visitors: the conviviality of the -accidental meeting inspired the party with a resolution to establish a -club, which was accordingly done, under the title of “The Beef-Steak -Club;” and the party assembled periodically in the painting-room.[13] -The members were afterwards accommodated with a private apartment in -the theatre, where the meeting was held for many years; but, after -Covent Garden was last rebuilt, the place of meeting was changed to the -Shakspeare Tavern. It was then removed to the Lyceum Theatre, in the -Strand, on the destruction of which, by fire, in 1830, the place of -meeting was transferred to the Bedford Coffeehouse, in Covent Garden. -The _regime_ of the club is a course of beef-steaks, followed by stewed -cheese in silver dishes. The number of members is only twenty-four; and -the days of meeting are every Saturday, from November until the end of -June. - - -WILKIE’S EARLY LIFE. - -John Burnet was educated with Wilkie in the first four years of his -studies in the Trustees’ Academy of Edinburgh; and, after arriving in -London, in 1806, witnessed the progress of nearly every picture of -familiar life which he painted. Burnet relates, that Wilkie was always -first on the stairs leading up to the Academy, (which was then held in -St. James’s-square,) anxious not to lose a moment of the hours of -drawing; and this love of art, paramount to all other gratifications, -continued with him to the last, even when his success had put the means -in his power of indulging relaxation and procuring amusement. When in -the Academy, his intenseness attracted the notice of the more volatile -students, who used to pelt him with small pills of soft bread. As he was -one of the first to be present, so he was one of the last to depart. -After Academy hours, which were from ten to twelve in the forenoon, -(the best time of the day for application,) those who were apprentices -returned to their several professions; but Wilkie invariably returned to -his lodgings, there to follow out what was begun in the Academy, by -copying from his own hands and face in a mirror: thus, as it were, -engrafting the great principles of the antique on the basis of nature. - - -SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS’S DINNERS. - -Sir Joshua appears to have been but an irregular manager in his -conviviality. “Often was the dinner board prepared for seven or eight, -required to accommodate itself to fifteen or sixteen; for often, on the -very eve of dinner, would Sir Joshua tempt afternoon visitors with -intimation that Johnson, or Garrick, or Goldsmith was to dine there. Nor -was the want of seats the only difficulty. A want of knives and forks, -of plates and glasses, as often succeeded. In something of the same -style, too, was the attendance; the kitchen had to keep pace with the -visitors; and it was easy to know the guests best acquainted with the -house by their never failing to call instantly for beer, bread, or wine, -that they might get them before the first course was over, and the worst -confusion began. Once was Sir Joshua prevailed upon to furnish his table -with dinner-glasses and decanters; and some saving of time they proved; -yet, as they were demolished in the course of service, he could never be -persuaded to replace them. “But these trifling embarrassments,” says Mr. -Courtenay, describing them to Sir James Macintosh, “only served to -enhance the hilarity and the singular pleasure of the entertainment.” -It was not the wine, dishes, and cookery, not the fish and venison, that -were talked of or recommended: those social hours, that irregular -convivial talk, had matter of higher relish, and far more eagerly -enjoyed. And amid all the animated bustle of his guests, the host sat -perfectly composed; always attentive to what was said, never minding -what was ate or drank, and leaving every one at perfect liberty to -scramble for himself.”--_Forster’s Life of Goldsmith._ - - -FINDING A PAINTER. - -Brooking, a ship-painter of rare merit, about the middle of the last -century, like many of the artists of the time, worked for the shops. Mr. -Taylor White, Treasurer of the Foundling Hospital, one day saw some of -the sea-pieces of this artist in a shop-window in Castle-street, -Leicester-square. He inquired his name, but was answered equivocally by -the dealer, who told Mr. White that if he pleased he could procure other -pictures by the same painter. Brooking was accustomed to write his name -upon his pictures, which mark was as often obliterated by the shopkeeper -before he placed them in his window. It, however, happened that the -artist carried home a piece on which his name was inscribed; and the -master being from home, his wife, who received it, placed it in the -window without effacing the signature. Luckily, Mr. White saw the -picture before it was removed, and thus discovered the name of the -painter whose works he so much admired. He instantly advertised for the -artist to meet him at a certain wholesale linen-draper’s in the city. To -this invitation, Brooking, at first, paid no regard; but, seeing it -repeated, with assurance of benefit to the person to whom it was -addressed, he prudently attended to it, and had an interview with Mr. -White, who, from that time, became his friend and patron. One of -Brooking’s sea-pieces hangs in the Foundling Hospital: it was painted in -eighteen days, and is, altogether, a first-class picture.--_Brownlow’s -Memoranda of the Foundling Hospital._ - - -REYNOLDS’S AND LAWRENCE’S PORTRAITS. - -Sir D. Wilkie, in his remarks on Portrait Painting, says:--No -representations of female character have equalled in sweetness and -beauty the female portraits of Sir Joshua Reynolds; yet, a contemporary -has remarked, that this was accomplished greatly at the expense of -likeness. Hoppner, who was himself distinguished for the beauty with -which he endowed the female form, remarked, that even to him it was a -matter of surprise that Reynolds could send home portraits with so -little resemblance to the originals. This, indeed, in his day, -occasioned portraits to be left on his hands, or turned to the wall, -which, since the means of comparing resemblances have ceased, have -blazed forth in all the splendour of grace and elegance, which the -originals would have been envied for had they ever possessed them. I may -add to this what is remarked of Sir Thomas Lawrence: his likenesses were -celebrated as the most successful of his time; yet, no likenesses -exalted so much or refined more upon the originals. He wished to seize -the expression, rather than copy the features. His attainment of -likeness was most laborious: one distinguished person, who favoured him -with forty sittings for his head alone, declared he was the slowest -painter he had ever sat to, and he had sat to many. - -This distinguished person, (says Burnet, in his _Practical Essays_,) I -believe, was Sir Walter Scott. The picture was painted for his Majesty, -and Lawrence was most anxious to make the picture the best of any -painted from so celebrated a character. At other times, however, Sir -Thomas was as dexterous with his pencil as any artist. I remember him -mentioning that he painted the portrait of Curran, the celebrated Irish -barrister, in one day; he came in the morning, remained to dinner, and -left at dusk; or, as Lawrence expressed it, quoting his favourite -author, - - “From morn till noon, - From noon to dewy eve.” - - -ZOFFANI’S GRATITUDE. - -Zoffani was a native of Frankfort, and came to England as a painter of -small portraits, when he was about thirty years of age. He was employed -by George the Third, and painted portraits of the royal family. He was -celebrated for small whole-lengths, and painted several pieces of -Garrick, and his contemporaries in dramatic scenes. He was engaged by -the queen to paint a view of the tribune of Florence; and while there he -was noticed by the Emperor of Germany, who inquired his name; and on -hearing it, asked what countryman he was. Zoffani replied, “An -Englishman.” “Why,” said the Emperor, “your name is German!” “True,” -replied the painter, “I was born in Germany; that was accidental: I call -that my country where I have been protected.” - -Zoffani was admitted a member of the Royal Academy in 1783. He went -afterwards to the East Indies, where he became a favourite of the Nabob -of Oude, and amassed a handsome fortune, with which he returned to -England, and settled at Strand-on-the-Green. Whilst there, he presented -a large and well-executed painting of the Last Supper, as an altarpiece, -to St. George’s Chapel, then lately built, where it still remains. Every -head in the picture, (excepting that of Christ) is a likeness. Here is a -portrait of Zoffani himself; the others were likenesses of persons then -living at Strand-on-the-Green and Old Brentford. Zoffani had in his -establishment a nursemaid who possessed fine hands, which he ever and -anon painted in his pictures. - - -PATRONAGE OF ART. - -To suffer from the want of discernment on the part of the nobility and -the people, appears to be the fate of artists in this country. It was -not a whit better formerly than it is in our own time. Hogarth had to -sell his pictures by raffle, and Wilson was obliged to retire into -Wales, from its affording cheaper living. The committee of the British -Institution purchased a picture by Gainsborough, for eleven hundred -guineas, and presented it to the National Gallery, as an example of -excellence; yet this very picture hung for years in the artist’s -painting-room without a purchaser; the price was only fifty pounds. In -our own times, says John Burnet, “let us take the case of Sir David -Wilkie as an example; a painter who has founded a school of art unknown -before in this or in any other country--a combination of the invention -of Hogarth with the pictorial excellences of Ostade and Teniers; yet -this artist’s works, on his coming to London in 1804, were exposed in a -shop window at Charing Cross for a few pounds; and a work for which he -could only receive fifteen guineas, was sold the other day for eight -hundred. Do transactions such as these show the taste or discernment of -the public? Lord Mansfield thought thirty pounds a large sum for ‘the -Village Politicians;’ and Sir George Beaumont, as a kind of patronage, -gave Wilkie a commission to paint the picture of ‘the Blind Fiddler,’ -and paid him fifty guineas for what would now bring a thousand at a -public sale.[14] It seems, therefore, a fair inference that a discerning -public, or a patronising nobility, are only shown when an artist’s -reputation makes it safe to encourage him.”--_Practical Essays._ - - -DANGEROUS RETORT. - -Antonio More was a favourite of Philip of Spain, whose familiarity with -him placed the painter’s life in danger; for he one day ventured to -return a slap on the shoulder, which the king in a playful moment gave -him, by rubbing some carmine on his Majesty’s hand. This behaviour was -accepted by the monarch as a jest; but it was hinted to More that the -holy tribunal might regard it as sacrilege; and he fled, to save -himself, into Flanders, where he was employed by the Duke of Alva. - - -THE VENETIAN SCHOOL. - -The late Sir Walter Scott used to say that when he told a story, he -generally contrived to put a laced coat and a cocked hat upon it: this -is a good illustration of the Venetian painters--their stories look like -the spectacles of a melodrama.--_Burnet’s Essays._ - - -REYNOLDS’S “NATIVITY.” - -In a fire at Belvoir Castle, in October, 1816, several of the pictures -were burnt; among them was Sir Joshua Reynolds’s “Nativity,” a -composition of thirteen figures, and in dimensions twelve feet by -eighteen. This noble picture had been purchased by the Duke of Rutland -for 1200 guineas. - - -HOLLOWAY AND “THE CARTOONS.” - -Holloway, who so successfully copied in black chalks the cartoons of -Raphael in Hampton Court Palace, was an eccentric genius, deeply read in -Scripture, which he expounded in the most nasal tone; but it was very -interesting to listen to his observations on the beauties and merits of -these master-pieces of art. A Madame Bouiller, a French _emigrée_, was -also occupied on the same subjects. She was patronised by West, who gave -her permission to study in the palace; and said that he had never seen -such masterly artistical touches of the crayon as hers. - -One morning Holloway was found foaming with rage in the Cartoon Gallery. -Some person had written against the cartoons, denominating them -“wretched daubs;” and sorely did it wound the feelings of the -enthusiastic artist, who worshipped with religious fervour these works -of Raphael. Yet it was a grotesque scene to behold Madame Bouiller -pacing after Holloway, up and down the gallery, with all the grimace and -intensity of a Frenchwoman, and re-echoing his furious lamentations. - - -TITIAN’S PAINTING. - -Sir Abraham Hume, the accomplished annotator of _The Life and Works of -Titian_, observes: “It appears to be generally understood that Titian -had, in the different periods of life, three distinct manners of -painting: the first hard and dry, resembling his master, Giovanni -Bellino; the second, acquired from studying the works of Giorgione, was -more bold, round, rich in colour, and exquisitely wrought up; the third -was the result of his matured taste and judgment, and, properly -speaking, may be termed his own--in which he introduced more cool tints -into the shadows and flesh, approaching nearer to nature than the -universal glow of Giorgione.” - -After stating what little is known of the mechanical means employed by -Titian in the colouring of his pictures, Sir Abraham remarks: “Titian’s -grand secret of all appears to have consisted in the unremitting -exercise of application, patience, and perseverance, joined to an -enthusiastic attachment to his art: his custom was to employ -considerable time in finishing his pictures, working on them repeatedly, -till he brought them to perfection; and his maxim was, that whatever was -done in a hurry, could not be well done.” In manner and character, as -well as talent, Titian may not inappropriately be associated with the -most eminent painter this country ever produced, Sir Joshua Reynolds. - - -CATLIN’S PICTURES. - -Catlin, the traveller, was born in Wyoming, on the Susquehannah: he was -bred to the law, but after he had practised two or three years, he sold -his law library, and with the proceeds commenced as painter in -Philadelphia, without either teacher or adviser. Within a few years, a -delegation of Indians arrived from wilds of the far west in -Philadelphia, “arrayed and equipped in all their classical beauty--with -shield and helmet--with tunic and manteau, tinted and tasselled off -exactly for the painter’s palette. In silent and stoic dignity, these -lords of the forest strutted about the city for a few days wrapped in -their pictured robes, with their brows plumed with the quills of the -war-eagle,” and then quitted for Washington city, leaving Catlin to -regret their departure. This, however, led him to consider the -preservation by pictorial illustrations of the history and customs of -these people, as a theme worthy the life of one man; and he therefore -resolved that nothing short of the loss of life should prevent him from -visiting their country, and becoming their historian. He could find no -advocate or abettor of his views; still, he broke from all connexions of -family and home, and thus, firmly fixed, armed, equipped, and supplied, -he started, in the year 1832, and penetrated the vast and pathless wilds -of the Great Far West--devoted to the production of habitual and graphic -portraiture of the manners, customs, and character of an interesting -race of people who were rapidly passing away from the earth. - -Catlin spent about eight years in the Indian country, and, in 1841, -brought home portraits of the principal personages from each tribe, -views of their villages, pastimes, and religious ceremonies; and a -collection of their costumes, manufactures, and weapons. He was -undoubtedly the first artist who ever started upon such a labour, -designing to carry his canvass to the Rocky Mountains. He visited -forty-eight different tribes, containing 400,000 souls, and mostly -speaking different languages. He brought home 310 portraits in oil, all -painted in their native dress, and in their own wigwams; besides 200 -paintings of their villages, wigwams, games, and religious ceremonies, -dances, ball-plays, buffalo-hunts, &c.; containing 3000 full-length -figures; together with landscapes, and a collection of costumes and -other artificial produce, from the size of a huge wigwam to that of a -rattle. It was for a time expected that the collection would have been -purchased by the British Government, and added to the British Museum, -but the opportunity was let slip; and thus did we lose these records of -a race of our fellow-creatures, whom we shall very shortly have swept -from the face of the globe. - - -MARTIN’S “DELUGE.” - -Sir E. Bulwer Lytton has written this eloquent criticism: “Martin’s -‘Deluge’ is the most simple of his works; it is, perhaps, also, the most -awful. Poussin had represented before him the waste of inundation; but -not the inundation of a world. With an imagination that pierces from -effects to their ghastly and sublime agency, Martin gives, in the same -picture, a possible solution to the phenomenon he records; and in the -gloomy and perturbed heaven, you see the conjunction of the sun, the -moon, and a comet. I consider this the most magnificent alliance of -philosophy and art of which the history of painting can boast.” - - -SIR JOSHUA’S GOODNATURE. - -In the year 1760, a youth named Buckingham, a scholar at Mr. King’s -academy, in Chapel-street, Soho, presuming upon his father’s knowledge -of Sir Joshua Reynolds, asked the President if he would paint him a flag -for the next breaking-up of the school; when Sir Joshua goodnaturedly -replied, if he would call upon him at a certain time, he would see what -he could do. The boy accordingly went, accompanied by a school-fellow, -named Williamson (the narrator of this anecdote), when Sir Joshua -Reynolds presented them with a flag, about a yard square, on which he -had painted the king’s coat of arms. This flag was carried in the -breaking-up procession to the Yorkshire Stingo, an honour to the boys, -and a still greater honour to him who painted it, and gave up his -valuable time to promote their holiday amusements. - - -THOMAS SYDNEY COOPER “THE ENGLISH PAUL POTTER.” - -The admirers of Mr. Cooper’s Cuyp-like pictures will be gratified with -the following anecdote of the early recognition of the painter’s genius, -pleasantly related by Miss Mitford, in her _Belford Regis_. - -“Sometime in November, 1831, Mr. Cribb, an ornamental gilder in London, -(King-street, Covent Garden,) was struck with a small picture--a -cattle-piece, in a shop window in Greek-street, Soho. On inquiring for -the artist, he could learn no tidings of him; but the people of the shop -promised to find him out. Time after time, our persevering lover of the -arts called to repeat his inquiries, but always unsuccessfully; until -about three months after, when he found that the person he sought was a -Mr. Thomas Sydney Cooper, a young artist, who had been for many years -settled at Brussels, as a drawing-master, but had been driven from that -city by the Revolution, which had deprived him of his pupils, among whom -were some of the members of the royal family; and, unable to obtain -employment in London as a cattle-painter, he had, with the generous -self-devotion which most ennobles a man of genius, supported his family -by making lithographic drawings of fashionable caps and bonnets, I -suppose, as a puff for some milliner, or some periodical which deals in -costumes. In the midst of this interesting family, and of these caps and -bonnets, Mr. Cribb found him; and deriving from what he saw of his -sketches and drawings additional conviction of his genius, he -immediately commissioned him to paint a picture on his own subject, and -at his own price, making such an advance as the richest artist could not -scruple to accept on a commission, conjuring him to leave off caps and -bonnets, and foretelling his future eminence. Mr. Cribb says, that he -shall never forget the delight of Mr. Cooper’s face when he gave the -order--he has the right to the luxury of such a recollection. Well! the -picture was completed: our friend, Mr. Cribb, who is not a man to do his -work by halves, bespoke a companion, and while that was painting, showed -the first to a great number of artists and amateurs, who all agreed in -expressing the strongest admiration, and in wondering where the painter -could have been hidden. Before the second picture was half finished, a -Mr. Carpenter, (I believe that I am right in the name,) gave Mr. Cooper -a commission for a piece, which was exhibited in May, 1833, at the -Suffolk-street Gallery; and from that moment orders poured in, and the -artist’s fortune was made. It is right to add, that Mr. Cooper was -generously eager to have this story made known, and Mr. Cribb as -generously averse to its publication. But surety, it ought to be -recorded for the example sake, and for their mutual honour.” - - -VERRIO AND CHARLES II. - -Verrio, who painted the ceilings in Windsor Castle, was a great -favourite with Charles II. The painter was very expensive, and kept a -great table; he often pressed the King for money, with a freedom -encouraged by his Majesty’s own frankness. Once, at Hampton Court, when -he had but lately received an advance of £1000, he found the King in -such a circle, that he could not approach. He called out, “Sire, I -desire the favour of speaking to your Majesty.” “Well, Verrio,” said the -King, “what is your request?” “Money, Sire; I am so short of cash, that -I am not able to pay my workmen; and your Majesty and I have learned by -experience, that pedlars and painters cannot long live on credit.” The -King smiled, and said “he had but lately ordered him £1000.” “Yes, -Sire,” replied Verrio; “but that was soon paid away, and I have no gold -left.” “At that rate,” said the King, “you would spend more money than I -do to maintain my family.” “True,” answered Verrio; “but does your -Majesty keep an open table as I do?” - - -HOGARTH’S PICTURES AT VAUXHALL GARDENS. - -Soon after his marriage, Hogarth had summer lodgings at South Lambeth, -and became intimate with Jonathan Tyers, then proprietor of Vauxhall -Gardens. On passing the tavern one morning, Hogarth saw Tyers, and -observing him to be very melancholy, “How now, Master Tyers; why so sad -this morning?” said the painter. “Sad times, Master Hogarth,” replied -Tyers, “and my reflections were on a subject not likely to brighten a -man’s countenance: I was thinking, do you know, which was likely to -prove the easiest death, hanging or drowning.” “Oh,” said Hogarth, “is -it come to that?” “Very nearly, I assure you,” said Tyers. “Then,” -replied Hogarth, “the remedy you think of applying is not likely to mend -the matter; don’t hang or drown to-day. I have a thought that may save -the necessity of either, and will communicate it to you to-morrow -morning; call at my house in Leicester Fields.” The interview took -place, and the result was the concocting and getting up the first -“Ridotto al Fresco,” which was very successful; one of the new -attractions being the embellishment of the pavilions in the gardens by -Hogarth’s pencil. Thus he drew the Four Parts of the Day, which Hayman -copied; and the two scenes of Evening and Night, with portraits of Henry -VIII. and Anne Boleyn. Hayman was one of the earliest members of the -Royal Academy, and was, when young, a scene-painter at Drury Lane -Theatre. - -Hogarth was at this time in prosperity, and assisted Tyers more -essentially than by the few pieces he painted for the gardens; and for -this Tyers presented the painter with a gold ticket of admission for -himself and friends, which was handed down to Hogarth’s descendants--the -medal being for the admission of six persons, or “one coach,” as it was -termed. - - -RUBENS AND THE LION. - -It is related that Rubens caused a remarkably fine and powerful lion to -be brought to his house, in order to study him in every variety of -attitude. One day, Rubens observing the lion yawn, was so pleased with -his action, that he wished to paint it, and he desired the keeper to -tickle the animal under the chin, to make him repeatedly open his jaws; -at length, the lion became savage at this treatment, and cast such -furious glances at his keeper, that Rubens attended to his warning, and -had the animal removed. The keeper is said to have been torn to pieces -by the lion shortly afterwards; apparently, he had never forgotten the -affront. - - -NARROW ESCAPE. - -Andrea Boscoli, the Italian painter, whilst sketching the fortifications -of Loretto, was seized by the officers of justice, and condemned to be -hanged; but he happily escaped within a few hours of execution, by the -interposition of Signor Bandini, who explained to the chief magistrate -the painter’s innocent object. - - -GAINSBOROUGH. - -Gainsborough was born at Sudbury, in Suffolk, in 1727, and had the good -fortune to take Nature for his mistress in art, and her to follow -through life. Respecting this painter, memory is strong in his native -place. A beautiful wood, of four miles extent, is shown, whose ancient -trees, winding glades, and sunny nooks inspired him while yet a -school-boy with the love of art. Scenes are pointed out where he used to -sit and fill his copy-books with pencillings of flowers and trees, and -whatever pleased his fancy. No fine clump of trees, no picturesque -stream nor romantic glade, no cattle grazing, nor flocks reposing, nor -peasants pursuing their work, nor pastoral occupations, escaped his -diligent pencil. He received some instruction from Gravelot; and from -Hayman, the friend of Hogarth. Having married, he settled in Ipswich; -but in his thirty-first year removed to Bath, where he was appreciated -as he deserved, and was enabled by his pencil to live respectably. - -He then removed to London, where he added the lucrative branch of -portrait-painting to his favourite pursuit of landscape. The permanent -splendour of his colours, and the natural and living air which he -communicated to whatever he touched, made him at this time, in the -estimation of many, a dangerous rival of Sir Joshua himself. - -Gainsborough was quite a child of nature, and everything that came from -his easel smacked strongly of that raciness, freshness, and originality, -the study of nature alone can give. “The Woodman and his Dog in the -Storm” was one of his favourite compositions; yet, while he lived, he -could find no purchaser at the paltry sum of one hundred guineas. After -his death, five hundred guineas were paid for it by Lord Gainsborough, -in whose house it was subsequently burnt. “The Shepherd’s Boy in the -Shower,” and the “Cottage Girl with her Dog and Pitcher,” were also his -prime favourites. Although having the good taste to express no contempt -for the society of literary or fashionable men, Gainsborough, unlike the -courtly Sir Joshua, cared little for their company. Music was his -passion, or rather, next to his profession, the business of his life. -Smith, in his _Life of Nollekens_, relates that he once found Colonel -Hamilton playing so exquisitely to Gainsborough on the violin, that the -artist exclaimed, “Go on, and I will give you the picture of the ‘Boy at -the Stile,’ which you have so often wished to purchase of me.” The -Colonel proceeded, and the painter stood in speechless admiration, with -tears of rapture on his cheek. Hamilton then called a coach, and carried -away the picture. - - -HAYDON AT SCHOOL. - -Haydon was born at Plymouth, and at ten years old was sent to the -Grammar School, under the care of the Rev. Dr. Bidlake, who possessed -great taste for painting, and first noticed Haydon’s love of drawing; -and, as a reward for diligence in school, the reverend gentleman used to -indulge his pupil by admitting him to his painting-room, where he was -allowed to pass his hal.-holidays. - -At the age of fourteen, Haydon was sent to Plympton St. Mary School, -where Sir Joshua Reynolds acquired all the scholastic knowledge he ever -received. On the ceiling of the school-room was a sketch drawn by -Reynolds with a burnt cork; and it was young Haydon’s delight to sit and -contemplate this early production of the great master. Whilst at this -school, he was about to join the medical profession; but the witnessing -of an operation at once debarred him. When he left the Plympton School, -after a stay there of about two years, he had not decided what -profession he should pursue; and whilst at home in this unsettled state, -his mind was never at rest, but he was constantly employed in drawing or -painting, and reading hard. About this time, Reynolds’s “Discourses” -attracted his attention, and fixed his resolution on painting; and, as -the first step to which, he resolved to study anatomy. - - -RUBENS’S DAY. - -Rubens was in the habit of rising very early: in summer at four o’clock, -and immediately afterwards he heard mass. He then went to work, and -while painting, he habitually employed a person to read to him from one -of the classical authors, (the favourites being Livy, Plutarch, Cicero, -and Seneca,) or from some eminent poet. This was the time when he -generally received his visitors, with whom he entered willingly into -conversation on a variety of topics, in the most animated and agreeable -manner. An hour before dinner was always devoted to recreation, which -consisted either in allowing his thoughts to dwell as they listed on -subjects connected with science or politics,--which latter interested -him deeply,--or in contemplating his treasures of art. From anxiety not -to impair the brilliant play of his fancy, he indulged but sparingly in -the pleasures of the table, and drank but little wine. After working -again till evening, he usually, if not prevented by business, mounted a -spirited Andalusian horse, and rode for an hour or two. This was his -favourite exercise: he was extremely fond of horses, and his stables -generally contained some of remarkable beauty. On his return home, it -was his custom to receive a few friends, principally men of learning, or -artists, with whom he shared his frugal meal, (he was the declared enemy -of all excess,) and passed the evening in instructive and cheerful -conversation. This active and regular mode of life could alone have -enabled Rubens to satisfy all the demands which were made upon him as an -artist; and the astonishing number of works he completed, the -genuineness of which is beyond all doubt, can only be accounted for -through his union of extraordinary diligence with the acknowledged -fertility of his productive powers. - - -DILIGENCE OF RUBENS. - -Like other great painters, Rubens was an architect, too; and, besides -his own house, the church and the college of the Jesuits, in Antwerp, -were built from his designs. - -We are enabled to form some estimate of the astonishingly productive -powers of Rubens, when we consider that about 1000 of his works have -been engraved; and, including copies, the number of engravings from his -works amount to more than 1500. The extraordinary number of his -paintings adorn not merely the most celebrated public and private -galleries, and various churches in Europe, but they have even found -their way to America. In Lima, especially, there are several, and some -of them of considerable value and excellence. Yet, of the countless -pictures everywhere attributed to Rubens, but a small proportion were -entirely painted by his own hands; the others contain more or less of -the workmanship of his pupils. The greatest number of works, begun and -finished by his own hands, are to be found in the galleries of Madrid, -Antwerp, and Blenheim.--_Mrs. Jameson’s Translation of Dr. Waagen’s -Essay on Rubens._ - - -HAYDON’S “JUDGMENT OF SOLOMON.” - -This picture was bought of the artist by Sir W. Elford and Mr. Tingcomb, -for 700_l._ Whilst painting it, Haydon got embroiled in a controversy on -the Elgin Marbles, with Mr. Payne Knight, one of the Directors of the -British Institution. This gave great offence; and when the painter had -been four months at work on the “Solomon,” he was left without -resources; but, by selling successively his books, prints, and clothes, -he was enabled to go on with his picture. At length, after a labour of -two years, and by a closing exertion of painting six days, and nearly as -many nights, the picture was completed, and exhibited in Spring Gardens, -with great success. The Directors of the British Institution then showed -their sense of Haydon’s genius by a vote of 100 guineas, and all -ill-feeling was forgotten. For this work, Haydon was presented with the -freedom of the borough of Plymouth, says the vote, “as a testimony of -respect for his extraordinary merit as an historical painter; and -particularly for the production of his recent picture, ‘the Judgment of -Solomon,’ a work of such superior excellence, as to reflect honour on -his birthplace, distinction on his name, lustre on the art, and -reputation on the country.” - -Miss Mitford addressed to the painter the following Sonnet on this -picture:-- - - “Tears in the eye, and on the lips a sigh! - Haydon, the great, the beautiful, the bold, - Thy Wisdom’s King, thy Mercy’s God unfold? - There art and genius blend in unison high, - But this is of the soul. The majesty - Of grief dwells here; grief cast in such a mould - As Niobe’s of yore. The tale is told - All at a glance. ‘A childless mother I!’ - The tale is told, and who can e’er forget, - That e’er has seen that visage of despair! - With unaccustomed tears our cheeks are wet, - Heavy our hearts with unaccustomed care, - Upon our thoughts it presses like a debt, - We close our eyes in vain; that face is there.” - -Mr. West, on seeing the picture, was affected to tears, at the figure of -the pale, fainting mother. - - -VAN DE VELDE AND BACKHUYSEN. - -When Dr. Waagen visited England in 1835, his sea passage gave rise to -the following exquisite critical observations: “I must mention as a -particularly fortunate circumstance, that the sea gradually subsided -from a state of violent agitation to a total calm and a bright sunshine, -attenuated with a clouded sky, and flying showers. I had an opportunity -of observing in succession all the situations and effects which have -been represented by the celebrated Dutch marine painters, William Van -de Velde, and Backhuysen. Now, for the first time, I fully understood -the truth of their pictures, in the varied undulation of the water, and -the refined art with which, by shadows of clouds, intervening dashes of -sunshine near, or at a distance, and ships to animate the scene, they -produce such a charming variety in the uniform surface of the sea. To -conclude in a striking manner this series of pictures, Nature was so -kind as to favour us at last with a thunder-storm, but not to interrupt -by long-continued rain, suffered it to be of very short duration.” - - -A PAINTER’S HAIR-DRESSING. - -It was the constant practice of Sir Joshua Reynolds, as soon as a female -sitter had placed herself on his throne, to destroy the tasteless -labours of the hairdresser and the lady’s maid with the end of a -pencil-stick. - - -A MIS-MATCHED PORTRAIT. - -Dr. Waagen relates the following singular anecdote of one of the -portraits in the Waterloo Chamber at Windsor Castle--that of the -minister, William von Humboldt. The conception is poor, and the likeness -very general; but the want is, that the body does not at all suit the -head; for when king George the Fourth, who was a personal friend of the -minister, during his last visit to England, and a short time before his -departure, made him sit to Sir Thomas Lawrence, the latter being pressed -for time, took a canvass on which he had begun a portrait of Lord -Liverpool, and had already finished his body in a purple coat, and -painted upon it the head of M. Von Humboldt, intending to alter it -afterwards. This, however, in consequence of the death of the king, and -of Sir Thomas Lawrence, was not done. - - -VAST PAINTED WINDOW. - -In the spring of 1830, there was exhibited in London a superb specimen -of painting on glass, the size almost amounting to the stupendous, being -eighteen by twenty-four feet. The term “window,” however, is hardly -applicable to this vast work, for there was no framework visible; but -the entire picture consisted of upwards of 350 pieces, of irregular -forms and sizes, fitted into metal astragals, so contrived as to fall -with the shadows, and thus to assist the appearance of an uninterrupted -and unique picture upon a sheet of glass. - -The subject was “the Tournament of the Field of the Cloth of Gold,” -between Henry VIII. and Francis I., in the plain of Ardres, near Calais; -a scene of overwhelming gorgeousness, and, in the splendour of its -appointments well suited to the brilliant effects which is the peculiar -characteristic of painting in enamel. The stage represented was the last -tourney on June 25, 1520. The field is minutely described by Hall, whose -details the painter had closely followed. There were artificial trees, -with green damask leaves; and branches and boughs, and withered leaves, -of cloth-of-gold; the trunks and arms being also covered with -cloth-of-gold, and intermingled with fruits and flowers of Venice gold; -and “their beautie shewed farre.” In these trees were hung, emblazoned -upon shields, “the Kynge of Englande’s armes, within a gartier, and the -French Kynge’s within a collar of his order of Sainct Michael, with a -close croune, with a flower de lise in the toppe;” and around and above -were the shields of the noblemen of the two courts. The two queens were -seated in a magnificent pavilion, and next to the Queen of England sat -Wolsey; the judges were on stages, the heralds, in their tabards, placed -at suitable points; and around were gathered the flower of the French -and English nobility, to witness this closing glory of the last days of -chivalry. - -The _action_ of the piece is thus described:--The trumpets sounded, and -the two kings and their retinues entered the field; they then put down -their vizors, and rode to the encounter valiantly; or, as Hall says, -“the ii kynges were ready, and either of them encountered one -man-of-armes; the French Kynge to the erle of Devonshire, the Kynge of -England to Mounsire Florrenges, and brake his Poldron, and him disarmed, -when ye strokes were stricken, this battail was departed, and was much -praised.” - -The picture contained upwards of one hundred figures (life size) of -which forty were portraits, after Holbein and other contemporary -authorities. The armour of the two kings and the challenger was very -successfully painted; their coursers almost breathed chivalric fire; and -the costumes and heraldic devices presented a blaze of dazzling -splendour. Among the spectators, the most striking portraits were the -two queens; Wolsey, Anne Boleyn, and the Countess of Chateaubriant; -Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk; and Queen Mary, Dowager of France; -with the ill-fated Duke of Buckingham, whose hasty comment upon the -extravagance of the tournament proved his downfall. The elaborate -richness of the costumes sparkling with gold and jewels, the fleecy, -floating feathers of the champions, their burnished armour and -glittering arms, the congregated glories of velvet, ermine, and -cloth-of-gold, and the heraldic emblazonry amidst the emerald freshness -of the foliage--all combined to form a scene of unparalleled -sumptuousness and effect. - -The picture was executed in glass by Mr. Thomas Wilmshurst (a pupil of -the late Mr. Moss), from a sketch by Mr. R. T. Bone; the horses by Mr. -Woodward. The work cost the artist nearly 3000_l._ It was exhibited in a -first-floor at No. 15, Oxford-street, and occupied one end of a room -decorated for the occasion with paneling and carving in the taste of the -time of Henry the Eighth. It was very attractive as an exhibition, and -nearly 50,000 descriptive catalogues were sold. Sad, then, to relate, in -one unlucky night, the picture and the house were entirely burnt in an -accidental fire; not even a sketch or study was saved from destruction; -and the property was wholly uninsured. As a specimen of glass painting, -the work was very successful: the colours were very brilliant, and the -ruby red of old was all but equalled. The artistic treatment was -altogether original; the painters, in no instance, borrowing from the -contemporary picture of the same scene in the Hampton Court collection. - - -CLAUDE’S “LIBRO DI VERITA.” - -It was thus Claude Lorraine denominated a book in which he made drawings -of all the pictures he had ever executed. Since even in his own day his -works had obtained a great reputation, it was found that many inferior -artists had painted pictures in his style, and sold them as genuine -Claudes; so that it was found necessary to prove the authenticity of his -paintings by a reference to his “Book of Truth.” - -This renowned record of genius is in the possession of the Duke of -Devonshire. The drawings are in number about 200, and upon the back of -the first is a paper pasted, with the following words in Claude’s own -handwriting and orthography:-- - -“Audi 10 dagosto, 1677. Ce livre aupartien a moy que je faict durant ma -vie. Claudio Gillee Dit le lorains. A Roma ce 23. Aos. 1680.” - -When Claude wrote the last date, he was seventy-eight years old, and he -died two years afterwards. On the back of every drawing is the number, -with his monogram, the place for which the picture was painted, and -usually the person by whom it was ordered, and the year; but the -“Claudio fecit” is never wanting. According to his will, this book was -to remain always the property of his own family; and it was so -faithfully kept by his immediate descendants, that all the efforts of -the Cardinal d’Estrées, the French ambassador at Rome, to procure it, -were in vain. His later posterity had so entirely lost all traces of -this pious reverence for it, that they sold it for the trifling price of -200 scudi to a French jeweller, who again sold it in Holland, whence it -came into the possession of the Duke of Devonshire, who preserved it -with due honours. The well-known copies by Barlow, in the work of -Boydell, give but a very vague and monotonous representation of these -splendid drawings. - -Dr. Waagen, who inspected the treasure at Devonshire House, says: “The -delicacy, ease, and masterly handling of all, from the slightest -sketches to those most carefully finished, exceed description; the -latter produce, indeed, all the effect of finished pictures. With the -simple material of a pen, and tints of Indian ink, sepia, or bistre, -with some white to bring out the lights, every characteristic of -sunshine or shade, or ‘the incense-breathing morn,’ is perfectly -expressed. Most happily has he employed for this purpose the blue tinge -of the paper, and the warm sepia for the glow of evening. Some are only -drawn with a pen, or the principal forms are slightly sketched in -pencil, with the great masses of light broadly thrown in with white; the -imagination easily fills up the rest.” - - -THE OLDEST PICTURE IN THE NATIONAL GALLERY. - -This picture is--Portraits of a Flemish Gentleman and Lady, standing in -the middle of an apartment, with their hands joined. In the back-ground -are a bed, a mirror, and a window, partly open; the objects in the room -being distinctly reflected in the mirror. A branch chandelier hangs from -the ceiling, with the candle still burning in it; in the foreground is a -small poodle. In the frame of the mirror are ten minute circular -compartments, in which are painted stories from the life of Christ; and -immediately under the mirror is written “Johannes de Eyck fuit hic,” -with the date 1434 below. This signifies literally, “John Van Eyck was -this man,” an interpretation which leads to the conjecture that this may -be Van Eyck’s own portrait, with that of his wife, though in this case -the wife’s name should have been written as well as his own; and the -expression is not exactly that which would have been expected. The words -are, however, distinctly _fuit hic_. As already mentioned, the date of -the picture is 1434, when John Van Eyck was, according to the assumed -date of his birth, in his fortieth year, which is about the age of the -man in this picture. Van Mander speaks of the painting as the portraits -of a man and his wife; or bride and bridegroom: it may be a bridegroom -introducing his bride to her home. - -This picture, about a century after it was painted, was in the -possession of a barber-surgeon at Bruges, who presented it to the then -Regent of the Netherlands, Mary, the sister of Charles X., and Queen -Dowager of Hungary. This princess valued the picture so highly, that she -granted the barber-surgeon in return, an annual pension, or office worth -100 florins per annum. It appears, however, to have again fallen into -obscure hands; for it was discovered by Major-General Hay in the -apartments to which he was taken in 1815, at Brussels, after he had been -wounded at the battle of Waterloo. He purchased the picture after his -recovery, and disposed of it to the British Government in 1842, when it -was placed in the National Gallery. It is the oldest painting in the -collection. - - -EXPERIMENTAL COLOURING. - -The great experimental colourist of the fifteenth century, Van Eyck, has -left unfading proofs of his skill as well as his genius; whilst the -experimental colourist of the eighteenth century, Sir Joshua Reynolds, -has already lost so much of his tone and brightness. The painters of our -own time throughout Europe, notwithstanding the recent discoveries in -chemistry and natural science, are unable to reproduce the rich hues of -Titian, or of the early Germans. - -Yet, Van Eyck met with many disappointments. He had just applied a -newly-invented combination, (probably of lime-water and some other -ingredients,) to a large and highly-finished picture. This mixture -required to be rapidly dried; and for that purpose the picture was left -for a short time in the sun. When the artist returned to witness the -result of his experiment, he found that the action of the heat on the -composition had split the canvas, and that his work was utterly ruined! -Happily for the arts, their best votaries have possessed the genius of -perseverance, as well as the genius of enterprise. - - -STOTHARD’S FRIEZE. - -One of Stothard’s last great designs was that for the frieze of the -interior of Buckingham Palace. The subjects are illustrative of the -history of England, and principally relative to the Wars of the Red and -White Roses. The venerable artist was between seventy and eighty years -old when he executed these; and they possess all the spirit and vigour -of imagination that distinguished his best days. As a whole, there is -not, perhaps, to be found a more interesting series of historical -designs of any country in ancient or modern times. The drawing of this -frieze ought to have been in the possession of the King; but they were -sold at Christie’s, with other works, on the decease of the painter. Mr. -Rogers was the purchaser. - - -JOHN MARTIN ON GLASS PAINTING. - -About the year 1844, when John Martin, the historical painter, was -examined before the Parliamentary Committee on Arts and Manufactures, he -was questioned as to the information he had collected on the subject of -glass-painting. To this he replied, “Glass-painting has fallen almost to -the same level as china-painting; but it might be greatly improved now -to what it was in ancient times. There is an ignorant opinion among the -people that the ancient art of glass-painting is completely lost: it is -totally void of foundation; for we can carry it to a much higher pitch -than the ancients, except in one particular colour, which is that of -ruby, and we come very near to that. We can blend the colours, and -produce the effect of light and shadow, which they could not do, by -harmonizing and mixing the colours in such a way, and fixing by proper -enameling and burning, that they shall afterwards become just as -permanent as those of the ancients, with the additional advantage of -throwing in superior art.” Martin began life as a painter on glass. One -of his earliest pictures was for the conservatory at the mansion of the -Marquess of Wellesley, at Knightsbridge. - - -“SITTING FOR THE HAND.” - -If you have an artist for a friend, (says N. P. Willis,) he makes use of -you while you call, to “sit for the hand” of the portrait on his easel. -Having a preference for the society of artists myself, and frequenting -their studios considerably, I know of some hundred and fifty -unsuspecting gentlemen on canvas, who have procured, for posterity and -their children, portraits of their own heads and dress-coats to be sure, -but of the hands of other persons. - - -HAYDON AND FUSELI. - -Prince Hoare introduced Haydon to Fuseli, who was so struck with his -close attendance at the Royal Academy, that he one day said, “Why, when -do you dine?” The account of his introduction is very characteristic. -“Such was the horror connected with Fuseli’s name, (says Haydon,) that I -remember perfectly well the day before I was to go to him, a letter from -my father concluded in these words: ‘God speed you with the terrible -Fuseli.’ Awaking from a night of awful dreaming, the awful morning -came. I took my sketch-book and drawings,--invoking the protection of my -good genius to bring me back alive, and sallied forth to meet the -enchanter in his den! After an abstracted walk of perpetual musing, on -what I should say, how I should look, and what I should do, I found -myself before his door in Berners-street----1805.” Haydon was shown into -his painting-room, full of Fuseli’s hideous conceptions. He adds:--“At -last, when I was wondering what metamorphosis I was to undergo, the door -slowly opened, and I saw a little hand come slowly round the edge of it, -which did not look very gigantic, or belonging to a very powerful -figure, and round came a little white-faced lion-headed man, dressed in -an old flannel dressing-gown, tied by a rope, and the bottom of Mrs. -Fuseli’s work-basket on his head for a cap. I was perfectly amazed! -there stood the designer of Satan in many an airy whirl plunging to the -earth; and was this the painter himself?--Certainly. Not such as I had -imagined when enjoying his inventions. I did not know whether to laugh -or cry, but at any rate I felt that I was his match if he attempted the -supernatural. We quietly stared at each other, and Fuseli kindly -understanding my astonishment and inexperience, asked in the mildest -voice for my drawings. Here my evil genius took the lead, and instead of -showing him my studies from the antique, which I had brought, and had -meant to have shown him, I showed him my sketch-book I did not mean to -show him, with a sketch I had made coming along, of a man pushing a -sugar-cask into a grocer’s shop. Fuseli seeing my fright, said, by way -of encouragement, ‘At least the fellow does his business with -energy.’ ” From that hour commenced a friendship which lasted till -his death. - - -RICHARD WILSON. - -Wilson loved, when a child, to trace figures of men and animals, with a -burnt stick, upon the walls of the house, a predilection which his -father encouraged. His relation, Sir George Wynn, next took him to -London, and placed him under the care of one Wright, an obscure -portrait-painter. His progress was so successful, that in 1748, when he -was thirty-five years old, he had so distinguished himself as to be -employed to paint a picture of the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York, -for their tutor, the Bishop of Norwich. In 1749, Wilson was enabled by -his own savings, and the aid of his friends, to go to Italy, where he -continued portrait-painting, till an accident opened another avenue to -fame, and shut up the way to fortune. Having waited one morning for the -coming of Zuccarelli the artist, to beguile the time, he painted a scene -upon which the window of his friend looked, with so much grace and -effect, that Zuccarelli was astonished, and inquired if he had studied -landscape. Wilson replied that he had not. “Then I advise you,” said the -other, “to try--for you are sure of success;” and this counsel was -confirmed by Vernet, the French painter. His studies in landscape must -have been rapidly successful, for he had some pupils in that line while -at Rome; and his works were so highly esteemed, that Mengs painted his -portrait, for which Wilson, in return, painted a landscape. - -It is not known at what time he returned to England; but he was in -London in 1758, and resided over the north arcade of the Piazza, -Covent-garden, where he obtained great celebrity as a landscape painter. -To the first Exhibition of 1760, he sent his picture of Niobe, which -confirmed his reputation. Yet Wilson, from inattention to his own -interests, lost his connexions and employment, and was left, late in -life, in comfortless infirmity--having been reduced to solicit the -office of librarian of the Royal Academy, of which he had been one of -the brightest ornaments. - - -THE BRIDGEWATER GALLERY. - -Had its origin in the Orleans Gallery. The Italian part of the -collection had been mortgaged for 40,000_l._ to Harman’s banking-house, -when Mr. Bryan, a celebrated collector and picture-dealer, and author of -the “Dictionary of Painters,” induced the Duke of Bridgewater to -purchase the whole as it stood for 43,000_l._ The pictures, amounting to -305, were then valued separately by Mr. Bryan, making a total of -72,000_l._; and from among them the Duke selected ninety-four of the -finest, at the prices at which they were valued, amounting altogether to -39,000 guineas. The Duke subsequently admitted his nephew, the Earl -Gower, and the Earl of Carlisle, to share his acquisition; resigning to -the former a fourth part, and to the latter an eighth of the whole -number thus acquired. The exhibition and sale of the rest produced -41,000_l._; consequently, the speculation turned out most profitably; -for the ninety-four pictures, which had been valued at 39,000_l._, were -acquired, in fact, for 2000_l._ The forty-seven retained for the Duke of -Bridgewater were valued at 23,130_l._ * * The Duke of Bridgewater -already possessed some fine pictures, and after the acquisition of his -share of the Orleans Gallery, he continued to add largely to his -collection, till his death in 1803, when he left his pictures, valued at -150,000_l._, to his nephew, George, first Marquis of Stafford, -afterwards first Duke of Sutherland. During the life of this nobleman, -the collection, added to one formed by himself when Earl Gower, was -placed in the house in Cleveland-row; and the whole known then, and for -thirty years afterwards, as the Stafford Gallery, became celebrated all -over Europe. On the death of the Marquis of Stafford, in 1833, his -second son, Lord Francis Leveson Gower, taking the surname of Egerton, -inherited, under the will of his grand-uncle, the Bridgewater property, -including the collection of pictures formed by the Duke. The Stafford -Gallery was thus divided: that part of the collection which had been -acquired by the Marquis of Stafford fell to his eldest son, the present -Duke of Sutherland; while the Bridgewater collection, properly so -called, devolved to Lord Francis Egerton, and has resumed its original -appellation, being now known as the Bridgewater Gallery. This gallery -has a great attraction, owing principally to the taste of its present -possessor: it contains some excellent works of modern English painters. -Near to the famous “Rising of the Gale,” by Van de Velde, hangs the -“Gale at Sea,” by Turner, not less sublime, not less true to the -grandeur and the modesty of nature; and by Edwin Landseer, the beautiful -original of a composition which the art of the engraver has made -familiar to the eye, the “Return of the Hawking Party,” a picture which -has all the romance of poetry and the antique time, and all the charm -and value of a family picture. Nor should be passed, without particular -notice, one of the most celebrated productions of the modern French -historical school--“Charles I. in the Guard Room,” by Paul Delaroche; a -truly grand picture, which Lord Francis Egerton has added to the Gallery -since 1838.--_Mrs. Jameson._ - - -THE LOST PORTRAIT OF PRINCE CHARLES, BY VELASQUEZ. - -It is well known that, in 1623, Charles, then Prince of Wales, -accompanied by his father’s favourite, George Villiers, the celebrated -Duke of Buckingham, visited Madrid, with the avowed object of wooing and -winning the Infanta. We are informed by Pacheco, that his son-in-law, -Velasquez, received one hundred crowns for taking the portrait of the -prince, probably designed as a present to his lady-love. The suit, -however, proved unsuccessful; but what became of the picture has not -been recorded, even incidentally. There is reason to suppose it was -committed to the custody of Villiers, who had at York House, which -occupied the site of Villiers, Duke, and Buckingham streets, in the -Adelphi, a splendid collection of pictures. Charles, on his return from -Spain, reached York House past midnight, on the 6th of October; and the -picture may have been left there in some private apartment, and -afterwards have gradually fallen out of mind. There was a sale of -pictures on the assassination of the first duke. Again, when the second -duke fled to the Continent, to escape the vengeance of the parliament, -he sold part of his paintings to raise money for his personal support; -and according to a catalogue of these pictures, compiled by Vertue, the -Velasquez was not among them. Subsequently, the parliament sold part of -the remaining pictures. Either at or before the death of the second -duke, a fourth sale took place. In 1697, York House was burned down; and -it is possible the missing portrait may have been in the house at this -date. - -A very interesting search after the lost treasure is detailed in a -pamphlet, extending to 228 pages, published in 1847, from which these -particulars are, in the main, condensed: - - About four years since, Mr. Snare, a bookseller, at Reading, and a - dealer in pictures, was much struck with the notice of the - long-lost portrait of Charles, by Velasquez, which occurs in Mr. - Ford’s _Hand-Book for Spain_. Not long after, Mr. Snare, - accompanied by a portrait-painter also living at Reading, went to - Radley Hall, between Abingdon and Oxford, and there, among other - pictures, saw a portrait in which he recognised the features of - Charles the First; the owner told him the figure was by Vandyke, - and the back ground by the artist’s most clever pupils; but a - dreamy conviction came over Mr. Snare that it was the missing - portrait by Velasquez. On the 25th of October, 1845, the pictures - in Radley Hall were sold by auction; Mr. Snare attended, and bought - the portrait for 8_l._, notwithstanding many picture-dealers were - present. After some delay, he took the treasure home: he put it in - all lights; he moistened it with turpentine, which strengthened his - conviction: he ran for his wife to admire it with him, and he was - wrought up to the highest pitch. - - “I was quite beside myself,” says he, “with enthusiasm. I could not - eat, and had no inclination to sleep. I sat up till three o’clock - looking at the picture; and early in the morning I rose to place - myself once more before it. I only took my eyes from the painting - to read some book that made reference to the Spaniard whom I - believed its author, or to the Flemish artist to whom, by vague - report, it was attributed.” - - To trace the pedigree of the picture was the possessor’s next - object; and, in Pennant’s _London_, he found mentioned the house of - the Earl of Fife, as standing on part of the site of the palace of - Whitehall, anciently called York House, which Mr. Snare confuses - with the York House beyond Hungerford Market, the family mansion of - the Duke of Buckingham. Among the works which adorned Fife House, - Pennant mentions-- - - “A head of Charles I., when Prince of Wales, done in Spain when he - was there in 1623 on his romantic expedition to court the Infanta. - It is supposed to have been the work of Velasco.” - - Here was some clue. Mr. Snare then traced the owner of Radley Hall - to have received the picture from a connoisseur, who in his turn - received a number of pictures from the Earl of Fife’s undertaker, - after his lordship’s funeral, in 1809. - - Next he discovered a quarto pamphlet, entitled, “Catalogue of the - Portraits and Pictures in the different houses belonging to the - Earl of Fife, 1798.” A reprint of this catalogue was then found in - the possession of Colonel Tynte, of Halewell, dated in 1807, the - only alteration being a slight addition to the preface. Colonel - Tynte remembers having been shown the pictures at Fife House, by - the Earl himself. On page 38 of the Catalogue, under the head, - “First Drawing-room,” the following entry occurs:-- - - “Charles I. when Prince of Wales. Three quarters. Painted at - Madrid, 1625, when his marriage with the Infanta was proposed. - - ---- Velasquez. This picture belonged to the Duke of Buckingham.” - - Pennant, however, speaks of the portrait as a head; but this may be - owing to confused recollection, especially as there appears to have - been in the ‘Little Drawing-room of the hall’ a head of Charles I. - by old Stone. - - Two persons, upon inspecting the portrait, next identified it as - the picture they had seen at the connoisseur’s, and at the - undertaker’s. - - The general opinion, however, seemed to be that the painting was by - Vandyke, not by Velasquez: so believed its possessor at Radley - Hall, and the experienced person who cleaned the picture for Mr. - Snare. He, on the other hand, maintains that although Vandyke was - in England for a few weeks in 1620, there is no proof that he - painted for royalty till 1632, when Charles was too old for the - portrait in question, and when any allusion to the Spanish match - would have been an insult to the nation. - - Cumberland, in his “Anecdotes of Eminent Painters in Spain,” states - that Prince Charles did not sit to Velasquez, but that he - (Velasquez) took a sketch of the prince, as he was accompanying - King Philip in the chase. Pacheco seems to have been the authority - to Cumberland, who, however, has mistranslated the passage, which - really should be “in the meantime, he also took a sketch - (_bosquexo_) of the Prince of Wales, who presented him with one - hundred crowns.” The word “sketch,” however suggests another - difficulty, for the picture itself is a fine painting on canvas. - Mr. Ford, in his _Hand Book for Spain_, comes to the rescue, when - he says that Velasquez “seems to have drawn on the canvas, for any - sketches or previous studies are not to be met with.” Still, the - picture in question is all but finished. In it can be traced the - red earthy preparation of the canvas, and the light colour over it, - which Velasquez was accustomed to introduce. The pigments also bear - decisive evidence of their belonging to the Spanish school, and - are exactly similar to the pigments used in the authenticated works - of Velasquez--“the Water Seller,” in the possession of his Grace - the Duke of Wellington; the portrait of Philip II., in the Dulwich - Gallery; and a whole-length portrait, the property of the Earl of - Ellesmere. - - Mr. Snare thus describes the painting itself:-- - - “Prince Charles is depicted in armour, decorated with the order of - St. George; the right arm rests upon a globe, and in the hand is - held a baton; the left arm is leaning upon the hip, being partly - supported by the hilt of the sword; a drapery of a yellow ground, - crossed by stripes of red, is behind the figure, but the curtain is - made to cover one half of the globe on which the right arm is - poised; the expression is tranquil; but in the distance is depicted - a siege, numerous figures being there engaged in storming a town or - fortress.” - - Some proofs of identity are traceable in the costume and - accessories. Thus, among the jewels sent to the Prince, was “a fair - sworde, which was Prince Henry’s, fully garnished with dyamondes of - several bignes.” - - Now, the hilt of the sword in the picture sparkles as if jewelled. - The drapery, which covers half of the globe, is a rich yellow - damask, with streaks of red. These are the national colours of - Spain. - - In the “Memoirs of George Villiers, first Duke of Buckingham,” p. - 17, we are told that, on the arrival of the Prince and Marquis-- - - “He (Olivarez) then complimented the Marquis, and told him, ‘Now - the Prince of England was in Spain, their masters would divide the - world between them.’ ” - - Similar mention of dividing the world between them also occurs in - notices of the above meeting in the Journals of the House of - Commons; and in Buckingham’s Narrative, in Rushworth’s Historical - Collections. This may explain the Prince leaning on the globe, - while half of it is covered by the national drapery of Spain. - Still, the globe and drapery were afterthoughts in the painting. - -The picture was exhibited for some time in Old Bond-street; but the -opinion in favour of its being by Velasquez did not gain ground among -connoisseurs: the distance has more of the painter’s manner than the -portrait itself, which is rather that of Vandyke. The pamphlet goes very -far to settle the identity of the picture with that mentioned in the -Fife House Catalogue; but the ascription may merely have been that of -the Earl of Fife; and it is somewhat strange that it should not have -been specially mentioned as the lost picture, had its identity been -positively settled. - -Since the publication of Mr. Snare’s pamphlet, Sir Edmund Head, in his -“Handbook of the History of the Spanish and French Schools of Painting,” -has expressed his disbelief in the authenticity of the picture being the -long-lost portrait; adding, first, it is not in his opinion by -Velasquez; secondly, it is a finished picture; and, thirdly, it -represents Charles as older than twenty-three years, which was his age -when at Madrid. Again, Mr. Stirling, in his “Annals of the Artists of -Spain,” published in 1848, does not consider the picture proved to be -that formerly at Fife House; nor does he regard it as a sketch, -(“bosquexo,”) but more than three parts finished. He thinks also that -Charles looks considerably older than twenty-three; and he sees “no -resemblance in the style of the execution to any of the acknowledged -works of Velasquez.” To both these objections, Mr. Snare replied, in a -second pamphlet, wherein he opposed to their opinions the cumulative -evidence of his unwearied investigations. His first pamphlet, “The -History and Pedigree”--is a singularly interesting array of presumptive -evidence.[15] - - -HAYDON’S “MOCK ELECTION.” - -While Haydon was an inmate of the King’s Bench Prison, in July, 1827, a -burlesque of an election was got up. “I was sitting in my own -apartment,” (writes the painter,) “buried in my own reflections, -melancholy, but not despairing at the darkness of my own prospects, and -the unprotected condition of my wife and children, when a tumultuous and -hearty laugh below brought me to my window. In spite of my own sorrow’s, -I laughed out heartily when I saw the occasion.” (He sketched the -grotesque scene, painted it in four months with the aid of noblemen and -friends, and the advocacy of the press, in exciting the sympathy of the -country.) “To the joint kindness of each,” wrote the painter, in -gratitude, “I owe the peace of the last five months, without which I -never could have accomplished so numerous a composition in so short a -time.” The picture proved attractive as an exhibition; still better, it -was purchased by King George IV. for 500_l._, and it was conveyed from -the Egyptian-hall to St. James’s Palace. A committee of gentlemen then -undertook Mr. Haydon’s affairs; and with the purchase-money of the -picture, and the proceeds of the exhibition, the painter was restored to -the bosom of his family. In 1828, he painted, as a companion to this -picture, “The Chairing of the Members,” which was bought by Mr. Francis, -of Exeter, for 300 guineas. - - -PORTRAITS IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM. - -The Eastern Zoological Gallery of the British Museum has its walls -decorated with an assemblage of portraits, in number upwards of one -hundred, forming, probably, the largest collection of portraits in the -kingdom. The execution of many of them is but indifferent; there are -others which are exceedingly curious; and some are unique. Great part of -them came into the Museum from having belonged to the Sloanean, -Cottonian, and other collections, which now form the magnificent -library; and others have been the gifts of individuals. Before the -rebuilding of the Museum, many of these pictures were stowed away in the -lumber-rooms and attics of the mansion; and it was principally at the -suggestion of an eminent London printseller, that they were drawn from -their “dark retreat,” cleaned, and the frames regilt, and hung in their -present position, above the cases containing the fine zoological -specimens. The Gallery itself occupies the whole of the upper story of -the wing of the edifice, and has five divisions formed by pilasters, on -the side walls, the ceilings being also divided into the same number of -compartments, which gives an harmonious proportion to the whole it -would not otherwise possess. The light comes from elevated skylights, -and it may be a question whether, taken altogether, its advantages for -the display of paintings are not superior to those of the National -Gallery, in Trafalgar-square. - -Among the portraits are those of the English Sovereigns, including -Richard II., Henry V., Margaret Countess of Richmond, Edward VI., (no -doubt an original,) and Elizabeth, by Zucchero. Here are likewise -foreign sovereigns, British statesmen, heroes, and divines, &c., -peculiarly appropriate to the place; naturalists and philosophers, -mathematicians, navigators, and travellers, whose labours have -contributed to enrich this national Museum. - - -A PAINTER OF THE DEAD. - -Bacici, a Genoese painter, in the seventeenth century, had a very -peculiar talent of producing exact likenesses of deceased persons he had -never seen. He first drew a face at random; and afterwards, altering it -in every feature, by the advice and under the inspection of those who -had known the subject, he improved it into striking resemblance. - - -COPLEY’S PORTRAITS. - -The fame of Copley as a portrait-painter is comparatively limited. I can -speak (says Dr. Dibdin) but of _four_ of his portraits from -reminiscence; those of the late Earl Spencer, Lord Sidmouth, Lord -Colchester, and the late Richard Heber, Esq.--the latter when a boy of -eight years, in the dining-room at Hodnet Hall. These portraits, with -the exception of the last, are all engraved. That of Earl Spencer, in -his full robes as a Knight of the Garter, and in the prime of his -manhood, now placed at the bottom of the great historical portrait -gallery at Althorp, must have been a striking likeness; but, like almost -all the portraits of the artist, it is too stiff and stately. The -portrait of the young Heber has, I think, considerable merit on the -score of art. There is a play of light and shadow, and the figure, with -a fine flowing head of hair, mixes up well with its accessories. He is -leaning on a cricket-bat, with a ball in one hand. The face is, to my -eye, such as I could conceive the original to have _been_, when I first -remember him a Bachelor of the Arts at Oxford, full, plump, and -athletic. In short, as Dean Swift expresses it, “if you should look at -him in his boyhood through the magnifying end of the glass, and in his -manhood through the diminishing end, it would be impossible to spy any -difference.” The contemplation of _this_ portrait has at times produced -mixed emotions of admiration, regard, and pity. - - -“BONAPARTE REVIEWING THE CONSULAR GUARD.” - -In the year 1800, M. Masquerier had occasion to go to Paris on family -matters. Like a sensible man, who made all his pursuits available to the -purposes of his profession, he conceived the happy thought of obtaining -permission to make a portrait of Bonaparte, (then First Consul,) and -afterwards portraits of his generals the whole of which were -concentrated in one grand picture, of the size of life, and exhibited -in this country as “Bonaparte Reviewing the Consular Guard.” It appears -that Masquerier, through the interest of a friend acquainted with -Josephine, got permission to be present at the Tuilleries, where he saw -Bonaparte in the _grey great-coat_, which has since been so well-known -throughout Europe. Masquerier remarked that Bonaparte’s appearance in -this costume was so different from all portraits which he had seen, that -he resolved to fix him in his sketch-book in this identical surtout, the -French thinking that the portrait of a great man must necessarily be -tricked out in finery. He sketched him just as he saw him, and carried -him to England; placing him upon a grey horse, his usual charger, and -surrounding him with his staff. The picture told in all respects. The -Prince Regent (afterwards George IV.) and Tallien, then in London on his -return from Egypt, were among the twenty-five or thirty-thousand -visitors who went to see it. Tallien left in the exhibition-room the -following testimony to the likeness of the First Consul:-- - -“_J’ai vu le portrait du General Buonaparte fait par M. Masquerier, et -je l’ai trouvé tres resemblant._” TALLIEN, _Londres, ce 24 Mars, 1801_.” - -There is a print of this picture, which is scarce. The original was -afterwards sold, to be taken to America. Masquerier netted about -1000_l._ by this speculation, but the remuneration did not overpay the -toil. Such was the reaction, from incessant application and anxiety, -that the artist was confined to his room several weeks afterwards. - - -LAWRENCE’S PORTRAIT OF CURRAN. - -One of Lawrence’s most remarkable male portraits is that of Curran: -under mean and harsh features, a genius of the highest order lay -concealed, like a sweet kernel in a rough husk; and so little of the -true man did Lawrence perceive in his first sittings, that he almost -laid down his palette in despair, in the belief that he could make -nothing but a common or vulgar work. The parting hour came, and with it -the great Irishman burst out in all his strength. He discoursed on art, -on poetry, on Ireland; his eyes flashed, and his colour heightened; and -his rough and swarthy visage seemed, in the sight of the astonished -painter, to come fully within his own notions of manly beauty. “I never -saw you till now,” said the artist, in his softest tone of voice; “you -have sat to me in a mask; do give me a sitting of Curran, the orator.” -Curran complied, and a fine portrait, with genius on its brow, was the -consequence. - -Allan Cunningham, whose Memoir of Lawrence we quote, states how he -gradually raised his prices for portraits as he advanced to fame. In -1802, his charge for a three-quarter size was thirty guineas; for a -half-length, sixty guineas; and for a whole-length, one hundred and -twenty guineas. In 1806, the three-quarters rose to fifty guineas; and -the whole length to two hundred. In 1808, he rose the smallest size to -eighty guineas, and the largest to three hundred and twenty guineas; and -in 1810, when the death of Hoppner swept all rivalry out of the way, he -increased the price of the heads to one hundred, and the full-lengths -to four hundred guineas. He knew--none better--that the opulent loved to -possess what was rare, and beyond the means of poorer men to purchase; -and the growing crowds of his sitters told him that his advance in price -had not been ill received. - - -OPIE AND NORTHCOTE. - -It was the lot of Northcote to live long in something like a state of -opposition to Opie. They were both engaged in historical pictures, by -the same adventurous alderman, (Boydell,) and acquitted themselves in a -way which, with many, left themselves in a balance. In after life, when -Opie had ceased to be in any one’s way, Northcote would recal, without -any bitterness, their days of rivalry. “Opie,” said he to Hazlitt, “was -a man of sense and observation: he paid me the compliment of saying, -that we should have been the best of friends in the world if we had not -been rivals. I think he had more feeling than I had; perhaps, because I -had most vanity. We sometimes got into foolish altercations. I -recollect, once in particular, at a banker’s in the City, we took up the -whole of dinner-time with a ridiculous controversy about Milton and -Shakspeare. I am sure neither of us had the least notion which was -right; and when I was heartily ashamed of it, a foolish citizen added to -my confusion by saying, ‘Lor! what I would give to hear two such men as -you talk every day!’ On another occasion, when on his way to Devonport, -Opie parted with him where the road branches off for Cornwall. He said -to those who were on the coach with him, ‘That’s Opie, the painter.’ ‘Is -it, indeed!’ they all cried, and upbraiding Northcote for not informing -them sooner. Upon this, he contrived, by way of experiment, to try the -influence of his own name; but his fame had not reached the enlightened -‘outsides;’ and the painter confessed he felt mortified.”--_Cunningham._ - - -ORIGIN OF KIT-KAT PICTURES. - -In Shire-lane, Temple Bar, is said to have originated the famous Kit-Kat -Club, which consisted of thirty-nine distinguished noblemen and -gentlemen zealously attached to the protestant succession of the house -of Hanover. The club is supposed to have been named from Christopher -Kat, a pastry-cook, who kept the house where the members dined; and who -excelled in making mutton-pies, which were always in the bill of fare, -these pies being called kit-kats. Jacob Tonson, the bookseller, was -secretary to the club. “You have heard of the Kit-Kat Club,” says Pope -to Spencer. Sir Richard Steele, Addison, Congreve, Garth, Vanburgh, -Manwaring, Stepney, and Walpole, belonged to it. - -Tonson, whilst secretary, caused the club meetings to be transferred to -a house belonging to himself at Barn Elms, and built a handsome room for -the accommodation of the members. The portrait of each member was -painted by Sir Godfrey Kneller; but, the apartment not being -sufficiently large to receive half-length pictures, a shorter canvas was -adopted; and hence the technical term of kit-kat size. Garth wrote the -verses for the toasting-glass of this club, which, as they are preserved -in his works, have immortalized four of the reigning beauties at the -commencement of the last century--Lady Carlisle, Lady Essex, Lady Hyde, -and Lady Wharton. - -In 1817, the club-room was standing, and was the property of Mr. Hoare, -the London banker. Sir Richard Phillips visited it at this date, when it -was sadly in decay. It was 18 feet high, and 40 feet long, by 20 wide. -The mouldings and ornaments were in the most superb fashion of the last -century; but the whole was falling to pieces from the effects of -dry-rot. There was the faded cloth-hanging of the walls, whose red -colour once set off the famous portraits of the club that hung around -it. Their marks and sizes were still visible, and the numbers and names -remained as written in chalk for the guidance of the hanger! “Thus,” -says Sir Richard, “was I, as it were, by these still legible names, -brought into personal contact with Addison, and Steele, and Congreve, -and Garth, and Dryden, and with many _hereditary_ nobles, remembered -only because they were patrons of those _natural_ nobles!--I read their -names aloud!--I invoked their departed spirits!--I was appalled by the -echo of my own voice! The holes in the floor, the forests of cobwebs in -the windows, and a swallow’s nest in the corner of the ceiling, -proclaimed that I was viewing a vision of the dreamers of a past -age--that I saw realized before me the speaking vanities of the anxious -career of man! The blood of the reader of sensibility will thrill as -mine thrilled! It was feeling without volition, and therefore incapable -of analysis!” - -Not long after this the club-room was united to a barn, to form a -riding-house. The kit-kat pictures were painted early in the eighteenth -century, and about the year 1710, were brought to this spot; but the -club-room was not built till ten or fifteen years afterwards. The -paintings were forty-two in number, and were presented by the members to -the elder Tonson, who died in 1736. He left them to his great nephew, -also an eminent bookseller, who died in 1767. They were then removed -from the building at Barn-Elms, to the house of his brother, at -Water-Oakley, near Windsor; and on his death, to the house of Mr. Baker, -of Hertingfordbury, where they were splendidly lodged, and in fine -preservation. We are not aware if the collection has been dispersed. - - -COPLEY’S LARGE PICTURE. - -Copley, the father of Lord Lyndhurst, painted a vast picture of the -Relief afforded to the Crew of the Enemy’s Gun-boats on their taking -fire at the Siege of Gibraltar. The painting was immense, and it was -managed by means of a roller, so that any portion of it, at any time, -might be easily seen or executed. The artist himself was raised on a -platform. The picture was at length completed, and a most signal mark of -royal favour was granted the painter, by his receiving permission to -erect a tent in the Green Park for its exhibition. It attracted -thousands. Beneath the principal subjects, in small, was painted Lord -Howe’s relief of the garrison of Gibraltar; and the portraits of Lords -Heathfield and Howe, (heads only,) occupied each one side of this -smaller subject. - -When Copley’s magnificent picture, afterwards hung up in the Egyptian -darkness of the Council-room in Guildhall, was first exhibited, Dr. -Dibdin one day placed himself in front of it, and was sketching the -portrait of Lord Heathfield with a pencil on the last blank page of the -catalogue, when some one to his right exclaimed, “Pretty well, but you -give too much nose.” The Doctor turned round--it was the artist himself, -who smiled, and commended his efforts. - - -SIR ROBERT KERR PORTER’S PANORAMA. - -Mr. (subsequently Sir) Robert Kerr Porter, at the age of nineteen -produced a performance at once inconceivable and unparalleled--the -panorama of _the Storming and Capture of Seringapatam_. It was not the -very first thing of its kind, because there had been a panorama of -London exhibited in Leicester Fields by Mr. Barker; but it was the very -first thing of its kind, if artist-like attainments be considered. The -learned, (says Dr. Dibdin,) were amazed, and the unlearned were -enraptured. I can never forget its impression upon my own mind. It was a -thing dropt from the clouds--all fire, energy, intelligence, and -animation. You looked a second time; the figures moved, and were -commingled in hot and bloody fight. You saw the flash of the cannon, the -glitter of the bayonet, the gleam of the falchion. You longed to be -leaping from crag to crag with Sir David Baird, who is hallooing the -men on to victory! Then again, you seemed to be listening to the groans -of the wounded and the dying--and more than one female was carried out -swooning. The oriental dress, the jewelled turban, the curved and -ponderous scimitar--these were among the prime objects of favouritism -with Sir Robert’s pencil: and he touched and treated them to the very -spirit and letter of the truth. The colouring, too, was good and sound -throughout. The accessories were strikingly characteristic--rock, earth, -and water, had its peculiar and happy touch; and the accompaniments -about the sally-port, half choked up with the bodies of the dead, made -you look on with a shuddering awe, and retreat as you shuddered. The -public poured in by hundreds and by thousands for even a transient -gaze--for such a sight was altogether as marvellous as it was novel. You -carried it home, and did nothing but think of it, talk of it, and dream -of it. And all this by a young man of nineteen. - -Miss Jane Porter, Sir Robert’s sister, wrote for Dr. Dibdin a very -interesting narrative of this extraordinary work. - - “It was two hundred and odd feet long,” says Miss Porter; “the - proportioned height I have now forgotten. But I remember, when I - first saw the vast expense of vacant canvas stretched along, or - rather in a semicircle, against the wall of the great room in the - Lyceum, where he painted it, I was terrified at the daring of his - undertaking. I could not conceive that he could cover that immense - space with the subject he intended, under a year’s time at least, - but--and it is indeed marvellous!--he did it in SIX WEEKS! But he - worked on it every day (except Sundays) during those weeks, from - sunrise until dark. It was finished during the time the committees - of the Royal Academy were sitting at Somerset House, respecting - the hanging of the pictures there for that year’s exhibition; - therefore it must have been towards the latter end of April. No - artist had seen the painting of Seringapatam during its progress; - but when it was completed, my brother invited his revered old - friend, Mr. West, (the then President of the Royal Academy,) to - come and look at the picture, and give him his opinion of it, ere - it should be opened to the public view. * * * Mr. West went over - from the Lyceum, on the morning on which he had called to see my - brother and his finished painting, to Somerset House, where the - Committee had been awaiting his presence above an hour. ‘What has - detained our President so long?’ inquired Sir Thomas Lawrence of - him, on his entrance. ‘A wonder!’ returned he, ‘a wonder of the - world!--I never saw anything like it!--a picture of two hundred - feet dimensions, painted by that boy KERR PORTER, in six weeks! and - as admirably done as it could have been by the best historical - painter amongst us in as many months!’ You, my dear Sir, need no - description of this picture; you saw it; and at the time of its - exhibition you also must have heard of, and probably also saw, some - of the affecting effects the truth of its pictorial war-tale had on - many of the female spectators. - - “After its exhibition closed, it was deposited, packed upon a - roller, in a friend’s warehouse. Thence, some circumstances caused - it to be removed successively to other places of supposed similar - security, but in one of which I believe it finally perished by the - accidental burning down of the premises. The original sketches of - this ‘noble and stupendous effort of art,’ as you so truly call it, - are now in my own possession; and you may believe I value them as - the apple of my eye. I must not forget to mention, with regard to - Seringapatam, that had our British government, at the time of my - brother’s ardour for these paintings, possessed a building large - enough for the purpose, he would have presented his country with - that picture, and three others on British historical subjects, to - form a perpetual exhibition for the benefit of its military and - naval hospitals. Mr. Pitt lamented to him the impossibility then, - of commanding such a building; so the project fell to the ground. - The last of these intended four pictures was that of ‘_The Battle - of Agincourt_,’ which my brother afterwards presented to the city - of London, where it was hung up in the Egyptian Hall of the Mansion - House. Some alterations in the room occasioned its being taken down - for a temporary purpose; but it never saw the light again until - _last year_, when (after above a dozen years oblivion in--nobody - knew where), it was accidentally found in one of the vaulted - chambers under Guildhall. When disentombed, it was hastily spread - out against one of the walls of the great hall itself, and - announced, in the newspapers, as a picture of _unknown antiquity_, - of some also unknown but evidently distinguished artist; and most - probably it had been deposited in those vaults for security, at the - _great fire of London_, and had remained there, unsuspected, ever - since! The hall was thronged, day after day, to see it; and Sir - Martin Shee told me, that so great was the mysterious valuation the - discovery had put on it, that he heard he had been quoted as having - passed his opinion on it, that ‘it was a picture worth £15,000!’ - Without proper safeguards behind the canvas, a long exposure on the - wall would have injured the picture; and it was taken down again - before I came to London, after having heard of the discovery of the - ‘_Agincourt_’--for I immediately recognised what, and whose, the - picture was--and hastened to inform the present gentlemen of the - city corporation accordingly.” - -Such is the affectionate narrative from the pen of the youthful -painter’s sister. - - -ZOFFANI AND GEORGE III. - -Zoffani was employed by George III. to paint a scene from Reynolds’s -_Speculation_, in which Quick, Munden, and Miss Wallis were introduced. -The King called at the artist’s to see the work in progress; and at last -it was done, “all but the _coat_.” The picture, however, was not sent to -the palace, and the King repeated his visit. Zoffani, with some -embarrassment, said, “It is all done but the goat.” “Don’t tell me,” -said the impatient monarch; “this is always the way. You said it was -done all but the coat the last time I was here.” “I said the goat, and -please your Majesty,” replied the artist. “Ay!” rejoined the King; “the -goat or the coat, I care not which you call it; I say I will not have -the picture,” and was about to leave the room, when Zoffani, in agony, -repeated, “It is the _goat_ that is not finished,” pointing to a picture -of a goat that hung up in a frame, as an ornament to the scene at the -theatre. The King laughed heartily at the blunder, and waited patiently -till “the goat” was finished. - - -THE TRUE FORNARINA. - -In the year 1644, Cosmo, the son of Ferdinand II. de Medici, undertook a -journey, an account of which was written at the time by Philipe -Pizzichi, his travelling chaplain. This work was published at Florence, -in 1829. It contains some curious notices of persons and things, and, -among others, what will interest every lover of the fine arts. Speaking -of Verona, the diarist mentions the Curtoni Gallery of Paintings, in -which “the picture most worthy of attention is the Lady of Raffaello, so -carefully finished by himself, and so well preserved, that it surpasses -every other.” The editor of these travels has satisfactorily shown that -Raffaello’s lady here described is the true Fornarina; so that of the -three likenesses of her said to be executed by this eminent artist, the -genuine one is the Veronese, belonging to the Curtoni Gallery, then the -property of a Lady Cavalini Brenzoni, who obtained it by inheritance. - - -HOGARTH AND BISHOP HOADLY. - -Upon pulling down the Bishop’s palace at Chelsea, many years ago, a -singular discovery was made. In a small room near the north front were -found, on the plaster of the walls, nine figures as large as life, -three men and six women, drawn in outline, with black chalk, in a bold -and animated style. Of these correct copies have been published. They -display much of the manner of Hogarth, who, it is well known, lived on -intimate terms with Bishop Hoadly, and frequently visited his lordship -at this palace; and it is supposed that these figures apply to some -incident in the Bishop’s family, or to some scene in a play. His -lordship’s partiality for the drama is well known. His brother, who -resided in Chelsea, at Cremorne House, wrote one of the best comedies in -the English language--_The Provoked Husband_. - - -SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS’S PALETTE. - -Mr. Cribb, of King-street, Covent Garden, has (1848), in his collection -of memorials of men of genius, a palette which belonged to Sir Joshua -Reynolds. It descended to Mr. Cribb from his father, who received it -from Sir Joshua’s niece, the Marchioness of Thomond. It is of plain -mahogany, and measures 11 inches by 7 inches, oblong in form, with a -sort of loop handle. - -Cunningham tells us that Sir Joshua’s sitters’ chair moved on castors, -and stood above the floor a foot and a half. He _held his palettes by a -handle_, and the sticks of his brushes were 18 inches long. The -following memoranda are dated 1755:--“For painting the flesh, black, -blue-black, white, lake, carmine, orpiment, yellow ochre, ultramarine, -and varnish. To lay the palette: first lay, carmine and white in -different degrees; second lay, orpiment and white ditto; third lay, -blue-black and white ditto. The first sitting, for expedition, make a -mixture as like the sitter’s complexion as you can.” - - -SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS’ BENEVOLENCE. - -Sir Joshua once hearing of a young artist who had become embarrassed by -an injudicious marriage, and was on the point of being arrested, -immediately hurried to his residence, to inquire into the case. The -unfortunate artist told the melancholy particulars of his situation; -adding, that £40 would enable him to compound with his creditors. After -some further conversation, Sir Joshua took his leave, telling the -distressed painter he would do something for him. When bidding him adieu -at the door, Sir Joshua took him by the hand, and, after squeezing it -cordially, hurried off with a benevolent triumph in his heart--while the -astonished and relieved artist found in his hand a banknote for £100! - - -A TRIUMPH OF PAINTING. - -The anecdotes of the dog which menaced a goat depicted by the faithful -pencil of Glover, and of the macaw, which, with beak and wings, attacked -the portrait of a female servant painted by Northcote, are well known. -Two family portraits, painted by Mr. J. P. Knight, were one day sent -home, when they were instantly recognised with great joy by a spaniel -which had been a favourite with the originals. On being taken into the -room, and perceiving the canvas thus stamped with identity even to -illusion, the faithful dog endeavoured, by every demonstration of -affection, to attract the notice of her former friends; and was with -difficulty withheld by one of the bystanders from leaping upon them, and -overwhelming them with her caresses. This interesting recognition -continued for many minutes, and was repeated on the next and following -days; until finding, doubtless, that the scent was wanting, poor -“Flossy” slunk away abashed, in evident mortification that her -well-known playfellows were so regardless of her proffered kindness. -Yet, turning upon them both alternately many a wistful look, she seemed -unwilling to be convinced, even by experience, that she had thus -mistaken the shadow for the substance. - - -MORLAND AT KENSAL-GREEN. - -The Plough public-house at Kensal-green, on the road to Harrow, was a -favourite resort of George Morland. Here this errant son of genius was -wont to indulge in deep potations. He lodged hard by, and was frequently -in company with Ward, the painter, whose example of moral steadiness was -exhibited to him in vain. While at Kensal-green, Morland fell in love -with Miss Ward, a young lady of beauty and modesty, and soon afterwards -married her; she was the sister of his friend, the painter; and to make -the family union stronger, Ward sued for the hand of Maria Morland, and -in about a month after his sister’s marriage, obtained it. - -Morland’s courtship and honeymoon drew him from the orgies at the -Plough, but on returning to the metropolis, he betook himself to his -former habits. Yet, with all his dissipation, Morland was not indolent; -as is attested by four thousand pictures, most of them of great merit, -which he painted during a life of forty years. - -Among Morland’s portraits is one which has become of peculiar historical -interest: it is a small whole-length of William the Fourth when a -midshipman. The sailor-prince is looking wistfully upon the sea, which -he loved far dearer than the cumbrous splendour of a crown. - - -ORIGIN OF THE TAPESTRY IN THE OLD HOUSE OF LORDS. - -Henry Cornelius Vroom, the Dutchman, having painted a number of devout -subjects, started for Spain to sell them; but was cast away upon a small -island near the coast of Portugal. The painter and some of the crew were -relieved by monks, who lived among the rocks, and they conducted them to -Lisbon, where Vroom was engaged by a picture-dealer to paint the storm -he had just escaped. In this picture he succeeded so well, that the -Portuguese dealer continued to employ him. He improved so much in -sea-pieces that he saved money, returned home, and applied himself -exclusively to that class of painting. He then lived at Haerlem, where -he was employed to design the suite of tapestry representing the Defeat -of the Spanish Armada, which hung for many years upon the walls of the -House of Lords, at Westminster. It had been bespoken by Lord Howard of -Effingham, the Lord High Admiral of the English Fleet, which engaged the -Armada; it was sold by him to James the First. It consisted originally -of ten compartments, forming separate pictures, each of which was -surrounded by a wrought border, including the portraits of the officers -who held command in the English fleet. This tapestry was woven, -according to Sandrart, by Francis Spiering: it was destroyed in the fire -which consumed the two Houses of Parliament, in 1834. Fortunately, -engravings from these hangings were executed by Mr. John Pine, and -published in 1739, with illustrations from charters, medals, &c. - - -MELANCHOLY OF PAINTERS. - -The following summary of the fortunes of painters is at once curious and -interesting:-- - -“One must confess that if the poets were an order of beings of too great -sensibility for this world, the painters laboured still more under this -malady of genius. Zoppo, a sculptor, having accidentally broken the -_chef d’œuvre_ of his efforts, destroyed himself. Chendi poisoned -himself, because he was only moderately applauded for the decorations of -a tournament. Louis Caracci died of mortification because he could not -set right a foot in a fresco, the wrong position of which he did not -perceive till the scaffolding was taken away. Cavedone lost his talent -from grief at his son’s death, and begged his bread from want of -commissions. Schidone, inspired with the passion of play, died of -despair to have lost all in one night. There was one who languished, and -was no more from seeing the perfection of Raphael. Torrigini, to avoid -death at the hands of the Spanish Inquisition, put an end to himself, -having broken to pieces his own statue of the Virgin, an avaricious -hidalgo, who had ordered it, higgling at the price. Bandinelli died, -losing a commission for a statue; Daniel de Volterra, from anxiety to -finish a monument to Henry IV. of France. Cellini frequently became -unwell in the course of his studies, from the excitement of his -feelings. When one sums up the history of painters with the furious and -bloody passions of a Spagnoletto, and Caravaggio, Tempeste, and -Calabrese, one must suppose all their sensibilities much stronger than -those of the rest of mankind.” - - -THE CHANDOS PORTRAIT OF SHAKSPEARE. - -This far-famed picture, believed to be the only genuine portrait of the -poet, was bought at the sale at Stowe, in the autumn of 1848, by the -Earl of Ellesmere, for 355 guineas. Its history, as stated in the -_Athenæum_ shortly after the period of the sale, is as follows:--“The -Duke of Chandos obtained it by marriage with the daughter and heiress of -a Mr. Nicholl, of Minchenden House, Southgate; Mr. Nicholl obtained it -from a Mr. Robert Keck, of the Inner Temple, who gave (the first and -best) Mrs. Barry, the actress, as Oldys tells us, forty guineas for it. -Mrs. Barry had it from Betterton, and Betterton had it from Sir William -Davenant, who was a professed admirer of Shakspeare, and not unwilling -to be thought his son. Davenant was born in 1605, and died in 1668; and -Betterton, (as every reader of Pepys will recollect,) was the great -actor, belonging to the Duke’s Theatre, of which Davenant was the -patentee. The elder brother of Davenant, (Parson Robert,) had been heard -to relate, as Aubrey informs us, that Shakspeare had often kissed Sir -William when a boy. - -“Davenant lived quite near enough to Shakspeare’s time to have obtained -a genuine portrait of the poet whom he admired--in an age, too, when the -Shakspeare mania was not so strong as it is now. There is no doubt that -this was the portrait which Davenant believed to be like Shakspeare, and -which Kneller, before 1692, copied and presented to glorious John -Dryden, who repaid the painter with one of the best of his admirable -epistles. - -“The Chandos Shakspeare is a small portrait on canvas, 22 inches long by -18 broad. The face is thoughtful, the eyes are expressive, and the hair -is of a brown black. The dress is black, with a white turnover collar, -the strings of which are loose. There is a small gold ring in the left -ear. We have had an opportunity of inspecting it both before and after -the sale, and in the very best light, and have no hesitation in saying -that the copies we have seen of it are very far from like. It agrees in -many respects--the short nose especially--with the Stratford bust, and -is not more unlike the engraving before the first folio--or the Gerard -Johnson bust on the Stratford monument--than Raeburn’s Sir Walter Scott -is unlike Sir Thomas Lawrence’s--or West’s Lord Byron unlike the better -known portrait by Phillips. It has evidently been touched upon; the -yellow oval that surrounds it has a look of Kneller’s age.” - -The opinion of the writer in the _Athenæum_ is, that the Chandos picture -is not the original for which Shakspeare sat, but a copy made for Sir -William Davenant from some known and acknowledged portrait of the poet. - - -COSTUME OF REYNOLDS’S PORTRAITS. - -Sir Joshua Reynolds has done more than any one else to vindicate the art -of portrait-painting as indigenous to our country--he has started it -afresh from its lethargy and recovered it from its errors--placed -himself at once above all his countrymen who had preceded him, and has -remained above all who have followed. Like Holbein and Vandyke, Sir -Joshua put his stamp upon the times; or rather, like a true artist and -philosopher, he took that aggregate impression which the times gave. -Each has doubtless given his sitters a character of his own; but this is -not our argument. Each has also made his sitters what the costume of the -time contributed to make them. If Vandyke’s women are dignified and -lofty, it is his doing, for he was dignified and lofty in all his -compositions; if they are also childish and trivial, it is the accident -of the costume; for he was never either in his other pictures. If -Reynolds’s sitters are all simple, earnest, and sober, it is because he -was the artist, for he was so in all he touched; if they are also -stately, refined, and intellectual, it was the effect of the costume, -for he was not so in his other conceptions. For instance, Lady St. -Asaph, with her infant, lolling on a couch, in a loose tumbled dress, -with her feet doubled under her, is sober and respectable looking--in -spite of dress and position. Mrs. Hope, in an enormous cabbage of a cap, -with her hair over her eyes, is blowsy and vulgar in spite of Reynolds. - -To our view, the average costume of Sir Joshua was excessively -beautiful. We go through a gallery of his portraits with feelings of -intense satisfaction, that there should have been a race of women who -could dress so decorously, so intellectually, and withal so becomingly. -Not a bit of the costume appeals to any of the baser instincts. There is -nothing to catch the vulgar, or fix the vicious. All is pure, noble, -serene, benevolent. They seem as if they would care for nothing we could -offer them, if our deepest reverence were not with it. We stand before -them like Satan before Eve, “stupidly good,” ready to abjure all the -fallacies of the Fathers, all the maxims of the moderns--ready to eat -our own words if they disapproved them--careless what may have been the -name or fame, family or fortune, of such lofty and lovely -creatures--yea, careless of their very beauty, for the _soul_ that -shines through it. And then to think that they are all dead!--_Quarterly -Review._ - - -SIGN PAINTERS IN THEIR PRIME. - -Before the change that took place in the general appearance of London, -soon after the accession of George III., the universal use of signs, not -only for taverns and ale-houses, but also for tradesmen, furnished no -small employment for the inferior rank of painters, and sometimes even -for the superior professors. Cotton painted several good ones; but among -the most celebrated practitioners in this branch, was a person of the -name of Lamb, who possessed a considerable degree of ability. His pencil -was bold and masterly, well adapted to the subjects on which it was -generally employed. Mr. Wale, who was one of the founders of the Royal -Academy, and appointed the first Professor of Perspective in that -institution, also painted some signs; the principal one was a -full-length of Shakspeare, about five feet high, which was executed for -and displayed before the door of a public-house at the corner of Little -Russel Street, Drury Lane. It was enclosed in a sumptuously carved gilt -frame, and suspended by rich iron-work. But this splendid object of -popular attraction did not stand long before it was taken down, in -consequence of an Act of Parliament that was passed for paving, and -removing the signs and other obstructions from, the streets of London. -Such was the total change of fashion, and the consequent disuse of -signs, that this representation of the immortal bard was sold for a -trifle to a broker, at whose door it stood for several years, until it -was totally destroyed by the weather and other accidents. - - -A BRIBE REPENTED. - -The Duchess of Kingston was very anxious to be received by some crowned -head, as the only means of relief from the disgrace fixed upon her by -her trial and conviction for bigamy. The Court of Russia was chosen, -where pictures were sent as presents, not only to the Sovereign, but to -the most powerful of the nobles. Count Tchernicheff was represented to -the Duchess as an exalted character, to whom she ought, in policy, to -pay her especial _devoirs_. Feeling the force of the observation, she -sent him two paintings. The Duchess was no judge of pictures, and a -total stranger to the value of these pieces, which were originals by -Raphael and Claude Lorraine. The Count was soon apprised of this, and, -on the arrival of the Duchess at St. Petersburg, he waited on her Grace, -and professed his gratitude for the present, at the same time assuring -the Duchess that the pictures were estimated at a value in Russian money -equal to ten thousand pounds sterling. The Duchess could with the utmost -difficulty conceal her chagrin. She told the Count “that she had other -pictures, which she should consider it an honour if he would accept; -that the two paintings in his possession were particularly the -favourites of her departed lord; but that the Count was extremely kind -in permitting them to occupy a place in his palace, until her mansion -was properly prepared.” This palpable hint was not taken. - - -PRACTICAL JOKES OF SWARTZ. - -J. Swartz, a distinguished German painter, having engaged to execute a -roof-piece in a public townhall, and to paint by the day, grew -exceedingly negligent; so that the magistrates and overseers of the work -were frequently obliged to hunt him out of the tavern. Seeing he could -not drink in quiet, he one morning stuffed a pair of stockings and shoes -corresponding with those that he wore, hung them down betwixt his -staging where he sat to work, removed them a little once or twice a-day, -and took them down at noon and night; and by means of this deception he -drank without the least disturbance a whole fortnight together, the -innkeeper being in the plot. The officers came in twice a-day to look at -him; and, seeing a pair of legs hanging down, suspected nothing, but -greatly extolled their convert Swartz as the most laborious and -conscientious painter in the world. - -Swartz had once finished an admirable picture of our Saviour’s Passion, -on a large scale, and in oil colours. A certain Cardinal was so well -pleased with it, that he resolved to bring the Pope to see it. Swartz -knew the day, and, determined to put a trick on the Pope and the -Cardinal, painted over the oil, in fine water-colours, the twelve -disciples at supper, but all together by the ears, like the Lapithæ and -the Centaurs. At the time appointed, the Pope and Cardinal came to see -the picture. Swartz conducted them to the room where it hung. They stood -amazed, and thought the painter mad. At length the Cardinal said, -“Idiot, dost thou call this a Passion?” “Certainly I do,” said Swartz. -“But,” replied the Cardinal, “show me the picture I saw when here last.” -“This is it,” said Swartz, “for I have no other finished in the house.” -The Cardinal angrily denied that it was the same. Swartz, unwilling or -afraid to carry the joke further, requested that they would retire a few -minutes out of his room. No sooner had they done so, than Swartz, with a -sponge and warm water, obliterated the whole of the water-colour -coating; then, re-introducing the Pope and the Cardinal, he presented -them with a most beautiful picture of the Passion. They stood -astonished, and thought Swartz a necromancer. At last the painter -explained the mystery; and then, as the old chroniclers say, “they knew -not which most to admire, his work or his wit.” - - -AN ENCOURAGEMENT TO FRANKNESS. - -Richardson, in his anecdotes of painting, tells the following:--“Some -years ago, a gentleman came to me to invite me to his house. ‘I have,’ -said he, ‘a picture of Rubens, and it is a rare good one. Little -H----the other day came to see it, and says it is a copy. If any one -says so again, _I’ll break his head_. Pray, Mr. Richardson, will you do -me the favour to come and _give me your real opinion of it_?’ ” - -THE END. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] Southey’s Life of John Bunyan. - -[2] In his Comic Miscellanies. - -[3] Supported by the following note, written by Dr. Parr, in his copy of -“The Letters of Junius:”--“The writer of ‘Junius’ was Mr. Lloyd, -secretary to George Grenville, and brother to Philip Lloyd, Dean of -Norwich. This will one day or other be generally acknowledged.--S. P.” - -[4] Personal Recollections of the late Daniel O’Connell, M.P. By William -J. O’N. Daunt. - -[5] See, also, an ensuing page, 120. - -[6] Johnson, by the way, had a strange nervous feeling, which made him -uneasy if he had not touched every post between the Mitre Tavern and his -own lodgings. - -[7] The house has been destroyed many years. - -[8] “The Dyotts,” notes Croker, “are a respectable and wealthy family, -still residing near Lichfield. The royalist who shot Lord Brooke when -assaulting St. Chad’s Cathedral, in Lichfield, on St. Chad’s Day, was a -Mr. Dyott.” - -[9] “I have seen,” says a Correspondent of the _Inverness Courier_, “a -copy of the second edition of Burns’s ‘Poems,’ with the blanks filled -up, and numerous alterations made in the poet’s handwriting: one -instance, not the most delicate, but perhaps the most amusing and -characteristic will suffice. After describing the gambols of his ‘Twa -Dogs,’ their historian refers to their sitting down in coarse and rustic -terms. This, of course, did not suit the poet’s Edinburgh patrons, and -he altered it to the following:-- - - ’Till tired at last, and doucer grown, - Upon a knowe they sat them down.’ - -Still this did not please his fancy; he tried again, and hit it off in -the simple, perfect form in which it now stands:-- - - ‘Until wi’ daffin weary grown, - Upon a knowe they sat them down.’ ” - - -[10] Campbell’s alterations were, generally, decided improvements; but -in one instance he failed lamentably. The noble peroration of Lochiel is -familiar to most readers:-- - - “Shall victor exult, or in death be laid low, - With his back to the field and his feet to the foe; - And leaving in battle no blot on his name, - Look proudly to heaven from the death-bed of fame.” - -In the quarto edition of _Gertrude of Wyoming_, when the poet collected -and reprinted his minor pieces, this lofty sentiment was thus -stultified:-- - - “Shall victor exult in the battle’s acclaim, - Or look to yon heaven from the death-bed of fame.” - -The original passage, however, was wisely restored in the subsequent -editions. - -[11] Abridged from “Practical Essays on the Fine Arts,” by John Burnet, -F.R.S., an acute and amusing work. - -[12] See Haydon’s graphic letter in Brownlow’s “Memoranda; or, -Chronicles of the Foundling Hospital.” - -[13] Peg Woffington was for some time President of the Club; and often, -after she had been portraying on the stage - - “The fair resemblance of a martyr queen,” - -she was to be seen in the Club-room, with a pot of porter in her hand, -and crying out, “Confusion to all order! let liberty thrive!” - -[14] The Germans are great admirers of English art, and a picture by -Wilkie has long graced the Gallery of Munich. - -[15] There hangs in the Long or Zoological Gallery of the British Museum -a portrait of Charles I., when Prince of Wales. The artist by whom this -picture was executed is unknown. Neither in the features, nor in the -thoughtful expression of countenance, does it resemble the portraits -taken in his maturer age: the melancholy which Vandyke has thrown into -the celebrated picture of the King, at Windsor Castle, is here wanting; -yet this portrait is known to have been amongst those that were sold by -order of the Commissioners of the Commonwealth, from the collection at -Whitehall. - - * * * * * - -Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber: - -just by by chance=> just by chance {pg I,98} - -snm of four hundred=> sum of four hundred {pg I,110} - -had a great gout=> had a great goût {pg I,124} - -proved his downfal=> proved his downfall {pg II,88} - -have no hesitatation=> have no hesitation {pg II,126} - - - - - - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Anecdotes about Authors and Artists, by John Timbs - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ANECDOTES ABOUT AUTHORS AND ARTISTS *** - -***** This file should be named 50156-0.txt or 50156-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/1/5/50156/ - -Produced by Chris Curnow, ChuckGreif and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Anecdotes about Authors and Artists - -Author: John Timbs - -Release Date: October 8, 2015 [EBook #50156] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ANECDOTES ABOUT AUTHORS AND ARTISTS *** - - - - -Produced by Chris Curnow, ChuckGreif and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="240" height="366" alt="cover" title="" /> -</div> - -<table border="2" cellpadding="05" cellspacing="0" summary=""> - -<tr><td>Contents: -<a href="#Part_I">Part I.</a>, -<a href="#Part_II">Part II.</a></td></tr> -</table> - -<h1>A N E C D O T E S<br /> -<a name="page_I_001" id="page_I_001"></a> -<small><small>ABOUT</small></small><br /> -AUTHORS,<br /> -<small><small>AND</small></small><br /> -A R T I S T S.</h1> -<p class="cb">BY<br /> -<span class="sans">JOHN TIMBS.</span><br /> -<br /> -<img src="images/colophon.png" -width="100" -height="115" -alt="colophon" -/><br /><br /> -<span class="smcap">London</span>:<br /> -DIPROSE & BATEMAN, SHEFFIELD STREET,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Lincoln’s Inn Fields</span>. -<a name="page_I_002" id="page_I_002"></a><br /><br /> -LONDON:<br /> - -DIPROSE, BATEMAN AND CO., PRINTERS,<br /> - -LINCOLN’S INN FIELDS. -</p> - -<p><a name="page_I_003" id="page_I_003"></a></p> -<h2><a name="Part_I" id="Part_I"></a></h2> - -<div class="boxx"> -<p class="head2"> -ANECDOTES<br /> -<br /> -ABOUT<br /> -<br /> -BOOKS<br /> -<br /> -AND<br /> -<br /> -AUTHORS.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap">Part I.</span><br /> -</p> -</div> - -<p><a name="page_I_005" id="page_I_005"></a> -<a name="page_I_004" id="page_I_004"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3><a name="NOTE" id="NOTE"></a>NOTE.</h3> - -<p class="nind">T<small>HIS</small> collection of anecdotes, illustrative sketches, and <i>memorabilia</i> -generally, relating to the ever fresh and interesting subject of <span class="smcap">Books -and Authors</span>, is not presented as complete, nor even as containing all -the choice material of its kind. The field from which one may gather is -so wide and fertile, that any collection warranting such a claim would -far exceed the compass of many volumes, much less of this little book. -It has been sought to offer, in an acceptable and convenient form, some -of the more remarkable or interesting literary facts or incidents with -which one individual, in a somewhat extended reading, has been struck; -some of the passages which he has admired; some of the anecdotes and -jests that have amused him and may amuse others; some of the -reminiscences that it has most pleased him to dwell upon. For no very -great portion of the contents of this volume, is the claim to -originality of subject-matter advanced. The collection, however, is -submitted with some confidence that it may be found as interesting, as -accurate, and as much guided by good taste, as it has been endeavoured -to make it.<a name="page_I_007" id="page_I_007"></a><a name="page_I_006" id="page_I_006"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="BOOKS_AND_AUTHORS" id="BOOKS_AND_AUTHORS"></a>BOOKS AND AUTHORS.</h2> - -<p class="c"><i>CURIOUS FACTS AND CHARACTERISTIC SKETCHES.</i></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>THE FINDING OF JOHN EVELYN’S MS. DIARY AT WOTTON.</h3> - -<p class="nind">T<small>HE</small> MS. Diary, or “Kalendarium,” of the celebrated John Evelyn lay among -the family papers at Wotton, in Surrey, from the period of his death, in -1706, until their rare interest and value were discovered in the -following singular manner.</p> - -<p>The library at Wotton is rich in curious books, with notes in John -Evelyn’s handwriting, as well as papers on various subjects, and -transcripts of letters by the philosopher, who appears never to have -employed an amanuensis. The arrangement of these treasures was, many -years since, entrusted to the late Mr. Upcott, of the London -Institution, who made a complete catalogue of the collection.</p> - -<p>One afternoon, as Lady Evelyn and a female companion<a name="page_I_008" id="page_I_008"></a> were seated in one -of the fine old apartments of Wotton, making feather tippets, her -ladyship pleasantly observed to Mr. Upcott, “You may think this -feather-work a strange way of passing time: it is, however, my hobby; -and I dare say you, too, Mr. Upcott, have <i>your hobby</i>.” The librarian -replied that his favourite pursuit was the collection of the autographs -of eminent persons. Lady Evelyn remarked, that in all probability the -MSS. of “<i>Sylva</i>” Evelyn would afford Mr. Upcott some amusement. His -reply may be well imagined. The bell was rung, and a servant desired to -bring the papers from a lumber-room of the old mansion; and from one of -the baskets so produced was brought to light the manuscript Diary of -John Evelyn—one of the most finished specimens of autobiography in the -whole compass of English literature.</p> - -<p>The publication of the Diary, with a selection of familiar letters, and -private correspondence, was entrusted to Mr. William Bray, F.S.A.; and -the last sheets of the MS., with a dedication to Lady Evelyn, were -actually in the hands of the printer at the hour of her death. The work -appeared in 1818; and a volume of Miscellaneous Papers, by Evelyn, was -subsequently published, under Mr. Upcott’s editorial superintendence.</p> - -<p>Wotton House, though situate in the angle of two valleys, is actually on -part of Leith Hill, the rise from thence being very gradual. Evelyn’s -“Diary” contains a pen-and-ink sketch of the mansion as it appeared in -1653.<a name="page_I_009" id="page_I_009"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>FAMILIES OF LITERARY MEN.</h3> - -<p>A <i>Quarterly</i> Reviewer, in discussing an objection to the Copyright Bill -of Mr. Sergeant Talfourd, which was taken by Sir Edward Sugden, gives -some curious particulars of the progeny of literary men. “We are not,” -says the writer, “going to speculate about the causes of the fact; but a -fact it is, that men distinguished for extraordinary intellectual power -of any sort rarely leave more than a very brief line of progeny behind -them. Men of genius have scarcely ever done so; men of imaginative -genius, we might say, almost never. With the one exception of the noble -Surrey, we cannot, at this moment, point out a representative in the -male line, even so far down as the third generation, of any English -poet; and we believe the case is the same in France. The blood of beings -of that order can seldom be traced far down, even in the female line. -With the exception of Surrey and Spenser, we are not aware of any great -English author of at all remote date, from whose body any living person -claims to be descended. There is no real English poet prior to the -middle of the eighteenth century; and we believe no great author of any -sort, except Clarendon and Shaftesbury, of whose blood we have any -inheritance amongst us. Chaucer’s only son died childless; Shakspeare’s -line expired in his daughter’s only daughter. None of the other -dramatists of that age left any progeny; nor Raleigh, nor Bacon, nor -Cowley, nor Butler. The grand-daughter of Milton was the last of his -blood. Newton, Locke, Pope,<a name="page_I_010" id="page_I_010"></a> Swift, Arbuthnot, Hume, Gibbon, Cowper, -Gray, Walpole, Cavendish (and we might greatly extend the list), never -married. Neither Bolingbroke, nor Addison, nor Warburton, nor Johnson, -nor Burke, transmitted their blood. One of the arguments against a -<i>perpetuity</i> in literary property is, that it would be founding another -<i>noblesse</i>. Neither jealous aristocracy nor envious Jacobinism need be -under such alarm. When a human race has produced its ‘bright, consummate -flower’ in this kind, it seems commonly to be near its end.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>THE BLUE-STOCKING CLUB.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Towards</span> the close of the last century, there met at Mrs. Montague’s a -literary assembly, called “The Blue-Stocking Club,” in consequence of -one of the most admired of the members, Mr. Benjamin Stillingfleet, -always wearing <i>blue stockings</i>. The appellation soon became general as -a name for pedantic or ridiculous literary ladies. Hannah More wrote a -volume in verse, entitled <i>The Bas Bleu: or Conversation</i>. It proceeds -on the mistake of a foreigner, who, hearing of the Blue-Stocking Club, -translated it literally <i>Bas Bleu</i>. Johnson styled this poem “a great -performance.” The following couplets have been quoted, and remembered, -as terse and pointed:—</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“In men this blunder still you find,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">All think their little set mankind.”<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Small habits well pursued betimes,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">May reach the dignity of crimes.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p><a name="page_I_011" id="page_I_011"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>DR. JOHNSON AND HANNAH MORE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">When</span> Hannah More came to London in 1773, or 1774, she was domesticated -with Garrick, and was received with favour by Johnson, Reynolds, and -Burke. Her sister has thus described her first interview with Johnson:—</p> - -<p>“We have paid another visit to Miss Reynolds; she had sent to engage Dr. -Percy, (‘Percy’s Collection,’ now you know him), quite a sprightly -modern, instead of a rusty antique, as I expected: he was no sooner gone -than the most amiable and obliging of women, Miss Reynolds, ordered the -coach to take us to Dr. Johnson’s very own house: yes, Abyssinian -Johnson! Dictionary Johnson! Ramblers, Idlers, and Irene Johnson! Can -you picture to yourselves the palpitation of our hearts as we approached -his mansion? The conversation turned upon a new work of his just going -to the press (the ‘Tour to the Hebrides’), and his old friend -Richardson. Mrs. Williams, the blind poet, who lives with him, was -introduced to us. She is engaging in her manners, her conversation -lively and entertaining. Miss Reynolds told the Doctor of all our -rapturous exclamations on the road. He shook his scientific head at -Hannah, and said she was ‘a silly thing.’ When our visit was ended, he -called for his hat, as it rained, to attend us down a very long entry to -our coach, and not Rasselas could have acquitted himself more <i>en -cavalier</i>. I forgot to mention, that not finding Johnson in his little -parlour when we came in, Hannah seated herself in his great chair<a name="page_I_012" id="page_I_012"></a> -hoping to catch a little ray of his genius: when he heard it, he laughed -heartily, and told her it was a chair on which he never sat. He said it -reminded him of Boswell and himself when they stopped a night, as they -imagined, where the weird sisters appeared to Macbeth. The idea so -worked on their enthusiasm, that it quite deprived them of rest. -However, they learned the next morning, to their mortification, that -they had been deceived, and were quite in another part of the country.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>MISS MITFORD’S FAREWELL TO THREE MILE CROSS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">When</span> Miss Mitford left her rustic cottage at Three Mile Cross, and -removed to Reading, (the Belford Regis of her novel), she penned the -following beautiful picture of its homely joys:—</p> - -<p>“Farewell, then, my beloved village! the long, straggling street, gay -and bright on this sunny, windy April morning, full of all implements of -dirt and mire, men, women, children, cows, horses, wagons, carts, pigs, -dogs, geese, and chickens—busy, merry, stirring little world, farewell! -Farewell to the winding, up-hill road, with its clouds of dust, as -horsemen and carriages ascend the gentle eminence, its borders of turf, -and its primrosy hedges! Farewell to the breezy common, with its islands -of cottages and cottage-gardens; its oaken avenues, populous with rooks; -its clear waters fringed with gorse, where lambs are straying; its -cricket-ground where children already linger, anticipating their summer -revelry; its pretty<a name="page_I_013" id="page_I_013"></a> boundary of field and woodland, and distant farms; -and latest and best of its ornaments, the dear and pleasant mansion -where dwelt the neighbours, the friends of friends; farewell to ye all! -Ye will easily dispense with me, but what I shall do without you, I -cannot imagine. Mine own dear village, farewell!”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>SMOLLETT’S “HUGH STRAP.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">In</span> the year 1809 was interred, in the churchyard of St. Martin’s-in-the -Fields, the body of one Hew Hewson, who died at the age of 85. He was -the original of Hugh Strap, in Smollett’s <i>Roderick Random</i>. Upwards of -forty years he kept a hair-dresser’s shop in St. Martin’s parish; the -walls were hung round with Latin quotations, and he would frequently -point out to his customers and acquaintances the several scenes in -<i>Roderick Random</i> pertaining to himself, which had their origin, not in -Smollett’s inventive fancy, but in truth and reality. The meeting in a -barber’s shop at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the subsequent mistake at the inn, -their arrival together in London, and the assistance they experienced -from Strap’s friend, are all facts. The barber left behind an annotated -copy of <i>Roderick Random</i>, showing how far we are indebted to the genius -of the author, and to what extent the incidents are founded in reality.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>COLLINS’S POEMS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Mr. John Ragsdale</span>, of Richmond, in Surrey, who was the intimate friend -of Collins, states that some of his Odes were written while on a visit -at his, Mr.<a name="page_I_014" id="page_I_014"></a> Ragsdale’s house. The poet, however, had such a poor -opinion of his own productions, that after showing them to Mr. Ragsdale, -he would snatch them from him, and throw them into the fire; and in this -way, it is believed, many of Collins’s finest pieces were destroyed. -Such of his Odes as were published, on his own account in 1746, were not -popular; and, disappointed at the slowness of the sale, the poet burnt -the remaining copies with his own hands.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>CAPTAIN MORRIS’S SONGS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Alas</span>! poor Morris—writes one—we knew him well. Who that has once read -or heard his songs, can forget their rich and graceful imagery; the -fertile fancy, the touching sentiment, and the “soul reviving” melody, -which characterize every line of these delightful lyrics? Well do we -remember, too, his “old buff waistcoat,” his courteous manner, and his -gentlemanly pleasantry, long after this Nestor of song had retired to -enjoy the delights of rural life, despite the prayer of his racy verse:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“In town let me live, then, in town let me die;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">For in truth I can’t relish the country, not I.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">If one must have a villa in summer to dwell,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Oh! give me the sweet, shady side of Pall Mall.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>Captain Morris was born about the middle of the last century, and -outlived the majority of the <i>bon vivant</i> society which he gladdened -with his genius, and lit up with his brilliant humour.</p> - -<p>Yet, many readers of the present generation may<a name="page_I_015" id="page_I_015"></a> ask, “Who was Captain -Morris?” He was born of good family, in the celebrated year 1745, and -appears to have inherited a taste for literary composition; for his -father composed the popular song of <i>Kitty Crowder</i>.</p> - -<p>For more than half a century, Captain Morris moved in the first circles. -He was the “sun of the table” at Carlton House, as well as at Norfolk -House; and attaching himself politically, as well as convivially, to his -dinner companions, he composed the celebrated ballads of “Billy’s too -young to drive us,” and “Billy Pitt and the Farmer,” which continued -long in fashion, as brilliant satires upon the ascendant politics of -their day. His humorous ridicule of the Tories was, however, but ill -repaid by the Whigs upon their accession to office; at least, if we may -trust the beautiful ode of “The Old Whig Poet to his Old Buff -Waistcoat.” We are not aware of this piece being included in any edition -of the “Songs.” It bears date “G. R., August 1, 1815;” six years -subsequent to which we saw it among the papers of the late Alexander -Stephens.</p> - -<p>Captain Morris’s “Songs” were very popular. In 1830, we possessed a copy -of the 24th edition; we remember one of the ditties to have been “sung -by the Prince of Wales to a certain lady,” to the air of “There’s a -difference between a beggar and a queen.” Morris’s finest Anacreontic, -is the song <i>Ad Poculum</i>, for which he received the gold cup of the -Harmonic Society:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Come thou soul-reviving cup!<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Try thy healing art;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Stir the fancy’s visions up,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">And warm my wasted heart.<a name="page_I_016" id="page_I_016"></a><br /></span> -<span class="i1">Touch with freshening tints of bliss<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Memory’s fading dream;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Give me, while thy lip I kiss,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">The heaven that’s in thy stream.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>Of the famous Beefsteak Club, (at first limited to twenty-four members, -but increased to twenty-five, to admit the Prince of Wales,) Captain -Morris was the laureat; of this “Jovial System” he was the intellectual -centre. In the year 1831, he bade adieu to the club, in some spirited -stanzas, though penned at “an age far beyond mortal lot.” In 1835, he -was permitted to revisit the club, when they presented him with a large -silver bowl, appropriately inscribed.</p> - -<p>It would not be difficult to string together gems from the Captain’s -Lyrics. In “The Toper’s Apology”, one of his most sparkling songs, -occurs this brilliant version of Addison’s comparison of wits with -flying fish:—</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“My Muse, too, when her wings are dry,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">No frolic flight will take;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">But round a bowl she’ll dip and fly,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Like swallows round a lake.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Then, if the nymph will have her share<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Before she’ll bless her swain,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Why that I think’s a reason fair<br /></span> -<span class="i2">To fill my glass again.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>Many years since, Captain Morris retired to a villa at Brockham, near -the foot of Box Hill, in Surrey. This property, it is said, was -presented to him by his old friend, the Duke of Norfolk. Here the -Captain “drank the pure pleasures of the rural life” long after many a -bright light of his own time had flickered out, and become almost -forgotten; even “the sweet, shady side of Pall Mall” had almost -disappeared, and with it<a name="page_I_017" id="page_I_017"></a> the princely house whereat he was wont to -shine. He died July 11, 1835, in his ninety-third year, of internal -inflammation of only four days.</p> - -<p>Morris presented a rare combination of mirth and prudence, such as human -conduct seldom offers for our imitation. He retained his <i>gaieté de -cœur</i> to the last; so that, with equal truth and spirit, he -remonstrated:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“When life charms my heart, must I kindly be told,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">I’m too gay and too happy for one that’s so old.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>Captain Morris left his autobiography to his family; but it has not been -published.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>LITERARY DINNERS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Incredible</span> as it may appear, it is sometimes stated very confidently, -that English authors and actors who give dinners, are treated with -greater indulgence by certain critics than those who do not. But, it has -never been said that any critical journal in England, with the slightest -pretensions to respectability, was in the habit of levying black mail in -this Rob Roy fashion, upon writers or articles of any kind. Yet it is -alleged, on high authority, that many of the French critical journals -are or were principally supported from such a source. For example, there -is a current anecdote to the effect that when the celebrated singer -Nourrit died, the editor of one of the musical reviews waited on his -successor, Duprez, and, with a profusion of compliments and apologies, -intimated to him that Nourrit had invariably allowed 2000 francs a year -to the review. Duprez, taken rather aback, expressed<a name="page_I_018" id="page_I_018"></a> his readiness to -allow half that sum. “<i>Bien, monsieur</i>,” said the editor, with a shrug, -“<i>mais, parole d’honneur, j’y perds mille francs</i>.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>POPULARITY OF THE PICKWICK PAPERS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Mr. Davy</span>, who accompanied Colonel Cheney up the Euphrates, was for a -time in the service of Mehemet Ali Pacha. “Pickwick” happening to reach -Davy while he was at Damascus, he read a part of it to the Pacha, who -was so delighted with it, that Davy was, on one occasion, called up in -the middle of the night to finish the reading of the chapter in which he -and the Pacha had been interrupted. Mr. Davy read, in Egypt, upon -another occasion, some passages from these unrivalled “Papers” to a -blind Englishman, who was in such ecstasy with what he heard, that he -exclaimed he was almost thankful he could not see he was in a foreign -country; for that while he listened, he felt completely as though he -were again in England.—<i>Lady Chatterton.</i></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>SWIFT’S DISAPPOINTMENT</h3> - -<p>“I remember when I was a little boy, (writes Swift in a letter to -Bolingbroke,) I felt a great fish at the end of my line, which I drew up -almost on the ground, but it dropt in, and the disappointment vexes me -to this day; and I believe it was the type of all my future -disappointments.”</p> - -<p>“This little incident,” writes Percival, “perhaps<a name="page_I_019" id="page_I_019"></a> gave the first wrong -bias to a mind predisposed to such impressions; and by operating with so -much strength and permanency, it might possibly lay the foundation of -the Dean’s subsequent peevishness, passion, misanthropy, and final -insanity.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>LEIGH HUNT AND THOMAS CARLYLE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> following characteristic story of these two “intellectual -gladiators” is related in “A New Spirit of the Age.”</p> - -<p>Leigh Hunt and Carlyle were once present among a small party of equally -well known men. It chanced that the conversation rested with these two, -both first-rate talkers, and the others sat well pleased to listen. -Leigh Hunt had said something about the islands of the Blest, or El -Dorado, or the Millennium, and was flowing on in his bright and hopeful -way, when Carlyle dropt some heavy tree-trunk across Hunt’s pleasant -stream, and banked it up with philosophical doubts and objections at -every interval of the speaker’s joyous progress. But the unmitigated -Hunt never ceased his overflowing anticipations, nor the saturnine -Carlyle his infinite demurs to those finite flourishings. The listeners -laughed and applauded by turns; and had now fairly pitted them against -each other, as the philosopher of Hopefulness and of the Unhopeful. The -contest continued with all that ready wit and philosophy, that mixture -of pleasantry and profundity, that extensive knowledge of books and -character, with their ready application in argument or illustration, -and<a name="page_I_020" id="page_I_020"></a> that perfect ease and good-nature, which distinguish each of these -men. The opponents were so well matched, that it was quite clear the -contest would never come to an end. But the night was far advanced, and -the party broke up. They all sallied forth; and leaving the close room, -the candles and the arguments behind them, suddenly found themselves in -presence of a most brilliant star-light night. They all looked up. -“Now,” thought Hunt, “Carlyle’s done for!—he can have no answer to -that!” “There!” shouted Hunt, “look up there! look at that glorious -harmony, that sings with infinite voices an eternal song of hope in the -soul of man.” Carlyle looked up. They all remained silent to hear what -he would say. They began to think he was silenced at last—he was a -mortal man. But out of that silence came a few low-toned words, in a -broad Scotch accent. And who, on earth, could have anticipated what the -voice said? “Eh! it’s a <i>sad</i> sight!”—— Hunt sat down on a stone step. -They all laughed—then looked very thoughtful. Had the finite measured -itself with infinity, instead of surrendering itself up to the -influence? Again they laughed—then bade each other good night, and -betook themselves homeward with slow and serious pace. There might be -some reason for sadness, too. That brilliant firmament probably -contained infinite worlds, each full of struggling and suffering -beings—of beings who had to die—for life in the stars implies that -those bright worlds should also be full of graves; but all that life, -like ours, knowing not whence it came, nor whither it goeth, and the -brilliant Universe in its great Movement<a name="page_I_021" id="page_I_021"></a> having, perhaps, no more -certain knowledge of itself, nor of its ultimate destination, than hath -one of the suffering specks that compose this small spot we inherit.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>COWPER’S POEMS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Johnson</span>, the publisher in St. Paul’s Churchyard, obtained the copyright -of Cowper’s Poems, which proved a great source of profit to him, in the -following manner:—One evening, a relation of Cowper’s called upon -Johnson with a portion of the MS. poems, which he offered for -publication, provided Johnson would publish them at his own risk, and -allow the author to have a few copies to give to his friends. Johnson -read the poems, approved of them, and accordingly published them. Soon -after they had appeared, there was scarcely a reviewer who did not load -them with the most scurrilous abuse, and condemn them to the butter -shops; and the public taste being thus terrified or misled, these -charming effusions stood in the corner of the publisher’s shop as an -unsaleable pile for a long time.</p> - -<p>At length, Cowper’s relation called upon Johnson with another bundle of -the poet’s MS., which was offered and accepted upon the same terms as -before. In this fresh collection was the poem of the “Task.” Not alarmed -at the fate of the former publication, but thoroughly assured of the -great merit of the poems, they were published. The tone of the reviewers -became changed, and Cowper was hailed as the first poet<a name="page_I_022" id="page_I_022"></a> of the age. The -success of this second publication set the first in motion. Johnson -immediately reaped the fruits of his undaunted judgment; and Cowper’s -poems enriched the publisher, when the poet was in languishing -circumstances. In October, 1812, the copyright of Cowper’s poems was put -up to sale among the London booksellers, in thirty-two shares. Twenty of -the shares were sold at 212<i>l.</i> each. The work, consisting of two octavo -volumes, was satisfactorily proved at the sale to net 834<i>l.</i> per annum. -It had only two years of copyright; yet this same copyright produced the -sum of 6764<i>l.</i></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>HEARNE’S LOVE OF ALE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Thomas Warton</span>, in his Account of Oxford, relates that at the sign of -Whittington and his Cat, the laborious antiquary, Thomas Hearne, “one -evening suffered himself to be overtaken in liquor. But, it should be -remembered, that this accident was more owing to his love of antiquity -than of ale. It happened that the kitchen where he and his companion -were sitting was neatly paved with sheep’s trotters disposed in various -compartments. After one pipe, Mr. Hearne, consistently with his usual -gravity and sobriety, rose to depart; but his friend, who was inclined -to enjoy more of his company, artfully observed, that the floor on which -they were then sitting was no less than an original tesselated Roman -pavement. Out of respect to classic ground, and on recollection that the -Stunsfield Roman pavement, on which he had just published a -dissertation, was dedicated to<a name="page_I_023" id="page_I_023"></a> Bacchus, our antiquary cheerfully -complied; an enthusiastic transport seized his imagination; he fell on -his knees and kissed the sacred earth, on which, in a few hours, and -after a few tankards, by a sort of sympathetic attraction, he was -obliged to repose for some part of the evening. His friend was, -probably, in the same condition; but two printers accidentally coming -in, conducted Mr. Hearne, between them, to Edmund’s Hall, with much -state and solemnity.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>SHERIDAN’S WIT.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Sheridan’s</span> wit was eminently brilliant, and almost always successful; it -was, like all his speaking, exceedingly prepared, but it was skilfully -introduced and happily applied; and it was well mingled, also, with -humour, occasionally descending to farce. How little it was the -inspiration of the moment all men were aware who knew his habits; but a -singular proof of this was presented to Mr. Moore, when he came to write -his life; for we there find given to the world, with a frankness which -must have almost made their author shake in his grave, the secret -note-books of this famous wit; and are thus enabled to trace the jokes, -in embryo, with which he had so often made the walls of St. Stephen’s -shake, in a merriment excited by the happy appearance of sudden -unpremeditated effusion.—<i>Lord Brougham.</i></p> - -<p>Take an instance from this author, giving extracts from the common-place -book of the wit:—“He employs his fancy in his narrative, and keeps his -recollections<a name="page_I_024" id="page_I_024"></a> for his wit.” Again, the same idea is expanded into “When -he makes his jokes, you applaud the accuracy of his memory, and ’tis -only when he states his facts that you admire the flights of his -imagination.” But the thought was too good to be thus wasted on the -desert air of a common-place book. So, forth it came, at the expense of -Kelly, who, having been a composer of music, became a wine-merchant. -“You will,” said the <i>ready</i> wit, “import your music and compose your -wine.” Nor was this service exacted from the old idea thought -sufficient; so, in the House of Commons, an easy and, apparently, -off-hand parenthesis was thus filled with it, at Mr. Dundas’s cost and -charge, “who generally resorts to his memory for his jokes, and to his -imagination for his facts.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>SMOLLETT’S HISTORY OF ENGLAND.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> man of genius among trading authors, before he began his History of -England, wrote to the Earl of Shelburne, then in the Whig -Administration, offering, if the Earl would procure for his work the -patronage of the Government, he would accommodate his politics to the -Ministry; but if not, that he had high promises of support from the -other party. Lord Shelburne, of course, treated the proffered support of -a writer of such accommodating principles with contempt; and the work of -Smollett, accordingly, became distinguished for its high Toryism. The -history was published in sixpenny weekly numbers, of which 20,000 copies -were sold immediately. This extraordinary<a name="page_I_025" id="page_I_025"></a> popularity was created by the -artifice of the publisher. He is stated to have addressed a packet of -the specimens of the publication to every parish-clerk in England, -carriage-free, with half-a-crown enclosed as a compliment, to have them -distributed through the pews of the church: this being generally done, -many people read the specimens instead of listening to the sermon, and -the result was an universal demand for the work.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>MAGNA CHARTA RECOVERED.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> transcript of Magna Charta, now in the British Museum, was -discovered by Sir Robert Cotton in the possession of his tailor, who was -just about to cut the precious document out into “measures” for his -customers. Sir Robert redeemed the valuable curiosity at the price of -old parchment, and thus recovered what had long been supposed to be -irretrievably lost.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>FOX AND GIBBON.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">When</span> Mr. Fox’s furniture was sold by auction, after his decease in 1806, -amongst his books there was the first volume of his friend Gibbon’s -<i>Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire</i>: by the title-page, it appeared -to have been presented by the author to Fox, who, on the blank leaf, had -written this anecdote of the historian:—“The author, at Brookes’s, said -there was no salvation for this country until six heads of the principal -persons in administration were laid upon the table. Eleven days after, -this same gentleman accepted<a name="page_I_026" id="page_I_026"></a> a place of lord of trade under those very -ministers, and has acted with them ever since!” Such was the avidity of -bidders for the most trifling production of Fox’s genius, that, by the -addition of this little record, the book sold for three guineas.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>DR. JOHNSON’S PRIDE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Sir Joshua Reynolds</span> used to relate the following characteristic anecdote -of Johnson:—About the time of their early acquaintance, they met one -evening at the Misses Cotterell’s, when the Duchess of Argyll and -another lady of rank came in. Johnson, thinking that the Misses -Cotterell were too much engrossed by them, and that he and his friend -were neglected as low company, of whom they were somewhat ashamed, grew -angry, and, resolving to shock their suspected pride, by making the -great visitors imagine they were low indeed, Johnson addressed himself -in a loud tone to Reynolds, saying, “How much do you think you and I -could get in a week if we were to work as hard as we could?” just as -though they were ordinary mechanics.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>LORD BYRON’S “CORSAIR.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> Earl of Dudley, in his <i>Letters</i>, (1814) says:—“To me Byron’s -<i>Corsair</i> appears the best of all his works. Rapidity of execution is no -sort of apology for doing a thing ill, but when it is done well, the -wonder is so much the greater. I am told he wrote<a name="page_I_027" id="page_I_027"></a> this poem at ten -sittings—certainly it did not take him more than three weeks. He is a -most extraordinary person, and yet there is G. Ellis, who don’t feel his -merit. His creed in modern poetry (I should have said <i>contemporary</i>) is -Walter Scott, all Walter Scott, and nothing but Walter Scott. I cannot -say how I hate this petty, factious spirit in literature—it is so -unworthy of a man so clever and so accomplished as Ellis undoubtedly -is.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>BOOKSELLERS IN LITTLE BRITAIN.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Little</span> Britain, anciently Breton-street, from the mansion of the Duke of -Bretagne on that spot, in more modern times became the “Paternoster-row” -of the booksellers; and a newspaper of 1664 states them to have -published here within four years, 464 pamphlets. One Chiswell, resident -here in 1711, was the metropolitan bookseller, “the Longman” of his -time; and here lived Rawlinson (“Tom Folio” of <i>The Tatler</i>, No. 158), -who stuffed four chambers in Gray’s Inn so full, that his bed was -removed into the passage. John Day, the famous early printer, lived -“over Aldersgate.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>RECONCILING THE FATHERS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">A</span> Dean of Gloucester having some merry divines at dinner with him one -day, amongst other discourses they were talking of reconciling the -Fathers on some points; he told them he could show them the best way in -the world to reconcile them on all points of difference; so, after -dinner, he carried them into his study,<a name="page_I_028" id="page_I_028"></a> and showed them all the -Fathers, classically ordered, with a quart of sack betwixt each of them.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>DR. PARR AND SIR JAMES MACKINTOSH.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Sir James</span> once asked Dr. Parr to join him in a drive in his gig. The -horse growing restive—“Gently, Jemmy,” the Doctor said; “don’t irritate -him; always soothe your horse, Jemmy. You’ll do better without me. Let -me down, Jemmy!” But once safe on the ground—“Now, Jemmy,” said the -Doctor, “touch him up. Never let a horse get the better of you. Touch -him up, conquer him, do not spare him. And now I’ll leave you to manage -him; I’ll walk back.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>SIR JAMES MACKINTOSH’S HUMOUR.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Sir James Mackintosh</span> had a great deal of humour; and, among many other -examples of it, he kept a dinner-party at his own house for two or three -hours in a roar of laughter, playing upon the simplicity of a Scotch -cousin, who had mistaken the Rev. Sydney Smith for his gallant synonym, -the hero of Acre.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>WRITINGS OF LOPE DE VEGA.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> number of Lope de Vega’s works has been strangely exaggerated by -some, but by others reduced to about one-sixth of the usual statement. -Upon this computation it will be found that some of his contemporaries -were as prolific as himself. Vincent Mariner, a friend of Lope, left -behind him 360 quires of paper full of his own compositions, in a -writing so exceedingly<a name="page_I_029" id="page_I_029"></a> small, and so exceedingly bad, that no person -but himself could read it. Lord Holland has given a facsimile of Lope’s -handwriting, and though it cannot be compared to that of a dramatist of -late times, one of whose plays, in the original manuscript, is said to -be a sufficient load for a porter, it is evident that one of Mariner’s -pages would contain as much as a sheet of his friend’s, which would, as -nearly as possible, balance the sum total. But, upon this subject, an -epigram by Quarles may be applied, written upon a more serious theme:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“In all our prayers the Almighty does regard<br /></span> -<span class="i1">The judgment of the <i>balance</i>, not the <i>yard</i>;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">He loves not words, but matter; ’tis his pleasure<br /></span> -<span class="i1">To buy his wares by <i>weight</i>, not by measure.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>With regard to the quantity of Lope’s writings, a complete edition of -them would not much, if at all, exceed those of Voltaire, who, in labour -of composition, for he sent nothing into the world carelessly, must have -greatly exceeded Lope. And the labours of these men shrink into -insignificance when compared to those of some of the schoolmen and of -the Fathers.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>POPULARITY OF LOPE DE VEGA.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Other</span> writers, of the same age with Lope de Vega, obtained a wider -celebrity. Don Quixote, during the life of its ill-requited author, was -naturalized in countries where the name of Lope de Vega was not known, -and Du Bartas was translated into the language of every reading people. -But no writer ever has enjoyed such a share of popularity.<a name="page_I_030" id="page_I_030"></a></p> - -<p>“Cardinal Barberini,” says Lord Holland, “followed Lope with veneration -in the streets; the king would stop to gaze at such a prodigy; the -people crowded round him wherever he appeared; the learned and studious -thronged to Madrid from every part of Spain to see this phœnix of -their country, this monster of literature; and even Italians, no -extravagant admirers, in general, of poetry that is not their own, made -pilgrimages from their country for the sole purpose of conversing with -Lope. So associated was the idea of excellence with his name, that it -grew, in common conversation, to signify anything perfect in its kind; -and a Lope diamond, a Lope day, or a Lope woman, became fashionable and -familiar modes of expressing their good qualities.”</p> - -<p>Lope’s death produced an universal commotion in the court and in the -whole kingdom. Many ministers, knights, and prelates were present when -he expired; among others, the Duke of Sesa, who had been the most -munificent of his patrons, whom he appointed his executor, and who was -at the expense of his funeral, a mode by which the great men in that -country were fond of displaying their regard for men of letters. It was -a public funeral, and it was not performed till the third day after his -death, that there might be time for rendering it more splendid, and -securing a more honourable attendance. The grandees and nobles who were -about the court were all invited as mourners; a novenary or service of -nine days was performed for him, at which the musicians of the royal -chapel assisted; after which there were exequies on three successive<a name="page_I_031" id="page_I_031"></a> -days, at which three bishops officiated in full pontificals; and on each -day a funeral sermon was preached by one of the most famous preachers of -the age. Such honours were paid to the memory of Lope de Vega, one of -the most prolific, and, during his life, the most popular, of all poets, -ancient or modern.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>SWIFT’S LOVES.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> first of these ladies, whom Swift romantically christened Varina, -was a Miss Jane Waryng, to whom he wrote passionate letters, and whom, -when he had succeeded in gaining her affections, he deserted, after a -sort of seven years’ courtship. The next flame of the Dean’s was the -well-known Miss Esther Johnson, whom he fancifully called Stella. -Somehow, he had the address to gain her decided attachment to him, -though considerably younger, beautiful in person, accomplished, and -estimable. He dangled upon her, fed her hopes of an union, and at length -persuaded her to leave London and reside near him in Ireland. His -conduct then was of a piece with the rest of his life: he never saw her -alone, never slept under the same roof with her, but allowed her -character and reputation to be suspected, in consequence of their -intimacy; nor did he attempt to remove such by marriage until a late -period of his life, when, to save her from dissolution, he consented to -the ceremony, upon condition that it should never be divulged; that she -should live as before; retain her own name, &c.; and this wedding<a name="page_I_032" id="page_I_032"></a>, upon -the above being assented to, was performed in a garden! But Swift never -acknowledged her till the day of his death. During all this treatment of -his Stella, Swift had ingratiated himself with a young lady of fortune -and fashion in London, whose name was Vanhomrig, and whom he called -Vanessa. It is much to be regretted that the heartless tormentor should -have been so ardently and passionately beloved, as was the case with the -latter lady. Selfish, hardhearted as was Swift, he seemed but to live in -disappointing others. Such was his coldness and brutality to Vanessa, -that he may be said to have caused her death.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>COLERIDGE’S “WATCHMAN.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Coleridge</span>, among his many speculations, started a periodical, in prose -and verse, entitled <i>The Watchman</i>, with the motto, “that all might know -the truth, and that the truth might make us free.” He watched in vain! -Coleridge’s incurable want of order and punctuality, and his -philosophical theories, tired out and disgusted his readers, and the -work was discontinued after the ninth number. Of the unsaleable nature -of this publication, he relates an amusing illustration. Happening one -morning to rise at an earlier hour than usual, he observed his -servant-girl putting an extravagant quantity of paper into the grate, in -order to light the fire, and he mildly checked her for her wastefulness: -“La! sir,” replied Nanny; “why, it’s only <i>Watchmen</i>.<a name="page_I_033" id="page_I_033"></a>”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>IRELAND’S SHAKSPEARE FORGERIES.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Mr. Samuel Ireland</span>, originally a silk merchant in Spitalfields, was led -by his taste for literary antiquities to abandon trade for those -pursuits, and published several tours. One of them consisted of an -excursion upon the river Avon, during which he explored, with ardent -curiosity, every locality associated with Shakspeare. He was accompanied -by his son, a youth of sixteen, who imbibed a portion of his father’s -Shakspearean mania. The youth, perceiving the great importance which his -parent attached to every relic of the poet, and the eagerness with which -he sought for any of his MS. remains, conceived that it would not be -difficult to gratify his father by some productions of his own, in the -language and manner of Shakspeare’s time. The idea possessed his mind -for a certain period; and, in 1793, being then in his eighteenth year, -he produced some MSS. said to be in the handwriting of Shakspeare, which -he said had been given him by a gentleman possessed of many other old -papers. The young man, being articled to a solicitor in Chancery, easily -fabricated, in the first instance, the deed of mortgage from Shakspeare -to Michael Fraser. The ecstasy expressed by his father urged him to the -fabrication of other documents, described to come from the same quarter. -Emboldened by success, he ventured upon higher compositions in prose and -verse; and at length announced the discovery of an original drama, under -the title of <i>Vortigern</i>, which he exhibited, act by act, written in the -period of two months. Having provided<a name="page_I_034" id="page_I_034"></a> himself with the paper of the -period, (being the fly-leaves of old books,) and with ink prepared by a -bookbinder, no suspicion was entertained of the deception. The father, -who was a maniac upon such subjects, gave such <i>éclat</i> to the supposed -discovery, that the attention of the literary world, and all England, -was drawn to it; insomuch that the son, who had announced other papers, -found it impossible to retreat, and was goaded into the production of -the series which he had promised.</p> - -<p>The house of Mr. Ireland, in Norfolk-street, Strand, was daily crowded -to excess by persons of the highest rank, as well as by the most -celebrated men of letters. The MSS. being mostly decreed genuine, were -considered to be of inestimable worth; and at one time it was expected -that Parliament would give any required sum for them. Some conceited -amateurs in literature at length sounded an alarm, which was echoed by -certain of the newspapers and public journals; notwithstanding which, -Mr. Sheridan agreed to give 600<i>l.</i> for permission to play <i>Vortigern</i> -at Drury-lane Theatre. So crowded a house was scarcely ever seen as on -the night of the performance, and a vast number of persons could not -obtain admission. The predetermined malcontents began an opposition from -the outset: some ill-cast characters converted grave scenes into -ridicule, and there ensued between the believers and sceptics a contest -which endangered the property. The piece was, accordingly, withdrawn.</p> - -<p>The juvenile author was now so beset for information, that he found it -necessary to abscond from his father’s house; and then, to put an end to -the wonderful<a name="page_I_035" id="page_I_035"></a> ferment which his ingenuity had created, he published a -pamphlet, wherein he confessed the entire fabrication. Besides -<i>Vortigern</i>, young Ireland also produced a play of Henry II.; and, -although there were in both such incongruities as were not consistent -with Shakspeare’s age, both dramas contain passages of considerable -beauty and originality.</p> - -<p>The admissions of the son did not, however, screen the father from -obloquy, and the reaction of public opinion affected his fortunes and -his health. Mr. Ireland was the dupe of his zeal upon such subjects; and -the son never contemplated at the outset the unfortunate effect. Such -was the enthusiasm of certain admirers of Shakspeare, (among them Drs. -Parr and Warton,) that they fell upon their knees before the MSS.; and, -by their idolatry, inspired hundreds of others with similar enthusiasm. -The young author was filled with astonishment and alarm, which at that -stage it was not in his power to check. Sir Richard Phillips, who knew -the parties, has thus related the affair in the <i>Anecdote Library</i>.</p> - -<p>In the Catalogue of Dr. Parr’s Library at Hatton, (<i>Bibliotheca -Parriana</i>,) we find the following attempted explanation by the Doctor:—</p> - -<p>“Ireland’s (Samuel) ‘Great and impudent forgery, called,’ Miscellaneous -Papers and Legal Instruments, under the hand and seal of William -Shakspeare, folio 1796.</p> - -<p>“I am almost ashamed to insert this worthless and infamously trickish -book. It is said to include the tragedy of <i>King Lear</i>, and a fragment -of <i>Hamlet</i>. Ireland told a lie when he imputed to <i>me</i> the words<a name="page_I_036" id="page_I_036"></a> which -<i>Joseph Warton</i> used, the very morning I called on Ireland, and was -inclined to admit the possibility of genuineness in his papers. In my -subsequent conversation, I told him my change of opinion. But I thought -it not worth while to dispute in print with a detected impostor.—S. P.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Ireland died about 1802. His son, William Henry, long survived him; -but the forgeries blighted his literary reputation for ever, and he died -in straitened circumstances, about the year 1840. The reputed -Shakspearean MSS. are stated to have been seen for sale in a -pawnbroker’s window in Wardour-street, Soho.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>HOOLE, THE TRANSLATOR OF TASSO.<br /> - -THE GHOST PUZZLED.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Hoole</span> was born in a hackney-coach, which was conveying his mother to -Drury-lane Theatre, to witness the performance of the tragedy of -<i>Timanthes</i>, which had been written by her husband. Hoole died in 1839, -at a very advanced age. In early life, he ranked amongst the literary -characters that adorned the last century; and, for some years before his -death, had outlived most of the persons who frequented the -<i>conversazioni</i> of Dr. Johnson. By the will of the Doctor, Mr. Hoole was -enabled to take from his library and effects such books and furniture as -he might think proper to select, by way of memorial of that great -personage. He accordingly chose a chair in which<a name="page_I_037" id="page_I_037"></a> Dr. Johnson usually -sat, and the desk upon which he had written the greater number of the -papers of the <i>Rambler</i>; both these articles Mr. Hoole used constantly -until nearly the day of his death.</p> - -<p>Hoole was near-sighted. He was partial to the drama; and, when young, -often strutted his hour at an amateur theatre in Lincoln’s Inn Fields. -Upon one occasion, whilst performing the ghost in <i>Hamlet</i>, Mr. Hoole -wandered incautiously from off the trap-door through which he had -emerged from the nether world, and by which it was his duty to descend. -In this dilemma he groped about, hoping to distinguish the aperture, -keeping the audience in wonder why he remained so long on the stage -after the crowing of the cock. It was apparent from the lips of the -ghost that he was holding converse with some one at the wings. He at -length became irritated, and “alas! poor ghost!” ejaculated, in tones -sufficiently audible, “I tell you I can’t find it.” The laughter that -ensued may be imagined. The ghost, had he been a sensible one, would -have walked off; but no—he became more and more irritated, until the -perturbed spirit was placed, by some of the bystanders, on the -trap-door, after which it descended, with due solemnity, amid roars of -laughter.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>LORD BYRON’S VANITY.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">During</span> the residence of Lord Byron at Venice, a clerk was sent from the -office of Messrs. Vizard and Co., of Lincoln’s Inn, to procure his -lordship’s signature<a name="page_I_038" id="page_I_038"></a> to a legal instrument. On his arrival, the clerk -sent a message to the noble poet, who appointed to receive him on the -following morning. Each party was punctual to the minute. His lordship -had dressed himself with the most studious care; and, on the opening of -the door of his apartment, it was evident that he had placed himself in -what he thought a becoming <i>pose</i>. His right arm was displayed over the -back of a splendid couch, and his head was gently supported by the -fingers of his left hand. He bowed slightly as his visitor approached -him, and appeared anxious that his recumbent attitude should remain for -a time undisturbed. After the signing of the deed, the noble bard made a -few inquiries upon the politics of England, in the tone of a finished -exquisite. Some refreshment which was brought in afforded the messenger -an opportunity for more minute observation. His lordship’s hair had been -curled and parted on the forehead; the collar of his shirt was thrown -back, so that not only the throat but a considerable portion of his -bosom was exposed to view, though partially concealed by some fanciful -ornament suspended round the neck. His waistcoat was of costly velvet, -and his legs were enveloped in a superb wrapper. It is to be regretted -that so great a mind as that of Byron could derive satisfaction from -things so trivial and unimportant, but much more that it was liable to -be disturbed by a recollection of personal imperfections. In the above -interview, the clerk directed an accidental glance at his lordship’s -lame foot, when the smile that had played upon the visage of the poet -became suddenly<a name="page_I_039" id="page_I_039"></a> converted into a frown. His whole frame appeared -discomposed; his tone of affected suavity became hard and imperious; and -he called to an attendant to open the door, with a peevishness seldom -exhibited even by the most irritable.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>LORD BYRON’S APOLOGY.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">No</span> one knew how to apologize for an affront with better grace, or with -more delicacy, than Lord Byron. In the first edition of the first canto -of <i>Childe Harold</i>, the poet adverted in a note to two political -tracts—one by Major Pasley, and the other by Gould Francis Leckie, -Esq.; and concluded his remarks by attributing “ignorance on the one -hand, and prejudice on the other.” Mr. Leckie, who felt offended at the -severity and, as he thought, injustice of the observations, wrote to -Lord Byron, complaining of the affront. His lordship did not reply -immediately to the letter; but, in about three weeks, he called upon Mr. -Leckie, and begged him to accept an elegantly-bound copy of a new -edition of the poem, in which the offensive passage was omitted.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>FINE FLOURISHES.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Lord Brougham</span>, in an essay published long ago in the <i>Edinburgh Review</i>, -read a smart lesson to Parliamentary wits. “A wit,” says his lordship, -“though he amuses for the moment, unavoidably gives frequent offence to -grave and serious men, who don’t think public affairs should be lightly -handled, and are constantly<a name="page_I_040" id="page_I_040"></a> falling into the error that when a person -is arguing the most conclusively, by showing the gross and ludicrous -absurdity of his adversary’s reasoning, he is jesting, and not arguing; -while the argument is, in reality, more close and stringent, the more he -shows the opposite picture to be grossly ludicrous—that is, the more -effective the wit becomes. But, though all this is perfectly true, it is -equally certain that danger attends such courses with the common run of -plain men.</p> - -<p>“Nor is it only by wit that genius offends: flowers of imagination, -flights of oratory, great passages, are more admired by the critic than -relished by the worthy baronets who darken the porch of -Boodle’s—chiefly answering to the names of Sir Robert and Sir John—and -the solid traders, the very good men who stream along the Strand from -‘Change towards St. Stephen’s Chapel, at five o’clock, to see the -business of the country done by the Sovereign’s servants. A pretty long -course of observation on these component parts of a Parliamentary -audience begets some doubt if noble passages, (termed ‘fine -flourishes,’) be not taken by them as personally offensive.”</p> - -<p>Take, for example, “such fine passages as Mr. Canning often indulged -himself and a few of his hearers with; and which certainly seemed to be -received as an insult by whole benches of men accustomed to distribute -justice at sessions. These worthies, the dignitaries of the empire, -resent such flights as liberties taken with them; and always say, when -others force them to praise—‘Well, well, but it was out of place;<a name="page_I_041" id="page_I_041"></a> we -have nothing to do with king Priam here, or with a heathen god, such as -Æolus; those kind of folk are all very well in Pope’s <i>Homer</i> and -Dryden’s <i>Virgil</i>; but, as I said to Sir Robert, who sat next me, what -have you or I to do with them matters? I like a good plain man of -business, like young Mr. Jenkinson—a man of the pen and desk, like his -father was before him—and who never speaks when he is not wanted: let -me tell you, Mr. Canning speaks too much by half. Time is short—there -are only twenty four hours in the day, you know.’ ”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>MATHEMATICAL SAILORS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Nathaniel Bowditch</span>, the translator of Laplace’s <i>Mécanique Céleste</i>, -displayed in very early life a taste for mathematical studies. In the -year 1788, when he was only fifteen years old, he actually made an -almanack for the year 1790, containing all the usual tables, -calculations of the eclipses, and other phenomena, and even the -customary predictions of the weather.</p> - -<p>Bowditch was bred to the sea, and in his early voyages taught navigation -to the common sailors about him. Captain Prince, with whom he often -sailed, relates, that one day the supercargo of the vessel said to him, -“Come, Captain, let us go forward and hear what the sailors are talking -about under the lee of the long-boat.” They went forward accordingly, -and the captain was surprised to find the sailors, instead of spinning -their long yarns, earnestly engaged with book, slate, and pencil, -discussing the high matters of<a name="page_I_042" id="page_I_042"></a> tangents and secants, altitudes, dip, -and refraction. Two of them, in particular, were very zealously -disputing,—one of them calling out to the other, “Well, Jack, what have -you got?” “I’ve got the <i>sine</i>,” was the answer. “But that ain’t right,” -said the other; “<i>I</i> say it is the <i>cosine</i>.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>LEWIS’S “MONK.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> romance, on its first appearance, roused the attention of all the -literary world of England, and even spread its writer’s name to the -continent. The author—“wonder-working Lewis,” was a stripling under -twenty when he wrote <i>The Monk</i> in the short space of ten weeks! Sir -Walter Scott, probably the most rapid composer of fiction upon record, -hardly exceeded this, even in his latter days, when his facility of -writing was the greatest.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>THOMSON’S RECITATIONS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Thomson</span>, the author of the “Seasons,” was a very awkward reader of his -own productions. His patron, Doddington, once snatched a MS. from his -hand, provoked by his odd utterance, telling him that he did not -understand his own verses! A gentleman of Brentford, however, told the -late Dr. Evans, in 1824, that there was a tradition in that town of -Thomson frequenting one of the inns there, and reciting his poems to the -company.<a name="page_I_043" id="page_I_043"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>GOLDSMITH’S “SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Goldsmith</span>, during the first performance of this comedy, walked all the -time in St. James’ Park in great uneasiness. Finally, when he thought -that it must be over, hastening to the theatre, hisses assailed his ears -as he entered the green-room. Asking in eager alarm of Colman the -cause—“Pshaw, pshaw!” said Colman, “don’t be afraid of squibs, when we -have been sitting on a barrel of gunpowder for two hours.” The comedy -had completely triumphed—the audience were only hissing the after -farce. Goldsmith had some difficulty in getting the piece on the stage, -as appears from the following letter to Colman:—“I entreat you’ll -relieve me from that state of suspense in which I have been kept for a -long time. Whatever objections you have made, or shall make, to my play, -I will endeavour to remove, and not argue about them. To bring in any -new judges either of its merits or faults, I can never submit to. Upon a -former occasion, when my other play was before Mr. Garrick, he offered -to bring me before Mr. Whitehead’s tribunal, but I refused the proposal -with indignation. I hope I shall not experience as hard treatment from -you, as from him. I have, as you know, a large sum of money to make up -shortly; by accepting my play, I can readily satisfy my creditor that -way; at any rate, I must look about to some certainty to be prepared. -For God’s sake take the play, and let us make the best of it; and let me -have the same measure at least which you have given as bad plays as -mine.<a name="page_I_044" id="page_I_044"></a>”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>SILENCE NOT ALWAYS WISDOM.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Coleridge</span> once dined in company with a person who listened to him, and -said nothing for a long time; but he nodded his head, and Coleridge -thought him intelligent. At length, towards the end of the dinner, some -apple dumplings were placed on the table, and the listener had no sooner -seen them than he burst forth, “Them’s the jockeys for me!” Coleridge -adds: “I wish Spurzheim could have examined the fellow’s head.”</p> - -<p>Coleridge was very luminous in conversation, and invariably commanded -listeners; yet the old lady rated his talent very lowly, when she -declared she had no patience with a man who would have all the talk to -himself.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>DR. CHALMERS IN LONDON.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">When</span> Dr. Chalmers first visited London, the hold that he took on the -minds of men was unprecedented. It was a time of strong political -feeling; but even that was unheeded, and all parties thronged to hear -the Scottish preacher. The very best judges were not prepared for the -display that they heard. Canning and Wilberforce went together, and got -into a pew near the door. The elder in attendance stood alone by the -pew. Chalmers began in his usual unpromising way, by stating a few -nearly self-evident propositions, neither in the choicest language, nor -in the most impressive voice. “If this be all,” said Canning to his -companion, “it will never do.” Chalmers went on—the<a name="page_I_045" id="page_I_045"></a> shuffling of the -conversation gradually subsided. He got into the mass of his subject; -his weakness became strength, his hesitation was turned into energy; -and, bringing the whole volume of his mind to bear upon it, he poured -forth a torrent of the most close and conclusive argument, brilliant -with all the exuberance of an imagination which ranged over all nature -for illustrations, and yet managed and applied each of them with the -same unerring dexterity, as if that single one had been the study of a -whole life. “The tartan beats us,” said Mr. Canning; “we have no -preaching like that in England.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>ROMILLY AND BROUGHAM.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Hallam’s</span> <i>History of the Middle Ages</i> was the last book of any -importance read by Sir Samuel Romilly. Of this excellent work he formed -the highest opinion, and recommended its immediate perusal to Lord -Brougham, as a contrast to his dry <i>Letter on the Abuses of Charities</i>, -in respect of the universal interest of the subject. Yet, Sir Samuel -undervalued the Letter, for it ran through eight editions in one month.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>PHYSIOGNOMY OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTIONISTS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">It</span> is remarkable, (says Bulwer, in his <i>Zanoni</i>,) that most of the -principal actors of the French Revolution were singularly hideous in -appearance—from the colossal ugliness of Mirabeau and Danton, or the -villanous<a name="page_I_046" id="page_I_046"></a> ferocity in the countenances of David and Simon, to the -filthy squalor of Marat, and the sinister and bilious meanness of the -Dictator’s features. But Robespierre, who was said to resemble a cat, -and had also a cat’s cleanliness, was prim and dainty in dress, shaven -smoothness, and the womanly whiteness of his hands. Réné Dumas, born of -reputable parents, and well educated, despite his ferocity, was not -without a certain refinement, which perhaps rendered him the more -acceptable to the precise Robespierre. Dumas was a beau in his way: his -gala-dress was a <i>blood-red</i> coat, with the finest ruffles. But Henriot -had been a lacquey, a thief, a spy of the police; he had drank the blood -of Madame de Lamballe, and had risen for no quality but his ruffianism; -and Fouquier Tinville, the son of a provincial agriculturist, and -afterwards a clerk at the bureau of the police, was little less base in -his manners, and yet more, from a certain loathsome buffoonery, -revolting in his speech; bull-headed, with black, sleek hair, with a -narrow and livid forehead, and small eyes that twinkled with sinister -malice; strongly and coarsely built, he looked what he was, the -audacious bully of a lawless and relentless bar.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>DEATH OF SIR CHARLES BELL.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> distinguished surgeon died suddenly on April 29, 1842, at Hallow -Park, near Worcester, while on his way to Malvern. He was out sketching -on the 28th, being particularly pleased with the village church, and -some fine trees which are beside it; observing that he<a name="page_I_047" id="page_I_047"></a> should like to -repose there when he was gone. Just four days after this sentiment had -been expressed, his mortal remains were accordingly deposited beside the -rustic graves which had attracted his notice, and so recently occupied -his pencil. There is a painful admonition in this fulfilment.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>CLASSIC PUN.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">It</span> was suggested to a distinguished <i>gourmet</i>, what a capital thing a -dish all fins (turbot’s fins) might be made. “Capital,” said he; “dine -with me on it to-morrow.” “Accepted.” Would you believe it? when the -cover was removed, the sacrilegious dog of an Amphytrion had put into -the dish “Cicero <i>De finibus</i>.” “There is a work all fins,” said he.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>POETRY OF THE SEA.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Campbell</span> was a great lover of submarine prospects. “Often in my -boyhood,” says the poet, “when the day has been bright and the sea -transparent, I have sat by the hour on a Highland rock admiring the -golden sands, the emerald weeds, and the silver shells at the bottom of -the bay beneath, till, dreaming about the grottoes of the Nereids, I -would not have exchanged my pleasure for that of a connoisseur poring -over a landscape by Claude or Poussin. Enchanting nature! thy beauty is -not only in heaven and earth, but in the waters under our feet. How -magnificent a medium of vision is the pellucid sea! Is it not like -poetry, that embellishes every object that we contemplate?<a name="page_I_048" id="page_I_048"></a>”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>“FELON LITERATURE.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">One</span> of the most stinging reproofs of perverted literary taste, evidently -aimed at Newgate Calendar literature, appeared in the form of a -valentine, in No. 31 of <i>Punch</i>, in 1842.</p> - -<p>The valentine itself reminds one of Churchill’s muse; and it needs no -finger to tell where its withering satire is pointed:—</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>“THE LITERARY GENTLEMAN.</h3> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Illustrious scribe! whose vivid genius strays<br /></span> -<span class="i1">’Mid Drury’s stews to incubate her lays,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And in St. Giles’s slang conveys her tropes,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Wreathing the poet’s lines with hangmen’s ropes;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">You who conceive ’tis poetry to teach<br /></span> -<span class="i1">The sad bravado of a dying speech;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Or, when possessed with a sublimer mood,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Show “Jack o’Dandies” dancing upon blood!<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Crush bones—bruise flesh, recount each festering sore—<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Rake up the plague-pit, write—and write in gore!<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Or, when inspired to humanize mankind,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Where doth your soaring soul its subjects find?<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Not ’mid the scenes that simple Goldsmith sought,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And found a theme to elevate his thought;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">But you, great scribe, more greedy of renown,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">From Hounslow’s gibbet drag a hero down.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Imbue his mind with virtue; make him quote<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Some moral truth before he cuts a throat.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Then wash his hands, and soaring o’er your craft—<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Refresh the hero with a bloody draught:<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And, fearing lest the world should miss the act,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">With noble zeal <i>italicize</i> the fact.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Or would you picture woman meek and pure,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">By love and virtue tutor’d to endure,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">With cunning skill you take a felon’s trull,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Stuff her with sentiment, and scrunch her skull!<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Oh! would your crashing, smashing, mashing pen were mine,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">That I could “scorch your eyeballs” with my words,<br /></span> -<span class="i10">“<span class="smcap">My Valentine</span>.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p><a name="page_I_049" id="page_I_049"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>DEATH BED REVELATIONS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Men</span> before they die see and comprehend enigmas hidden from them before. -The greatest poet, and one of the noblest thinkers of the last age, said -on his death-bed:—“Many things obscure to me before, now clear up and -become visible.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>STAMMERING WIT.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Stammering</span>, (says Coleridge,) is sometimes the cause of a pun. Some one -was mentioning in Lamb’s presence the cold-heartedness of the Duke of -Cumberland, in restraining the duchess from rushing up to the embrace of -her son, whom she had not seen for a considerable time, and insisting on -her receiving him in state. “How horribly <i>cold</i> it was,” said the -narrator. “Yes,” said Lamb, in his stuttering way; “but you know he is -the Duke of <i>Cu-cum-ber-land</i>.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>ORIGIN OF BOTTLED ALE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Alexander Newell</span>, Dean of St. Paul’s, and Master of Westminster School, -in the reign of Queen Mary, was an excellent angler. But Fuller says, -while Newell was catching of fishes, Bishop Bonner was catching of -Newell, and would certainly have sent him to the shambles, had not a -good London merchant conveyed him away upon the seas. Newell was fishing -upon the banks of the Thames when he received the first intimation of -his danger, which was so pressing, that he dared not go back to his own -house to make any<a name="page_I_050" id="page_I_050"></a> preparation for his flight. Like an honest angler, he -had taken with him provisions for the day; and when, in the first year -of England’s deliverance, he returned to his country, and to his own -haunts, he remembered that on the day of his flight he had left a bottle -of beer in a safe place on the bank: there he looked for it, and “found -it no bottle, but a gun—such the sound at the opening thereof; and this -(says Fuller) is believed (casualty is mother of more invention than -industry) to be the original of bottled ale in England.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>BAD’S THE BEST.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Canning</span> was once asked by an English clergyman, at whose parsonage he -was visiting, how he liked the sermon he had preached that morning. -“Why, it was a short sermon,” quoth Canning. “O yes,” said the preacher, -“you know I avoid being tedious.” “Ah, but,” replied Canning, “you -<i>were</i> tedious.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>LUDICROUS ESTIMATE OF MR. CANNING.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> Rev. Sydney Smith compares Mr. Canning in office to a fly in amber: -“nobody cares about the fly: the only question is, how the devil did it -get there?” “Nor do I,” continues Smith, “attack him for the love of -glory, but from the love of utility, as a burgomaster hunts a rat in a -Dutch dyke, for fear it should flood a province. When he is jocular, he -is strong; when he is serious, he is like Samson in a wig. Call him a -legislator, a reasoner, and the conductor of the<a name="page_I_051" id="page_I_051"></a> affairs of a great -nation, and it seems to me as absurd as if a butterfly were to teach -bees to make honey. That he was an extraordinary writer of small poetry, -and a diner-out of the highest lustre, I do most readily admit. After -George Selwyn, and perhaps Tickell, there has been no such man for the -last half-century.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>THE AUTHORSHIP OF “WAVERLEY.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Mrs. Murray Keith</span>, a venerable Scotch lady, from whom Sir Walter Scott -derived many of the traditionary stories and anecdotes wrought up in his -novels, taxed him one day with the authorship, which he, as usual, -stoutly denied. “What!” exclaimed the old lady, “d’ye think I dinna ken -my ain groats among other folk’s kail?”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>QUID PRO QUO.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Campbell</span> relates:—“Turner, the painter, is a ready wit. Once at a -dinner where several artists, amateurs, and literary men were convened, -a poet, by way of being facetious, proposed as a toast the health of the -<i>painters</i> and <i>glaziers</i> of Great Britain. The toast was drunk; and -Turner, after returning thanks for it, proposed the health of the -British <i>paper-stainers</i>.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>HOPE’S “ANASTASIUS.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Lord Byron</span>, in a conversation with the Countess of Blessington, said -that he wept bitterly over many pages of <i>Anastasius</i>, and for two -reasons: first, that <i>he</i> had<a name="page_I_052" id="page_I_052"></a> not written it; and secondly, that <i>Hope</i> -had; for it was necessary to like a man excessively to pardon his -writing such a book; as, he said, excelling all recent productions, as -much in wit and talent as in true pathos. Lord Byron added, that he -would have given his two most approved poems to have been the author of -<i>Anastasius</i>.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>SMART REPARTEE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Walpole</span> relates, after an execution of <i>eighteen</i> malefactors, a woman -was hawking an account of them, but called them <i>nineteen</i>. A gentleman -said to her, “Why do you say <i>nineteen</i>? there were but <i>eighteen</i> -hanged.” She replied, “Sir, I did not know <i>you</i> had been reprieved.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>COLTON’S “LACON.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> remarkable book was written upon covers of letters and scraps of -paper of such description as was nearest at hand; the greater part at a -house in Princes-street, Soho. Colton’s lodging was a -penuriously-furnished second-floor, and upon a rough deal table, with a -stumpy pen, our author wrote.</p> - -<p>Though a beneficed clergyman, holding the vicarage of Kew, with -Petersham, in Surrey, Colton was a well-known frequenter of the -gaming-table; and, suddenly disappearing from his usual haunts in London -about the time of the murder of Weare, in 1823, it was strongly -suspected he had been assassinated. It was, however, afterwards -ascertained that he had absconded<a name="page_I_053" id="page_I_053"></a> to avoid his creditors; and in 1828 a -successor was appointed to his living. He then went to reside in -America, but subsequently lived in Paris, a professed gamester; and it -is said that he thus gained, in two years only, the sum of 25,000<i>l.</i> He -blew out his brains while on a visit to a friend at Fontainebleau, in -1832; bankrupt in health, spirits, and fortune.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>BUNYAN’S COPY OF “THE BOOK OF MARTYRS.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">There</span> is no book, except the Bible, which Bunyan is known to have -perused so intently as the Acts and Monuments of John Fox, the -martyrologist, one of the best of men; a work more hastily than -judiciously compiled, but invaluable for that greater and far more -important portion which has obtained for it its popular name of <i>The -Book of Martyrs</i>. Bunyan’s own copy of this work is in existence, and -valued of course as such a relic of such a man ought to be. It was -purchased in the year 1780, by Mr. Wantner, of the Minories; from him it -descended to his daughter, Mrs. Parnell, of Botolph-lane; and it was -afterwards purchased, by subscription, for the Bedfordshire General -Library.</p> - -<p>This edition of <i>The Acts and Monuments</i> is of the date 1641, 3 vols. -folio, the last of those in the black-letter, and probably the latest -when it came into Bunyan’s hands. In each volume he has written his name -beneath the title-page, in a large and stout print-hand. Under some of -the woodcuts he has inserted a few rhymes, which are undoubtedly his own -composition<a name="page_I_054" id="page_I_054"></a>; and which, though much in the manner of the verses that -were printed under the illustrations of his own <i>Pilgrim’s Progress</i>, -when that work was first adorned with cuts, (verses worthy of such -embellishments,) are very much worse than even the worst of those. -Indeed, it would not be possible to find specimens of more miserable -doggerel.</p> - -<p>Here is one of the Tinker’s tetrasticks, penned in the margin, beside -the account of Gardiner’s death:—</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“The blood, the blood that he did shed<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Is falling one his one head;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And dredfull it is for to see<br /></span> -<span class="i1">The beginers of his misere.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>One of the signatures bears the date of 1662; but the verses must -undoubtedly have been some years earlier, before the publication of his -first tract. These curious inscriptions must have been Bunyan’s first -attempts in verse: he had, no doubt, found difficulty enough in -tinkering them to make him proud of his work when it was done; -otherwise, he would not have written them in a book which was the most -valuable of all his goods and chattels. In later days, he seems to have -taken this book for his art of poetry. His verses are something below -the pitch of Sternhold and Hopkins. But if he learnt there to make bad -verses, he entered fully into the spirit of its better parts, and -received that spirit into as resolute a heart as ever beat in a martyr’s -bosom.<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a></p> - -<p><a name="page_I_055" id="page_I_055"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>LITERARY LOCALITIES.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Leigh Hunt</span> pleasantly says:—“I can no more pass through Westminster, -without thinking of Milton; or the Borough, without thinking of Chaucer -and Shakspeare; or Gray’s Inn, without calling Bacon to mind; or -Bloomsbury-square, without Steele and Akenside; than I can prefer brick -and mortar to wit and poetry, or not see a beauty upon it beyond -architecture in the splendour of the recollection. I once had duties to -perform which kept me out late at night, and severely taxed my health -and spirits. My path lay through a neighbourhood in which Dryden lived, -and though nothing could be more common-place, and I used to be tired to -the heart and soul of me, I never hesitated to go a little out of the -way, purely that I might pass through Gerard-street, and so give myself -the shadow of a pleasant thought.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>CREED OF LORD BOLINGBROKE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Lord Brougham</span> says:—“The dreadful malady under which Bolingbroke long -lingered, and at length sunk—a cancer in the face—he bore with -exemplary fortitude, a fortitude drawn from the natural resources of his -vigorous mind, and unhappily not aided by the consolations of any -religion; for, having early cast off the belief in revelation, he had -substituted in its stead a dark and gloomy naturalism, which even -rejected those glimmerings of hope as to futurity not untasted by the -wiser of the heathens.<a name="page_I_056" id="page_I_056"></a>”</p> - -<p>Lord Chesterfield, in one of his letters, which has been published by -Earl Stanhope, says that Bolingbroke only doubted, and by no means -rejected, a future state.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>BUNYAN’S PREACHING.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">It</span> is said that Owen, the divine, greatly admired Bunyan’s preaching; -and that, being asked by Charles II. “how a learned man such as he could -sit and listen to an itinerant tinker?” he replied: “May it please your -Majesty, could I possess that tinker’s abilities for preaching, I would -most gladly relinquish all my learning.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>HONE’S “EVERY-DAY BOOK.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> popular work was commenced by its author after he had renounced -political satire for the more peaceful study of the antiquities of our -country. The publication was issued in weekly sheets, and extended -through two years, 1824 and 1825. It was very successful, the weekly -sale being from 20,000 to 30,000 copies.</p> - -<p>In 1830, Mr. Southey gave the following tribute to the merits of the -work, which it is pleasurable to record; as these two writers, from -their antipodean politics, had not been accustomed to regard each -other’s productions with any favour. In closing his <i>Life of John -Bunyan</i>, Mr. Southey says:—</p> - -<p>“In one of the volumes, collected from various quarters, which were sent -to me for this purpose, I observe the name of William Hone, and notice -it that I may take the opportunity of recommending his <i>Every-day<a name="page_I_057" id="page_I_057"></a> Book</i> -and <i>Table Book</i> to those who are interested in the preservation of our -national and local customs. By these curious publications, their -compiler has rendered good service in an important department of -literature; and he may render yet more, if he obtain the encouragement -which he well deserves.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>BUNYAN’S ESCAPES.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Bunyan</span> had some providential escapes during his early life. Once, he -fell into a creek of the sea, once out of a boat into the river Ouse, -near Bedford, and each time he was narrowly saved from drowning. One -day, an adder crossed his path. He stunned it with a stick, then forced -open its mouth with a stick and plucked out the tongue, which he -supposed to be the sting, with his fingers; “by which act,” he says, -“had not God been merciful unto me, I might, by my desperateness, have -brought myself to an end.” If this, indeed, were an adder, and not a -harmless snake, his escape from the fangs was more remarkable than he -himself was aware of. A circumstance, which was likely to impress him -more deeply, occurred in the eighteenth year of his age, when, being a -soldier in the Parliament’s army, he was drawn out to go to the siege of -Leicester, in 1645. One of the same company wished to go in his stead; -Bunyan consented to exchange with him, and this volunteer substitute, -standing sentinel one day at the siege, was shot through the head with a -musket-ball. “This risk,” Sir Walter Scott observes,<a name="page_I_058" id="page_I_058"></a> “was one somewhat -resembling the escape of Sir Roger de Coverley, in an action at -Worcester, who was saved from the slaughter of that action, by having -been absent from the field.”—<i>Southey.</i></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>DROLLERY SPONTANEOUS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">More</span> drolleries are uttered unintentionally than by premeditation. There -is no such thing as being “droll to order.” One evening a lady said to a -small wit, “Come, Mr. ——, tell us a lively anecdote;” and the poor -fellow was mute the rest of the evening.</p> - -<p>“Favour me with your company on Wednesday evening—you are such a lion,” -said a weak party-giver to a young <i>littérateur</i>. “I thank you,” replied -the wit, “but, on that evening I am engaged to eat fire at the Countess -of ——, and stand upon my head at Mrs. ——.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>ORIGIN OF COWPER’S “JOHN GILPIN.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">It</span> happened one afternoon, in those years when Cowper’s accomplished -friend, Lady Austen, made a part of his little evening circle, that she -observed him sinking into increased dejection; it was her custom, on -these occasions, to try all the resources of her sprightly powers for -his immediate relief. She told him the story of John Gilpin, (which had -been treasured in her memory from her childhood), to dissipate the gloom -of the passing hour. Its effects on the fancy of Cowper had the air of -enchantment. He informed<a name="page_I_059" id="page_I_059"></a> her the next morning that convulsions of -laughter, brought on by his recollection of her story, had kept him -waking during the greatest part of the night! and that he had turned it -into a ballad. So arose the pleasant poem of John Gilpin. To Lady -Austen’s suggestion, also, we are indebted for the poem of “the Task.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>HARD FATE OF AUTHORS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Sir</span> E. B. (now Lord) Lytton, in the memoir which he prefixed to the -collected works of Laman Blanchard, draws the following affecting -picture of that author’s position, after he had parted from an -engagement upon a popular newspaper:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“For the author there is nothing but his pen, till that and life -are worn to the stump: and then, with good fortune, perhaps on his -death-bed he receives a pension—and equals, it may be, for a few -months, the income of a retired butler! And, so on the sudden loss -of the situation in which he had frittered away his higher and more -delicate genius, in all the drudgery that a party exacts from its -defender of the press, Laman Blanchard was thrown again upon the -world, to shift as he might and subsist as he could. His practice -in periodical writing was now considerable; his versatility was -extreme. He was marked by publishers and editors as a useful -contributor, and so his livelihood was secure. From a variety of -sources thus he contrived, by constant waste of intellect and -strength, to eke out his income, and insinuate rather than force -his place among his contemporary penmen. And uncomplainingly, and -with patient industry, he toiled on, seeming farther and farther -off from the happy leisure, in which ‘the something to verify -promise was to be completed.’ No time had he for profound reading, -for lengthened works, for the mature development of the conceptions -of a charming fancy. He had given hostages to fortune. He had a -wife and four children, and no income but that which he made from -week to week. The grist must be ground, and the wheel revolve. All -the struggle, all the toils, all the weariness<a name="page_I_060" id="page_I_060"></a> of brain, nerve, -and head, which a man undergoes in his career, are imperceptible -even to his friends—almost to himself; he has no time to be ill, -to be fatigued; his spirit has no holiday; it is all school-work. -And thus, generally, we find in such men that the break up of the -constitution seems sudden and unlooked-for. The causes of disease -and decay have been long laid; but they are smothered beneath the -lively appearances of constrained industry and forced excitement.”</p></div> - -<hr /> - -<h3>JAMES SMITH, ONE OF THE AUTHORS OF “REJECTED ADDRESSES.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">A</span> writer in the <i>Law Quarterly Magazine</i> says:—To the best of our -information, James’s <i>coup d’essai</i> in literature was a hoax in the -shape of a series of letters to the editor of the <i>Gentleman’s -Magazine</i>, detailing some extraordinary antiquarian discoveries and -facts in natural history, which the worthy Sylvanus Urban inserted -without the least suspicion. In 1803, he became a constant contributor -to the <i>Pic-Nic</i> and <i>Cabinet</i> weekly journals, in conjunction with Mr. -Cumberland, Sir James Bland Burgess, Mr. Horatio Smith, and others. The -principal caterer for these publications was Colonel Greville, on whom -Lord Byron has conferred a not very enviable immortality—</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Or hail at once the patron and the pile<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Of vice and folly, Greville and Argyle.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>One of James Smith’s favourite anecdotes related to him. The Colonel -requested his young ally to call at his lodgings, and in the course of -their first interview related the particulars of the most curious -circumstance in his life. He was taken prisoner during the<a name="page_I_061" id="page_I_061"></a> American -war, along with three other officers of the same rank; one evening they -were summoned into the presence of Washington, who announced to them -that the conduct of their Government, in condemning one of his officers -to death as a rebel, compelled him to make reprisals; and that, much to -his regret, he was under the necessity of requiring them to cast lots, -without delay, to decide which of them should be hanged. They were then -bowed out, and returned to their quarters. Four slips of paper were put -into a hat, and the shortest was drawn by Captain Asgill, who exclaimed, -“I knew how it would be; I never won so much as a hit of backgammon in -my life.” As Greville told the story, he was selected to sit up with -Captain Asgill, under the pretext of companionship, but, in reality, to -prevent him from escaping, and leaving the honour amongst the remaining -three. “And what,” inquired Smith, “did you say to comfort him?” “Why, I -remember saying to him, when they left us, <i>D—it, old fellow, never -mind</i>;” but it may be doubted (added Smith) whether he drew much comfort -from the exhortation. Lady Asgill persuaded the French minister to -interpose, and the captain was permitted to escape.</p> - -<p>Both James and Horatio Smith were also contributors to the <i>Monthly -Mirror</i>, then the property of Mr. Thomas Hill, a gentleman who had the -good fortune to live familiarly with three or four generations of -authors; the same, in short, with whom the subject of this memoir thus -playfully remonstrated: “Hill, you take an unfair advantage of an -accident; the register<a name="page_I_062" id="page_I_062"></a> of your birth was burnt in the great fire of -London, and you now give yourself out for younger than you are.”</p> - -<p>The fame of the Smiths, however, was confined to a limited circle until -the publication of the <i>Rejected Addresses</i>, which rose at once into -almost unprecedented celebrity.</p> - -<p>James Smith used to dwell with much pleasure on the criticism of a -Leicestershire clergyman: “I do not see why they (the <i>Addresses</i>) -should have been rejected: I think some of them very good.” This, he -would add, is almost as good as the avowal of the Irish bishop, that -there were some things in <i>Gulliver’s Travels</i> which he could not -believe.</p> - -<p>Though never guilty of intemperance, James was a martyr to the gout; -and, independently of the difficulty he experienced in locomotion, he -partook largely of the feeling avowed by his old friend Jekyll, who used -to say that, if compelled to live in the country, he would have the -drive before his house paved like the streets of London, and hire a -hackney-coach to drive up and down all day long.</p> - -<p>He used to tell, with great glee, a story showing the general conviction -of his dislike to ruralities. He was sitting in the library at a -country-house, when a gentleman proposed a quiet stroll into the -pleasure-grounds:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“ ‘Stroll! why, don’t you see my gouty shoe?’</p> - -<p>“ ‘Yes, I see that plain enough, and I wish I’d brought one too, but -they’re all out now.’</p> - -<p>“ ‘Well, and what then?’</p> - -<p>“ ‘What then? Why, my dear fellow, you don’t mean to<a name="page_I_063" id="page_I_063"></a> say that you -have really got the gout? I thought you had only put on that shoe -to get off being shown over the improvements.’ ”</p></div> - -<p>His bachelorship is thus attested in his niece’s album:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Should I seek Hymen’s tie,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">As a poet I die,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Ye Benedicts mourn my distresses:<br /></span> -<span class="i1">For what little fame<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Is annexed to my name,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Is derived from <i>Rejected Addresses</i>.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>The two following are amongst the best of his good things. A gentleman -with the same Christian and surname took lodgings in the same house. The -consequence was, eternal confusion of calls and letters. Indeed, the -postman had no alternative but to share the letters equally between the -two. “This is intolerable, sir,” said our friend, “and you must quit.” -“Why am I to quit more than you?” “Because you are James the Second—and -must <i>abdicate</i>.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Bentley proposed to establish a periodical publication, to be called -<i>The Wit’s Miscellany</i>. Smith objected that the title promised too much. -Shortly afterwards, the publisher came to tell him that he had profited -by the hint, and resolved on calling it <i>Bentley’s Miscellany</i>. “Isn’t -that going a little too far the other way?” was the remark.</p> - -<p>A capital pun has been very generally attributed to him. An actor, named -Priest, was playing at one of the principal theatres. Some one remarked -at the Garrick Club, that there were a great many men in the pit. -“Probably, clerks who have taken Priest’s orders.” The pun is perfect, -but the real proprietor<a name="page_I_064" id="page_I_064"></a> is Mr. Poole, one of the best punsters as well -as one of the cleverest comic writers and finest satirists of the day. -It has also been attributed to Charles Lamb.</p> - -<p>Formerly, it was customary, on emergencies, for the judges to swear -affidavits at their dwelling-houses. Smith was desired by his father to -attend a judge’s chambers for that purpose, but being engaged to dine in -Russell-square, at the next house to Mr. Justice Holroyd’s, he thought -he might as well save himself the disagreeable necessity of leaving the -party at eight by dispatching his business at once: so, a few minutes -before six, he boldly knocked at the judge’s, and requested to speak to -him on particular business. The judge was at dinner, but came down -without delay, swore the affidavit, and then gravely asked what was the -pressing necessity that induced our friend to disturb him at that hour. -As Smith told the story, he raked his invention for a lie, but finding -none fit for the purpose, he blurted out the truth:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“ ‘The fact is, my lord, I am engaged to dine at the next -house—and—and——’</p> - -<p>“ ‘And, sir, you thought you might as well save your own dinner by -spoiling mine?’</p> - -<p>“ ‘Exactly so, my lord, but——’</p> - -<p>“ ‘Sir, I wish you a good evening.’ ”</p></div> - -<p>Smith was rather fond of a joke on his own branch of the profession; he -always gave a peculiar emphasis to the line in his song on the -contradiction of names:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Mr. Makepeace was bred an attorney;”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">and would frequently quote Goldsmith’s lines on<a name="page_I_065" id="page_I_065"></a> Hickey, the associate -of Burke and other distinguished cotemporaries:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“He cherished his friend, and he relished a bumper;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Yet one fault he had, and that was a thumper,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Then, what was his failing? come, tell it, and burn ye:<br /></span> -<span class="i0">He was, could he help it? a special attorney.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>The following playful colloquy in verse took place at a dinner-table -between Sir George Bose and himself, in allusion to Craven-street, -Strand, where he resided:—</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“<i>J. S.</i>—‘At the top of my street the attorneys abound,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">And down at the bottom the barges are found:<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Fly, Honesty, fly to some safer retreat,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">For there’s craft in the river, and craft in the street.’ ”<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“<i>Sir G. R.</i>—‘Why should Honesty fly to some safer retreat,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">From attorneys and barges, od rot ’em?<br /></span> -<span class="i1">For the lawyers are <i>just</i> at the top of the street,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">And the barges are <i>just</i> at the bottom.’ ”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<hr /> - -<h3>CONTEMPORARY COPYRIGHTS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> late Mr. Tegg, the publisher in Cheapside, gave the following list -of remunerative payments to distinguished authors in his time; and he is -believed to have taken considerable pains to verify the items:</p> - -<p>Fragments of History, by Charles Fox, sold by Lord Holland, for 5000 -guineas. Fragments of History, by Sir James Mackintosh, 500<i>l.</i> -Lingard’s History of England, 4683<i>l.</i> Sir Walter Scott’s Bonaparte was -sold, with the printed books, for 18,000<i>l.</i>; the net receipts of -copyright on the first two editions only must have been 10,000<i>l.</i> Life -of Wilberforce, by his<a name="page_I_066" id="page_I_066"></a> sons, 4000 guineas. Life of Byron, by Moore, -4000<i>l.</i> Life of Sheridan, by Moore, 2000<i>l.</i> Life of Hannah More, -2000<i>l.</i> Life of Cowper, by Southey, 1000<i>l.</i> Life and Times of George -IV., by Lady C. Bury, 1000<i>l.</i> Byron’s Works, 20,000<i>l.</i> Lord of the -Isles, half share, 1500<i>l.</i> Lalla Rookh, by Moore, 3000<i>l.</i> Rejected -Addresses, by Smith, 1000<i>l.</i> Crabbe’s Works, republication of, by Mr. -Murray, 3000<i>l.</i> Wordsworth’s Works, republication of, by Mr. Moxon, -1050<i>l.</i> Bulwer’s Rienzi, 1600<i>l.</i> Marryat’s Novels, 500<i>l.</i> to 1500<i>l.</i> -each. Trollope’s Factory Boy, 1800<i>l.</i> Hannah More derived 30,000<i>l.</i> -per annum for her copyrights, during the latter years of her life. -Rundell’s Domestic Cookery, 2000<i>l.</i> Nicholas Nickleby, 3000<i>l.</i> -Eustace’s Classical Tour, 2100<i>l.</i> Sir Robert Inglis obtained for the -beautiful and interesting widow of Bishop Heber by the sale of his -journal, 5000<i>l.</i></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>MISS BURNEY’S “EVELINA.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> story of <i>Evelina</i> being printed when the authoress was but -seventeen years old is proved to have been sheer invention, to trumpet -the work into notoriety; since it has no more truth in it than a -paid-for newspaper puff. The year of Miss Burney’s birth was long -involved in studied obscurity, and thus the deception lasted, until one -fine day it was ascertained, by reference to the register of the -authoress’ birth, that she was a woman of six or seven-and-twenty, -instead of a “Miss in her teens,” when she wrote <i>Evelina</i>. The<a name="page_I_067" id="page_I_067"></a> story -of her father’s utter ignorance of the work being written by her, and -recommending her to read it, as an exception to the novel class, has -also been essentially modified. Miss Burney, (then Madame D’Arblay,) is -said to have taken the characters in her novel of <i>Camilla</i> from the -family of Mr. Lock, of Norbury Park, who built for Gen. D’Arblay the -villa in which the work was written, and which to this day is called -“Camilla Lacy.” By this novel, Madame D’Arblay is said to have realized -3000 guineas.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>EPITAPH ON CHARLES LAMB.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Lamb</span> lies buried in Edmonton churchyard, and the stone bears the -following lines to his memory, written by his friend, the Rev. H. F. -Cary, the erudite translator of <i>Dante</i> and <i>Pindar</i>:—</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Farewell, dear friend!—that smile, that harmless mirth,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">No more shall gladden our domestic hearth;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">That rising tear, with pain forbid to flow—<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Better than words—no more assuage our woe.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">That hand outstretch’d from small but well-earned store<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Yield succour to the destitute no more.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Yet art thou not all lost: through many an age,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">With sterling sense and humour, shall thy page<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Win many an English bosom, pleased to see<br /></span> -<span class="i1">That old and happier vein revived in thee.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">This for our earth; and if with friends we share<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Our joys in heaven, we hope to meet thee there.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>Lamb survived his earliest friend and school-fellow, Coleridge, only a -few months. One morning he showed to a friend the mourning ring which -the author of <i>Christabelle</i> had left him. “Poor fellow!” exclaimed<a name="page_I_068" id="page_I_068"></a> -Lamb, “I have never ceased to think of him from the day I first heard of -his death.” Lamb died in <i>five days after</i>—December 27, 1834, in his -fifty-ninth year.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>“TOM CRINGLE’S LOG.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> author of this very successful work, (originally published in -<i>Blackwood’s Magazine</i>,) was a Mr. Mick Scott, born in Edinburgh in -1789, and educated at the High School. Several years of his life were -spent in the West Indies. He ultimately married, returned to his native -country, and there embarked in commercial speculations, in the leisure -between which he wrote the <i>Log</i>. Notwithstanding its popularity in -Europe and America, the author preserved his incognito to the last. He -survived his publisher for some years, and it was not till Mr. Scott’s -death that the sons of Mr. Blackwood were aware of his name.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>CHANCES FOR THE DRAMA.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> royal patent, by which the performance of the regular drama was -restricted to certain theatres, does not appear to have fostered this -class of writing. Dr. Johnson forced Goldsmith’s <i>She Stoops to Conquer</i> -into the theatre. Tobin died regretting that he could not succeed in -hearing the <i>Honeymoon</i> performed. Lillo produced <i>George Barnwell</i> (an -admirably written play) at an irregular theatre, after it had been -rejected by the holders of the patents. <i>Douglas</i> was cast on Home’s -hands. Fielding was introduced as a dramatist<a name="page_I_069" id="page_I_069"></a> at an unlicensed house; -and one of Mrs. Inchbald’s popular comedies had lain two years -neglected, when, by a trifling accident, she was able to obtain the -manager’s <i>approval</i>.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>FULLER’S MEMORY.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Marvellous</span> anecdotes are related of Dr. Thomas Fuller’s memory. Thus, it -is stated that he undertook once, in passing to and from Temple Bar to -the farthest conduit in Cheapside, to tell at his return every sign as -they stood in order on both sides of the way, repeating them either -backward or forward. This must have been a great feat, seeing that every -house then bore a sign. Yet, Fuller himself decried this kind of thing -as a trick, no art. He relates that one (who since wrote a book thereof) -told him, before credible people, that he, in Sidney College, had taught -him (Fuller) the art of memory. Fuller replied that it was not so, for -<i>he could not remember that he had ever seen him before</i>; “which, I -conceive,” adds Fuller, “was a real refutation;” and we think so, too.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>LORD HERVEY’S WIT.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Horace Walpole</span> records Lord Hervey’s memorable saying about Lord -Burlington’s pretty villa at Chiswick, now the Duke of Devonshire’s, -that it was “too small to inhabit, and too large to hang to your watch;” -and Lady Louisa Stuart has preserved a piece of dandyism in eating, -which even Beau Brummell might<a name="page_I_070" id="page_I_070"></a> have envied—“When asked at dinner -whether he would have some beef, he answered, ‘Beef? oh, no! faugh! -don’t you know I never eat beef, nor horse, nor any of those -things?’ ”—The man that said these things was the successful lover of -the prettiest maid of honour to the Princess of Wales—the person held -up to everlasting ridicule by Pope—the vice-chamberlain whose -attractions engaged the affections of the daughter of the Sovereign he -served; and the peer whose wit was such that it “charmed the charming -Mary Montague.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>ANACREONTIC INVITATION, BY MOORE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> following, one of the latest productions of the poet Moore, -addressed to the Marquis of Lansdowne, shows that though by that time -inclining to threescore and ten, he retained all the fire and vivacity -of early youth. It is full of those exquisitely apt allusions and -felicitous turns of expression in which the English Anacreon excels. It -breathes the very spirit of classic festivity. Such an invitation to -dinner is enough to create an appetite in any lover of poetry:—</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Some think we bards have nothing real—<br /></span> -<span class="i3">That poets live among the stars, so<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Their very dinners are ideal,—<br /></span> -<span class="i3">(And heaven knows, too oft they are so:)<br /></span> -<span class="i1">For instance, that we have, instead<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Of vulgar chops and stews, and hashes,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">First course,—a phœnix at the head,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Done in its own celestial ashes:<br /></span> -<span class="i1">At foot, a cygnet, which kept singing<br /></span> -<span class="i3">All the time its neck was wringing.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Side dishes, thus,—Minerva’s owl,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Or any such like learned fowl;<a name="page_I_071" id="page_I_071"></a><br /></span> -<span class="i1">Doves, such as heaven’s poulterer gets<br /></span> -<span class="i3">When Cupid shoots his mother’s pets.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Larks stew’d in morning’s roseate breath,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Or roasted by a sunbeam’s splendour;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And nightingales, be-rhymed to death—<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Like young pigs whipp’d to make them tender.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Such fare may suit those bard’s who’re able<br /></span> -<span class="i1">To banquet at Duke Humphrey’s table;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">But as for me, who’ve long been taught<br /></span> -<span class="i3">To eat and drink like other people,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And can put up with mutton, bought<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Where Bromham rears its ancient steeple;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">If Lansdowne will consent to share<br /></span> -<span class="i1">My humble feast, though rude the fare,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Yet, seasoned by that salt he brings<br /></span> -<span class="i1">From Attica’s salinest springs,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">’Twill turn to dainties; while the cup,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Beneath his influence brightening up,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Like that of Baucis, touched by Jove,<br /></span> -<span class="i5">Will sparkle fit for gods above!”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<hr /> - -<h3>THE POETS IN A PUZZLE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Cottle</span>, in his Life of Coleridge, relates the following amusing -incident:—</p> - -<p>“I led the horse to the stable, when a fresh perplexity arose. I removed -the harness without difficulty; but, after many strenuous attempts, I -could not remove the collar. In despair, I called for assistance, when -aid soon drew near. Mr. Wordsworth brought his ingenuity into exercise; -but, after several unsuccessful efforts, he relinquished the -achievement, as a thing altogether impracticable. Mr. Coleridge now -tried his hand, but showed no more grooming skill than his predecessors; -for, after twisting the poor horse’s neck almost to strangulation and -the great<a name="page_I_072" id="page_I_072"></a> danger of his eyes, he gave up the useless task, pronouncing -that the horse’s head must have grown (gout or dropsy?) since the collar -was put on; for he said ‘it was a downright impossibility for such a -huge <i>os frontis</i> to pass through so narrow a collar!’ Just at this -instant, a servant-girl came near, and, understanding the cause of our -consternation, ‘La! master,’ said she, ‘you don’t go about the work in -the right way. You should do like this,’ when, turning the collar -completely upside down, she slipped it off in a moment, to our great -humiliation and wonderment, each satisfied afresh that there were -heights of knowledge in the world to which we had not yet attained.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>SALE OF MAGAZINES.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Sir John Hawkins</span>, in his “Memoirs of Johnson,” ascribes the decline of -literature to the ascendancy of frivolous Magazines, between the years -1740 and 1760. He says that they render smatterers conceited, and confer -the superficial glitter of knowledge instead of its substance.</p> - -<p>Sir Richard Phillips, upwards of forty years a publisher, gives the -following evidence as to the sale of the Magazines in his time:—</p> - -<p>“For my own part, I know that in 1790, and for many years previously, -there were sold of the trifle called the <i>Town and Country Magazine</i>, -full 15,000 copies per month; and, of another, the <i>Ladies’ Magazine</i>, -from 16,000 to 22,000. Such circumstances were, therefore, calculated to -draw forth the observations<a name="page_I_073" id="page_I_073"></a> of Hawkins. The <i>Gentleman’s Magazine</i>, in -its days of popular extracts, never rose above 10,000; after it became -more decidedly antiquarian, it fell in sale, and continued for many -years at 3000.</p> - -<p>“The veriest trifles, and only such, move the mass of minds which -compose the public. The sale of the <i>Town and Country Magazine</i> was -created by a fictitious article, called <i>Bon-Ton</i>, in which were given -the pretended amours of two personages, imagined to be real, with two -sham portraits. The idea was conceived, and, for above twenty years, was -executed by Count Carraccioli; but, on his death, about 1792, the -article lost its spirit, and within seven years the magazine was -discontinued. <i>The Ladies’ Magazine</i> was, in like manner, sustained by -love-tales and its low price of sixpence, which, till after 1790, was -the general price of magazines.”</p> - -<p>Things have now taken a turn unlooked for in those days. The price of -most magazines, it is true, is still more than sixpence—usually a -shilling, and at that price the <i>Cornhill</i> in some months reached an -impression of 120,000; but the circulation of <i>Good Words</i>, at sixpence, -has touched 180,000, and continues, we believe, to be over 100,000.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>MRS. SOUTHEY.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">And</span> who was Mrs. Southey?—who but she who was so long known, and so -great a favourite, as Caroline Bowles; transformed by the gallantry of -the laureate, and the grace of the parson, into her matrimonial -appellation<a name="page_I_074" id="page_I_074"></a>. Southey, so long ago as the 21st of February, 1829, -prefaced his most amatory poem of <i>All for Love</i>, with a tender address, -that is now, perhaps, worth reprinting:—</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i5">“TO CAROLINE BOWLES.<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i25">“Could I look forward to a distant day,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">With hope of building some elaborate lay,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Then would I wait till worthier strains of mine,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Might have inscribed thy name, O Caroline!<br /></span> -<span class="i3">For I would, while my voice is heard on earth,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Bear witness to thy genius and thy worth.<br /></span> -<span class="i3">But we have been both taught to feel with fear,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">How frail the tenure of existence here;<br /></span> -<span class="i3">What unforeseen calamities prevent,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Alas! how oft, the best resolved intent;<br /></span> -<span class="i3">And, therefore, this poor volume I address<br /></span> -<span class="i3">To thee, dear friend, and sister poetess!<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“<i>Keswick, Feb. 21, 1829.</i> <span style="margin-left: 2em;">“<span class="smcap">Robert Southey.</span>”</span><br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">The laureate had his wish; for in duty, he was bound to say, that -worthier strains than his bore inscribed the name of Caroline connected -with his own—and, moreover, she was something more than a dear friend -and sister poetess.</p> - -<p>“The laureate,” observes a writer in <i>Fraser’s Magazine</i>, “is a -fortunate man; his queen supplies him with <i>butts</i> (alluding to the -laureateship), and his lady with <i>Bowls</i>: then may his cup of good -fortune be overflowing.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>DEVOTION TO SCIENCE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">M. Agassiz</span>, the celebrated palæontologist, is known to have relinquished -pursuits from which he might have been in the receipt of a considerable -income, and<a name="page_I_075" id="page_I_075"></a> all for the sake of science. Dr. Buckland knew him, when -engaged in this arduous career, with the revenue of only 100<i>l.</i>: and of -this he paid fifty pounds to artists for drawings, thirty pounds for -books, and lived himself on the remaining twenty pounds a year! Thus did -he raise himself to an elevated European rank; and, in his abode, <i>au -troisième</i>, was the companion and friend of princes, ambassadors, and -men of the highest rank and talent of every country.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>DISADVANTAGEOUS CORRECTION.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Lord North</span> had little reason to congratulate himself when he ventured on -an interruption with Burke. In a debate on some economical question, -Burke was guilty of a false quantity—“<i>Magnum vectĭgal est -parsimonia</i>.” “<i>Vectīgal</i>,” said the minister, in an audible -under-tone. “I thank the noble lord for his correction,” resumed the -orator, “since it gives me the opportunity of repeating the inestimable -adage—“<i>Magnum vectīgal est parsimonia</i>.” (Parsimony is a great -revenue.)</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>PATRONAGE OF LITERATURE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">When</span> Victor Hugo was an aspirant for the honours of the French Academy, -and called on M. Royer Collard to ask his vote, the sturdy veteran -professed entire ignorance of his name. “I am the author of <i>Notre Dame -de Paris</i>, <i>Les Derniers Jours d’un Condamné</i>, <i>Bug-Jargal</i>, <i>Marian -Delorme</i>, &c.” “I never heard of any of them,” said Collard. “Will you -do<a name="page_I_076" id="page_I_076"></a> me the honour of accepting a copy of my works?” said Victor Hugo. “I -never read new books,” was the cutting reply.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>DR. JOHNSON’S WIGS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Dr. Johnson’s</span> wigs were in general very shabby, and their fore-parts -were burned away by the near approach of the candle, which his -short-sightedness rendered necessary in reading. At Streatham, Mr. -Thrale’s butler always had a wig ready; and as Johnson passed from the -drawing-room, when dinner was announced, the servant would remove the -ordinary wig, and replace it with the newer one; and this ludicrous -ceremony was performed every day.—<i>Croker.</i></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>SHERIDAN’S “PIZARRO.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Mr. Pitt</span> was accustomed to relate very pleasantly an amusing anecdote of -a total breach of memory in some Mrs. Lloyd, a lady, or nominal -housekeeper, of Kensington Palace. “Being in company,” he said, “with -Mr. Sheridan, without recollecting him, while <i>Pizarro</i> was the topic of -discussion, she said to him, ‘And so this fine <i>Pizarro</i> is printed?’ -‘Yes, so I hear,’ said Sherry. ‘And did you ever in your life read such -stuff?’ cried she. ‘Why I believe it’s bad enough,’ quoth Sherry; ‘but -at least, madam, you must allow it’s very loyal.’ ‘Ah!’ cried she, -shaking her head—‘loyal? you don’t know its author as well as I do.<a name="page_I_077" id="page_I_077"></a>’ ”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>DR. JOHNSON IN LONDON.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> following were Dr. Johnson’s several places of residence in and near -London:—</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="right">1.</td><td>Exeter-street, off Catherine-street, Strand. (1737.)</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">2.</td><td>Greenwich. (1737.)</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">3.</td><td>Woodstock-street, near Hanover-square. (1737.)</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">4.</td><td>Castle-court, Cavendish-square; No. 6. (1738.)</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">5.</td><td>Boswell-court.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">6.</td><td>Strand.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">7.</td><td>Strand, again.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">8.</td><td>Bow-street.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">9.</td><td>Holborn.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">10.</td><td>Fetter-lane.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">11.</td><td>Holborn again; at the Golden Anchor, Holborn Bars. (1748.)</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">12.</td><td>Gough-square. (1748.)</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">13.</td><td>Staple Inn. (1758.)</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">14.</td><td>Gray’s Inn.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">15.</td><td>Inner Temple-lane, No. 1. (1760.)</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">16.</td><td>Johnson’s-court, Fleet-street, No. 5. (1765.)</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">17.</td><td>Bolt-court, Fleet-street, No. 8. (1776.)</td></tr> -</table> - -<hr /> - -<h3>REGALITY OF GENIUS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Gibbon</span>, when speaking of his own genealogy, refers to the fact of -Fielding being of the same family as the Earl of Denbigh, who, in common -with the Imperial family of Austria, is descended from the celebrated -Rodolph, of Hapsburgh. “While the one branch,” he says, “have contented -themselves with being sheriffs of Leicestershire, and justices of the -peace, the others have been emperors of Germany and kings of Spain; but -the magnificent romance of <i>Tom Jones</i> will be read with pleasure, when -the palace of the Escurial is in ruins, and the Imperial Eagle of -Austria is rolling in the dust.<a name="page_I_078" id="page_I_078"></a>”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>FIELDING’S “TOM JONES.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Fielding</span> having finished the manuscript of <i>Tom Jones</i>, and being at the -time hard pressed for money took it to a second-rate publisher, with the -view of selling it for what it would fetch at the moment. He left it -with the trader, and called upon him next day for his decision. The -bookseller hesitated, and requested another day for consideration; and -at parting, Fielding offered him the MS. for 25<i>l.</i></p> - -<p>On his way home, Fielding met Thomson, the poet, whom he told of the -negotiation for the sale of the MS.; when Thomson, knowing the high -merit of the work, conjured him to be off the bargain, and offered to -find a better purchaser.</p> - -<p>Next morning, Fielding hastened to his appointment, with as much -apprehension lest the bookseller should stick to his bargain as he had -felt the day before lest he should altogether decline it. To the -author’s great joy, the ignorant trafficker in literature declined, and -returned the MS. to Fielding. He next set off, with a light heart, to -his friend Thomson; and the novelist and the poet then went to Andrew -Millar, the great publisher of the day. Millar, as was his practice with -works of light reading, handed the MS. to his wife, who, having read it, -advised him by no means to let it slip through his fingers.</p> - -<p>Millar now invited the two friends to meet him at a coffee-house in the -Strand, where, after dinner, the bookseller, with great caution, offered -Fielding 200<i>l.</i> for the MS. The novelist was amazed at the largeness<a name="page_I_079" id="page_I_079"></a> -of the offer. “Then, my good sir,” said Fielding, recovering himself -from his unexpected stroke of good fortune, “give me your hand—the book -is yours. And, waiter,” continued he, “bring a couple of bottles of your -best port.”</p> - -<p>Before Millar died, he had cleared eighteen thousand pounds by <i>Tom -Jones</i>, out of which he generously made Fielding various presents, to -the amount of 2000<i>l.</i>; and he closed his life by bequeathing a handsome -legacy to each of Fielding’s sons.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>VOLTAIRE AND FERNEY.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> showman’s work is very profitable at the country-house of Voltaire, -at Ferney, near Geneva. A Genevese, an excellent calculator, as are all -his countrymen, many years ago valued as follows the yearly profit -derived by the above functionary from his situation:—</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td valign="top"> </td><td align="right">Francs.</td></tr> -<tr><td valign="top" class="hang">8000 busts of Voltaire, made with earth of Ferney, at a franc a-piece</td><td align="right">8,000</td></tr> -<tr><td valign="top" class="hang">1200 autograph letters, at 20 francs</td><td align="right" valign="bottom">24,000</td></tr> -<tr><td valign="top" class="hang">500 walking canes of Voltaire, at 50 francs each</td><td align="right" valign="bottom">25,000</td></tr> -<tr><td valign="top" class="hang">300 veritable wigs of Voltaire, at 100 francs</td><td align="right" valign="bottom">30,000</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">In all</td><td align="right" class="bt" valign="bottom">87,000</td></tr> -</table> - -<hr /> - -<h3>CLEAN HANDS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Lord Brougham</span>, during his indefatigable canvass of Yorkshire, in the -course of which he often addressed ten or a dozen meetings in a day, -thought fit to<a name="page_I_080" id="page_I_080"></a> harangue the electors of Leeds immediately on his -arrival, after travelling all night, and without waiting to perform his -customary ablutions. “These hands are clean!” cried he, at the -conclusion of a diatribe against corruption; but they happened to be -very dirty, and this practical contradiction raised a hearty laugh.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>MODERATE FLATTERY.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Jasper Mayne</span> says of Master Cartwright, the author of tolerable comedies -and poems, printed in 1651:—</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Yes, thou to Nature hadst joined art and skill;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">In thee, Ben Jonson still held Shakspeare’s quill.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<hr /> - -<h3>EVERY-DAY LIFE OF JAMES SMITH.</h3> - -<p>“One of the Authors of the <i>Rejected Addresses</i>” thus writes to a -friend:<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a>—</p> - -<p>“Let me enlighten you as to the general disposal of my time. I breakfast -at nine, with a mind undisturbed by matters of business; I then write to -you, or to some editor, and then read till three o’clock. I then walk to -the Union Club, read the journals, hear Lord John Russell deified or -<i>diablerized</i>, (that word is not a bad coinage,) do the same with Sir -Robert Peel or the Duke of Wellington; and then join a knot of -conversationists by the fire till six o’clock, consisting of lawyers, -merchants, members of Parliament, and gentlemen at large. We then and -there discuss the three per cent. consols, (some of us preferring Dutch<a name="page_I_081" id="page_I_081"></a> -two-and-a-half per cent.), and speculate upon the probable rise, shape, -and cost of the New Exchange. If Lady Harrington happen to drive past -our window in her landau, we compare her equipage to the Algerine -Ambassador’s; and when politics happen to be discussed, rally Whigs, -Radicals, and Conservatives alternately, but never seriously,—such -subjects having a tendency to create acrimony. At six, the room begins -to be deserted; wherefore I adjourn to the dining-room, and gravely -looking over the bill of fare, exclaim to the waiter, ‘Haunch of mutton -and apple tart.’ These viands despatched, with the accompanying liquids -and water, I mount upward to the library, take a book and my seat in the -arm-chair, and read till nine. Then call for a cup of coffee and a -biscuit, resuming my book till eleven; afterwards return home to bed. If -I have any book here which particularly excites my attention, I place my -lamp on a table by my bed-side, and read in bed until twelve. No danger -of ignition, my lamp being quite safe, and my curtains moreen. Thus -‘ends this strange eventful history,’ ” &c.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>FRENCH-ENGLISH JEU-DE-MOT.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> celebrated Mrs. Thicknesse undertook to construct a letter, every -word of which should be French, yet no Frenchman should be able to read -it; while an illiterate Englishman or Englishwoman should decipher it -with ease. Here is the specimen of the lady’s ingenuity:—</p> - -<p>“Pre, dire sistre, comme and se us, and pass the de<a name="page_I_082" id="page_I_082"></a> here if yeux canne, -and chat tu my dame, and dine here; and yeux mai go to the faire if yeux -plaise; yeux mai have fiche, muttin, porc, buter, foule, hair, fruit, -pigeon, olives, sallette, forure diner, and excellent te, cafe, port -vin, an liqueurs; and tell ure bette and poll to comme; and Ile go tu -the faire and visite the Baron. But if yeux dont comme tu us, Ile go to -ure house and se oncle, and se houe he does; for mi dame se he bean ill; -but deux comme; mi dire yeux canne ly here yeux nos; if yeux love -musique, yeux mai have the harp, lutte, or viol heere. Adieu, mi dire -sistre.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>RELICS OF IZAAK WALTON.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Flatman’s</span> beautiful lines to Walton, (says Mr. Jesse) commencing—</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Happy old man, whose worth all mankind knows<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Except himself,”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">have always struck us as conveying a true picture of Walton’s character, -and of the estimation in which he was held after the appearance of his -“Angler.”</p> - -<p>The last male descendant of our “honest father,” the Rev. Dr. Herbert -Hawes, died in 1839. He very liberally bequeathed the beautiful painting -of Walton, by Houseman, to the National Gallery; and it is a curious -fact, as showing the estimation in which any thing connected with Walton -is held in the present day, that the lord of the manor in which Dr. -Hawes resided, laid claim to this portrait as a heriot, though<a name="page_I_083" id="page_I_083"></a> not -successfully. Dr. Hawes also bequeathed the greater portion of his -library to the Dean and Chapter of Salisbury; and his executor and -friend presented the celebrated prayer-book, which was Walton’s, to Mr. -Pickering, the publisher. The watch which belonged to Walton’s -connexion, the excellent Bishop Ken, has been presented to his amiable -biographer, the Rev. W. Lisle Bowles.</p> - -<p>Walton died at the house of his son-in-law, Dr. Hawkins, at Winchester. -He was buried in Winchester Cathedral, in the south aisle, called Prior -Silkstead’s Chapel. A large black marble slab is placed over his -remains; and, to use the poetical language of Mr. Bowles, “the morning -sunshine falls directly on it, reminding the contemplative man of the -mornings when he was, for so many years, up and abroad with his angle, -on the banks of the neighbouring stream.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>PRAISE OF ALE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Dr. Still</span>, though Bishop of Bath and Wells, seems not to have been over -fond of water; for thus he sings:—</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“A stoup of ale, then, cannot fail,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">To cheer both heart and soul;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">It hath a charm, and without harm<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Can make a lame man whole.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">For he who thinks, and water drinks,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Is never worth a dump:<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Then fill your cup, and drink it up,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">May he be made a pump.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p><a name="page_I_084" id="page_I_084"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>DANGEROUS FOOLS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Sydney Smith</span> writes:—If men are to be fools, it were better that they -were fools in little matters than in great; dulness, turned up with -temerity, is a livery all the worse for the facings; and the most -tremendous of all things is a magnanimous dunce.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>BULWER’S POMPEIAN DRAWING-ROOM.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">In</span> 1841, the author of <i>Pelham</i> lived in Charles-street, -Berkeley-square, in a small house, which he fitted up after his own -taste; and an odd <i>melée</i> of the classic and the baronial certain of the -rooms presented. One of the drawing-rooms, we remember, was in the -Elizabethan style, with an imitative oak ceiling, bristled with -pendents; and this room opened into another apartment, a fac-simile of a -chamber which Bulwer had visited at Pompeii, with vases, candelabra, and -other furniture to correspond.</p> - -<p>James Smith has left a few notes of his visit here: “Our host,” he says, -“lighted a perfumed pastile, modelled from Vesuvius. As soon as the cone -of the mountain began to blaze, I found myself an inhabitant of the -devoted city; and, as Pliny the elder, thus addressed Bulwer, my -supposed nephew:—‘Our fate is accomplished, nephew! Hand me yonder -volume! I shall die as a student in my vocation. Do thou hasten to take -refuge on board the fleet at Misenum. Yonder cloud of hot ashes chides -thy longer delay. Feel no alarm for me; I shall live in<a name="page_I_085" id="page_I_085"></a> story. The -author of <i>Pelham</i> will rescue my name from oblivion.’ Pliny the younger -made me a low bow, &c.” We strongly suspect James of quizzing “our -host.” He noted, by the way, in the chamber were the busts of Hebe, -Laura, Petrarch, Dante, and other worthies; Laura like our Queen.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>STERNE’S SERMONS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Sterne’s</span> sermons are, in general, very short, which circumstance gave -rise to the following joke at Bull’s Library, at Bath:—A footman had -been sent by his lady to purchase one of Smallridge’s sermons, when, by -mistake, he asked for a <i>small religious</i> sermon. The bookseller being -puzzled how to reply to his request, a gentleman present suggested, -“Give him one of Sterne’s.”</p> - -<p>It has been observed, that if Sterne had never written one line more -than his picture of the mournful cottage, towards the conclusion of his -fifth sermon, we might cheerfully indulge the devout hope that the -recording angel, whom he once invoked, will have blotted out many of his -imperfections.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>“TOM HILL.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">A few</span> days before the close of 1840, London lost one of its choicest -spirits, and humanity one of her kindest-hearted sons, in the death of -Thomas Hill, Esq.—“Tom Hill,” as he was called by all who loved and<a name="page_I_086" id="page_I_086"></a> -knew him. His life exemplified one venerable proverb, and disproved -another; he was born in May, 1760, and was, consequently, in his 81st -year, and “as old as the hills;” having led a long life and a merry one. -He was originally a drysalter; but about the year 1810, having sustained -a severe loss by a speculation in indigo, he retired upon the remains of -his property to chambers in the Adelphi, where he died; his physician -remarking to him, “I can do no more for you—I have done all I can. I -cannot cure age.”</p> - -<p>Hill, when in business at the unlettered Queenhithe, found leisure to -accumulate a fine collection of books, chiefly old poetry, which -afterwards, when misfortune overtook him, was valued at 6000<i>l.</i> Hill -was likewise a Mæcenas: he patronized two friendless poets, Bloomfield -and Kirke White. The <i>Farmer’s Boy</i> of the former was read and admired -by him in manuscript, and was recommended to a publisher. Hill also -established <i>The Monthly Mirror</i>, to which Kirke White was a -contributor. Hill was the Hull of Hook’s <i>Gilbert Gurney</i>. He happened -to know everything that was going on in all circles; and was at all -“private views” of exhibitions. So especially was he favoured, that a -wag recorded, when asked whether he had seen the new comet, he -replied—“Pooh! pooh! I was present at the private view.”</p> - -<p>Hill left behind him an assemblage of literary rarities, which it -occupied a clear week to sell by auction. Among them was Garrick’s cup, -formed from the mulberry tree planted by Shakespeare in his<a name="page_I_087" id="page_I_087"></a> garden at -New Place, Stratford-upon-Avon; this produced forty guineas. A small -vase and pedestal, carved from the same mulberry-tree, and presented to -Garrick, was sold with a coloured drawing of it, for ten guineas. And a -block of wood, cut from the celebrated willow planted by Pope, at his -villa at Twickenham, brought one guinea.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>TYCHO BRAHE’S NOSE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Sir David Brewster</span> relates that in the year 1566, an accident occurred -to Tycho Brahe, at Wittenberg, which had nearly deprived him of his -life. On the 10th of December, Tycho had a quarrel with a noble -countryman, Manderupius Rasbergius, and they parted ill friends. On the -27th of the same month, they met again; and having renewed their -quarrel, they agreed to settle their differences by the sword. They -accordingly met at seven o’clock in the evening of the 29th, and fought -in total darkness. In this blind combat, Manderupius cut off the whole -of the front of Tycho’s nose, and it was fortunate for astronomy that -his more valuable organs were defended by so faithful an outpost. The -quarrel, which is said to have originated in a difference of opinion -respecting their mathematical attainments, terminated here; and Tycho -repaired his loss by cementing upon his face a nose of gold and silver, -which is said to have formed a good imitation of the original. Thus, -Tycho was, indeed, a “Martyr of Science.<a name="page_I_088" id="page_I_088"></a>”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>FOOTE’S WOODEN LEG.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">George Colman</span>, the younger, notes:—“There is no Shakspeare or Roscius -upon record who, like Foote, supported a theatre for a series of years -by his own acting, in his own writings; and for ten years of the time, -upon a wooden leg! This prop to his person I once saw standing by his -bedside, ready dressed in a handsome silk stocking, with a polished shoe -and gold buckle, awaiting the owner’s getting up: it had a kind of -tragic, comical appearance, and I leave to inveterate wags the ingenuity -of punning upon a Foote in bed, and a leg out of it. The proxy for a -limb thus decorated, though ludicrous, is too strong a reminder of -amputation to be very laughable. His undressed supporter was the common -wooden stick, which was not a little injurious to a well-kept -pleasure-ground. I remember following him after a shower of rain, upon a -nicely rolled terrace, in which he stumped a deep round hole at every -other step he took, till it appeared as if the gardener had been there -with his dibble, preparing, against all horticultural practice, to plant -a long row of cabbages in a gravel walk.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>RIVAL REMEMBRANCE.</h3> - -<p class="c"> -<i>Mr. Gifford to Mr. Hazlitt.</i><br /> -</p> -<p class="c">“What we read from your pen, we remember no more.”</p> - -<p class="c"> -<i>Mr. Hazlitt to Mr. Gifford.</i><br /> -</p> -<p class="c">“What we read from your pen, we remember before.”</p> - -<p><a name="page_I_089" id="page_I_089"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>WHO WROTE “JUNIUS’S LETTERS”?</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> question has not yet been satisfactorily answered. In 1812, Dr. -Mason Good, in an essay he wrote on the question, passed in review all -the persons who had then been suspected of writing these celebrated -letters. They are, Charles Lloyd and John Roberts, originally treasury -clerks; Samuel Dyer, a learned man, and a friend of Burke and Johnson; -William Gerard Hamilton, familiarly known as “Single-speech Hamilton;” -Mr. Burke; Dr. Butler, late Bishop of Hereford; the Rev. Philip -Rosenhagen; Major-General Lee, who went over to the Americans, and took -an active part in their contest with the mother-country; John Wilkes; -Hugh Macaulay Boyd; John Dunning, Lord Ashburton; Henry Flood; and Lord -George Sackville.</p> - -<p>Since this date, in 1813, John Roche published an Inquiry, in which he -persuaded himself that Burke was the author. In the same year there -appeared three other publications on Junius: these were, the Attempt of -the Rev. J. B. Blakeway, to trace them to John Horne Tooke; next were -the “Facts” of Thomas Girdlestone, M.D., to prove that General Lee was -the author; and, thirdly, a work put forth by Mrs. Olivia Wilmot Serres, -in the following confident terms:—“Life of the Author of <i>Junius’s -Letters</i>,—the Rev. J. Wilmot, D.D., Fellow of Trinity College, Oxford;” -and, like most bold attempts, this work attracted some notice and -discussion.</p> - -<p>In 1815, the Letters were attributed to Richard<a name="page_I_090" id="page_I_090"></a> Glover, the poet of -<i>Leonidas</i>; and this improbable idea was followed by another, assigning -the authorship of the Letters to the Duke of Portland, in 1816. In the -same year appeared “Arguments and Facts,” to show that John Louis de -Lolme, author of the famous Essay on the Constitution of England, was -the writer of these anonymous epistles. In 1816, too, appeared Mr. John -Taylor’s “Junius Identified,” advocating the claims of Sir Philip -Francis so successfully that the question was generally considered to be -settled. Mr. Taylor’s opinion was supported by Edward Dubois, Esq., -formerly the confidential friend and private secretary of Sir Philip, -who, in common with Lady Francis, constantly entertained the conviction -that his deceased patron was identical with Junius.</p> - -<p>In 1817, George Chalmers, F.S.A., advocated the pretensions of Hugh -Macaulay Boyd to the authorship of Junius. In 1825, Mr. George Coventry -maintained with great ability that Lord George Sackville was Junius; and -two writers in America adopted this theory.</p> - -<p>Thus was the whole question re-opened; and, in 1828, Mr. E. H. Barker, -of Thetford, refuted the claims of Lord George Sackville and Sir Philip -Francis, and advocated those of Charles Lloyd, private secretary to the -Hon. George Grenville.<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a></p> - -<p>In 1841, Mr. N. W. Simons, of the British Museum, refuted the -supposition that Sir Philip Francis was<a name="page_I_091" id="page_I_091"></a> directly or indirectly -concerned in the writing; and, in the same year, appeared M. Jaques’s -review of the controversy, in which he arrived at the conclusion that -Lord George Sackville composed the Letters, and that Sir Philip Francis -was his amanuensis, thus combining the theory of Mr. Taylor with that of -Mr. Coventry.</p> - -<p>The question was reviewed and revived in a volume published by Mr. -Britton, F.S.A., in June 1848, entitled “The Authorship of the Letters -of Junius Elucidated;” in which is advocated with great care the opinion -that the Letters were, to a certain extent, the joint productions of -Lieut.-Colonel Isaac Barré, M.P., Lord Shelburne, (afterwards Marquess -of Lansdowne,) and Dunning, Lord Ashburton. Of these three persons the -late Sir Francis Baring commissioned Sir Joshua Reynolds, in 1784-5, to -paint portraits in one picture, which is regarded as evidence of joint -authorship.</p> - -<p>Only a week before his death, 1804, the Marquess of Lansdowne was -personally appealed to on the subject of <i>Junius</i>, by Sir Richard -Phillips. In conversation, the Marquess said, “No, no, I am not equal to -<i>Junius</i>; I could not be the author; but the grounds of secrecy are now -so far removed by death (Dunning and Barré were at that time dead), and -change of circumstances, that it is unnecessary the author of <i>Junius</i> -should much longer be unknown. The world is curious about him, and I -could make a very interesting publication on the subject. I knew Junius, -and <i>I know all about</i> the writing and production of these Letters.” The -Marquess added, “If I live over the summer, which, however, I don’t -expect, I promise you a very interesting pamphlet<a name="page_I_092" id="page_I_092"></a> about Junius. I will -put my name to it; I will set the question at rest for ever.” The death -of the Marquess, however, occurred in a week. In a letter to the -<i>Monthly Magazine</i>, July 1813, the son of the Marquess of Lansdowne -says:—“It is not impossible my father may have been acquainted with the -fact; but perhaps he was under some obligation to secrecy, as he never -made any communication to me on the subject.”</p> - -<p>Lord Mahon (now Earl Stanhope) at length and with minuteness enters, in -his History, into a vindication of the claims of Sir Philip Francis, -grounding his partisanship on the close similarity of handwriting -established by careful comparison of facsimiles; the likeness of the -style of Sir Philip’s speeches in Parliament to that of -<i>Junius</i>—biting, pithy, full of antithesis and invective; the -tenderness and bitterness displayed by <i>Junius</i> towards persons to whom -Sir Philip stood well or ill affected; the correspondence of the dates -of the letters with those of certain movements of Sir Philip; and the -evidence of <i>Junius’</i> close acquaintance with the War Office, where Sir -Philip held a post. It seems generally agreed that the weight of proof -is on the side of Sir Philip Francis; but there will always be found -adherents of other names—as O’Connell, in the following passage, of -Burke:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“It is my decided opinion,” said O’Connell, “that Edmund Burke was -the author of the ‘Letters of Junius.’ There are many -considerations which compel me to form that opinion. Burke was the -only man who made that figure in the world which the author of -‘Junius’ <i>must</i> have made, if engaged in public life; and the -entire of ‘Junius’s Letters’ evinces that close acquaintance with -the springs of political machinery which no<a name="page_I_093" id="page_I_093"></a> man could possess -unless actively engaged in politics. Again, Burke was fond of -chemical similes; now chemical similes are frequent in Junius. -Again; Burke was an Irishman; now Junius, speaking of the -Government of Ireland, twice calls it ‘the Castle,’ a familiar -phrase amongst Irish politicians, but one which an Englishman, in -those days, would never have used. Again; Burke had this -peculiarity in writing, that he often wrote many words without -taking the pen from the paper. The very same peculiarity existed in -the manuscripts of Junius, although they were written in a feigned -hand. Again; it may be said that the style is not Burke’s. In -reply, I would say that Burke was master of many styles. His work -on natural society, in imitation of Lord Bolingbroke, is as -different in point of style from his work on the French Revolution, -as <i>both</i> are from the ‘Letters of Junius.’ Again; Junius speaks of -the King’s insanity as a divine visitation; Burke said the very -same thing in the House of Commons. Again; had any one of the other -men to whom the ‘Letters’ are, with any show of probability, -ascribed, been really the author, such author would have had no -reason for disowning the book, or remaining incognito. Any one of -them but Burke would have claimed the authorship and fame—and -proud fame. But Burke had a very cogent reason for remaining -incognito. In claiming Junius he would have claimed his own -condemnation and dishonour, for Burke died a pensioner. Burke was, -moreover, the only pensioner who had the commanding talent -displayed in the writings of Junius. Now, when I lay all these -considerations together, and especially when I reflect that a -cogent reason exists for Burke’s silence as to his own authorship, -I confess I think I have got a presumptive proof of the very -strongest nature, that Burke was the writer.”<a name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a></p></div> - -<hr /> - -<h3>LITERARY COFFEE-HOUSES IN THE LAST CENTURY.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Three</span> of the most celebrated resorts of the <i>literati</i> of the last -century were <i>Will’s Coffee-house</i>, No. 23, on the north side of Great -Russell-street, Covent<a name="page_I_094" id="page_I_094"></a> Garden, at the end of Bow-street. This was the -favourite resort of Dryden, who had here his own chair, in winter by the -fireside, in summer in the balcony: the company met in the first floor, -and there smoked; and the young beaux and wits were sometimes honoured -with a pinch out of Dryden’s snuff-box. Will’s was the resort of men of -genius till 1710: it was subsequently occupied by a perfumer.</p> - -<p><i>Tom’s</i>, No. 17, Great Russell-street, had nearly 700 subscribers, at a -guinea a-head, from 1764 to 1768, and had its card, conversation, and -coffee-rooms, where assembled Dr. Johnson, Garrick, Murphy, Goldsmith, -Sir Joshua Reynolds, Foote, and other men of talent: the tables and -books of the club were not many years since preserved in the house, the -first floor of which was then occupied by Mr. Webster, the medallist.</p> - -<p><i>Button’s</i>, “over against” Tom’s, was the receiving-house for -contributions to <i>The Guardian</i>, in a lion-head box, the aperture for -which remains in the wall to mark the place. Button had been servant to -Lady Warwick, whom Addison married; and the house was frequented by -Pope, Steele, Swift, Arbuthnot, and Addison. The lion’s head for a -letter-box, “the best head in England,” was set up in imitation of the -celebrated lion at Venice: it was removed from Button’s to the -Shakspeare’s Head, under the arcade in Covent Garden; and in 1751, was -placed in the Bedford, next door. This lion’s head is now treasured as a -relic by the Bedford family.<a name="page_I_095" id="page_I_095"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>LORD BYRON AND “MY GRANDMOTHER’S REVIEW.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">At</span> the close of the first canto of <i>Don Juan</i>, its noble author, by way -of propitiating the reader for the morality of his poem, says:—</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“The public approbation I expect,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">And beg they’ll take my word about the moral,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Which I with their amusement will connect,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">As children cutting teeth receive a coral;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Meantime, they’ll doubtless please to recollect<br /></span> -<span class="i3">My epical pretensions to the laurel;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">For fear some prudish reader should grow skittish,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">I’ve bribed my Grandmother’s Review—the British.<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i1">I sent it in a letter to the editor,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Who thank’d me duly by return of post—<br /></span> -<span class="i1">I’m for a handsome article his creditor;<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Yet if my gentle muse he please to roast,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And break a promise after having made it her,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Denying the receipt of what it cost,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And smear his page with gall instead of honey,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">All I can say is—that he had the money.”<br /></span> -<span class="i10"><i>Canto I. st.</i> ccix. ccx.<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>Now, “the British” was a certain staid and grave high-church review, the -editor of which received the poet’s imputation of bribery as a serious -accusation; and, accordingly, in his next number after the publication -of <i>Don Juan</i>, there appeared a postscript, in which the receipt of any -bribe was stoutly denied, and the idea of such connivance altogether -repudiated; the editor adding that he should continue to exercise his -own judgment as to the merits of Lord Byron, as he had hitherto done in -every instance! However, the<a name="page_I_096" id="page_I_096"></a> affair was too ludicrous to be at once -altogether dropped; and, so long as the prudish publication was in -existence, it enjoyed the <i>sobriquet</i> of “My Grandmother’s Review.”</p> - -<p>By the way, there is another hoax connected with this poem. One day an -old gentleman gravely inquired of a printseller for a portrait of -“Admiral Noah”—to illustrate <i>Don Juan</i>!</p> - -<h3>WALPOLE’S WAY TO WIN THEM.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Sir Robert Walpole</span>, in one of his letters, thus describes the relations -of a skilful Minister with an accommodating Parliament—the description, -it may be said, having, by lapse of time, acquired the merit of general -inapplicability to the present state of things:—“My dear friend, there -is scarcely a member whose purse I do not know to a sixpence, and whose -very soul almost I could not purchase at the offer. The reason former -Ministers have been deceived in this matter is evident—they never -considered the temper of the people they had to deal with. I have known -a minister so weak as to offer an avaricious old rascal a star and -garter, and attempt to bribe a young rogue, who set no value upon money, -with a lucrative employment. I pursue methods as opposite as the poles, -and therefore my administration has been attended with a different -effect.” “Patriots,” elsewhere says Walpole, “spring up like mushrooms. -I could raise fifty of them within four-and-twenty hours. I have raised -many of them in one night. It is but<a name="page_I_097" id="page_I_097"></a> refusing to gratify an -unreasonable or insolent demand, and <i>up starts a patriot</i>.”</p> - -<h3>DR. JOHNSON’S CRITICISMS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Johnson</span> decided literary questions like a lawyer, not like a legislator. -He never examined foundations where a point was already ruled. His whole -code of criticism rested on pure assumption, for which he sometimes gave -a precedent or authority, but rarely troubled himself to give a reason -drawn from the nature of things. He judged of all works of the -imagination by the standard established among his own contemporaries. -Though he allowed Homer to have been a greater man than Virgil, he seems -to have thought the Æneid to have been a greater poem than the Iliad. -Indeed, he well might have thought so; for he preferred Pope’s <i>Iliad</i> -to Homer’s. He pronounced that after Hoole’s translation of <i>Tasso</i>, -Fairfax’s would hardly be reprinted. He could see no merit in our fine -old English ballads, and always spoke with the most provoking contempt -of Dr. Percy’s fondness for them.</p> - -<p>Of all the great original works which appeared during his time, -Richardson’s novels alone excited his admiration. He could see little or -no merit in <i>Tom Jones</i>, in <i>Gulliver’s Travels</i>, or in <i>Tristram -Shandy</i>. To Thomson’s <i>Castle of Indolence</i> he vouchsafed only a line of -cold commendation—of commendation much colder than what he has bestowed -on <i>The Creation</i> of<a name="page_I_098" id="page_I_098"></a> that portentous bore, Sir Richard Blackmore. Gray -was, in his dialect, a barren rascal. Churchill was a blockhead. The -contempt which he felt for Macpherson was, indeed, just; but it was, we -suspect, just by chance. He criticized Pope’s epitaphs excellently. But -his observations on Shakspeare’s plays, and Milton’s poems, seem to us -as wretched as if they had been written by Rymer himself, whom we take -to have been the worst critic that ever lived.</p> - -<h3>GIBBON’S HOUSE, AT LAUSANNE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> house of Gibbon, in which he completed his “Decline and Fall,” is in -the lower part of the town of Lausanne, behind the church of St. -Francis, and on the right of the road leading down to Ouchy. Both the -house and the garden have been much changed. The wall of the Hotel -Gibbon occupies the site of his summer-house, and the <i>berceau</i> walk has -been destroyed to make room for the garden of the hotel; but the terrace -looking over the lake, and a few acacias, remain.</p> - -<p>Gibbon’s record of the completion of his great labour is very -impressive. “It was on the day, or rather the night, of the 27th of -June, 1787, between the hours of eleven and twelve, that I wrote the -last line of the last page, in a summer-house in my garden. After laying -down my pen, I took several turns in a <i>berceau</i>, or covered walk of -acacias, which commands a prospect of the country, the lake, and the -mountains. The air<a name="page_I_099" id="page_I_099"></a> was temperate, the sky was serene, the silver orb of -the moon was reflected from the waves, and all nature was silent.”</p> - -<p>At a little inn at Morges, about two miles distant from Lausanne, Lord -Byron wrote the <i>Prisoner of Chillon</i>, in the short space of <i>two days</i>, -during which he was detained here by bad weather, June 1816: “thus -adding one more deathless association to the already immortalized -localities of the Lake.”</p> - -<h3>ORIGIN OF “BOZ.” (DICKENS.)</h3> - -<p class="nind">A <span class="smcap">fellow</span> passenger with Mr. Dickens in the <i>Britannia</i> steam-ship, -across the Atlantic, inquired of the author the origin of his signature, -“Boz.” Mr. Dickens replied that he had a little brother who resembled so -much the Moses in the <i>Vicar of Wakefield</i>, that he used to call him -Moses also; but a younger girl, who could not then articulate plainly, -was in the habit of calling him Bozie or Boz. This simple circumstance -made him assume that name in the first article he risked to the public, -and therefore he continued the name, as the first effort was approved -of.</p> - -<h3>BOSWELL’S “LIFE OF JOHNSON.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Sir John Malcolm</span> once asked Warren Hastings, who was a contemporary and -companion of Dr. Johnson and Boswell, what was his real estimation of -Boswell’s <i>Life of Johnson</i>? “Sir,” replied Hastings,<a -name="page_I_100" id="page_I_100"></a> “it is the <i>dirtiest</i> book in my -library;” then proceeding, he added: “I knew Boswell intimately; and I -well remember, when his book first made its appearance, Boswell was so -full of it, that he could neither think nor talk of anything else; so -much so, that meeting Lord Thurlow hurrying through Parliament-street to -get to the House of Lords, where an important debate was expected, for -which he was already too late, Boswell had the temerity to stop and -accost him with “Have you read my book?” “Yes,” replied Lord Thurlow, -with one of his strongest curses, “every word of it; I could not help -it.”</p> - -<h3>PATRONAGE OF AUTHORS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">In</span> the reigns of William III., of Anne, and of George I., even such men -as Congreve and Addison could scarcely have been able to live like -gentlemen by the mere sale of their writings. But the deficiency of the -natural demand for literature was, at the close of the seventeenth, and -at the beginning of the eighteenth century, more than made up by the -artificial encouragement—by a vast system of bounties and premiums. -There was, perhaps, never a time at which the rewards of literary merit -were so splendid—at which men who could write well found such easy -admittance into the most distinguished society, and to the highest -honours of the state. The chiefs of both the great parties into which -the kingdom was divided, patronized literature with emulous munificence.</p> - -<p>Congreve, when he had scarcely attained his majority<a -name="page_I_101" id="page_I_101"></a>, was rewarded for his first comedy -with places which made him independent for life. Rowe was not only poet -laureate, but land-surveyor of the Customs in the port of London, clerk -of the council to the Prince of Wales, and secretary of the -Presentations to the Lord Chancellor. Hughes was secretary to the -Commissioners of the Peace. Ambrose Phillips was judge of the -Prerogative Court in Ireland. Locke was Commissioner of Appeals and of -the Board of Trade. Newton was Master of the Mint. Stepney and Prior -were employed in embassies of high dignity and importance. Gay, who -commenced life as apprentice to a silk-mercer, became a secretary of -Legation at five-and-twenty. It was to a poem on the death of Charles -II., and to “the City and Country Mouse,” that Montague owed his -introduction into public life, his earldom, his garter, and his -auditorship of the Exchequer. Swift, but for the unconquerable prejudice -of the queen, would have been a bishop. Oxford, with his white staff in -his hand, passed through the crowd of his suitors to welcome Parnell, -when that ingenious writer deserted the Whigs. Steele was a Commissioner -of Stamps, and a member of Parliament. Arthur Mainwaring was a -Commissioner of the Customs, and Auditor of the Imprest. Tickell was -secretary to the Lords Justices of Ireland. Addison was Secretary of -State.</p> - -<p>But soon after the succession of the throne of Hanover, a change took -place. The supreme power passed to a man who cared little for poetry or -eloquence. Walpole paid little attention to books, and felt little<a -name="page_I_102" id="page_I_102"></a> respect for authors. One of the -coarse jokes of his friend, Sir Charles Hanbury Williams, was far more -pleasing to him than Thomson’s <i>Seasons</i> or Richardson’s <i>Pamela</i>.</p> - -<h3>LEARNING FRENCH.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">When</span> Brummell was obliged by want of money, and debt, and all that, to -retire to France, he knew no French; and having obtained a grammar for -the purpose of study, his friend Scrope Davies was asked what progress -Brummell had made in French. He responded, that Brummell had been -stopped, like Buonaparte in Russia, by the <i>Elements</i>.</p> - -<p>“I have put this pun into <i>Beppo</i>, (says Lord Byron), which is a fair -exchange and no robbery, for Scrope made his fortune at several dinners, -(as he owned himself,) by repeating occasionally, as his own, some of -the buffooneries with which I had encountered him in the morning.”</p> - -<h3>JOHNSON’S CLUB-ROOM.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">In</span> a paper in the <i>Edinburgh Review</i>, we find this cabinet picture:—The -club-room is before us, and the table, on which stands the omelet for -Nugent, and the lemons for Johnson. There are assembled those heads -which live for ever on the canvas of Reynolds. There are the spectacles -of Burke, and the tall thin form of Langton; the courtly sneer of -Beauclerc, and the beaming smile of Garrick; Gibbon tapping his -snuff-<a name="page_I_103" id="page_I_103"></a>box, and Sir Joshua with his trumpet in his ear. In the -foreground is that strange figure which is as familiar to us as the -figures of those among whom we have been brought up—the gigantic body, -the huge massy face, seamed with the scars of disease; the brown coat, -the black worsted stockings, the grey wig, with the scorched foretop; -the dirty hands, the nails bitten and pared to the quick. We see the -eyes and nose moving with convulsive twitches; we see the heavy form -rolling; we hear it puffing; and then comes the “Why, sir!” and the -“What then, sir?” and the “No, sir!” and the “You don’t see your way -through the question, sir!”</p> - -<h3>DR. CHALMERS’S INDUSTRY.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">In</span> October, 1841, Dr. Chalmers commenced two series of biblical -compositions, which he continued with unbroken regularity till the day -of his decease, May 31, 1847. Go where he might, however he might be -engaged, each week-day had its few verses read, thought over, written -upon—forming what he denominated “Horæ Biblicæ Quotidianæ:” each -Sabbath-day had its two chapters, one in the Old and the other in the -New Testament, with the two trains of meditative devotion recorded to -which the reading of them respectively gave birth—forming what he -denominated “Horæ Biblicæ Sabbaticæ.” When absent from home or when the -manuscript books in which they were ordinarily inserted were not beside -him, he wrote in short-hand, carefully entering what was thus written<a -name="page_I_104" id="page_I_104"></a> in the larger volumes afterwards. Not -a trace of haste nor of the extreme pressure from without, to which he -was so often subjected, is exhibited in the handwriting of these -volumes. There are but few words omitted—scarcely any erased. This -singular correctness was a general characteristic of his compositions. -His lectures on the Epistle to the Romans were written <i>currente -calamo</i>, in Glasgow, during the most hurried and overburthened period of -his life. And when, many years afterwards, they were given out to be -copied for the press, scarcely a blot, or an erasure, or a correction, -was to be found in them, and they were printed off exactly as they had -originally been written.</p> - -<p>In preparing the “Horæ Biblicæ Quotidianæ,” Chalmers had by his side, -for use and reference, the “Concordance,” the “Pictorial Bible,” -“Poole’s Synopsis,” “Henry’s Commentary,” and “Robinson’s Researches in -Palestine.” These constituted what he called his “Biblical Library.” -“There,” said he to a friend, pointing, as he spoke, to the above-named -volumes, as they lay together on his library-table, with a volume of the -“Quotidianæ,” in which he had just been writing, lying open beside -them,—“There are the books I use—all that is Biblical is there. I have -to do with nothing besides in my Biblical study.” To the consultation of -these few volumes he throughout restricted himself.</p> - -<p>The whole of the MSS. were purchased, after Dr. Chalmers’s death, for a -large sum of money, by Mr. Thomas Constable, of Edinburgh, her Majesty’s -printer; and were in due time given to, and most favourably received by, -the public.<a name="page_I_105" id="page_I_105"></a></p> - -<h3>LATEST OF DR. JOHNSON’S CONTEMPORARIES.<a name="FNanchor_5_5" id="FNanchor_5_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a></h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">In</span> the autumn of 1831, died the Rev. Dr. Shaw, at Chesley, -Somersetshire, at the age of eighty-three: he is said to have been the -last surviving friend of Dr. Johnson.</p> - -<p>On the 16th of January, in the above year, died Mr. Richard Clark, -chamberlain of the City of London, in the ninety-second year of his age. -At the age of fifteen, he was introduced by Sir John Hawkins to Johnson, -whose friendship he enjoyed to the last year of the Doctor’s life. He -attended Johnson’s evening parties at the Mitre Tavern, in -Fleet-street;<a name="FNanchor_6_6" id="FNanchor_6_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a> where, among other literary characters he met Dr. -Percy, Dr. Goldsmith, and Dr. Hawksworth. A substantial supper was -served at eight o’clock; the party seldom separated till a late hour; -and Mr. Clark recollected that early one morning he, with another of the -party, accompanied the Doctor to his house, where Mrs. Williams, then -blind, made tea for them. When Mr. Clark was sheriff, he took Johnson to -a “Judges’ Dinner,” at the Old Bailey; the judges being Blackstone and -Eyre. Mr. Clark often visited the Doctor, and met him at dinner-parties; -and the last time he enjoyed his company was at the Essex Head Club, of -which, by the Doctor’s invitation, Clark became a member.<a -name="page_I_106" id="page_I_106"></a></p> - -<h3>A SNAIL DINNER.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> chemical philosophers, Dr. Black and Dr. Hutton, were particular -friends, though there was something extremely opposite in their external -appearance and manner. Dr. Black spoke with the English pronunciation, -and with punctilious accuracy of expression, both in point of matter and -manner. The geologist, Dr. Hutton, was the very reverse of this: his -conversation was conducted in broad phrases, expressed with a broad -Scotch accent, which often heightened the humour of what he said.</p> - -<p>It chanced that the two Doctors had held some discourse together upon -the folly of abstaining from feeding on the testaceous creatures of the -land, while those of the sea were considered as delicacies. Wherefore -not eat snails? they are known to be nutritious and wholesome, and even -sanative in some cases. The epicures of old praised them among the -richest delicacies, and the Italians still esteem them. In short, it was -determined that a gastronomic experiment should be made at the expense -of the snails. The snails were procured, dieted for a time, and then -stewed for the benefit of the two philosophers, who had either invited -no guests to their banquet, or found none who relished in prospect the -<i>pièce de resistance</i>. A huge dish of snails was placed before them: -still, philosophers are but men, after all; and the stomachs of both -doctors began to revolt against the experiment. Nevertheless, if they -looked with disgust on the snails, they retained their awe for each -other, so that each,<a name="page_I_107" id="page_I_107"></a> conceiving the symptoms of internal revolt -peculiar to himself, began, with infinite exertion, to swallow, in very -small quantities, the mess which he internally loathed.</p> - -<p>Dr. Black, at length, showed the white feather, but in a very delicate -manner, as if to sound the opinion of his messmate. “Doctor,” he said, -in his precise and quiet manner—“Doctor—do you not think that they -taste a little—a very little, green?” “D——d green! d——d green! -indeed—tak’ them awa’,—tak’ them awa’!” vociferated Dr. Hutton, -starting up from table, and giving full vent to his feelings of -abhorrence. So ended all hopes of introducing snails into the modern -<i>cuisine</i>; and thus philosophy can no more cure a nausea than honour can -set a broken limb.—<i>Sir Walter Scott.</i></p> - -<h3>CURRAN’S IMAGINATION.</h3> - -<p>“Curran!” (says Lord Byron) “Curran’s the man who struck me most. Such -imagination!—there never was anything like it that I ever heard of. His -<i>published</i> life—his published speeches, give you no idea of the -man—none at all. He was a <i>machine</i> of imagination, as some one said -that Prior was an epigrammatic machine.” Upon another occasion, Byron -said, “the riches of Curran’s Irish imagination were exhaustless. I have -heard that man speak more poetry than I have ever seen written—though I -saw him seldom, and but occasionally. I saw him presented to Madame de -Stael, at Mackintosh’s—it was the grand confluence between the Rhone -and the Saone; they were both so<a name="page_I_108" id="page_I_108"></a> d——d ugly, that I could not help -wondering how the best intellects of France and Ireland could have taken -up respectively such residences.”</p> - -<h3>COWLEY AT CHERTSEY.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> poet Cowley died at the Porch House, Chertsey, on the 21st of July, -1667. There is a curious letter preserved of his condition when he -removed here from Barn Elms. It is addressed to Dr. Sprat, dated -Chertsey, 21 May, 1665, and is as follows:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The first night that I came hither I caught so great a cold, with -a defluxion of rheum, as made me keep my chamber ten days. And, -too, after had such a bruise on my ribs with a fall, that I am yet -unable to move or turn myself in bed. This is my personal fortune -here to begin with. And besides, I can get no money from my -tenants, and have my meadows eaten up every night by cattle put in -by my neighbours. What this signifies, or may come to in time, God -knows! if it be ominous, it can end in nothing but hanging.”——“I -do hope to recover my hurt so farre within five or six days (though -it be uncertain yet whether I shall ever recover it) as to walk -about again. And then, methinks, you and I and <i>the Dean</i> might be -very merry upon St. Ann’s Hill. You might very conveniently come -hither by way of Hampton Town, lying there one night. I write this -in pain, and can say no more.—<i>Verbum sapienti.</i>” </p></div> - -<p>It is stated, by Sprat, that the last illness of Cowley was owing to his -having taken cold through staying too long among his labourers in the -meadows; but, in Spence’s <i>Anecdotes</i> we are informed, (on the authority -of Pope,) that “his death was occasioned by a mere accident whilst his -great friend, Dean Sprat, was with him on a visit at Chertsey. They had -been together to see a neighbour of Cowley’s, who, (according to the<a -name="page_I_109" id="page_I_109"></a> fashion of those times,) made them -too welcome. They did not set out for their walk home till it was too -late; and had drank so deep that they lay out in the fields all night. -This gave Cowley the fever that carried him off. The parish still talk -of the drunken Dean.”</p> - -<h3>A PRETTY COMPLIMENT.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Although</span> Dr. Johnson had (or professed to have) a profound and -unjustified contempt for actors, he succeeded in comporting himself -towards Mrs. Siddons with great politeness; and once, when she called to -see him at Bolt Court, and his servant Frank could not immediately -furnish her with a chair, the doctor said, “You see, madam, that -wherever you go there are <i>no seats to be got</i>.”</p> - -<h3>THOMAS DAY, AND HIS MODEL WIFE.</h3> - -<p>Day, the author of <i>Sandford and Merton</i>, was an eccentric but amiable -man; he retired into the country “to exclude himself,” as he said, “from -the vanity, vice, and deceptive character of man,” but he appears to -have been strangely jilted by women. When about the age of twenty-one, -and after his suit had been rejected by a young lady to whom he had paid -his addresses, Mr. Day formed the singular project of educating a wife -for himself. This was based upon the notion of Rousseau, that “all the -genuine worth of the human species is perverted by society; and that -children should be educated apart from the world, in order that their<a -name="page_I_110" id="page_I_110"></a> minds should be kept untainted with, -and ignorant of, its vices, prejudices, and artificial manners.”</p> - -<p>Day set about his project by selecting two girls from an establishment -at Shrewsbury, connected with the Foundling Hospital; previously to -which he entered into a written engagement, guaranteed by a friend, Mr. -Bicknell, that within twelve months he would resign one of them to a -respectable mistress, as an apprentice, with a fee of one hundred -pounds; and, on her marriage, or commencing business for herself, he -would give her the additional sum of four hundred pounds; and he further -engaged that he would act honourably to the one he should retain, in -order to marry her at a proper age; or, if he should change his mind, he -would allow her a competent support until she married, and then give her -five hundred pounds as a dowry.</p> - -<p>The objects of Day’s speculation were both twelve years of age. One of -them, whom he called Lucretia, had a fair complexion, with light hair -and eyes; the other was a brunette, with chesnut tresses, who was styled -Sabrina. He took these girls to France without any English servants, in -order that they should not obtain any knowledge but what he should -impart. As might have been anticipated, they caused him abundance of -inconvenience and vexation, increased, in no small degree, by their -becoming infected with the small-pox; from this, however, they recovered -without any injury to their features. The scheme ended in the utter -disappointment of the projector. Lucretia, whom he first dismissed, was -apprenticed to a<a name="page_I_111" id="page_I_111"></a> milliner; and she afterwards became the wife of a -linendraper in London. Sabrina, after Day had relinquished his attempts -to make her such a model of perfection as he required, and which -included indomitable courage, as well as the difficult art of retaining -secrets, was placed at a boarding-school at Sutton Coldfield, in -Warwickshire, where she was much esteemed; and, strange to say, was at -length married to Mr. Bicknell.</p> - -<p>After Day had renounced this scheme as impracticable, he became suitor -to two sisters in succession; yet, in both instances, he was refused. At -length, he was married at Bath, to a lady who made “a large fortune the -means of exercising the most extensive generosity.”</p> - -<h3>WASHINGTON IRVING AND WILKIE, IN THE ALHAMBRA.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Geoffrey Crayon</span> (Irving), and Wilkie, the painter, were -fellow-travellers on the Continent, about the year 1827. In their -rambles about some of the old cities of Spain, they were more than once -struck with scenes and incidents which reminded them of passages in the -<i>Arabian Nights</i>. The painter urged Mr. Irving to write something that -should illustrate those peculiarities, “something in the -Haroun-al-Raschid style,” which should have a deal of that Arabian spice -which pervades everything in Spain. The author set to work, <i>con amore</i>, -and produced two goodly volumes of Arabesque sketches and tales, founded -on popular<a name="page_I_112" id="page_I_112"></a> traditions. His study was the Alhambra, and the governor of -the palace gave Irving and Wilkie permission to occupy his vacant -apartments there. Wilkie was soon called away by the duties of his -station; but Washington Irving remained for several months, spell-bound -in the old enchanted pile. “How many legends,” saith he, “and -traditions, true and fabulous—how many songs and romances, Spanish and -Arabian, of love, and war, and chivalry, are associated with this -romantic pile.”</p> - -<h3>BOLINGBROKE AT BATTERSEA.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">When</span> the late Sir Richard Phillips took his “Morning’s Walk from London -to Kew,” in 1816, he found that a portion of the family mansion in which -Lord Bolingbroke was born had been converted into a mill and distillery, -though a small oak parlour had been carefully preserved. In this room, -Pope is said to have written his <i>Essay on Man</i>; and, in Bolingbroke’s -time, the mansion was the resort, the hope, and the seat of enjoyment, -of Swift, Arbuthnot, Thomson, Mallet, and all the contemporary genius of -England. The oak room was always called “Pope’s Parlour,” it being, in -all probability, the apartment generally occupied by that great poet, in -his visits to his friend Bolingbroke.</p> - -<p>On inquiring for an ancient inhabitant of Battersea, Sir Richard -Phillips was introduced to a Mrs. Gilliard, a pleasant and intelligent -woman, who told him she well remembered Lord Bolingbroke; that he used -to<a name="page_I_113" id="page_I_113"></a> ride out every day in his chariot, and had a black patch on his -cheek, with a large wart over his eyebrows. She was then but a girl, but -she was taught to look upon him with veneration as a great man. As, -however, he spent little in the place, and gave little away, he was not -much regarded by the people of Battersea. Sir Richard mentioned to her -the names of several of Bolingbroke’s contemporaries; but she -recollected none except that of Mallet, who, she said, she had often -seen walking about in the village, while he was visiting at Bolingbroke -House.</p> - -<h3>RELICS OF MILTON.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Milton</span> was born at the <i>Spread Eagle</i>,<a name="FNanchor_7_7" id="FNanchor_7_7"></a><a href="#Footnote_7_7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a> Bread-street, Cheapside, -December 9, 1608; and was buried, November, 1674, in St. Giles’s Church, -Cripplegate, without even a stone, in the first instance, to mark his -resting-place; but, in 1793, a bust and tablet were set up to his memory -by public subscription.</p> - -<p>Milton, before he resided in Jewin-gardens, Aldersgate, is believed to -have removed to, and “kept school” in a large house on the west side of -Aldersgate-street, wherein met the City of London Literary and -Scientific Institution, previously to the rebuilding of their premises -in 1839.</p> - -<p>Milton’s London residences have all, with one exception, disappeared, -and cannot be recognised; this is in Petty France, at Westminster, where -the poet lived from 1651 to 1659. The lower part of the<a -name="page_I_114" id="page_I_114"></a> house is a chandler’s-shop; the -parlour, up stairs, looks into St. James’s-park. Here part of <i>Paradise -Lost</i> was written. The house belonged to Jeremy Bentham, who caused to -be placed on its front a tablet, inscribed, “<span class="smcap">Sacred to Milton, Prince of -Poets</span>.”</p> - -<p>In the same glass-case with Shakspeare’s autograph, in the British -Museum, is a printed copy of the Elegies on Mr. Edward King, the subject -of <i>Lycidas</i>, with some corrections of the text in Milton’s handwriting. -Framed and glazed, in the library of Mr. Rogers, the poet, hangs the -written agreement between Milton and his publisher, Simmons, for the -copyright of his <i>Paradise Lost</i>.—<i>Note-book of 1848.</i></p> - -<h3>WRITING UP THE “TIMES” NEWSPAPER.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Dr. Dibdin</span>, in his <i>Reminiscences</i>, relates:—“Sir John Stoddart married -the sister of Lord Moncrieff, by whom he has a goodly race of -representatives; but, before his marriage, <i>he was the man who wrote up -the Times newspaper</i> to its admitted pitch of distinction and -superiority over every other contemporary journal. Mark, gentle reader, -I speak of the <i>Times</i> newspaper during the eventful and appalling -crisis of Bonaparte’s invasion of Spain and destruction of Moscow. My -friend fought with his <i>pen</i> as Wellington fought with his <i>sword</i>: but -nothing like a tithe of the remuneration which was justly meted out to -the hero of Waterloo befel the editor of the <i>Times</i>. Of course, I speak -of remuneration in degree, and not in kind. The peace followed. Public -curiosity lulled, and all great and<a name="page_I_115" id="page_I_115"></a> stirring events having subsided, it -was thought that a writer of less commanding talent, (certainly not the -<i>present Editor</i>,) and therefore procurable at a less premium, would -answer the current purposes of the day; and the retirement of Dr. -Stoddart, (for he was at this time a civilian, and particularly noticed -and patronised by Lord Stowell,) from the old <i>Times</i>, and his -establishment of the <i>New Times</i> newspaper, followed in consequence. But -the latter, from various causes, had only a short-lived existence. Sir -John Stoddart had been his Majesty’s advocate, or Attorney-General, at -Malta, before he retired thither a <i>second</i> time, to assume the office -of Judge.”</p> - -<h3>RELICS OF THE BOAR’S HEAD TAVERN, EASTCHEAP.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> portal of the Boar’s Head was originally decorated with carved oak -figures of Falstaff and Prince Henry; and in 1834, the former figure was -in the possession of a brazier, of Great Eastcheap, whose ancestors had -lived in the shop he then occupied since the great fire. The last grand -Shakspearean dinner-party took place at the Boar’s Head about 1784. A -boar’s head, with silver tusks, which had been suspended in some room in -the house, perhaps the Half Moon or Pomegranate, (see <i>Henry IV.</i>, Act. -ii., scene 3,) at the great fire, fell down with the ruins of the -houses, little injured, and was conveyed to Whitechapel Mount, where it -was identified and recovered about thirty years ago.<a -name="page_I_116" id="page_I_116"></a></p> - -<h3>ORIGIN OF “THE EDINBURGH REVIEW.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> <i>Edinburgh Review</i> was first published in 1802. The plan was -suggested by Sydney Smith, at a meeting of <i>literati</i>, in the fourth or -fifth flat or story, in Buccleugh-place, Edinburgh, then the elevated -lodging of Jeffrey. The motto humorously proposed for the new review by -its projector was, “<i>Tenui musam meditamur avena</i>,”—<i>i. e.</i>, “We -cultivate literature upon a little oatmeal;” but this being too nearly -the truth to be publicly acknowledged, the more grave dictum of “<i>Judex -damnatur cum nocens absolvitur</i>” was adopted from <i>Publius Syrus</i>, of -whom, Sydney Smith affirms, “None of us, I am sure, ever read a single -line!” Lord Byron, in his fifth edition of <i>English Bards and Scotch -Reviewers</i>, refers to the reviewers as an “oat-fed phalanx.”</p> - -<h3>CLEVER STATESMEN.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">However</span> great talents may command the admiration of the world, they do -not generally best fit a man for the discharge of social duties. Swift -remarks that “Men of great parts are often unfortunate in the management -of public business, because they are apt to go out of the common road by -the quickness of their imagination. This I once said to my Lord -Bolingbroke, and desired he would observe, that the clerk in his office -used a sort of ivory knife, with a blunt edge, to divide a sheet of -paper, which never failed to cut it<a name="page_I_117" id="page_I_117"></a> even, only by requiring a steady -hand; whereas, if he should make one of a sharp penknife, the sharpness -would make it go often out of the crease, and disfigure the paper.”</p> - -<h3>THE FIRST MAGAZINE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> <i>Gentleman’s Magazine</i> unaccountably passes for the earliest -periodical of that description; while, in fact, it was preceded nearly -forty years by the <i>Gentleman’s Journal</i> of Motteux, a work much more -closely resembling our modern magazines, and from which Sylvanus Urban -borrowed part of his title, and part of his motto; while on the first -page of the first number of the <i>Gentleman’s Magazine</i> itself, it is -stated to contain “more than any book of the <i>kind</i> and price.”</p> - -<h3>MRS. TRIMMER.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> ingenious woman was the daughter of Joshua and Sarah Kirby, and was -born at Ipswich, January 6, 1741. Kirby taught George the Third, when -Prince of Wales, perspective and architecture. He was also President of -the Society of Artists of Great Britain, out of which grew the Royal -Academy. It was the last desire of Gainsborough to be buried beside his -old friend Kirby, and their tombs adjoin each other in the churchyard at -Kew.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Trimmer, when a girl, was constantly reading Milton’s <i>Paradise -Lost</i>; and this circumstance so pleased Dr. Johnson, that he invited her -to see him,<a name="page_I_118" id="page_I_118"></a> and presented her with a copy of his <i>Rambler</i>. She also -repeatedly met Sir Joshua Reynolds, Dr. Gregory, Sharp, Hogarth, and -Gainsborough, with all of whom her father was on terms of intimacy. Mrs. -Trimmer advocated religious education against the latitudinarian views -of Joseph Lancaster. It was at her persuasion that Dr. Bell entered the -field, and paved the way for the establishment of the National Society. -Mrs. Trimmer died, in her seventieth year, in 1810. She was seated at -her table reading a letter, when her head sunk upon her bosom, and she -“fell asleep;” and so gentle was the wafting, that she seemed for some -time in a refreshing slumber, which her family were unwilling to -interrupt.</p> - -<h3>BOSWELL’S BEAR-LEADING.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">It</span> was on a visit to the parliament house that Mr. Henry Erskine, -(brother of Lord Buchan and Lord Erskine,) after being presented to Dr. -Johnson by Mr. Boswell, and having made his bow, slipped a shilling into -Boswell’s hand, whispering that it was for the sight of his -<i>bear</i>.—<i>Sir Walter Scott.</i></p> - -<h3>LORD ELIBANK AND DR. JOHNSON</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Lord Elibank</span> made a happy retort on Dr. Johnson’s definition of oats, as -the food of horses in England, and men in Scotland. “Yes,” said he, “and -where else will you see <i>such horses</i>, and <i>such men</i>?”—<i>Sir Walter -Scott.</i><a name="page_I_119" id="page_I_119"></a></p> - -<h3>RELICS OF DR. JOHNSON AT LICHFIELD.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> house in which Dr. Johnson was born, at Lichfield—where his father, -it is well known, kept a small bookseller’s shop, and where he was -partly educated—stood on the west side of the market-place. In the -centre of the market-place is a colossal statue of Johnson, seated upon -a square pedestal: it is by Lucas, and was executed at the expense of -the Rev. Chancellor Law, in 1838. By the side of a footpath leading from -Dam-street to Stow, formerly stood a large willow, said to have been -planted by Johnson. It was blown down, in 1829; but one of its shoots -was preserved and planted upon the same spot: it was in the year 1848 a -large tree, known in the town as “Johnson’s Willow.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Lomax, who for many years kept a bookseller’s shop—“The Johnson’s -Head,” in Bird-street, Lichfield, possessed several articles that -formerly belonged to Johnson, which have been handed down by a clear and -indisputable ownership. Amongst them is his own <i>Book of Common Prayer</i>, -in which are written, in pencil, the four Latin lines printed in -Strahan’s edition of the Doctor’s Prayers. There are, also, a -sacrament-book, with Johnson’s wife’s name in it, in his own -handwriting; an autograph letter of the Doctor’s to Miss Porter; two -tea-spoons, an ivory tablet, and a breakfast table; a Visscher’s Atlas, -paged by the Doctor, and a manuscript index; Davies’s <i>Life of Garrick</i>, -presented to Johnson by the publisher; a walking cane; and a Dictionary -of Heathen<a name="page_I_120" id="page_I_120"></a> Mythology, with the Doctor’s MS. corrections. His wife’s -wedding-ring, afterwards made into a mourning-ring; and a massive chair, -in which he customarily sat, were also in Mr. Lomax’s possession.</p> - -<p>Among the few persons living in the year 1848 who ever saw Dr. Johnson, -was Mr. Dyott, of Lichfield: this was seventy-four years before, or in -1774, when the Doctor and Boswell, on their tour into Wales, stopped at -Ashbourne, and there visited Mr. Dyott’s father, who was then residing -at Ashbourne Hall.<a name="FNanchor_8_8" id="FNanchor_8_8"></a><a href="#Footnote_8_8" class="fnanchor">[8]</a></p> - -<h3>COLERIDGE A SOLDIER.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">After</span> Coleridge left Cambridge, he came to London, where soon feeling -himself forlorn and destitute, he enlisted as a soldier in the 15th -Elliot’s Light Dragoons. “On his arrival at the quarters of the -regiment,” says his friend and biographer, Mr. Gilman, “the general of -the district inspected the recruits, and looking hard at Coleridge, with -a military air, inquired ‘What’s your name, sir?’ ‘Comberbach!’ (the -name he had assumed.) ‘What do you come here for, sir?’ as if doubting -whether he had any business there. ‘Sir,’ said Coleridge, ‘for what most -other persons come—to be made a soldier.’ ‘Do you think,’ said the -general, ‘you can run a Frenchman through the body?’ ‘I do not know,’ -replied Coleridge, ‘as I never tried; but I’ll let a Frenchman run me -through<a name="page_I_121" id="page_I_121"></a> the body before I’ll run away.’ ‘That will do,’ said the -general, and Coleridge was turned in the ranks.”</p> - -<p>The poet made a poor dragoon, and never advanced beyond the awkward -squad. He wrote letters, however, for all his comrades, and they -attended to his horse and accoutrements. After four months’ service, -(December 1793 to April 1794), the history and circumstances of -Coleridge became known. He had written under his saddle, on the stable -wall, a Latin sentence (Eheu! quam infortunii miserrimum est fuisse -felicem!) which led to an inquiry on the part of the captain of his -troop, who had more regard for the classics than Ensign Northerton, in -<i>Tom Jones</i>. Coleridge was, accordingly, discharged, and restored to his -family and friends.</p> - -<h3>COBBETT’S BOYHOOD.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Perhaps</span>, in Cobbett’s voluminous writings, there is nothing so complete -as the following picture of his boyish scenes and recollections: it has -been well compared to the most simple and touching passages in -Richardson’s <i>Pamela</i>:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“After living within a hundred yards of Westminster Hall and the -Abbey church, and the bridge, and looking from my own window into -St. James’s Park, all other buildings and spots appear mean and -insignificant. I went to-day to see the house I formerly occupied. -How small! It is always thus: the words large and small are carried -about with us in our minds, and we forget real dimensions. The -idea, such as it was received, remains during our absence from the -object. When I returned to England in 1800, after an absence from -the country parts of it of sixteen years, the trees, the hedges, -even the parks and woods, seemed so small! It made me laugh to hear -little gutters, that I could jump over, called rivers! The Thames -was<a name="page_I_122" id="page_I_122"></a> but ‘a creek!’ But when, in about a month after my arrival in -London, I went to Farnham, the place of my birth, what was my -surprise! Every thing was become so pitifully small! I had to cross -in my postchaise the long and dreary heath of Bagshot. Then, at the -end of it, to mount a hill called Hungry Hill; and from that hill I -knew that I should look down into the beautiful and fertile vale of -Farnham. My heart fluttered with impatience, mixed with a sort of -fear, to see all the scenes of my childhood; for I had learned -before the death of my father and mother. There is a hill not far -from the town, called Crooksbury Hill, which rises up out of a flat -in the form of a cone, and is planted with Scotch fir-trees. Here I -used to take the eggs and young ones of crows and magpies. This -hill was a famous object in the neighbourhood. It served as the -superlative degree of height. ‘As high as Crooksbury Hill,’ meant -with us, the utmost degree of height. Therefore, the first object -my eyes sought was this hill. I could not believe my eyes! -Literally speaking, I for a moment thought the famous hill removed, -and a little heap put in its stead; for I had seen in New Brunswick -a single rock, or hill of solid rock, ten times as big, and four or -five times as high! The post-boy, going down hill, and not a bad -road, whisked me in a few minutes to the Bush Inn, from the garden -of which I could see the prodigious sand hill where I had begun my -gardening works. What a nothing! But now came rushing into my mind -all at once my pretty little garden, my little blue smock-frock, my -little nailed shoes, my pretty pigeons that I used to feed out of -my hands, the last kind words and tears of my gentle and -tender-hearted and affectionate mother. I hastened back into the -room. If I had looked a moment longer, I should have dropped. When -I came to reflect, what a change! What scenes I had gone through! -How altered my state! I had dined the day before at a secretary of -state’s, in company with Mr. Pitt, and had been waited upon by men -in gaudy liveries! I had had nobody to assist me in the world. No -teachers of any sort. Nobody to shelter me from the consequence of -bad, and nobody to counsel me to good behaviour. I felt proud. The -distinctions of rank, birth, and wealth, all became nothing in my -eyes; and from that moment (less than a month after my arrival in -England), I resolved never to bend before them.” </p></div> - -<p>Cobbett was, for a short time, a labourer in the kitchen grounds of the -Royal Gardens at Kew. King<a name="page_I_123" id="page_I_123"></a> George the Third often visited the gardens -to inquire after the fruits and esculents; and one day, he saw here -Cobbett, then a lad, who with a few halfpence in his pocket, and Swift’s -<i>Tale of a Tub</i> in his hand, had been so captivated by the wonders of -the royal gardens, that he applied there for employment. The king, on -perceiving the clownish boy, with his stockings tied about his legs by -scarlet garters, inquired about him, and specially desired that he might -be continued in his service.</p> - -<h3>COLERIDGE AN UNITARIAN PREACHER.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">During</span> his residence at Nether Stoney, Coleridge officiated as Unitarian -preacher at Taunton, and afterwards at Shrewsbury. Mr. Hazlitt has -described his walking ten miles on a winter day to hear Coleridge -preach. “When I got there,” he says, “the organ was playing the 100th -psalm, and, when it was done, Mr. Coleridge rose and gave out his -text:—‘He departed again into a mountain himself alone.’ As he gave out -his text, his voice rose like a stream of rich distilled perfume; when -he came to the two last words, which he pronounced loud, deep, and -distinct, it seemed to me, who was then young, as if the sounds had -echoed from the bottom of the human heart, and as if that prayer might -have floated in solemn silence through the universe. The idea of St. -John came into my mind, of one crying in the wilderness, who had his -loins girt about, and whose food was locusts and wild honey. The -preacher then launched into his subject, like an eagle<a -name="page_I_124" id="page_I_124"></a> dallying with the wind. The sermon -was upon peace and war—upon Church and State; not their alliance, but -their separation; on the spirit of the world and the spirit of -Christianity; not as the same, but as opposed to one another. He talked -of those who had inscribed the cross of Christ on banners dripping with -human gore! He made a poetical and pastoral excursion; and, to show the -fatal effects of war, drew a striking contrast between the simple -shepherd-boy driving his team a-field, or sitting under the hawthorn, -piping to his flock, as though he should never be old, and the same poor -country-lad crimped, kidnapped, brought into town, made drunk at an -alehouse, turned into a wretched drummer-boy, with his hair sticking on -end with powder and pomatum, a long cue at his back, and tricked out in -the finery of the profession of blood.</p> - -<div class="poetry"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“ ‘Such were the notes our once-loved poet sung;’<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">and, for myself, I could not have been more delighted if I had heard the -music of the spheres.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>FONTENELLE’S INSENSIBILITY.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Fontenelle</span>, who lived till within one month of a century, was very -rarely known to laugh or cry, and even boasted of his insensibility. One -day, a certain <i>bon-vivant</i> Abbé came unexpectedly to dine with him. The -Abbé was fond of asparagus dressed with butter; Fontenelle, also, had a -great <i>goût</i> for the vegetable, but preferred it dressed with oil. -Fontenelle said, that, for such a friend, there was no sacrifice he -would not<a name="page_I_125" id="page_I_125"></a> make; and that he should have half the dish of asparagus -which he had ordered for himself, and that half, moreover, should be -dressed with butter. While they were conversing together, the poor Abbé -fell down in a fit of apoplexy; upon which Fontenelle instantly -scampered down stairs, and eagerly bawled out to his cook, “The whole -with oil! the whole with oil, as at first!”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>PAINS AND TOILS OF AUTHORSHIP.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> craft of authorship is by no means so easy of practice as is -generally imagined by the thousands who aspire to its practice. Almost -all our works, whether of knowledge or of fancy, have been the product -of much intellectual exertion and study; or, as it is better expressed -by the poet—</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“the well-ripened fruits of wise decay.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>Pope published nothing until it had been a year or two before him, and -even then his printer’s proofs were very full of alterations; and, on -one occasion, Dodsley, his publisher, thought it better to have the -whole recomposed than make the necessary corrections. Goldsmith -considered four lines a day good work, and was seven years in beating -out the pure gold of the <i>Deserted Village</i>. Hume wrote his <i>History of -England</i> on a sofa, but he went quietly on correcting every edition till -his death. Robertson used to write out his sentences on small slips of -paper; and, after rounding them and polishing them to his satisfaction, -he entered them in a book, which, in its<a name="page_I_126" id="page_I_126"></a> turn, underwent considerable -revision. Burke had all his principal works printed two or three times -at a private press before submitting them to his publisher. Akenside and -Gray were indefatigable correctors, labouring every line; and so was our -prolix and more imaginative poet, Thomson. On comparing the first and -latest editions of the <i>Seasons</i>, there will be found scarcely a page -which does not bear evidence of his taste and industry. Johnson thinks -the poems lost much of their raciness under this severe regimen, but -they were much improved in fancy and delicacy; the episode of Musidora, -“the solemnly ridiculous bathing scene,” as Campbell terms it, was -almost entirely rewritten. Johnson and Gibbon were the least laborious -in arranging their <i>copy</i> for the press. Gibbon sent the first and only -MS. of his stupendous work (the <i>Decline and Fall</i>) to his printer; and -Johnson’s high-sounding sentences were written almost without an effort. -Both, however, lived and moved, as it were, in the world of letters, -thinking or caring of little else—one in the heart of busy London, -which he dearly loved, and the other in his silent retreat at Lausanne. -Dryden wrote hurriedly, to provide for the day; but his <i>Absalom and -Achitophel</i>, and the beautiful imagery of the <i>Hind and Panther</i>, must -have been fostered with parental care. St. Pierre copied his <i>Paul and -Virginia</i> nine times, that he might render it the more perfect. Rousseau -was a very coxcomb in these matters: the amatory epistles, in his new -<i>Heloise</i>, he wrote on fine gilt-edged card-paper, and having folded, -addressed, and sealed them, he opened and read<a name="page_I_127" id="page_I_127"></a> them in the solitary -woods of Clairens, with the mingled enthusiasm of an author and lover. -Sheridan watched long and anxiously for bright thoughts, as the MS. of -his <i>School for Scandal</i>, in its various stages, proves. Burns composed -in the open air, the sunnier the better; but he laboured hard, and with -almost unerring taste and judgment, in correcting.<a name="FNanchor_9_9" id="FNanchor_9_9"></a><a href="#Footnote_9_9" class="fnanchor">[9]</a></p> - -<p>Lord Byron was a rapid composer, but made abundant use of the -pruning-knife. On returning one of his proof sheets from Italy, he -expressed himself undecided about a single word, for which he wished to -substitute another, and requested Mr. Murray to refer it to Mr. Gifford, -then editor of the <i>Quarterly Review</i>. Sir Walter Scott evinced his love -of literary labour by undertaking the revision of the whole of the -<i>Waverley</i> Novels—a goodly freightage of some fifty or sixty volumes. -The works of Wordsworth, Southey, Coleridge, and Moore, and the -occasional variations in their different editions, mark their love of -the<a name="page_I_128" id="page_I_128"></a> touching. Southey was, indeed, unwearied after his kind—a true -author of the old school. The bright thoughts of Campbell, which sparkle -like polished lances, were manufactured with almost equal care; he was -the Pope of our contemporary authors.<a name="FNanchor_10_10" id="FNanchor_10_10"></a><a href="#Footnote_10_10" class="fnanchor">[10]</a> Allan Cunningham corrected but -little, yet his imitations of the elder lyrics are perfect centos of -Scottish feeling and poesy. The loving, laborious lingering of Tennyson -over his poems, and the frequent alterations—not in every case -improvements—that appear in successive editions of his works, are -familiar to all his admirers.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>JOE MILLER AT COURT.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Joe Miller</span>, (Mottley,) was such a favourite at court, that Caroline, -queen of George II., commanded a play to be performed for his benefit; -the queen disposed of a great many tickets at one of her drawing-rooms, -and most of them were paid for in gold.<a name="page_I_129" id="page_I_129"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>COLLINS’ INSANITY.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Much</span> has been said of the state of insanity to which the author of the -<i>Ode to the Passions</i> was ultimately reduced; or rather, as Dr. Johnson -happily describes it, “a depression of mind which enchains the faculties -without destroying them, and leaves reason the knowledge of right, -without the power of pursuing it.” What Johnson has further said on this -melancholy subject, shows perhaps more nature and feeling than anything -he ever wrote; and yet it is remarkable that among the causes to which -the poet’s malady was ascribed, he never hints at the most exciting of -the whole. He tells us how Collins “loved fairies, genii, giants, and -monsters;” how he “delighted to roam through the meanders of -enchantment, to gaze on the magnificence of golden palaces, to repose by -the waterfalls of Elysian gardens.” But never does he seem to have -imagined how natural it was for a mind of such a temperament to give an -Eve to the Paradise of his Creation. Johnson, in truth, though, as he -tells us, he gained the confidence of Collins, was not just the man into -whose ear a lover would choose to pour his secrets. The fact was, -Collins was greatly attached to a young lady who did not return his -passion; and there seems to be little doubt, that to the consequent -disappointment, preying on his mind, was due much of that abandonment of -soul which marked the close of his career. The object of his passion was -born the day before him; and to this circumstance, in one of his -brighter moments, he<a name="page_I_130" id="page_I_130"></a> made a most happy allusion. A friend remarking to -the luckless lover, that his was a hard case, Collins replied, “It is -so, indeed; for I came into the world <i>a day after the fair</i>.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>MOORE’S EPIGRAM ON ABBOTT.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Mr. Speaker Abbott</span> having spoken in slighting terms of some of Moore’s -poems, the poet wrote, in return, the following biting epigram:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“They say he has no heart; but I deny it;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">He <i>has</i> a heart—and gets his speeches by it.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<hr /> - -<h3>NEGROES AT HOME.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">When</span> Lord Byron was in Parliament, a petition setting forth, and calling -for redress for, the wretched state of the Irish peasantry, was one -evening presented to the House of Lords, and very coldly received. “Ah!” -said Lord Byron, “what a misfortune it was for the Irish that they were -not born black! they would then have had plenty of friends in both -Houses”—referring to the great interest at the time being taken by some -philanthropic members in the condition and future of the negroes in our -West Indian colonies.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>A STRING OF JERROLD’S JOKES.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">At</span> a club of which Jerrold was a member, a fierce Jacobite, and a -friend, as fierce, of the Orange cause, were arguing noisily, and -disturbing less excitable<a name="page_I_131" id="page_I_131"></a> conversationalists. At length the Jacobite, a -brawny Scot, brought his fist down heavily upon the table, and roared at -his adversary, “I tell you what it is, sir, I spit upon your King -William!” The friend of the Prince of Orange rose, and roared back to -the Jacobite, “And I, sir, spit upon your James the Second!” Jerrold, -who had been listening to the uproar in silence, hereupon rang the bell, -and shouted “Waiter, spittoons for two!”</p> - -<p>At an evening party, Jerrold was looking at the dancers, when, seeing a -very tall gentleman waltzing with a remarkably short lady, he said to a -friend at hand, “Humph! there’s the mile dancing with the milestone!”</p> - -<p>An old lady was in the habit of talking to Jerrold in a gloomy, -depressing manner, presenting to him only the sad side of life. “Hang -it,” said Jerrold, one day, after a long and sombre interview, “she -would not allow that there was a bright side to the moon.”</p> - -<p>Jerrold said to an ardent young gentleman, who burned with desire to see -himself in print: “Be advised by me, young man: don’t take down the -shutters before there is something in the windows.”</p> - -<p>While Jerrold was discussing one day, with Mr. Selby, the vexed question -of adapting dramatic pieces from the French, that gentleman insisted -upon claiming some of his characters as strictly original creations. “Do -you remember my Baroness in <i>Ask No Questions</i>?” said Mr. Selby. “Yes, -indeed; I don’t think I ever saw a piece of yours without being struck -by your <i>barrenness</i>,” was the retort.—<i>Mark Lemon’s Jest-book.</i><a name="page_I_132" id="page_I_132"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>CONCEITED ALARMS OF DENNIS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">John Dennis</span>, the dramatist, had a most extravagant and enthusiastic -opinion of his tragedy of <i>Liberty Asserted</i>. He imagined that there -were in it some strokes on the French nation so severe, that they would -never be forgiven; and that, in consequence, Louis XIV. would never make -peace with England unless the author was given up as a sacrifice to the -national resentment. Accordingly, when the congress for the negotiation -of the Peace of Utrecht was in contemplation, the terrified Dennis -waited on the Duke of Marlborough, who had formerly been his patron, to -entreat the intercession of his Grace with the plenipotentiaries, that -they should not consent to his surrender to France being made one of the -conditions of the treaty. The Duke gravely told the dramatist that he -was sorry to be unable to do this service, as he had no influence with -the Ministry of the day; but, he added, that he thought Dennis’ case not -quite desperate, for, said his Grace, “I have taken no care to get -myself excepted in the articles of peace, and yet I cannot help thinking -that I have done the French almost as much damage as Mr. Dennis -himself.” At another time, when Dennis was visiting at a gentleman’s -house on the Sussex coast, and was walking on the beach, he saw a -vessel, as he imagined, sailing towards him. The self-important timidity -of Dennis saw in this incident a reason for the greatest alarm for -himself, and distrust of his friend. Supposing he was betrayed, he made<a name="page_I_133" id="page_I_133"></a> -the best of his way to London, without even taking leave of his host, -whom he believed to have lent himself to a plot for delivering him up as -a captive to a French vessel sent on purpose to carry him off.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>A COMPOSITION WITH CONSCIENCE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Lully</span>, the composer, being once thought mortally ill, his friends called -a confessor, who, finding the patient’s state critical, and his mind -very ill at ease, told him that he could obtain absolution only one -way—by burning all that he had by him of a yet unpublished opera. The -remonstrance of his friends was in vain; Lully burnt the music, and the -confessor departed well pleased. The composer, however, recovered, and -told one of his visitors, a nobleman who was his patron, of the -sacrifice he had made to the demands of the confessor. “And so,” cried -the nobleman, “you have burnt your opera, and are really such a -blockhead as to believe in the absurdities of a monk!” “Stop, my friend, -stop,” returned Lully; “let me whisper in your ear: I knew very well -what I was about—<i>I have another copy</i>.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>SALE, THE TRANSLATOR OF THE KORAN.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> learned Sale, who first gave to the world a genuine version of the -Koran, pursued his studies through a life of wants. This great -Orientalist, when he quitted his books to go abroad, too often wanted a -change of linen; and he frequently wandered the<a name="page_I_134" id="page_I_134"></a> streets, in search of -some compassionate friend, who might supply him with the meal of the -day.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>THE LATTER DAYS OF LOVELACE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Sir Richard Lovelace</span>, who in 1649 published the elegant collection of -amorous and other poems entitled <i>Lucasta</i>, was an amiable and -accomplished gentleman: by the men of his time (the time of the civil -wars) respected for his moral worth and literary ability; by the fair -sex, almost idolized for the elegance of his person and the sweetness of -his manners. An ardent loyalist, the people of Kent appointed him to -present to the House of Commons their petition for the restoration of -Charles and the settlement of the government. The petition gave offence, -and the bearer was committed to the Gate House, at Westminster, where he -wrote his graceful little song, “Loyalty Confined,” opening thus:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“When love, with unconfined wings,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Hovers within my gates,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And my divine Althea brings<br /></span> -<span class="i3">To whisper at my grates;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">When I lie tangled in her hair,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">And fettered in her eye;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">The birds that wanton in the air<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Know no such liberty.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>But “dinnerless the polished Lovelace died.” He obtained his liberation, -after a few months’ confinement. By that time, however, he had consumed -all his estates, partly by furnishing the king with men and money, and -partly by giving assistance to men of<a name="page_I_135" id="page_I_135"></a> talent of whatever kind, whom he -found in difficulties. Very soon, he became himself involved in the -greatest distress, and fell into a deep melancholy, which brought on a -consumption, and made him as poor in person as in purse, till he even -became the object of common charity. The man who in his days of -gallantry wore cloth of gold, was now naked, or only half covered with -filthy rags; he who had thrown splendour on palaces, now shrank into -obscure and dirty alleys; he who had associated with princes, banqueted -on dainties, been the patron of the indigent, the admiration of the wise -and brave, the darling of the chaste and fair—was now fain to herd with -beggars, gladly to partake of their coarse offals, and thankfully to -receive their twice-given alms—</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“To hovel him with swine and rogues forlorn,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">In short and musty straw.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>Worn out with misery, he at length expired, in 1658, in a mean and -wretched lodging in Gunpowder Alley, near Shoe Lane, and was buried at -the west end of St. Bride’s church, Fleet Street. Such is the account of -Lovelace’s closing days given by Wood in his <i>Athenæ</i>, and confirmed by -Aubrey in his <i>Lives of Eminent Men</i>; but a recent editor and biographer -(the son of Hazlitt) pronounces, though he does not prove, the account -much exaggerated.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>PAYMENT IN KIND.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> Empress Catherine of Russia having sent, as a<a name="page_I_136" id="page_I_136"></a> present to Voltaire, -a small ivory box made by her own hands, the poet induced his niece to -instruct him in the art of knitting stockings; and he had actually half -finished a pair, of white silk, when he became completely tired. -Unfinished as the stockings were, however, he sent them to her Majesty, -accompanied by a charmingly gallant poetical epistle, in which he told -her that, “As she had presented him with a piece of man’s workmanship -made by a woman, he had thought it his duty to crave her acceptance, in -return, of a piece of woman’s work from the hands of a man.”—When -Constantia Phillips was in a state of distress, she took a small shop -near Westminster Hall, and sold books, some of which were of her own -writing. During this time, an apothecary who had attended her once when -she was ill, came to her and requested payment of his bill. She pleaded -her poverty; but he still continued to press her, and urged as a reason -for his urgency, that he had saved her life. “You have,” said -Constantia, “you have indeed done so: I acknowledge it; and, in return, -here is my life”—handing him at the same time the two volumes of her -“Memoirs,” and begging that he would now take <i>her life</i> in discharge of -his demand.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>CHATTERTON’S PROFIT AND LOSS RECKONING.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Chatterton</span>, the marvellous boy, wrote a political essay for the <i>North -Briton</i>, Wilkes’s journal; but, though accepted, the essay was not -printed, in consequence of the death of the Lord Mayor, Chatterton<a name="page_I_137" id="page_I_137"></a>’s -patron. The youthful patriot thus calculated the results of the -suppression of his essay, which had begun by a splendid flourish about -“a spirited people freeing themselves from insupportable slavery:”</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">“Lost, by the Lord Mayor’s death, in this essay, £1 11 6</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Gained in elegies, £2 2 0</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">Do. in essays, 3 3 0</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 19em;">———— 5 5 0</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 25.5em;">————</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Am glad he is dead by £3 13 6”</span><br /> -</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>LOCKE’S REBUKE OF THE CARD-PLAYING LORDS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Locke</span>, the brilliant author of the <i>Essay on the Human Understanding</i>, -was once introduced by Lord Shaftesbury to the Duke of Buckingham and -Lord Halifax. But the three noblemen, instead of entering into -conversation on literary subjects with the philosopher, very soon sat -down to cards. Locke looked on for a short time, and then drew out his -pocket-book and began to write in it with much attention. One of the -players, after a time, observed this, and asked what he was writing. “My -Lord,” answered Locke, “I am endeavouring, as far as possible, to profit -by my present situation; for, having waited with impatience for the -honour of being in company with the greatest geniuses of the age, I -thought I could do nothing better than to write down your conversation; -and, indeed, I have set down the substance of what you have said for the -last hour or two.” The three noblemen, fully sensible of the force of -the rebuke, immediately left the cards and entered<a name="page_I_138" id="page_I_138"></a> into a conversation -more rational and more befitting their reputation as men of genius.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>HAYDN AND THE SHIP CAPTAIN.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">When</span> the immortal composer Haydn was on his visit to England, in 1794, -his chamber-door was opened one morning by the captain of an East -Indiaman, who said, “You are Mr. Haydn?” “Yes.” “Can you make me a -‘March,’ to enliven my crew? You shall have thirty guineas; but I must -have it to-day, as to-morrow I sail for Calcutta.” Haydn agreed, the -sailor quitted him, the composer opened his piano, and in a few minutes -the march was written. He appears, however, to have had a delicacy rare -among the musical birds of passage and of prey who come to feed on the -unwieldy wealth of England. Conceiving that the receipt of a sum so -large as thirty guineas for a labour so slight, would be a species of -plunder, he came home early in the evening, and composed other two -marches, in order to allow the liberal sea captain his choice, or make -him take all the three. Early next morning, the purchaser came back. -“Where is my march?” “Here it is.” “Try it on the piano.” Haydn played -it over. The captain counted down the thirty guineas on the piano, took -up the march, and went down stairs. Haydn ran after him, calling, “I -have made other two marches, both better; come up and hear them, and -take your choice.” “I am content with the one I have,” returned the -captain, without stopping. “I<a name="page_I_139" id="page_I_139"></a> will make you a present of them,” cried -the composer. The captain only ran down the more rapidly, and left Haydn -on the stairs. Haydn, opposing obstinacy to obstinacy, determined to -overcome this odd self-denial. He went at once to the Exchange, found -out the name of the ship, made his marches into a roll, and sent them, -with a polite note, to the captain on board. He was surprised at -receiving, not long after, his envelope unopened, from the captain, who -had guessed it to be Haydn’s; and the composer tore the whole packet -into pieces upon the spot. The narrator of this incident adds the -remark, that “though the anecdote is of no great elevation, it expresses -peculiarity of character; and certainly neither the composer nor the -captain could have been easily classed among the common or the vulgar of -men.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>HAYDN’S DIPLOMA PIECE AT OXFORD.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">During</span> his stay in England, Haydn was honoured by the diploma of Doctor -of Music from the University of Oxford—a distinction not obtained even -by Handel, and it is said, only conferred on four persons during the -four centuries preceding. It is customary to send some specimen of -composition in return for a degree; and Haydn, with the facility of -perfect skill, sent back a page of music so curiously contrived, that in -whatever way it was read—from the top to the bottom or the sides—it -exhibited a perfect melody and accompaniment.<a name="page_I_140" id="page_I_140"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>ORIGIN OF THE BEGGAR’S OPERA.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">It</span> was Swift that first suggested to Gay the idea of the <i>Beggar’s -Opera</i>, by remarking, what an odd, pretty sort of a thing a Newgate -pastoral might make! “Gay,” says Pope, “was inclined to try at such a -thing for some time; but afterwards thought it would be better to write -a comedy on the same plan. This was what gave rise to the <i>Beggar’s -Opera</i>. He began on it; and when he first mentioned it to Swift, the -doctor did not much like the project. As he carried it on, he showed -what he wrote to both of us; and we now and then gave a correction, or a -word or two of advice, but it was wholly of his own writing. When it was -done, neither of us thought it would succeed. We showed it to Congreve, -who, after reading it over, said, ‘It would either take greatly, or be -damned confoundedly.’ We were all, at the first sight of it, in great -uncertainty of the event, till we were very much encouraged by hearing -the Duke of Argyle, who sat in the next box to us, say, ‘It will do—I -see it in the eyes of them.’ This was a good while before the first act -was over, and so gave us ease soon; for the Duke (besides his own good -taste) has as particular a knack as any one now living, in discovering -the taste of the public. He was quite right in this, as usual; the good -nature of the audience appeared stronger and stronger every act, and -ended in a clamour of applause.<a name="page_I_141" id="page_I_141"></a>”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>THE TWO SHERIDANS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Sheridan</span> made his appearance one day in a pair of new boots; these -attracting the notice of some of his friends: “Now guess,” said he, “how -I came by these boots?” Many probable guesses were then ventured, but in -vain. “No,” said Sheridan, “no, you have not hit it, nor ever will. I -bought them, and paid for them!” Sheridan was very desirous that his son -Tom should marry a young lady of large fortune, but knew that Miss -Callander had won his son’s heart. Sheridan, expatiating once on the -folly of his son, at length broke out: “Tom, if you marry Caroline -Callander, I’ll cut you off with a shilling!” Tom, looking maliciously -at his father, said, “Then, sir, you must borrow it.” In a large party -one evening, the conversation turned upon young men’s allowances at -college. Tom deplored the ill-judging parsimony of many parents in that -respect. “I am sure, Tom,” said his father, “you have no reason to -complain; I always allowed you £800 a-year.” “Yes, father, I confess you -allowed it; but then—it was never paid!”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>KILLING NO MURDER.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">In</span> a journey which Mademoiselle Scudéry, the Sappho of the French, made -along with her no less celebrated brother, a curious incident befell -them at an inn at a great distance from Paris. Their conversation -happened one evening to turn upon a romance which they were then jointly -composing, to the hero of which<a name="page_I_142" id="page_I_142"></a> they had given the name of Prince -Mazare. “What shall we do with Prince Mazare?” said Mademoiselle Scudéry -to her brother. “Is it not better that he should fall by poison, than by -the poignard?” “It is not time yet,” replied the brother, “for that -business; when it is necessary we can despatch him as we please; but at -present we have not quite done with him.” Two merchants in the next -chamber, overhearing this conversation, concluded that they had formed a -conspiracy for the murder of some prince whose real name they disguised -under that of Mazare. Full of this important discovery, they imparted -their suspicions to the host and hostess; and it was resolved to inform -the police of what had happened. The police officers, eager to show -their diligence and activity, put the travellers immediately under -arrest, and conducted them under a strong escort to Paris. It was not -without difficulty and expense that they there procured their -liberation, and leave for the future to hold an unlimited right and -power over all the princes and personages in the realms of romance.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>SENSITIVENESS TO CRITICISM.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Hawkesworth</span> and Stillingfleet died of criticism; Tasso was driven mad by -it; Newton, the calm Newton, kept hold of life only by the sufferance of -a friend who withheld a criticism on his chronology, for no other reason -than his conviction that if it were published while he lived, it would -put an end to him; and every one knows the effect on the sensitive -nature<a name="page_I_143" id="page_I_143"></a> of Keats, of the attacks on his <i>Endymion</i>. Tasso had a vast and -prolific imagination, accompanied with an excessively hypochondriacal -temperament. The composition of his great epic, the <i>Jerusalem -Delivered</i>, by giving scope to the boldest flights, and calling into -play the energies of his exalted and enthusiastic genius—whilst with -equal ardour it led him to entertain hopes of immediate and extensive -fame—laid most probably the foundation of his subsequent derangement. -His susceptibility and tenderness of feeling were great; and, when his -sublime work met with unexpected opposition, and was even treated with -contempt and derision, the fortitude of the poet was not proof against -the keen sense of disappointment. He twice attempted to please his -ignorant and malignant critics by recomposing his poem; and during the -hurry, the anguish, and the irritation attending these efforts, the -vigour of a great mind was entirely exhausted, and in two years after -the publication of the <i>Jerusalem</i>, the unhappy author became an object -of pity and terror. Newton, with all his philosophy, was so sensible to -critical remarks, that Whiston tells us he lost his favour, which he had -enjoyed for twenty years, by contradicting him in his old age; for “no -man was of a more fearful temper.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>BUTLER AND BUCKINGHAM.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Of</span> Butler, the author of <i>Hudibras</i>—which Dr. Johnson terms “one of -those productions of which a nation may justly boast”—little further is -known<a name="page_I_144" id="page_I_144"></a> than that his genius was not sufficient to rescue him from its -too frequent attendant, poverty; he lived in obscurity, and died in -want. Wycherley often represented to the Duke of Buckingham how well -Butler had deserved of the royal family by writing his inimitable -<i>Hudibras</i>, and that it was a disgrace to the Court that a person of his -loyalty and genius should remain in obscurity and suffer the wants which -he did. The Duke, thus pressed, promised to recommend Butler to his -Majesty; and Wycherley, in hopes to keep his Grace steady to his word, -prevailed on him to fix a day when he might introduce the modest and -unfortunate poet to his new patron. The place of meeting fixed upon was -the “Roebuck.” Butler and his friend attended punctually; the Duke -joined them, when, unluckily, the door of the room being open, his Grace -observed one of his acquaintances pass by with two ladies; on which he -immediately quitted his engagement, and from that time to the day of his -death poor Butler never derived the least benefit from his promise.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>THE MERMAID CLUB.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> celebrated club at the “Mermaid,” as has been well observed by -Gifford, “combined more talent and genius, perhaps, than ever met -together before or since.” The institution originated with Sir Walter -Raleigh; and here, for many years, Ben Jonson regularly repaired with -Shakspeare, Beaumont, Fletcher, Selden, Cotton, Carew, Martin, Donne, -and many<a name="page_I_145" id="page_I_145"></a> others whose names, even at this distant period, call up a -mingled feeling of reverence and respect. Here, in the full flow and -confidence of friendship, the lively and interesting “wit-combats” took -place between Shakspeare and Jonson; and hither, in probable allusion to -some of them, Beaumont fondly lets his thoughts wander in his letter to -Johnson from the country:—</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i5">“What things have we seen<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Done at the Mermaid? heard words that have been<br /></span> -<span class="i0">So nimble, and so full of subtle flame,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">As if that every one from whom they came,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Had meant to put his whole wit in a jest.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">For the expression, “wit-combats,” we must refer to Fuller, who in his -“Worthies,” describing the character of the Bard of Avon, says: “Many -were the wit-combats between Shakspeare and Ben Jonson. I behold them -like a Spanish great galleon, and an English man-of-war. Master Jonson, -like the former, was built far higher in learning, solid, but slow in -his performances; Shakspeare, like the latter, less in bulk but lighter -in sailing, could turn with all tides, tack about and take advantage of -all winds, by the quickness of his wit and invention.” With what delight -would after generations have hung over any well-authenticated instances -of these “wit-combats!” But, unfortunately, nothing on which we can -depend has descended to us.<a name="page_I_146" id="page_I_146"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>PORSON’S MEMORY.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Professor Porson</span>, the great Græcist, when a boy at Eton, displayed the -most astonishing powers of memory. In going up to a lesson one day, he -was accosted by a boy in the same form: “Porson, what have you got -there?” “Horace.” “Let me look at it.” Porson handed the book to his -comrade; who, pretending to return it, dexterously substituted another -in its place, with which Porson proceeded. Being called on by the -master, he read and construed the tenth Ode of the first Book very -regularly. Observing that the class laughed, the master said, “Porson, -you seem to me to be reading on one side of the page, while I am looking -at the other; pray whose edition have you?” Porson hesitated. “Let me -see it,” rejoined the master; who, to his great surprise, found it to be -an English Ovid. Porson was ordered to go on; which he did, easily, -correctly, and promptly, to the end of the Ode. Much more remarkable -feats of memory than this, however, have been recorded of Porson’s -manhood.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>WYCHERLEY’S WOOING.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Wycherley</span> being at Tunbridge for the benefit of his health, after his -return from the Continental trip the cost of which the king had -defrayed, was walking one day with his friend, Mr. Fairbeard, of Gray’s -Inn. Just as they came up to a bookseller’s shop, the Countess of -Drogheda, a young, rich, noble, and<a name="page_I_147" id="page_I_147"></a> lovely widow, came to the -bookseller and inquired for the <i>Plain Dealer</i>—a well-known comedy of -Wycherley’s. “Madam,” said Mr. Fairbeard, “since you are for the <i>Plain -Dealer</i>, there he is for you”—pushing Wycherley towards her. “Yes,” -said Wycherley, “this lady can bear plain dealing; for she appears to me -to be so accomplished, that what would be compliment said to others, -would be plain dealing spoken to her.” “No, truly, sir,” said the -Countess; “I am not without my faults, any more than the rest of my sex; -and yet I love plain dealing, and am never more fond of it than when it -tells me of them.” “Then, Madam,” said Fairbeard, “You and the Plain -Dealer seem designed by Heaven for each other.” In short, Wycherley -walked with the Countess, waited upon her home, visited her daily while -she was at Tunbridge, and afterwards when she went to London; where, in -a little time, a marriage was concluded between them. The marriage was -not a happy one.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>A CAROUSE AT BOILEAU’S.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Boileau</span>, the celebrated French comedian, usually passed the summer at -his villa of Auteuil, which is pleasantly situated at the entrance of -the Bois de Boulogne. Here he took delight in assembling under his roof -the most eminent geniuses of the age; especially Chapelle, Racine, -Molière, and La Fontaine. Racine the younger gives the following account -of a droll circumstance that occurred at supper at Auteuil with these -guests. “At this supper,” he says, “at<a name="page_I_148" id="page_I_148"></a> which my father was not present, -the wise Boileau was no more master of himself than any of his guests. -After the wine had led them into the gravest strain of moralising, they -agreed that life was but a state of misery; that the greatest happiness -consisted in having been born, and the next greatest in an early death; -and they one and all formed the heroic resolution of throwing themselves -without loss of time into the river. It was not far off, and they -actually went thither. Molière, however, remarked that such a noble -action ought not to be buried in the obscurity of night, but was worthy -of being performed in the face of day. This observation produced a -pause; one looked at the other, and said, ‘He is right.’ ‘Gentlemen,’ -said Chapelle, ‘we had better wait till morning to throw ourselves into -the river, and meantime return and finish our wine;’ ” but the river was -not revisited.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>THOMSON’S INDOLENCE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> author of the <i>Seasons</i> and the <i>Castle of Indolence</i>, paid homage -in the latter admirable poem to the master-passion or habit of his own -easy nature. Thomson was so excessively lazy, that he is recorded to -have been seen standing at a peach-tree, with both his hands in his -pockets, eating the fruit as it grew. At another time, being found in -bed at a very late hour of the day, when he was asked why he did not get -up, his answer was, “Troth, man, I see nae motive for rising!<a name="page_I_149" id="page_I_149"></a>”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>A LEARNED YOUNG LADY.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Fraulein Dorothea</span> Schlozer, a Hanoverian lady, was thought worthy of the -highest academical honours of Göttingen University, and, at the jubilee -of 1787, she had the degree of Doctor of Philosophy conferred upon her, -when only seventeen years of age. The daughter of the Professor of -Philosophy in that University, she from her earliest years discovered an -uncommon genius for learning. Before she was three years of age, she was -taught Low German, a language almost foreign to her own. Before she was -six, she had learned French and German, and then she began geometry; and -after receiving ten lessons, she was able to answer very difficult -questions. The English, Italian, Swedish, and Dutch languages were next -acquired, with singular rapidity; and before she was fourteen, she knew -Latin and Greek, and had become a good classical scholar. Besides her -knowledge of languages, she made herself acquainted with almost every -branch of polite literature, as well as many of the sciences, -particularly mathematics. She also attained great proficiency in -mineralogy; and, during a sojourn of six weeks in the Hartz Forest, she -visited the deepest mines, in the common habit of a labourer, and -examined the whole process of the work. Her surprising talents becoming -the general topic of conversation, she was proposed, by the great -Orientalist Michaelis, as a proper subject for academical honours. The -Philosophical Faculty, of which the Professor was Dean, was deemed the -fittest; and a day was fixed<a name="page_I_150" id="page_I_150"></a> for her examination, in presence of all -the Professors. She was introduced by Michaelis himself, and -distinguished, as a lady, with the highest seat. Several questions were -first proposed to her in mathematics; all of which she answered to -satisfaction. After this, she gave a free translation of the -thirty-seventh Ode of the first Book of Horace, and explained it. She -was then examined in various branches of art and science, when she -displayed a thorough knowledge of the subjects. The examination lasted -two hours and a half; and at the end, the degree of Doctor of Philosophy -was unanimously conferred upon her, and she was crowned with a wreath of -laurel by Fraulein Michaelis, at the request of the Professors.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>A HARD HIT AT POPE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Pope</span> was one evening at Button’s Coffee-house, where he and a set of -literati had got poring over a Latin manuscript, in which they had found -a passage that none of them could comprehend. A young officer, who heard -their conference, begged that he might be permitted to look at the -passage. “Oh,” said Pope, sarcastically, “by all means; pray let the -young gentleman look at it.” Upon which the officer took up the -manuscript, and, considering it awhile, said there only wanted a note of -interrogation to make the whole intelligible: which was really the case. -“And pray, Master,” says Pope with a sneer, “what is a <i>note of -interrogation</i>?”—“A note of interrogation,” replied the young fellow, -with a look of great contempt, “is a little <i>crooked thing</i> that asks -questions.<a name="page_I_151" id="page_I_151"></a>”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>DRYDEN DRUBBED.</h3> - -<p class="nind">“<span class="smcap">Dryden</span>,” says Leigh Hunt, “is identified with the neighbourhood of -Covent Garden. He presided in the chair at Russell Street (Will’s -Coffee-house); his plays came out in the theatre at the other end of it; -he lived in Gerrard Street, which is not far off; and, alas for the -anti-climax! he was beaten by hired bravos in Rose Street, now called -Rose Alley. The outrage perpetrated upon the sacred shoulders of the -poet was the work of Lord Rochester, and originated in a mistake not -creditable to that would-be great man and dastardly debauchee.” Dryden, -it seems, obtained the reputation of being the author of the <i>Essay on -Satire</i>, in which Lord Rochester was severely dealt with, and which was, -in reality, written by Lord Mulgrave, afterwards the Duke of -Buckinghamshire. Rochester meditated on the innocent Dryden a base and -cowardly revenge, and thus coolly expressed his intent in one of his -letters: “You write me word that I am out of favour with a certain poet, -whom I have admired for the disproportion of him and his attributes. He -is a rarity which I cannot but be fond of, as one would be of a hog that -could fiddle, or a singing owl. If he falls on me at the blunt, which is -his very good weapon in wit, I will forgive him if you please, <i>and -leave the repartee to Black Will with a cudgel</i>.” “In pursuance of this -infamous resolution,” says Sir Walter Scott, “upon the night of the 18th -December 1679, Dryden was waylaid by hired ruffians, and severely -beaten, as he passed through Rose<a name="page_I_152" id="page_I_152"></a> Street, Covent Garden, returning from -Will’s Coffee-house to his own house in Gerrard Street. A reward of -fifty pounds was in vain offered in the <i>London Gazette</i> and other -newspapers, for the discovery of the perpetrators of this outrage. The -town was, however, at no loss to pitch upon Rochester as the employer of -the bravos; with whom the public suspicion joined the Duchess of -Portsmouth, equally concerned in the supposed affront thus revenged.... -It will certainly be admitted that a man, surprised in the dark, and -beaten by ruffians, loses no honour by such a misfortune. But if Dryden -had received the same discipline from Rochester’s own hand, without -resenting it, his drubbing could not have been more frequently made a -matter of reproach to him; a sign, surely, of the penury of subjects for -satire in his life and character, since an accident, which might have -happened to the greatest hero that ever lived, was resorted to as an -imputation on his character.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>ROGERS AND “JUNIUS.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Samuel Rogers</span> was requested by Lady Holland to ask Sir Philip Francis -whether he was the author of <i>Junius’ Letters</i>. The poet, meeting Sir -Philip, approached the ticklish subject thus: “Will you, Sir -Philip—will your kindness excuse my addressing to you a single -question?” “At your peril, Sir!” was the harsh and curt reply of the -knight. The intimidated bard retreated upon his friends, who eagerly -inquired of him the success of his application. “I<a name="page_I_153" id="page_I_153"></a> do not know,” Rogers -said, “whether he is Junius; but, if he be, he is certainly Junius -<i>Brutus</i>.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>ALFIERI’S HAIR.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Alfieri</span>, the greatest poet modern Italy produced, delighted in -eccentricities, not always of the most amiable kind. One evening, at the -house of the Princess Carignan, he was leaning, in one of his silent -moods, against a sideboard decorated with a rich tea service of china, -when, by a sudden movement of his long loose tresses, he threw down one -of the cups. The lady of the mansion ventured to tell him, that he had -spoiled the set, and had better have broken them all. The words were no -sooner said, than Alfieri, without reply or change of countenance, swept -off the whole service upon the floor. His hair was fated to bring -another of his eccentricities into play. He went one night, alone, to -the theatre at Turin; and there, hanging carelessly with his head -backwards over the corner of the box, a lady in the next seat on the -other side of the partition, who had on other occasions made attempts to -attract his attention, broke out into violent and repeated encomiums on -his auburn locks, which were flowing down close to her hand. Alfieri, -however, spoke not a word, and continued his position till he left the -theatre. Next morning, the lady received a parcel, the contents of which -she found to be the tresses which she had so much admired, and which the -erratic poet had cut off close to his head. No billet accompanied the -gift;<a name="page_I_154" id="page_I_154"></a> but it could not have been more clearly said, “If you like the -hair, here it is; but, for Heaven’s sake, leave <i>me</i> alone!”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>SMOLLETT’S HARD FORTUNES.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Smollett</span>, perhaps one of the most popular authors by profession that -ever wrote, furnishes a sad instance of the insufficiency of even the -greatest literary favour, in the times in which he wrote, to procure -those temporal comforts on which the happiness of life so much depends. -“Had some of those,” he says, “who were pleased to call themselves my -friends, been at any pains to deserve the character, and told me -ingenuously what I had to expect in the capacity of an author, when -first I professed myself of that venerable fraternity, I should in all -probability have spared myself the incredible labour and chagrin I have -since undergone.” “Of praise and censure both,” he writes at another -time, “I am sick indeed, and wish to God that my circumstances would -allow me to consign my pen to oblivion.” When he had worn himself down -in the service of the public or the booksellers, there scarce was left -of all his slender remunerations, at the last stage of life, enough to -convey him to a cheap country and a restoring air on the Continent. -Gradually perishing in a foreign land, neglected by the public that -admired him, deriving no resources from the booksellers who were drawing -the large profits of his works, Smollett threw out his injured feelings -in the character of Bramble, in <i>Humphrey Clinker</i>:<a name="page_I_155" id="page_I_155"></a> the warm generosity -of his temper, but not his genius, seeming to fleet away with his -breath. And when he died, and his widow, in a foreign land, was raising -a plain memorial over his ashes, her love and piety but made the little -less; and she perished in unbefriended solitude. “There are indeed,” -says D’Israeli, “grateful feelings in the public at large for a -favourite author; but the awful testimony of these feelings, by its -gradual process, must appear beyond the grave! They visit the column -consecrated by his name—and his features are most loved, most -venerated, in the bust!”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>JERROLD’S REBUKE TO A RUDE INTRUDER.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Douglas Jerrold</span> and some friends were dining once at a tavern, and had a -private room; but after dinner the landlord, on the plea that the house -was partly under repair, requested permission that a stranger might take -a chop in the apartment, at a separate table. The company gave the -required permission; and the stranger, a man of commonplace aspect, was -brought in, ate his chop in silence, and then fell asleep—snoring so -loudly and discordantly that the conversation could with difficulty be -prosecuted. Some gentleman of the party made a noise; and the stranger, -starting out of his nap, called out to Jerrold, “I know you, Mr. -Jerrold, I know you; but you shall not make a butt of me!” “Then don’t -bring your hog’s head in here!” was the instant answer of the wit.<a name="page_I_156" id="page_I_156"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>AN ODD PRESENT TO SHENSTONE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">An</span> Edinburgh acquaintance is related to have sent to Shenstone, in 1761, -as a small stimulus to their friendship, “a little provision of the best -Preston Pans snuff, both toasted and untoasted, in four bottles; with -one bottle of Highland Snishon, and four bottles Bonnels. Please to let -me know which sort is most agreeable to you, that I may send you a fresh -supply in good time.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>WALLER, THE COURTIER-POET.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Waller</span> wrote a fine panegyric on Cromwell, when he assumed the -Protectorship. Upon the restoration of Charles, Waller wrote another in -praise of him, and presented it to the King in person. After his Majesty -had read the poem, he told Waller that he wrote a better on Cromwell. -“Please your Majesty,” said Waller, like a true courtier, “we poets are -always more happy in fiction than in truth.<a name="page_I_157" id="page_I_157"></a>”</p> - -<h2><a name="Part_II" id="Part_II"></a></h2> - -<div class="boxx"> -<p class="head2"> -ANECDOTES<br /> -<br /> -ABOUT<br /> -<br /> -BOOKS<br /> -<br /> -AND<br /> -<br /> -AUTHORS.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap">Part II.</span><br /> -</p> -</div> - -<p><a name="page_II_2" id="page_II_2"></a></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p><i>Compiler of “Anecdotes of Lawyers, Doctors and -Parsons.”—“Inventions, Discoveries,” &c., &c.—“Standard Jest -Book.”—“Railway Book of Fun.”—“Traveller’s New Book of -Fun.”—“Modern Joe Miller.”—“Best Sayings of the Best -Authors.”—“Rule of Life.”—“Maxims for Everyday Life,” and “Art of -Conversation.”</i></p></div> - -<p><a name="page_II_3" id="page_II_3"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>NOTE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Perhaps</span> there is no notable department of human effort and interest—not -excepting literature itself—that furnishes such delightful and -plentiful materials for anecdote and illustration, as <span class="smcap">Art</span> and <span class="smcap">Artists</span>. -As the studios of eminent painters or sculptors afford a favourite -lounge for men of taste and leisure; so, to those to whom such a -pleasure is denied, or as regards those sovereigns of the pencil and -chisel who are at rest from their labours, there is a peculiar -gratification in being placed, in fancy, in contact with the creators of -immortal things of beauty and of power. Artists, besides, have been and -are, in very many cases, also men of culture and wit, of refined taste -and powerful intellect—men remarkable quite apart from their -performances on canvas or in marble. Their works, moreover, possess what -we may almost term a personal history and vitality: they are each unique -and full of character, like human beings; and their voyagings and -vicissitudes are at times of even greater interest than those of their -authors—whose life, too, is but as a span in comparison with theirs. -This selection of facts and anecdotes relating to Art and Artists, -therefore, seems to require for its subject-matter no strenuous -recommendation to the favour of the reader; and it is put forth in the -confident hope that it may not be found lacking either in variety or in -interest.<a name="page_II_5" id="page_II_5"></a><a name="page_II_4" id="page_II_4"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="ART_AND_ARTISTS2" id="ART_AND_ARTISTS2"></a>ART AND ARTISTS.</h2> - -<p class="c"><i>CURIOUS FACTS AND CHARACTERISTIC SKETCHES.</i></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>TITIAN AND CHARLES V.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">In</span> 1547, at the invitation of Charles V., Titian joined the imperial -court. The Emperor, then advanced in years, sat to him for the third -time. During the sitting, Titian happened to drop one of his pencils; -the Emperor took it up; and on the artist expressing how unworthy he was -of such an honour, Charles replied that <i>Titian was</i> “<i>worthy of being -waited upon by Cæsar</i>.”—(See the Frontispiece.)—After the resignation -of Charles V., Titian found as great a patron in his son, Philip II.; -and when, in 1554, the painter complained to Philip of the irregularity -with which a pension of 400 crowns granted to him by the Emperor was -paid to him, the King wrote an order for the payment to the governor of -Milan, concluding with the following words:—“You know how I am -interested in this order, as it affects Titian; comply with it, -therefore, in such a manner as to give me no occasion to repeat it.”</p> - -<p>The Duke of Ferrara was so attached to Titian,<a name="page_II_6" id="page_II_6"></a> that he frequently -invited him to accompany him, in his barge, from Venice to Ferrara. At -the latter place, he became acquainted with Ariosto. But, to reckon up -the protectors and friends of Titian, would be to name nearly all the -persons of the age, to whom rank, talent, and exalted character -appertained.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>CHILDHOOD OF BENJAMIN WEST.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Benjamin West</span>, the son of John West and Sarah Pearson, was born in -Springfield, in the state of Pennsylvania, October 10, 1733. His mother, -it seems, had gone to hear one Edward Peckover preach about the -sinfulness of the Old World and the spotlessness of the New: terrified -and overcome by the earnest eloquence of the enthusiast, she shrieked -aloud, was carried home, and, in the midst of agitation and terror, was -safely delivered of the future president of the Royal Academy. When the -preacher was told of this, he rejoiced, “Note that child,” said he, “for -he has come into the world in a remarkable way, and will assuredly prove -a wonderful man.” The child prospered, and when seven years’ old began -to fulfil the prediction of the preacher.</p> - -<p>Little West was one day set to rock the cradle of his sister’s child, -and was so struck with the beauty of the slumbering babe, that he drew -its features in red and black ink. “I declare,” cried his astonished -sister, “he has made a likeness of little baby!” He was next noticed by -a party of wild Indians, who, pleased with the sketches which Benjamin -had made of birds and flowers, taught him how to prepare the red and -yellow<a name="page_II_7" id="page_II_7"></a> colours with which they stained their weapons; to these, his -mother added indigo, and thus he obtained the three primary colours. It -is also related, that West’s artistic career was commenced through the -present of a box of colours, which was made to him, when about nine -years old, by a Pennsylvanian merchant, whose attention was attracted by -some of the boy’s pen-and-ink sketches.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>GUIDO’S TIME.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Guido</span>, when in embarrassment from his habit of gaming and extravagance, -is related by Malvasia, his well-informed biographer, to have sold his -time at a stipulated sum per hour, to certain dealers, one of whom -tasked the painter so rigidly, as to stand by him, with watch in hand, -while he worked. Thus were produced numbers of heads and half figures, -which, though executed with the facility of a master, had little else to -recommend them. Malvasia relates, that such works were sometimes begun -and finished in three hours, and even less time.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>CHARACTER OF GAINSBOROUGH.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Shortly</span> after Gainsborough’s death, Sir Joshua Reynolds, then President -of the Royal Academy, delivered a discourse to the students, of which -“the character of Gainsborough” was the subject. In this he alludes to -Gainsborough’s method of handling—his habit of <i>scratching</i>. “All these -odd scratches and marks,” he observes, “which, on a close examination, -are so observable in Gainsborough’s pictures, and which, even to -experienced painters, appear rather the effect of<a name="page_II_8" id="page_II_8"></a> accident than -design—this chaos, this uncouth and shapeless appearance—by a kind of -magic, at a certain distance, assumes form, and all the parts seem to -drop into their proper places; so that we can hardly refuse -acknowledging the full effect of diligence, under the appearance of -chaste and hasty negligence.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>BENEFIT OF RIVALRY.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Giorgione</span> is, in some of his portraits, still unsurpassed. Du Fresnoy -observes of him, that he dressed his figures wonderfully well; and it -may truly be said, that, but for him, Titian would never have attained -that perfection, which was the consequence of the rivalship and jealousy -which prevailed between them.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>BACKHUYSEN.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Backhuysen’s</span> favourite subjects were wrecks and stormy seas, which he -frequently sketched from nature in an open boat, at the great peril of -himself and the boatmen. He made many constructive drawings of ships for -the Czar Peter the Great, who took lessons of the painter, and -frequently visited his painting-room. Among his other avocations, -Backhuysen also gave lessons in writing, in which he introduced a new -and approved method. He was a man of cheerful eccentricity. Within a few -days of his death, he ordered a number of bottles of choice wine, on -each of which he set his seal. A certain number of his friends were then -invited to his funeral, to each of whom he bequeathed a gold coin, -requesting them to spend it merrily, and to drink the wine with as much -cordiality as he had in consigning it to them.<a name="page_II_9" id="page_II_9"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>GEORGE MORLAND.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">George Morland</span>, the famous painter of rustic and low life—a great but -dissolute genius—when he left the paternal roof, had for master an -Irishman in Drury-lane, who kept him constantly at his easel by never -leaving his elbow. His meals were brought him by the shop-boy; his -dinner consisting usually of sixpennyworth of beef from a cookshop, and -a pint of beer. If he asked for five shillings, his taskmaster would -growl, “D’ye think I’m made of money?” and give him half-a-crown. -Morland painted pictures for this man enough to fill a room for -admittance to which half-a-crown was charged. From this bondage he was -freed by an invitation to Margate, by a lady of fortune, to paint -portraits in the season; he stole away from his garret, and entered on -profitable labour. In winter he returned to London. He had so risen in -repute, that prints from his pictures had a marvellous sale. Soon, such -was the demand for anything from his hand, that, though often ill-paid, -he could earn from seventy to a hundred guineas a-week. But no man could -be more heedless of money; and he hardly ever knew what it was to be out -of want. He was constantly granting bills, and when they fell due, he -seldom had cash to meet them. To get a note of £20 renewed for a -fortnight, he has been known to give a picture that at once sold in his -presence for £10. His easel was always surrounded by associates of the -lowest cast—horse-dealers, jockeys, cobblers, &c. He had a wooden -barrier placed across his room, with a<a name="page_II_10" id="page_II_10"></a> bar that lifted up, to allow the -passage of those with whom he had business, or who enjoyed his special -favour. He might have been said to be in an academy in the midst of -models. He would get one to stand for a hand, another for a head, an -attitude, or a figure, according as their countenance or character -suited him. Thus he painted some of his best pictures, while his low -companions were regaling on gin and red herrings around him.</p> - -<p>Morland, indeed, neither in nor beyond the studio let slip an -opportunity which he could turn to professional advantage. Nature was -the grand source from which he drew all his images. He dreaded becoming -a mannerist. With other artists he never held any intercourse, nor had -he prints of any kind in his possession; and he often declared that he -would not step across the street to see the finest assemblage of -paintings that ever was exhibited. Once, indeed, he was induced to go to -see Lord Bute’s collection; but, having passed through one room, he -refused to see more, declaring that he did not wish to contemplate the -works of any other man, lest he should become an imitator.</p> - -<p>At the death of his father, Morland was advised to claim the dormant -title of Baronet, which had been conferred on one of his lineal -ancestors by Charles II. Finding, however, that there was no emolument -attached to the title, he renounced the distinction; saying that “plain -George Morland could always sell his pictures, and there was more honour -in being a fine painter than a titled gentleman; that he would<a name="page_II_11" id="page_II_11"></a> have -borne the vanity of a title had there been any income to accompany it; -but as matters stood, he would wear none of the fooleries of his -ancestors.” He died in 1804, while in confinement in consequence of -intemperance.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>DISINTERESTEDNESS OF ENGLISH PAINTERS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">There</span> are no examples in the history of painting, of such noble -disinterestedness as has ever been shown by the English Historical -Painters. Hogarth and others adorned the Foundling for nothing; Reynolds -and West offered to adorn St. Paul’s for nothing, and yet were refused! -Barry painted the Adelphi without remuneration; but, as Burke -beautifully says, “the temple of honour ought to be seated on an -eminence. If it be open through virtue, let it be remembered, too, that -virtue is never tried but by some difficulty and some -struggle.”—<i>Haydon’s Lectures.</i></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>THE DOUBLE CHIN.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">One</span> of the finest examples of preserving beauty, even in maturity, is -given in Niobe, the mother.</p> - -<p>“In early life, at a rout, (says Haydon,) I admired and followed, during -the evening, a mother and her daughters, distinguished for their beauty. -The mother did not look old, and yet looked the mother. On scrutinizing -and comparing mother and daughters, I found there was a little double -chin in the mother, which marked her, without diminishing her beauty.<a name="page_II_12" id="page_II_12"></a> I -went at once, on my return to my studio, to the Niobe mother, and found -<i>this very mark</i> in the Niobe mother, which I had never observed before, -under her chin.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>SYMPATHY AND CALCULATION.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">When</span> Sir Richard Phillips, in his <i>Morning’s Walk from London to Kew</i>, -visited the Church on Kew-green, he halted beside the tomb of -Gainsborough, and said to the sexton’s assistant, “Ah, friend, this is a -hallowed spot—here lies one of Britain’s favoured sons, whose genius -has assisted in exalting her among the nations of the earth.”—“Perhaps -it was so,” said the man; “but we know nothing about the people buried, -except to keep up their monuments, if the family pay; and, perhaps, Sir, -you belong to this family; if so, I’ll tell you how much is due.”—“Yes, -truly, friend,” said Sir Richard, “I am one of the great family, bound -to preserve the monument of Gainsborough; but if you take me for one of -his relatives, you are mistaken.”—“Perhaps, Sir, you may be of the -family, but were not included in the will; therefore, are not -obligated.” Sir Richard could not avoid looking with scorn at the -fellow; but, as the spot claimed better feelings, gave him a trifle, and -so got rid of him.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>RUSKIN’S “MODERN PAINTERS.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">In</span> a note-book of 1848, we read of Ruskin’s first work:—One of the most -extraordinary and delightful books of the day, is <i>Modern Painters</i>, by -a “Graduate<a name="page_II_13" id="page_II_13"></a> of Oxford;” in which the author admits and vindicates his -direct opposition to the general opinion, in placing Turner and other -modern landscape painters above those of the seventeenth -century—Claude, Gaspar Poussin, Salvator Rosa, Canaletto, Hobbima, &c.</p> - -<p>Yet, this remarkable book has been strangely treated by what is called -the literary world. The larger reviews have taken little or no notice of -it; and those periodicals which are considered to represent the -literature of the fine arts, and to watch over their progress and -interests, almost without an exception, have treated it with the most -marked injustice, and the most shameful derision. Yet, in spite of all -this neglect and maltreatment, the work has found its way into the minds -and hearts of men. This is better shown by the first volume having -reached a third edition, than by any of the most elaborate patronage -from the press.</p> - -<p>A writer in the <i>North British Review</i>, waxing eloquently wroth at this -reception of a work of unquestionably high genius by the critics, -observed:—“The national treatment is in this case a good index to the -national mind and feeling; so that it is not to be wondered at, that -such productions as Charles Lamb’s Essays on the Genius of Hogarth, and -on the Barrenness of the Imaginative Faculty in the productions of -Modern Art—Hazlitt’s Works on Art—those of Sir Charles Bell and his -brother John,—should rarely occur, and be not much regarded, and little -understood, when they do, in a country where Hogarth was looked upon by -the majority as a caricaturist fully as coarse as clever,—where -Wilkie’s ‘Distraining for Rent<a name="page_II_14" id="page_II_14"></a>’ could get no purchaser, because it was -an unpleasant subject,—where to this day Turner is better known as -being unintelligible and untrue, than as being more truthful, more -thoughtful, than any painter of inanimate nature, ancient or -modern,—where Maclise is accounted worthy to illustrate Shakspeare, and -embody Macbeth and Hamlet, as having a kindred genius,—and where it was -reserved to a few young, self-relying, unknown Scottish artists, -(students of the Royal Scottish Academy,) to purchase Etty’s three -pictures of Judith, the Combat, and the Lion-like Men of Moab, at a -price which, though perilous to themselves, was equally disgraceful to -the public who had disregarded them, and inadequate to the deserving of -their gifted producer.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>RUBENS’S “CHAPEAU DE PAILLE.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> exquisite picture was the gem of Sir Robert Peel’s fine collection. -Its transparency and brilliancy are unrivalled: it is all but life -itself. It was bought by Sir R. Peel for 3500 guineas.</p> - -<p>The name of “Chapeau de Paille,” as applied to this picture, appears to -be a misnomer. The portrait is in what is strangely termed a Spanish -hat. Why it has become the fashion in this country to designate every -slouched hat with a feather a Spanish hat, it is hard to say; since at -the period that such hats were worn, (about the reign of Charles I. in -England,) they were not more peculiar to Spain than to other European -countries. Rubens himself wore a hat of this description; and it is -related that his mistress, having<a name="page_II_15" id="page_II_15"></a> placed his hat upon her own head, he -borrowed from this circumstance the celebrated picture in question. With -respect to the misnomer, it has been conjectured that <i>Span’sh hut</i> -being somewhat similar in sound to <i>Span hut</i>, Flemish for straw hat, -first led to the incongruous title “<i>Chapeau de Paille</i>.” Now, <i>Span -hut</i>, the Flemish name of this work, does not mean a straw hat, but a -wide-brimmed hat; and further, whoever has had the good fortune to see -the picture, must be aware that the woman is there represented not in a -straw (<i>paille</i>) hat, but a black hat. The French title, “Chapeau de -Paille,” is, therefore, and we think with reason supposed to be but a -corruption of <i>Chapeau de</i> Poil (nap, or beaver,) its real designation.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>A PROMPT REMEDY.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Opie</span> was painting an old beau of fashion. Whenever he thought the -painter was touching the mouth, he screwed it up in a most ridiculous -manner. Opie, who was a blunt man, said very quietly, “Sir, if you want -the mouth left out, I will do it with pleasure.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>WILKIE’S SIMPLICITY.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Never</span>, relates Haydon, was anything more extraordinary than the modesty -and simplicity of Wilkie, at the period of his production of “The -Village Politicians.” Jackson told me he had the greatest difficulty to -persuade him to send this celebrated picture to the Exhibition; and I -remember his (Wilkie’s) bewildered astonishment at the prodigious -enthusiasm of the people<a name="page_II_16" id="page_II_16"></a> at the Exhibition when it went, May, 1806. On -the Sunday after the private day and dinner, the <i>News</i> said:—“A young -Scotchman, by name Wilkie, has a wonderful work.” I immediately sallied -forth, took up Jackson, and away we rushed to Wilkie. I found him in his -parlour, in Norton-street, at breakfast. “Wilkie,” said I, “your name is -in the paper.” “Is it, really?” said he, staring with delight. I then -read the puff, <i>ore rotundo</i>; and Jackson, I, and he, in an ecstacy, -joined hands, and danced round the table.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>THE GRAVE OF LAWRENCE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Sir Thomas Lawrence</span>, when attending the funeral of Mr. Dawe, R.A., in -the vault of St. Paul’s Cathedral, was observed to look wistfully about -him, as if contemplating the place as that to which he himself would -some day be borne; and, when the service was concluded, it was remarked -that he stopped to look at the inscription upon the stone which covers -the body of his predecessor, West. Within three months from the date of -this incident, the vaults were re-opened to receive Lawrence’s remains.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>“IT WILL NEVER DO.”</h3> - -<p class="nind">“<span class="smcap">Oh</span>, how I hate this expression!” said poor Haydon, in his famous -Lectures. “When Wellington said he would break the charm of Napoleon’s -invincibility, what was the reply? <i>It will never do!</i> When Columbus -asserted there was another hemisphere, what was the reply? <i>It will -never do!</i> And when Galileo<a name="page_II_17" id="page_II_17"></a> offered to prove the earth went round the -sun, the Holy Inquisition said, <i>It shall never do!</i> <i>It will never do</i> -has been always the favourite watch-cry of those, in all ages and -countries, who ever look on all schemes for the advancement of mankind -as indirect reflections on the narrowness of their own petty -comprehensions.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>LOST CHANCE OF A NATIONAL GALLERY.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">George</span> the Fourth (when Regent) proposed to connect Carlton House, in -Pall-Mall, with Marlborough House, and St. James’s Palace, by a gallery -of portraits of the sovereigns and other historic personages of England; -but, unfortunately Mr. Nash’s speculation of burying Carlton House and -Gardens, and overlaying St. James’s Park with terraces, prevailed; and -this magnificent design of an historical gallery was abandoned; although -the crown of England possesses materials for an historical collection -which would be infinitely superior to that of Versailles.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>REYNOLDS’S PORTRAIT OF LORD HEATHFIELD.</h3> - -<p class="nind">“<span class="smcap">Of</span> all conceptions, as well as executions of portraits,” says Dr. -Dibdin, “that of Lord Heathfield, by Reynolds, is doubtless amongst the -very finest and most characteristic. The veteran has a key, gently -raised, in his right hand, which he is about to place in his left. It is -the key of the impregnable fortress of Gibraltar; and he seems to say, -‘Wrest it from me at your peril!’ Kneller, and even Vandyke, would have -converted this<a name="page_II_18" id="page_II_18"></a> key into a truncheon. What a bluff spirit of unbending -intrepidity and integrity was the illustrious Elliott! His country knows -no braver warrior of his class than he!”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>THE ELGIN MARBLES</h3> - -<p class="nind">“<span class="smcap">What</span> are these marbles remarkable for?” said a respectable gentleman at -the British Museum to one of the attendants, after looking attentively -round the Elgin Saloon. “Why, sir,” said the man, with propriety, -“because they are so like life.” “Like life!” repeated the gentleman, -with the greatest contempt; “why, what of that?” and walked away.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>HENRY HOWARD, R.A.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Mr. Howard</span>, the well-known Secretary and Professor of Painting to the -Royal Academy, died October 5, 1847, in the seventy-eighth year of his -age. He was born in 1770; and was at Rome in 1794, when, in his -twenty-fourth year, he forwarded his first work, “The Death of Cain,” to -the Royal Academy Exhibition. In 1807, he painted “The Infant Bacchus -brought by Mercury to the Nymphs of Nysa;” and in the autumn of the same -year, he was elected a Royal Academician. Of his fellow academicians, in -1848, only two out of forty survived—Sir Martin Archer Shee, and Mr. J. -M. W. Turner. Others, however, elected after him, had died before -him—Callcott, and William Daniell, for instance; Wilkie, Dawe, Raeburn, -Hilton, Collins, Jackson, Chantrey, Constable,<a name="page_II_19" id="page_II_19"></a> and Newton. His diploma -picture on his election was “The Four Angels, loosed from the River -Euphrates.” For fifty-three years, from 1794 to 1847, Mr. Howard never -missed sending to a Royal Academy Exhibition. It would be difficult, -perhaps, to find another example of such assiduity; yet, where his -pictures went—for he had few or no patrons, so called—it is hard to -say. Banks and Flaxman, the two great sculptors, took notice of Howard’s -early efforts, gave him friendly encouragement in all he did, and -suggested, it is said, new subjects for his pencil. Yet, his pictures -were very popular; they are classically cold; his place, therefore, in -the history of Art is not likely to be high or lasting.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>ORIGINALS OF HOGARTH’S MARRIAGE A-LA-MODE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">In</span> 1841, Messrs. Smith, the eminent printsellers, of Lisle-street, had -the good fortune to discover in the country a duplicate set of the -pictures of “The Marriage à-la-Mode,” by Hogarth; which appear to have -escaped the researches of all the writers on his works. They are -evidently the finished sketches, from which he afterwards painted the -pictures now in the National Gallery, which are more highly wrought. The -backgrounds of these pictures are very much subdued, which gives a -greater importance to the figures. They became the property of H. R. -Willett, Esq., of Merly House, Dorsetshire, who added them to his -already rich collection of Hogarth’s works.</p> - -<p>These pictures of “The Marriage-à-la-Mode” are<a name="page_II_20" id="page_II_20"></a> painted in an -exceedingly free and sketchy manner and are considered to have been most -probably painted at the same time as the four pictures of the Election, -now in the Soanean Museum, the execution of which they very much -resemble. There is a considerable number of variations between these and -the National Gallery pictures; and such differences throw much light -upon the painter’s technical execution, which is somewhat disputed. -“Although in some respects rather sketchily handled,” says a critic, -“they are not painted feebly; and if they cannot be called highly -finished, these productions are worthy to rank as cabinet pictures. To -be fairly understood, (to use Charles Lamb’s happy expression,) -‘Hogarth’s pictures must be <i>read</i>, as well as looked at.’ ”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>HOMAGE TO ART.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> first great painter in encaustic, of whose works lengthened -descriptions have been handed down, was Polygnotus. He painted his -celebrated “Triumph of Miltiades and the Victors of Marathon,” by public -desire; and such was the admiration in which it was held, that the -Athenians offered to reward the artist with whatever he might desire. -Polygnotus nobly declined asking anything; upon which the Amphictionic -Council proclaimed that he should be maintained at the public expense -wherever he went. Such was the homage of a whole nation! What, then, -shall we say to the sentiments of the narrow-minded prelate, who -declared that a pin-maker was a more valuable member of society than -Raphael!<a name="page_II_21" id="page_II_21"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>“COLUMBUS AND THE EGG” ANTICIPATED.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Brunelleschi</span> was the discoverer of the mode of erecting cupolas, which -had been lost since the time of the Romans. Vasari relates a similar -anecdote of him to that recorded of Columbus; though this has -unquestionably the merit of being the first, since it occurred before -the birth of Columbus. Brunelleschi died in 1446; Columbus was born in -1442.</p> - -<p>A council of the most learned men of the day, from various parts of the -world, was summoned to consult and show plans for the erection of a -cupola, like that of the Pantheon at Rome. Brunelleschi refused to show -his model, it being upon the most simple principles, but proposed that -the man who could make an egg stand upright on a marble base should be -the architect. The foreigners and artists agreeing to this, but failing -in their attempts, desired Brunelleschi to do it himself; upon which he -took the egg, and with a gentle tap broke the end, and placed it on the -slab. The learned men unanimously protested that any one else could do -the same; to which the architect replied, with a smile, that had they -seen his model, they could as easily have known how to build a cupola.</p> - -<p>The work then devolved upon him, but a want of confidence existing among -the operatives and citizens, they pronounced the undertaking to be too -great for one man; and arranged that Lorenzo Ghiberti, an artist of -great repute at that time, should be co-architect with him. -Brunelleschi’s anger and mortification were so great on hearing this -decision, that he<a name="page_II_22" id="page_II_22"></a> destroyed, in the space of half an hour, models and -designs that had cost him years of labour, and would have quitted -Florence but for the persuasions of Donatello. It is almost unnecessary -to add, that the cupola was completed with perfect success by -Brunelleschi; since St. Peter’s, at Rome, and our own St. Paul’s, were -formed upon the model of his dome at Florence.</p> - -<p>By the way, some of the wise men of the day proposed that a centre -column should support the dome; others, that a huge mound of earth (with -quatrini scattered among it) should be raised in the form of a cupola, -the brick or stone wall built upon it. When finished, an order was to be -issued, allowing the people to possess themselves of what money they -might find in the rubbish; the mound would thus be easily removed, and -the cupola be left clear!</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>THE RIVAL OF RAPHAEL.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">When</span> Raphael enjoyed at Rome the reputation of being the mightiest -living master of the graphic art, the Bolognese preferred their -countryman, Francisco Francia, who had long dwelt among them, and was of -eminent talent. The two artists had never met, nor had one seen the -works of the other. But a friendly correspondence existed between them. -The desire of Francia to see some of the works of Raphael, of whom he -ever heard more and more in praise, was extreme; but advanced years -deterred him from encountering the fatigues and dangers of a journey to -Rome. A circumstance at last occurred that gave him, without<a name="page_II_23" id="page_II_23"></a> this -trouble, the opportunity of seeing what he had so long desired. Raphael -having painted a picture of St. Cecilia, to be placed in a chapel at -Bologna, he wrote to Francia, requesting him to see it put up, and even -to correct any defects he might perceive in it. As soon as Francia took -the picture from its case, and put it in a proper light for viewing it, -he was struck with admiration and wonder, and felt painfully how much he -was Raphael’s inferior. The picture was indeed one of the finest that -ever came from Raphael’s pencil; but it was only so much the more a -source of grief to the unhappy Francia. He assisted, as desired, in -placing it in the situation for which it was intended; but never -afterwards had he a happy hour. In one moment he had seen all that he -had ever done, all that had been once so much admired, thrown quite into -the shade. He was too old to entertain any hope, by renewed efforts, of -coming up with the excellence of Raphael, or even approaching it. Struck -to the heart with grief and despair, he took to his bed, from which he -never rose again. He was insensible to all consolation, and in a few -days, the victim of a sublime melancholy, he died, in his sixty-eighth -year.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>TURNER’S MASTERPIECE.</h3> - -<p class="nind">“I <span class="smcap">think</span>,” says the “Graduate of Oxford”—Ruskin—in his <i>Modern -Painters</i>, “the noblest sea that Turner has ever painted, and, if so, -the noblest certainly ever<a name="page_II_24" id="page_II_24"></a> painted by man, is that of the Slave Ship, -the chief Academy picture of the Exhibition of 1840. It is a sunset on -the Atlantic, after prolonged storm; but the storm is partially lulled, -and the torn and streaming rain-clouds are moving in scarlet lines to -lose themselves in the hollow of the night. The whole surface of sea -included in the picture is divided into two ridges of enormous swell, -not high nor local, but a low broad heaving of the whole ocean, like the -lifting of its bosom by a deep-drawn breath after the torture of the -storm. Between these two ridges, the fire of the sunset falls along the -trough of the sea, dyeing it with an awful but glorious light,—the -intense and lurid splendour which burns like gold, and bathes like -blood. Along this fiery path and valley, the tossing waves by which the -swell of the sea is recklessly divided, lift themselves in dark, -indefinite, fantastic forms, each casting a faint and ghastly shadow -behind it along the illumined foam. They do not rise everywhere, but -three or four together, in wild groups, fitfully and furiously, as the -under strength of the swell compels or permits them; leaving between -them treacherous spaces of level and whirling water, now lighted with -green and lamp-like fire, now flashing back the gold of the declining -sun, now fearfully dyed from above with the indistinguishable images of -the burning clouds, which fall upon them in flakes of crimson and -scarlet, and give to the reckless waves the added motion of their own -fiery flying. Purple and blue, the lurid shadows of the hollow breakers, -are cast upon the mist of the night, which gathers cold and low, -advancing like the shadow<a name="page_II_25" id="page_II_25"></a> of death upon the guilty ship as it labours -amidst the lightning of the sea, its thin masts written upon the sky in -lines of blood, girded with condemnation in that fearful hue which signs -the sky with horror, and mixes its flaming flood with the sunlight; and -cast far along the desolate heave of the sepulchral waves, incarnadines -the multitudinous sea.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>INTENSE EFFECT.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">When</span> Fuseli went with Haydon to the Elgin marbles, on recognising the -flatness of the belly of the Theseus, in consequence of the bowels -having naturally fallen in, he exclaimed, “By Gode, the Turks have -<i>sawed</i> off his belly!” His eye was completely ruined.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>REYNOLDS AND HAYDN.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">During</span> the residence of Haydn, the celebrated composer, in England, one -of the royal princes commissioned Sir Joshua Reynolds to paint his -portrait. Haydn went to the residence of the painter, and gave him a -sitting; but he soon grew tired. Sir Joshua, with his usual care for his -reputation, would not paint a man of so distinguished genius with a -stupid countenance, and in consequence he adjourned the sitting to -another day. The same weariness and want of expression occurring at the -next attempt, Sir Joshua went and communicated the circumstance to the -commissioning prince, who contrived the following stratagem. He sent to -the painter’s house a pretty German girl who was in the service of the -Queen. Haydn<a name="page_II_26" id="page_II_26"></a> took his seat for the third time, and as soon as the -conversation began to flag, a curtain rose, and the fair German -addressed him in his native tongue, with a most elegant compliment. -Haydn, delighted, overwhelmed the enchantress with questions, his -countenance recovered its animation, and Sir Joshua rapidly and -successfully seized its traits.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>HAYDON’S FIRST SIGHT OF THE ELGIN MARBLES.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">At</span> my entrance among these divine things, (says Haydon,) for the first -time with Wilkie, 1808, in Park-lane, the first thing I saw was the -wrist of the right hand and arm of one of the Fates, leaning on the -thigh; it is the Fate on the right side of the other, which, mutilated -and destroyed as it was, proved that the great sculptor had kept the -shape of the radius and ulna, as always seen in fine nature, male and -female.</p> - -<p>I felt at once, before I turned my eyes, that <i>there</i> was the nature and -ideal beauty joined, which I had gone about the art longing for, but -never finding! I saw at once I was amongst productions such as I had -never before witnessed in the art; and that the great author merited the -enthusiasm of antiquity, of Socrates, of Plato, of Aristotle, of -Juvenal, of Cicero, of Valerius Maximus, and of Plutarch and Martial.</p> - -<p>If such were my convictions on seeing this dilapidated but immortal -wrist, what do you think they were on turning round to the Theseus, the -horse<a name="page_II_27" id="page_II_27"></a>’s head, and the fighting metope, the frieze, and the Jupiter’s -breast?</p> - -<p>Oh, may I retain such sensations beyond the grave! I foresaw at once a -mighty revolution in the art of the world for ever! I saw that union of -nature and ideal perfected in high art, and before this period -pronounced by the ablest critics as <i>impossible</i>! I thanked God with all -my heart, with all my soul, and with all my being, that I was ready to -comprehend them from dissection. I bowed to the Immortal Spirit, which -still hovered near them. I predicted at once their vast effect on the -art of the world, and was smiled at for my boyish enthusiasm!</p> - -<p>What I asserted in their future influence and enormous superiority, -Canova, eight years after, confirmed. On my introduction by Hamilton, -(author of <i>Egyptiaca</i>,) I asked Canova what he thought of them? and he -instantly replied, with a glistening Italian fire, “Ils renverseront le -systême des autres antiques.” Mr. Hamilton replied, “I have always said -so, but who believed me? and what was the result of the principles I -laid down? Why, many a squeeze of the hand to support me under my -infirmities, and many a smile in my face in mercy at my delusion. ‘You -are a <i>young</i> man,’ was often said; ‘and your enthusiasm is <i>all very -proper</i>.’ ”</p> - -<p>“After seeing them myself,” says Haydon, “I took Fuseli to see them; -and, being a man of quick sensibility, he was taken entirely by -surprise. Never shall I forget his uncompromising enthusiasm; he strode -about, thundering out—‘The Greeks were<a name="page_II_28" id="page_II_28"></a> gods!—the Greeks were gods!’ -When he got home he wanted to modify his enthusiasm; but I always -reminded him of his first impressions, and never let him escape.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>PAINTERS IN SOCIETY.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">James Smith</span> says:—“I don’t fancy Painters. General Phipps used to have -them much at his table. He once asked me if I liked to meet them. I -answered, ‘No; I know nothing in their way, and they know nothing out of -it.’ ”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>ANACHRONISMS IN PAINTING.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">These</span> are to be found in works of all ages. Thus we have Verrio’s -Periwigged Spectators of Christ Healing the Sick; Abraham about to shoot -Isaac with a pistol; Rubens’ Queen-mother, Cardinals, and Mercury; -Velvet Brussels; Ethiopian King in a surplice, boots, and spurs; Belin’s -Virgin and Child listening to a Violin; the Marriage of Christ with St. -Catherine of Siena, with King David playing the Harp; Albert Durer’s -flounced-petticoated Angel driving Adam and Eve from Paradise; Cigoli’s -Simeon at the Circumcision, with “spectacles on nose;” the Virgin Mary -helping herself to a cup of coffee from a chased coffee-pot; N. -Poussin’s Rebecca at the Well, with Grecian architecture in the -back-ground; Paul Veronese’s Benedictine Father and Swiss Soldiers; the -<i>red</i> Lobsters in the Sea listening to the Preaching of St. Anthony of -Padua; St. Jerome, with a clock by his side; and Poussin’s Deluge, with -boats. In our<a name="page_II_29" id="page_II_29"></a> time, West, the President of the Royal Academy, has -represented Paris in a Roman instead of a Phrygian dress; and Wilkie has -painted Oysters in the Chelsea Pensioners Reading the Gazette of the -Battle of Waterloo—in June!</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>MOVING EARS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Not</span> one in ten thousand, perhaps, Mr. John Bell says, can move his ears. -The celebrated Mr. Mery used, when lecturing, to amuse his pupils by -saying that in one thing he surely belonged to the long-eared tribe; -upon which he moved his ears very rapidly backwards and forwards. And -Albinus, the celebrated anatomist, had the same power, which is -performed by little muscles, not seen. Mr. Haydon tried it once in -painting, with great effect. In his picture of Macbeth, painted for Sir -George Beaumont, when the Thane was listening in horror before -committing the murder, the painter ventured to press the ears forward, -like an animal in fright, to give an idea of trying to catch the nearest -sound. It was very effective, and increased amazingly the terror of the -scene, without the spectators being aware of the reason.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>RUSSELL, THE CRAYON PAINTER.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> ingenious R.A. was a native of Guildford, and the eldest son of Mr. -John Russell, bookseller, of that town. In early youth he evinced a -strong predilection for drawing, and was placed under the tuition of Mr. -Francis Coates, an academician of great talent, after whose decease “he -enjoyed the reputation of being<a name="page_II_30" id="page_II_30"></a> the first artist in crayon painting, in -which he particularly excelled in the delineation of female beauty.” In -1789, Russell was chosen a member of the Royal Academy; and soon after -appointed crayon-painter to the King, the Prince of Wales, and the Duke -of York. Notwithstanding this constant succession of professional -employment, he devoted considerable attention to astronomical pursuits; -and his <i>Selenographia</i>, or Model of the Moon, which occupied the whole -of his leisure from the year 1785 until 1797, affords a remarkable -instance of his ingenuity and perseverance. At the time of his decease -he had finished two other drawings, which completed his plan, and -exhibit an elaborate view of the moon in a full state of illumination. -Mr. Russell died at Hull in 1806.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>WILKIE’S MISTAKEN ANALOGY.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">On</span> the birth of the son of a friend (afterwards a popular novelist), Sir -David Wilkie was requested to become one of the sponsors for the child. -Sir David, whose studies of human nature extended to everything but -infant human nature, had evidently been refreshing his boyish -recollections of kittens and puppies; for, after looking intently into -the child’s eyes, as it was held up for his inspection, he exclaimed to -the father, with serious astonishment and satisfaction, “He sees!”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>DEATH OF GAINSBOROUGH.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">When</span> assured that the progress of his fatal malady (cancer) precluded -all hopes of life, Gainsborough<a name="page_II_31" id="page_II_31"></a> desired to be buried in Kew churchyard, -and that his name only should be cut on his gravestone. He sent for Sir -Joshua Reynolds, and was reconciled to him: then exclaiming, “We are all -going to heaven, and Vandyke is of the company,” he immediately expired, -in the sixty-first year of his age. Sheridan and Sir Joshua followed him -to his grave.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>FANATICISM THE DESTROYER OF ART.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">It</span> is curious to reflect, that mistaken views of religion have in all -times been the prime cause of the ruin of art. It was not Alaric or -Theodoric, but an edict from Honorius, that ordered the early Christians -to destroy such images, if any remained.</p> - -<p>Flaxman says: “The commands for destroying sacred paintings and -sculpture prevented the artist from suffering his mind to rise to the -contemplation or execution of any sublime effort, as he dreaded a prison -or a stake, and reduced him to the lowest drudgery in his profession. -This extraordinary check to our national art occurred at a time which -offered the most essential and extraordinary assistance to its -progress.” Flaxman proceeds to remark, that “the civil wars completed -what fanaticism had begun; and English art was so completely -extinguished that foreign artists were always employed for public or -private undertakings.”</p> - -<p>In the reign of Elizabeth it became a fashionable taste to sally forth -and knock pictures to pieces; and in the “State Trials” is a curious -trial of Henry Sherfield, Esq., Recorder of Salisbury, who concealed<a name="page_II_32" id="page_II_32"></a> -himself in the church, and with a long pike knocked a window to pieces: -as he was doing this, he was watched through the door, and seen to slip -down, headlong, where he lay groaning for a long time, and a horse was -sent for to carry him home: he was fined 500<i>l.</i>, and imprisoned in the -Fleet; and the Attorney-general for the Crown, 1632, said there were -people, he verily believed, who would have knocked off the cherubim from -the ark. By the witnesses examined, it was evidently a matter of -religious conscience in Sherfield, who complained that his pew was -opposite the window, and that the representation of God by a human -figure disturbed him at prayer.</p> - -<p>Queen Elizabeth was the bitterest persecutor: she ordered all walls to -be whitewashed, and all candlesticks and pictures to be utterly -destroyed, so that no memorial remain of the same.</p> - -<p>In Charles the First’s time, on the Journals of the House is found, -1645, July 23: “Ordered, that all pictures having the second person in -the Trinity shall be burnt.” Walpole relates, that one Blessie was hired -at half-a-crown a day to break the painted glass window at Croydon -Church. There is extant the journal of a parliamentary visitor, -appropriately enough named <i>Dowsing</i>, appointed for demolishing -superstitious pictures and ornaments of churches, &c.; and by -calculation, he and his agents are found to have destroyed about 4660 -pictures, from June 9, 1643, to October 4, 1644, evidently not all -glass, because when they were glass he specifies them.</p> - -<p>The result of this continued persecution, says<a name="page_II_33" id="page_II_33"></a> Hayden, was the ruin of -“high art;” for the people had not taste enough to feel any sympathy for -it independently of religion, and every man who has pursued it since, -who had no private fortune, and was not supported by a pension like -West, became infallibly ruined.</p> - -<p>Historical painters left without employment began to complain. In the -time of Edward VI. and Elizabeth we find them petitioning for bread! -They revived a little with Charles I. and II. Thornhill got employed in -the early part of the last century; then came the Society in St. -Martin’s Lane, 1760; and in 1768 was established the Royal Academy, <i>to -help high art</i>; but there being still no employment for it, the power in -art fell into the hands of portrait-painters, who too long continued to -wield it, with individual exceptions, to the further decay and -destruction of this eminent style.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>THE THORNHILL MIRACLE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Every</span> one remembers the marvellous story of Sir James Thornhill stepping -back to see the effect of his work, while painting Greenwich Hospital; -and being prevented falling from the ceiling to the floor, by a person -intentionally defacing the picture, and causing the painter to rush -forward, and thus save himself. This <i>may have occurred</i>; but we rather -suspect the anecdote to be of legendary origin, and to come from no less -distance than the Tyrol; in short, to be a paraphrase of a catholic -miracle, unless the Tyrolese are quizzing the English story, which is -not very probable<a name="page_II_34" id="page_II_34"></a>. At Innspruck, you are gravely told that when Daniel -Asam was painting the inside of the cupola of one of the churches, and -had just finished the hand of St. James, he stepped back on the scaffold -to ascertain the effect: there was no friend at hand gifted with the -happy thought of defacing the work, and thus saving the artist, as in -Sir James Thornhill’s case, and therefore Daniel Asam <i>fell backward</i>; -but, to the astonishment of the awe-struck beholders, who were looking -up from beneath, the hand and arm of the saint, which the artist had -just finished, were seen to <i>extend themselves</i> from the fresco, and -grasping the fortunate Asam by the arm, accompany him in his descent of -200 feet, and bear him up <i>so gently</i>, that he reached the ground -without the slightest shock. What became of the “awe-struck beholders,” -and why the saint and painter did not fall on their heads, or why they -did not serve as an <i>easel</i> in bringing the pair miraculously to the -ground, we are not told.</p> - -<p>The Painted Hall at Greenwich, contains 53,678 square feet of Sir James -Thornhill’s work, and cost 6,685<i>l.</i>, being at the rate of 8<i>l.</i> per -yard for the ceiling, and 1<i>l.</i> per yard for the sides. The whole is -admirably described in Steele’s play of <i>The Lovers</i>.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>THE PICTURES AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> pictures which now constitute the private gallery of her Majesty at -Buckingham Palace, were principally collected by George the Fourth, -whose exclusive predilection for pictures of the Dutch and Flemish -schools is well known. To those which he brought together<a name="page_II_35" id="page_II_35"></a> here, and -which formerly hung in Carlton House, her present Majesty has made, -since her accession, many valuable additions—some purchased, and others -selected from the royal collections at Windsor and Hampton Court; others -have been added by Prince Albert, from the collection of the late -Professor d’Alton, of Bonn. * * * George IV. began to form his -collection about the year 1802, and was chiefly guided by the advice and -judgment of Sir Charles Long, afterwards Lord Farnborough, an -accomplished man, whose taste for art, and intimacy with the king, then -Prince of Wales, rendered him a very fit person to carry the royal -wishes into execution. The importation of the Orleans gallery had -diffused a feeling—or, it may be, a <i>fashion</i>—for the higher specimens -of the Italian schools, but under the auspices of George IV. the tide -set in an opposite direction. In the year 1812, the very select gallery -of Flemish and Dutch pictures collected by Sir Francis Baring was -transferred by purchase to the Prince Regent. Sir Francis Baring had -purchased the best pictures from the collections of M. Geldermeester of -Amsterdam, (sold in 1800,) and that of the Countess of Holderness, (sold -in 1802,) and, except the Hope Gallery, there was nothing at that time -to compare with it in England. Mr. Seguier valued this collection at -eighty thousand pounds; but the exact sum paid for it was certainly much -less.</p> - -<p>The specimens of Rubens and Van Dyck are excellent, but do not present -sufficient variety to afford an adequate idea of the wide range or power -of the<a name="page_II_36" id="page_II_36"></a> first of these great painters, nor of the particular talent of -the last. On the other hand, the works and style of Gerard Douw, -Teniers, Jan Steen, Adrian and Wilhelm Vandevelde, Wouvermans, and -Burghem, may be very advantageously studied in this gallery, each of -their specimens being many in number, various in subject, and good in -their kind. Of Mieris and Metzes, there are finer specimens at Mr. -Hope’s and Sir Robert Peel’s; and the Hobbimas and Cuyps must yield to -those of Lord Ashburton and Lord Francis Egerton. But, on the whole, it -is certainly the finest gallery of this class of works in England. The -collection derives additional interest from the presence of some -pictures of the modern British artists—Reynolds, Wilkie, Allan, Newton, -Gainsborough. It is, however, only just to these painters to add, that -not one of their pictures here ought to be considered as a first-rate -example of their power.—<i>Mrs. Jameson.</i></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>FOUNDATION OF THE HISTORICAL SCHOOL OF PAINTING IN ENGLAND.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">To</span> West must be given the record of achieving this honour; and what he -has thus done in restoring historical painting to the purity of its -original channel, can only be appreciated by those who have contemplated -the debauched taste introduced into this country by Verrio, Laguerre, -and other painters, who revived the ridiculous fooleries patronized in -the reign of James the First; but which had, by the countenance of the -nobility, and people of fashion, taken strong<a name="page_II_37" id="page_II_37"></a> hold of most men’s minds. -“A change,” says Cunningham, “was now to be effected in the character of -British art: hitherto historical painting had appeared in a masquing -habit; the actions of Englishmen seemed all as having been performed, if -costume were to be believed, by Greeks or by Romans. West at once -dismissed this pedantry, and restored nature and propriety in his noble -work of ‘the Death of Wolfe.’ The multitude acknowledged its excellence -at once; the lovers of old art, the manufacturers of compositions, -called by courtesy classical, complained of the barbarism of boots and -buttons, and blunderbusses, and cried out for naked warriors, with bows, -bucklers, and battering rams. Lord Grosvenor, disregarding the frowns of -the amateurs, and the, at best, cold approbation of the Royal Academy, -purchased this work, which, in spite of laced coats and cocked hats, is -one of the best of our historical pictures. The Indian warrior watching -the dying hero to see if he equalled in fortitude the children of the -desert, is a fine stroke of nature and poetry.”</p> - -<p>West, however, was plagued with misgivings as to his new doctrine; and -the dampers came forth in numbers with their unvarying, “It will never -do.” When it was understood that West actually intended to paint the -characters as they appeared on the scene, the Archbishop of York called -on Reynolds, and asked his opinion; they both called upon West to -dissuade him from running so great a risk. Reynolds warned him of the -danger which every innovation incurred of contempt and ridicule; and -concluded by urging him to adopt the costume of antiquity as more -becoming<a name="page_II_38" id="page_II_38"></a> the greatness of the subject than the garb of modern warriors. -West replied that the event to be commemorated happened in the year -1758, in a region of the world unknown to Greeks and Romans, and at a -period when no warriors wearing such costumes existed. The subject to be -represented was a great battle, fought and won; and the same truth which -gives laws to the historian should rule the painter; that he wanted to -mark the place, the time, the people, and to do this he must abide by -the truth.</p> - -<p>The objectors went away, and returned when West had finished the -picture. Reynolds seated himself before it, and examined it with deep -and minute attention for half an hour; then rising, said to Drummond, -“West has conquered—he has treated his subject as it ought to be -treated. I retract my objections: I foresee that this picture will not -only become one of the most popular, but will occasion a revolution in -art,” “I wish,” said king George the Third, to whom West related the -conversation, “that I had known all this before, for the objection has -been the means of Lord Grosvenor’s getting the picture; but you shall -make a copy of it for me.” This anecdote, though it operates against the -foresight of Reynolds, carries truth on the face of it.</p> - -<p>The king not only gave West a pension of 1000<i>l.</i> a year, but when the -artist hinted that the noble purpose of historical painting was best -shown in depicting the excellencies of revealed religion, the monarch -threw open St. George’s Chapel to be decorated with sacred subjects; and -on his Majesty’s restoration to health, finding that the work had been -suppressed, and<a name="page_II_39" id="page_II_39"></a> the money withheld, he instantly ordered him to be -paid, and the works proceeded with. The heads of the church, however, -acted otherwise; for when the Academy proposed to decorate St. Paul’s -with works of art, and Reynolds, West, Barry, Dance, Cipriani, and -Angelica Kauffman offered pictures free of expense, the Bishop of -Bristol, Dr. Newton, at that time Dean of St. Paul’s, warmly took up the -idea; but the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London refused -their consent. The Bishop of London said: “My good Lord Bishop of -Bristol, I have already been distantly and imperfectly informed of such -an affair having been in contemplation; but as the sole power at last -remains with myself, I therefore inform your lordship that whilst I live -and have the power, I will never suffer the doors of the metropolitan -church to be opened for the introduction of popery into it.”</p> - -<p>Notwithstanding this heavy blow to the cause of art, the example of the -king was the cause of many altarpieces being painted by West and others; -one of the best of which is the very appropriate one in the chapel of -Greenwich Hospital.<a name="FNanchor_11_11" id="FNanchor_11_11"></a><a href="#Footnote_11_11" class="fnanchor">[11]</a></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>THE CAT RAPHAEL.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Gottfried Mind</span>, a celebrated Swiss painter, was called the <i>Cat -Raphael</i>, from the excellence with which he painted that animal. This -peculiar talent<a name="page_II_40" id="page_II_40"></a> was discovered and awakened by chance. At the time when -Frendenberger painted his picture of the Peasant cleaving wood before -his Cottage, with his wife sitting by and feeding her child with pap out -of a pot, round which a cat is prowling, Mind cast a broad stare on the -sketch of this last figure, and said, in his rugged, laconic way, “That -is no cat!” Frendenberger asked, with a smile, whether he thought he -could do it better? Mind offered to try; went into a corner, and drew -the cat, which Frendenberger liked so much that he made his new pupil -finish it out, and the master copied the scholar’s work—for it is -Mind’s cat that is engraved in Frendenberger’s plate. Prints of Mind’s -cats are now very common.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>SMALL CONVERSATION.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Fuseli</span> had a great dislike to common-place observations. After sitting -perfectly silent for a long time in his own room, during “the bald -disjointed chat” of some idle callers in, who were gabbling with one -another about the weather, and other topics of as interesting a nature, -he suddenly exclaimed, “We had pork for dinner to-day!” “Dear! Mr. -Fuseli, what an odd remark!” “Why, it is as good as anything you have -been saying for the last hour.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>CHANGING HATS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Barry</span>, the painter, was with Nollekens at Rome in 1760, and they were -extremely intimate. Barry took the liberty one night, when they were -about to leave the English Coffee-house, to exchange hats with him;<a name="page_II_41" id="page_II_41"></a> -Barry’s being edged with lace, and Nollekens’s a very shabby, plain one. -Upon his returning the hat next morning, he was requested by Nollekens -to let him know why he left him his gold-laced hat. “Why, to tell you -the truth, my dear Joey,” answered Barry, “I fully expected -assassination last night, and I was to have been known by my laced hat.” -Nollekens often used to relate the story, adding: “It’s what the Old -Bailey people would call a true bill against Jem.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>SIR THOMAS LAWRENCE’S BOYHOOD.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">When</span> Lawrence was but ten years old, his name had flown over the -kingdom; he had read scenes from Shakspeare in a way that called forth -the praise of Garrick, and drawn faces and figures with such skill as to -obtain the approbation of Prince Hoare; his father, desirous of making -the most of his talents, carried him to Oxford, where he was patronized -by heads of colleges, and noblemen of taste, and produced a number of -portraits, wonderful in one so young and uninstructed. Money now came -in; he went to Bath, hired a house—raised his price from one guinea to -two; his Mrs. Siddons, as Zara, was engraved—Sir Henry Harpur desired -to adopt him as his son—Prince Hoare saw something so angelic in his -face, that he proposed to paint him in the character of Christ, and the -artists of London heard with wonder of a boy who was rivalling their -best efforts with the pencil, and realizing, as was imagined, a fortune.</p> - -<p>The Hon. Daines Barrington has the following record of Lawrence’s -precocious talent in his <i>Miscellanies<a name="page_II_42" id="page_II_42"></a></i>: “This boy is now, (viz. -February, 1780,) nearly ten years and a half old; but, at the age of -nine, without the most distant instruction from any one, he was capable -of copying historical pictures in a masterly style, and also succeeded -amazingly in compositions of his own, particularly that of <i>Peter -denying Christ</i>. In about seven minutes he scarcely ever failed of -drawing a strong likeness of any person present, which had generally -much freedom and grace, if the subject permitted.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>HARLOW’S TRIAL OF QUEEN KATHERINE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> celebrated picture, (known also as “The Kemble Family,” from its -introducing their portraits,) was the last and most esteemed work of J. -H. Harlow, whom Sir Thomas Lawrence generously characterizes as “the -most promising of all our painters.” The painting was commenced and -finished in 1817; immediately after its exhibition at the Royal Academy, -it was finely copied in mezzotint, by G. Clint; and the print in its -time probably enjoyed more popularity than any production of its class. -A proof impression has been known to realize upwards of twenty guineas.</p> - -<p>The picture is on mahogany panel, stated to have cost the artist 15<i>l.</i>; -it is one and a half inch in thickness, and in size about seven feet by -five feet. It originated with Mr. T. Welsh, the professor of music, who, -in the first instance, commissioned Harlow to paint for him a kit-cat -size portrait of Mrs. Siddons, in the character of Queen Katherine, in -Shakspeare’s play of Henry VIII., introducing a few scenic accessories<a name="page_II_43" id="page_II_43"></a> -in the distance. For this portrait Harlow was to receive twenty-five -guineas; but the idea of representing the whole scene occurred to the -artist, who, with Mr. Welsh, prevailed upon most of the actors to sit -for their portraits; in addition to these are portraits of the friends -of both parties, including the artist himself. The sum ultimately paid -by Mr. Welsh for the picture was one hundred guineas; and a like amount -was paid by Mr. Cribb for Harlow’s permission to engrave the well-known -print, to which we have already adverted.</p> - -<p>Harlow owed many obligations to Fuseli for his critical remarks on this -picture: when he first saw it, chiefly in dead-colouring, he said: “I do -not disapprove of the general arrangement of your work, and I see you -will give it a powerful effect of light and shadow; but you have here a -composition of more than twenty figures, or, I should rather say, parts -of figures, because you have not shown one leg or foot, which makes it -very defective. Now, if you do not know how to draw legs and feet, I -will show you,” and taking up a crayon, he drew two on the wainscot of -the room. Harlow profited by these instructions, and the next time -Fuseli saw the picture, the whole arrangement in the foreground was -changed. He then said to Harlow, “So far you have done well; but now you -have not introduced a back figure, to throw the eye of the spectator -into the picture;” and then pointed out by what means he might improve -it in this particular. Accordingly, Harlow introduced the two boys who -are taking up the cushion.<a name="page_II_44" id="page_II_44"></a></p> - -<p>It has been stated that the majority of the actors in the scene sat for -their portraits in this picture. John Kemble, however, refused when -asked to do so by Mr. Welsh, strengthening his refusal with emphasis -profane. Harlow was not, however, to be defeated; and he actually drew -Kemble’s portrait in one of the stage-boxes of Covent Garden Theatre, -while the great actor was playing his part. The vexation such a <i>ruse</i> -must have occasioned to a man of Kemble’s temperament may be imagined. -Egerton, Pope, and Stephen Kemble were successively painted for Henry -VIII., the artist retaining the latter. The head or Charles Kemble was -likewise twice painted; the first, which cost him many sittings, was -considered by himself and others to be very successful. The artist -thought otherwise; and, contrary to Mr. Kemble’s wish and remonstrance, -he one morning painted out the approved head: in a day or two, however, -entirely from memory, Harlow repainted the portrait with increased -fidelity. It is stated that but one sitting was required of Mrs. -Siddons: the fact is, the great actress held her uplifted arm frequently -till she could hold it raised no longer, and the majestic limb was -finished from another original.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>DEATH OF CORREGGIO.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Towards</span> the close of Correggio’s days, it is said that the canons of one -of the churches which he was employed to embellish, were so disappointed -with the work, that, to insult him, they paid him the price in copper; -that he had this unworthy burthen to carry<a name="page_II_45" id="page_II_45"></a> eight miles in a burning -sun; the length of the way, the weight of the load, and depression of -spirits, brought on a fever which carried him in three days to his -grave.</p> - -<p>Among the many legends respecting this illustrious artist, it is said -that, when young, he looked long and earnestly on one of the pictures of -Raphael—his brow coloured, his eye brightened, and he exclaimed, “I -also am a painter.” Titian, when he first saw his works, exclaimed, -“Were I not Titian, I would wish to be Correggio.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>A LUCKY PURCHASE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">In</span> the spring of 1837, Mr. Atherstone bought for a few guineas a -Magdalen, by Correggio, at the Auction Mart, where he saw it among a -heap of spoiled canvass, that an amateur (no connoisseur) of pictures -had sent to be sold. This gentleman had bought it in Italy for 100<i>l.</i>, -admiring its beauty, but ignorant of its value. It was in perfect -preservation; in the grandest style of Correggio: and in colouring -surpassing in brilliancy and depth of tone even the famous specimens in -the National Gallery.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>COPLEY’S “DEATH OF LORD CHATHAM”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Washington</span>, on seeing this picture, remarked, “this work, highly -valuable in itself, is rendered more estimable in my eye when I remember -that America gave birth to the celebrated artist that produced it.” The -picture is ten feet long, and seven feet six inches high. The painter -refused fifteen hundred guineas for<a name="page_II_46" id="page_II_46"></a> it; it was purchased, we know not -at what price, by the Earl of Liverpool, who used to say that such a -work ought not to be in his possession, but in that of the public. These -words were not heard in vain by the son of the Earl, who munificently -presented it to the National Gallery.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON’S CORREGGIO.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Allan Cunningham</span> warms into rapture in speaking of this wondrous -picture, captured by Wellington at Vittoria. “The size is small, some -fifteen inches square, or so; but true genius can work miracles in -little compass. The central light of the picture is altogether heavenly; -we never saw anything so insufferably brilliant; it haunted us round the -room at Apsley House, and fairly extinguished the light of its -companion-pictures. Joseph Bonaparte, not only a good king, but a good -judge of painting, had this exquisite picture in his carriage when the -tide of battle turned against him: it was transferred to the collection -of the conqueror.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>GIOTTO AND THE PIGS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">One</span> day, when Giotto, the painter, was taking his Sunday walk, in his -best attire, with a party of friends, at Florence, and was in the midst -of a long story, some pigs passed suddenly by; and one of them, running -between the painter’s legs, threw him down. When he got on his legs -again, instead of swearing a terrible oath at the pig, on the -Lord’s-day, as a graver man might have done, he observed, laughing, -“People<a name="page_II_47" id="page_II_47"></a> say these beasts are stupid, but they seem to me to have some -sense of justice; for I have earned several thousands of crowns with -their bristles, but I never gave one of them even a ladleful of soup in -my life.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>HOW WILKIE BECAME A PAINTER.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Sir John Sinclair</span>, happening once to dine in company with Wilkie, asked, -in the course of conversation, if any particular circumstance had led -him to adopt his profession. Sir John inquired, “Had your father, -mother, or any of your relations a turn for painting? or what led you to -follow that art?” To which Wilkie replied, “The truth is, Sir John, that -you made me a painter.”—“How, I?” exclaimed the Baronet; “I never had -the pleasure of meeting you before.” Wilkie then gave the following -explanation:—“When you were drawing up the Statistical Account of -Scotland, my father, who was a clergyman in Fife, had much -correspondence with you respecting his parish, in the course of which -you sent him a coloured drawing of a soldier, in the uniform of your -Highland Fencible Regiment. I was so delighted with the sight, that I -was constantly drawing copies of it; and thus, insensibly, I was -transformed into a painter.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>CIMABUE AND GIOTTO.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">In</span> the year 1300, Giovani Cimabue and Giotto, both of Florence, were the -first to assert the natural dignity and originality of art; and the -story of these illustrious friends is instructive and romantic. The -former was a<a name="page_II_48" id="page_II_48"></a> gentleman by birth and scholarship, and brought to his art -a knowledge of the poetry and sculpture of Greece and Rome. The latter -was <i>a shepherd</i>; when the inspiration of art fell upon him, he was -watching his flocks among the hills; and his first attempts in art were -to draw his sheep and goats upon rocks and stones. It happened that -Cimabue, who was then high in fame, observed the sketches of the gifted -shepherd; entered into conversation with him; heard from his own lips -his natural notions of the dignity of art; and was so much charmed by -his compositions and conversation, that he carried him to Florence, and -became his close and intimate friend and associate. They found Italian -painting rude in form, without spirit, and without sentiment. They let -out their own hearts fully in their compositions, and to this day their -works are highly esteemed for grave dignity of character, and for -originality of conception. Of these great Florentines, Giotto, the -shepherd, is confessedly the more eminent: in him we see the dawn, or -rather the sunrise, of the fuller light of Raphael.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>MICHAEL ANGELO IN BOYHOOD AND OLD AGE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> great man showed from his infancy a strong inclination for drawing, -and made so early a proficiency in it that, at the age of fourteen, he -is said to have corrected the drawings of his master, Domenico -Ghirlandaio. When Michael Angelo was an old man, one of these drawings -being shown to him, he said, “In my youth I was a better artist than I -am now.<a name="page_II_49" id="page_II_49"></a>”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>HOGARTH’S “MARCH TO FINCHLEY.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> celebrated picture was disposed of by the painter by lottery. There -were 1843 chances subscribed for; Hogarth gave the remaining 167 tickets -to the Foundling Hospital, and the same night delivered the picture to -the Governors. The fortunate number is generally stated to have been -among the tickets which the painter handed to the Hospital; but, it is -related in the <i>Gentleman’s Magazine</i>, though anonymously, that <i>a lady</i> -was the possessor of the fortunate number, and intended to present it to -the Foundling Hospital; but that some person having suggested what a -door would be opened to scandal, were any of her sex to make such a -present, it was given to Hogarth, on the express condition that it -should be presented in his own name.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>STORY OF A MINIATURE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Mr. Gordon</span> relates:—“M. Averani, a young French artist at Florence, had -extraordinary talent for copying miniatures, giving them all the force -of oil. I had frequently seen him at work in the gallery, and I -purchased of him a clever copy of the Fornarina of Raphael, and one of -the Venus Vestita of Titian, in the Pitti Palace, said to be the only -miniature painted by this great man. It had a good deal of the character -of Queen Mary Stuart, was painted on a gold ground, had great force, and -was highly finished. I gave the artist his price, six sequins, and -brought it to England. When I disposed of my <i>vertu</i>, in Sloane-street,<a name="page_II_50" id="page_II_50"></a> -previous to my settling in Scotland, this miniature made a flaming -appearance in the catalogue. The gem was bought by a gentleman for -fifty-five guineas. I thought I had done very well by this transaction, -until I saw it advertised in the <i>Morning Chronicle</i>, stating that “an -original portrait of Mary, Queen of Scotland, the undoubted work of -Titian, value one thousand guineas, was to be seen at No. 14, Pall-mall; -price of admission, 2<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i>” The bait took; the owner put three or -four hundred pounds into his pocket by the exhibition, and sold the -portrait for seven or eight hundred pounds. Here was I an innocent -accessory to the greatest imposition that was ever practised on the -public. As a work of art, it was worth all I got for it; and I was -offered nearly that sum by a friend who knew its whole history. I -understand that a nobleman was the purchaser of this beautiful -miniature.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>SITTING FOR A HUSBAND.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">John Astley</span>, the painter, was born at Wem, in Shropshire. He was a pupil -of Hudson, and was at Rome about the same time with Sir Joshua Reynolds. -After his return to England, he went to Dublin, practised there as a -painter for three years, and in that time earned 3000<i>l.</i> As he was -painting his way back to London, in his own postchaise, with an -outrider, he loitered in his neighbourhood, and, visiting Nutsford -Assembly, he there saw Lady Daniel, a widow, who was so captivated by -him, that she contrived to sit to him for her portrait, and then<a name="page_II_51" id="page_II_51"></a> -offered him her hand, which he at once accepted. Poor Astley, in the -decline of life, was disturbed by reflections upon the dissipation of -his early days, and was haunted with apprehensions of indigence and -want. He died at his house, Duckenfield Lodge, Cheshire, Nov. 14, 1787, -and was buried at the church of that village.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>ARTISTIC TEXT.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Wills</span>, the portrait-painter, was not very successful in his profession, -and so quitted it, and, having received a liberal education, took -orders. He was for several years curate of Canons, in Middlesex, and at -the death of the incumbent he obtained the living. In the year 1768, he -was appointed chaplain to the chartered Society of Artists; and he -preached a sermon at Covent-garden Church, on St. Luke’s Day, in the -same year; the text being taken from Job, chap. xxxvii. verse 14—“Stand -still, and consider the wondrous works of God.” This discourse was -afterwards printed at the request of the Society; but Wills did not long -enjoy his appointment, in consequence of the disputes which broke out -among the members.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>GENEROSITY OF CANOVA.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> celebrated Italian sculptor Canova, when rich and titled, remained -the same simple, unostentatious man as in his unknown and humble youth. -He cared nothing for personal luxuries. Not only the pension of 3000 -crowns granted him by the Pope with the title of Marquis, but a great -part of the wealth acquired by his labours, were bestowed in acts of<a name="page_II_52" id="page_II_52"></a> -charity, and upon unfortunate artists. One year, the harvest failing, he -fed the poor of his native Venetian village all winter at his own -expense. The manner in which he bestowed his favours reflected -additional honour on him. A poor, proud, bad painter, was in danger of -starving, with all his family. Canova knew the man would refuse a gift; -and, out of respect to his feelings, he sacrificed his own taste. He -requested him to paint a picture, leaving the subject and size to his -own choice, and saying he had set aside 400 scudi (not less than £100) -for this purpose, half of which he handed him at present, the other half -should be sent when the work was finished; adding, that the sooner he -received it, he should be the better pleased.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>HOGARTH’S VANITY.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Hogarth</span> displayed no little vanity regarding his pretensions as a -portrait-painter. One day, when dining at Dr. Cheselden’s, he was told -that John Freke, surgeon of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, had asserted in -Dick’s coffee-house, that Greene was as eminent in composition as -Handel. “That fellow, Freke,” cried Hogarth, “is always shooting his -bolt absurdly, one way or another. Handel is a giant in music, Greene -only a light Florimel-kind of composer.” “Ay, but,” said the other, -“Freke declared you were as good a portrait-painter as Vandyke.” “There -he was in the right,” quoth Hogarth; “and so I am, give me but my time, -and let me choose my subject.”</p> - -<p>Writing of himself, Hogarth says:—“The portrait which I painted with -most pleasure, and in which I<a name="page_II_53" id="page_II_53"></a> particularly wished to excel, was that of -Captain Coram, for the Foundling Hospital;” and he adds, in allusion to -his detraction as a portrait-painter, “If I am so wretched an artist as -my enemies assert, it is somewhat strange that this, which was one of -the first I painted the size of life, should stand the test of twenty -years’ competition, and be generally thought the best portrait in the -place, notwithstanding the first painters in the kingdom exerted all -their talents to vie with it.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>THE FOUNDLING HOSPITAL AND THE ROYAL ACADEMY.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">That</span> Tenterden Steeple was the cause of Goodwin Sands does not appear a -whit more strange than that in the Foundling Hospital originated the -Royal Academy of Arts. Yet, such was the case. The Hospital was -incorporated in 1739, and in a few years the present building was -erected; but, as the income of the charity could not, with propriety, be -expended upon decorations, many of the principal artists of that day -generously gave pictures for several of the apartments of the hospital. -These were permitted to be shown to the public upon proper application; -and hence became one of the sights of the metropolis. The pictures -proved very attractive; and this success suggested the annual Exhibition -of the united artists, which institution was the precursor of the Royal -Academy, in the Adelphi, in the year 1760. Thus, within the walls of the -Foundling, the curious may see the state of British art previously to -the epoch<a name="page_II_54" id="page_II_54"></a> when King George the Third first countenanced the historical -talent of West.</p> - -<p>Among the earliest “governors and guardians” of the Hospital we find -William Hogarth, who liberally subscribed his money, and gave his time -and talent, towards carrying out the designs of his friend, the -venerable Captain Coram, through whose zeal and humanity the Hospital -was established. Hogarth’s first artistical aid was the engraving of a -head-piece to a power-of-attorney, drawn for the collection of -subscriptions towards the Charity; Hogarth next presented to the -Hospital an engraved plate of Coram.</p> - -<p>Among the early artistic patrons of the Charity, we find Rysbrach, the -sculptor; Hayman, the embellisher of Vauxhall Gardens; Highmore, Hudson, -and Allan Ramsay; and Richard Wilson, the prince of English -landscape-painters. They met often at the hospital, and thus advanced -charity and the arts together; for the exhibition of their donations in -paintings &c. drew a daily crowd of visitors in splendid carriages; and -a visit to the Foundling became the most fashionable morning lounge of -the reign of George the Second. The grounds in front of the Hospital -were the promenade; and brocaded silks, gold-headed canes, and laced -three-cornered (Egham, Staines, and Windsor) hats, formed a gay bevy in -Lambs’ Conduit Fields.</p> - -<p>A very interesting series of biographettes of “the artists of the -Foundling,” with a <i>catalogue raisonnée</i> of the pictures presented by -them, will be found in Mr. Brownlow’s “Memoranda; or, Chronicles” of the -Hospital. Among the pictures by Hogarth, are-<a name="page_II_55" id="page_II_55"></a>-“Moses brought to -Pharaoh’s Daughter,” the “March to Finchley,” and a “Portrait of Captain -Coram.” Here are, also, “The Charterhouse,” by Gainsborough; “St. -George’s and the Foundling Hospitals,” by Wilson; “Portrait of Handel,” -by Kneller; “The Earl of Dartmouth,” by Reynolds; The Cartoon of “The -Murder of the Innocents,” by Raphael; the altarpiece of the chapel, -“Christ presenting a Little Child,” by West; Portrait of the “Earl of -Macclesfield,” by Wilson; “Dr. Mead,” by Allan Ramsay; “George the -Second,” by Shackleton; “the Offering of the Wise Men,” by Casali; -crayon portrait of “Taylor White,” by Cotes; “A Landscape,” by Lambert; -“A Sea-piece,” by Brooking, &c.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>M‘ARDELL’S PRINTS.</h3> - -<p class="nind">M‘Ardell, (says Smith, in his <i>Life of Nollekens</i>), resided at the -Golden Ball, Henrietta-street, Covent Garden. Of the numerous and -splendid productions of this excellent engraver of pictures by Sir -Joshua, nothing can be said after the declaration of Reynolds himself, -that “M‘Ardell’s prints would immortalize him;” however, I will venture -to indulge in one remark more, namely, that that engraver has conferred -immortality also upon himself in his wonderful print from Hogarth’s -picture of ‘Captain Coram,’ the founder of the Foundling Hospital. A -brilliant proof of this head in its finest possible state of condition, -in my humble opinion, surpasses anything in mezzotinto now extant.<a name="page_II_56" id="page_II_56"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>UNFORTUNATE ACCURACY.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Liotard</span>, a Swiss artist, who came to this country in the reign of George -II., and stayed two years, is best known by his works in crayons. His -likenesses were as exact as possible, and too like to please those who -sat to him: thus he had great business the first year, and very little -the second. Devoid of imagination, and one would think of memory also, -he could render nothing but what he saw before his eyes. Freckles, marks -of the smallpock, everything, found its place; not so much from -fidelity, as because he could not conceive the absence of anything that -appeared to him. Truth prevailed in all his works; grace in very few or -none. Nor was there any ease in his outline; but the stiffness of a bust -in all his portraits. Liotard’s lack of employment may, therefore, -easily be accounted for.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>IMMORTALITY OF PAINTING.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">It</span> is painful to think how soon the paintings of Raphael, and Titian, -and Correggio, and other illustrious men, will perish and pass away. -“How long,” said Napoleon to David, “will a picture last?” “About four -or five hundred years—a fine immortality!” The poet multiplies his -works by means of a cheap material; and Homer, and Virgil, and Dante, -and Tasso, and Moliere, and Milton, and Shakspeare, may bid oblivion -defiance; the sculptor impresses his conceptions on metal or on marble, -and expects to survive the wreck of nations, or the wrongs of time; but -the<a name="page_II_57" id="page_II_57"></a> painter commits to perishable cloth or wood, the visions of his -fancy, and dies in the certain assurance that the life of his works will -be but short in the land they adorn.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS’S “PUCK.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> merry imp is the portrait of a child, which was painted without any -particular aim as to character. When Alderman Boydell saw it, he said: -“Sir Joshua, if you will make this pretty thing into a Puck, for my -Shakspeare Gallery, I will give you a hundred guineas for it.” The -President smiled and said little, as was his custom: a few hours’ happy -labour made the picture what we see it.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>RAPHAEL’S CARTOON OF THE MURDER OF THE INNOCENTS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> cartoon came into the possession of the Foundling Hospital by the -conditional bequest of Prince Hoare, Esq. Haydon describes it as “one of -the finest instances in the world of variety of expression and beauty of -composition, as a work of ‘high art.’ ” It is the centre part of one of -the best cartoons which belonged to the set executed by Raphael, at the -order of Leo X., and sent afterwards to Flanders, to be copied in -tapestry, for exhibition at the Vatican.</p> - -<p>The original number of the cartoons was thirteen; but in consequence of -the Flemish weavers cutting them into strips for their working -machinery, after the tapestry was executed and sent to Rome, the -original cartoons were left mingled together in boxes.<a name="page_II_58" id="page_II_58"></a></p> - -<p>When Rubens was in England, he told Charles I. the condition they were -in; and the king, who had the finest taste, desired him to procure them. -Seven perfect ones were purchased, all, it may be inferred, which -remained, and sent to his majesty; what became or had become of the -remainder, nobody knows; but here and there, all over Europe, fragments -have appeared. At Oxford there are two or three heads; and we believe -the Duke of Hamilton or Buccleuch, has others. After Charles’s -misfortunes, the cartoons now at Hampton Court were sold, with the rest -of his Majesty’s fine collection; but by Cromwell’s express orders they -were bought in for three hundred pounds. During the reign of Charles II. -they were offered to France for fourteen thousand francs, but Charles -was dissuaded from selling them.</p> - -<p>The above portion of the “Murder of the Innocents,” was sold at -Westminster many years ago, as disputed property. Prince Hoare’s father, -before the sale, explained to an opulent friend the great treasure about -to be disposed of, and persuaded him to advance the money requisite, on -condition of sharing the property. To his great surprise he bought it -for twenty-six pounds; and his friend, having no taste, told Mr. Hoare -if he would paint him and his family, he would relinquish his right.</p> - -<p>These particulars Mr. Haydon had from Prince Hoare, the son; they are -related in a letter from the painter to Mr. Lievesley, at the Foundling -Hospital, dated October 3, 1837, wherein Haydon suggests the better -exhibition of the work as a model of study;<a name="page_II_59" id="page_II_59"></a> and soon after the -Governors of the Hospital sent the cartoon by way of loan, to the -National Gallery, where it may now be seen and studied.<a name="FNanchor_12_12" id="FNanchor_12_12"></a><a href="#Footnote_12_12" class="fnanchor">[12]</a></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>JARVIS SPENCER.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Spencer</span> was a miniature-painter of much celebrity, contemporaneous with -Hogarth. He was originally a gentleman’s servant, but having a natural -turn for art, he amused himself with drawing. It happened that one of -the family with whom he lived sat for a portrait to a miniature-painter, -and when the work was completed, it was shown to Spencer, who said he -thought he could copy it. He was allowed to make the attempt, when his -success was so great, that the family he lived with at once patronised -him, and by their interest he became a fashionable painter of the day.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>A DRAPERY PAINTER.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Peter Jones</span>, a pupil of Hudson, may be considered a portrait-painter, -though his chief excellence was in painting draperies. In this branch of -the art, so useful to a fashionable face-painter, he was much employed -by Reynolds, Cotes, and West. Many of Sir Joshua’s best whole-lengths -are those to which Jones painted the draperies: among them was the -portrait of Lady Elizabeth Keppell, in the dress she wore as bridesmaid -to the queen: for this Jones was paid twelve guineas; but Sir Joshua was -not remarkably liberal<a name="page_II_60" id="page_II_60"></a> on such occasions, of which Jones did not -neglect to complain. When the Royal Academy was founded, he was chosen -one of its members.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>“STRANGE” ADVENTURE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> following anecdote of Sir Robert Strange, (says Smith,) was related -to me by the late Richard Cooper, who instructed Queen Charlotte in -drawing, and was for some time drawing-master to Eton School. “Robert -Strange, (says Cooper,) was a countryman of mine, a North Briton, who -served his time to my father as an engraver, and was a soldier in the -rebel army of 1745. It so happened when Duke William put them to flight, -that Strange, finding a door open, made his way into the house, ascended -to the first-floor, and entered a room where a young lady was seated at -needlework, and singing. Young Strange implored her protection. The -lady, without rising, or being in the least disconcerted, desired him to -get under her hoop. He immediately stooped, and the amiable woman -covered him up. Shortly after this, the house was searched; the lady -continued at her work, singing as before; the soldiers upon entering the -room, considering Miss Lunsdale alone, respectfully retired. Robert, as -soon as the search was over, being released from his concealment, kissed -the hand of his protectress, at which moment, for the first time, he -found himself in love. He married the lady; and no persons, beset as -they were with early difficulties, lived more happily.”</p> - -<p>Strange afterwards became a loyal man, though for<a name="page_II_61" id="page_II_61"></a> a long time he sighed -to be pardoned by his king who, however, was graciously pleased to be -reconciled to him, and afterwards knighted him. Sir Robert was a -conscientious publisher in delivering subscription impressions of -prints; he never took off more proofs than were really bespoken, and -every name was put upon the print as it came out of the press, unless it -were faulty, and then it was destroyed; not laid aside for future sale, -as has been the practice with some of our late publishers.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>ORIGIN OF THE BEEF-STEAK CLUB.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">George Lambert</span> was for many years principal scene-painter to Covent -Garden Theatre; and being a person of great respectability in character -and profession, he was often visited, while at work, by persons of -consideration. As it frequently happened that he was too much pressed by -business to leave the theatre for dinner, he contented himself with a -beef-steak, broiled upon the fire in the painting-room. In this humble -meal he was sometimes joined by his visitors: the conviviality of the -accidental meeting inspired the party with a resolution to establish a -club, which was accordingly done, under the title of “The Beef-Steak -Club;” and the party assembled periodically in the painting-room.<a name="FNanchor_13_13" id="FNanchor_13_13"></a><a href="#Footnote_13_13" class="fnanchor">[13]</a> -The members were afterwards accommodated<a name="page_II_62" id="page_II_62"></a> with a private apartment in -the theatre, where the meeting was held for many years; but, after -Covent Garden was last rebuilt, the place of meeting was changed to the -Shakspeare Tavern. It was then removed to the Lyceum Theatre, in the -Strand, on the destruction of which, by fire, in 1830, the place of -meeting was transferred to the Bedford Coffeehouse, in Covent Garden. -The <i>regime</i> of the club is a course of beef-steaks, followed by stewed -cheese in silver dishes. The number of members is only twenty-four; and -the days of meeting are every Saturday, from November until the end of -June.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>WILKIE’S EARLY LIFE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">John Burnet</span> was educated with Wilkie in the first four years of his -studies in the Trustees’ Academy of Edinburgh; and, after arriving in -London, in 1806, witnessed the progress of nearly every picture of -familiar life which he painted. Burnet relates, that Wilkie was always -first on the stairs leading up to the Academy, (which was then held in -St. James’s-square,) anxious not to lose a moment of the hours of -drawing; and this love of art, paramount to all other gratifications, -continued with him to the last, even when his success had put the means -in his power of indulging relaxation and procuring amusement. When in -the Academy, his intenseness attracted the notice of the more volatile -students, who used to pelt him with small pills of soft bread. As he was -one of the first to be present, so he was one of the last to depart. -After Academy hours, which were from ten to twelve<a name="page_II_63" id="page_II_63"></a> in the forenoon, -(the best time of the day for application,) those who were apprentices -returned to their several professions; but Wilkie invariably returned to -his lodgings, there to follow out what was begun in the Academy, by -copying from his own hands and face in a mirror: thus, as it were, -engrafting the great principles of the antique on the basis of nature.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS’S DINNERS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Sir Joshua</span> appears to have been but an irregular manager in his -conviviality. “Often was the dinner board prepared for seven or eight, -required to accommodate itself to fifteen or sixteen; for often, on the -very eve of dinner, would Sir Joshua tempt afternoon visitors with -intimation that Johnson, or Garrick, or Goldsmith was to dine there. Nor -was the want of seats the only difficulty. A want of knives and forks, -of plates and glasses, as often succeeded. In something of the same -style, too, was the attendance; the kitchen had to keep pace with the -visitors; and it was easy to know the guests best acquainted with the -house by their never failing to call instantly for beer, bread, or wine, -that they might get them before the first course was over, and the worst -confusion began. Once was Sir Joshua prevailed upon to furnish his table -with dinner-glasses and decanters; and some saving of time they proved; -yet, as they were demolished in the course of service, he could never be -persuaded to replace them. “But these trifling embarrassments,” says Mr. -Courtenay, describing them to Sir James Macintosh, “only served to -enhance the hilarity and<a name="page_II_64" id="page_II_64"></a> the singular pleasure of the entertainment.” -It was not the wine, dishes, and cookery, not the fish and venison, that -were talked of or recommended: those social hours, that irregular -convivial talk, had matter of higher relish, and far more eagerly -enjoyed. And amid all the animated bustle of his guests, the host sat -perfectly composed; always attentive to what was said, never minding -what was ate or drank, and leaving every one at perfect liberty to -scramble for himself.”—<i>Forster’s Life of Goldsmith.</i></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>FINDING A PAINTER.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Brooking</span>, a ship-painter of rare merit, about the middle of the last -century, like many of the artists of the time, worked for the shops. Mr. -Taylor White, Treasurer of the Foundling Hospital, one day saw some of -the sea-pieces of this artist in a shop-window in Castle-street, -Leicester-square. He inquired his name, but was answered equivocally by -the dealer, who told Mr. White that if he pleased he could procure other -pictures by the same painter. Brooking was accustomed to write his name -upon his pictures, which mark was as often obliterated by the shopkeeper -before he placed them in his window. It, however, happened that the -artist carried home a piece on which his name was inscribed; and the -master being from home, his wife, who received it, placed it in the -window without effacing the signature. Luckily, Mr. White saw the -picture before it was removed, and thus discovered the name of the -painter whose works he so much admired. He instantly advertised<a name="page_II_65" id="page_II_65"></a> for the -artist to meet him at a certain wholesale linen-draper’s in the city. To -this invitation, Brooking, at first, paid no regard; but, seeing it -repeated, with assurance of benefit to the person to whom it was -addressed, he prudently attended to it, and had an interview with Mr. -White, who, from that time, became his friend and patron. One of -Brooking’s sea-pieces hangs in the Foundling Hospital: it was painted in -eighteen days, and is, altogether, a first-class picture.—<i>Brownlow’s -Memoranda of the Foundling Hospital.</i></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>REYNOLDS’S AND LAWRENCE’S PORTRAITS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Sir D. Wilkie</span>, in his remarks on Portrait Painting, says:—No -representations of female character have equalled in sweetness and -beauty the female portraits of Sir Joshua Reynolds; yet, a contemporary -has remarked, that this was accomplished greatly at the expense of -likeness. Hoppner, who was himself distinguished for the beauty with -which he endowed the female form, remarked, that even to him it was a -matter of surprise that Reynolds could send home portraits with so -little resemblance to the originals. This, indeed, in his day, -occasioned portraits to be left on his hands, or turned to the wall, -which, since the means of comparing resemblances have ceased, have -blazed forth in all the splendour of grace and elegance, which the -originals would have been envied for had they ever possessed them. I may -add to this what is remarked of Sir Thomas Lawrence: his likenesses were -celebrated as the most successful of his time;<a name="page_II_66" id="page_II_66"></a> yet, no likenesses -exalted so much or refined more upon the originals. He wished to seize -the expression, rather than copy the features. His attainment of -likeness was most laborious: one distinguished person, who favoured him -with forty sittings for his head alone, declared he was the slowest -painter he had ever sat to, and he had sat to many.</p> - -<p>This distinguished person, (says Burnet, in his <i>Practical Essays</i>,) I -believe, was Sir Walter Scott. The picture was painted for his Majesty, -and Lawrence was most anxious to make the picture the best of any -painted from so celebrated a character. At other times, however, Sir -Thomas was as dexterous with his pencil as any artist. I remember him -mentioning that he painted the portrait of Curran, the celebrated Irish -barrister, in one day; he came in the morning, remained to dinner, and -left at dusk; or, as Lawrence expressed it, quoting his favourite -author,</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“From morn till noon,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">From noon to dewy eve.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<hr /> - -<h3>ZOFFANI’S GRATITUDE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Zoffani</span> was a native of Frankfort, and came to England as a painter of -small portraits, when he was about thirty years of age. He was employed -by George the Third, and painted portraits of the royal family. He was -celebrated for small whole-lengths, and painted several pieces of -Garrick, and his contemporaries in dramatic scenes. He was engaged by -the queen to paint a view of the tribune of Florence; and while there he -was noticed by the Emperor of Germany,<a name="page_II_67" id="page_II_67"></a> who inquired his name; and on -hearing it, asked what countryman he was. Zoffani replied, “An -Englishman.” “Why,” said the Emperor, “your name is German!” “True,” -replied the painter, “I was born in Germany; that was accidental: I call -that my country where I have been protected.”</p> - -<p>Zoffani was admitted a member of the Royal Academy in 1783. He went -afterwards to the East Indies, where he became a favourite of the Nabob -of Oude, and amassed a handsome fortune, with which he returned to -England, and settled at Strand-on-the-Green. Whilst there, he presented -a large and well-executed painting of the Last Supper, as an altarpiece, -to St. George’s Chapel, then lately built, where it still remains. Every -head in the picture, (excepting that of Christ) is a likeness. Here is a -portrait of Zoffani himself; the others were likenesses of persons then -living at Strand-on-the-Green and Old Brentford. Zoffani had in his -establishment a nursemaid who possessed fine hands, which he ever and -anon painted in his pictures.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>PATRONAGE OF ART.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">To</span> suffer from the want of discernment on the part of the nobility and -the people, appears to be the fate of artists in this country. It was -not a whit better formerly than it is in our own time. Hogarth had to -sell his pictures by raffle, and Wilson was obliged to retire into -Wales, from its affording cheaper living. The committee of the British -Institution purchased a picture by Gainsborough, for eleven hundred -guineas,<a name="page_II_68" id="page_II_68"></a> and presented it to the National Gallery, as an example of -excellence; yet this very picture hung for years in the artist’s -painting-room without a purchaser; the price was only fifty pounds. In -our own times, says John Burnet, “let us take the case of Sir David -Wilkie as an example; a painter who has founded a school of art unknown -before in this or in any other country—a combination of the invention -of Hogarth with the pictorial excellences of Ostade and Teniers; yet -this artist’s works, on his coming to London in 1804, were exposed in a -shop window at Charing Cross for a few pounds; and a work for which he -could only receive fifteen guineas, was sold the other day for eight -hundred. Do transactions such as these show the taste or discernment of -the public? Lord Mansfield thought thirty pounds a large sum for ‘the -Village Politicians;’ and Sir George Beaumont, as a kind of patronage, -gave Wilkie a commission to paint the picture of ‘the Blind Fiddler,’ -and paid him fifty guineas for what would now bring a thousand at a -public sale.<a name="FNanchor_14_14" id="FNanchor_14_14"></a><a href="#Footnote_14_14" class="fnanchor">[14]</a> It seems, therefore, a fair inference that a discerning -public, or a patronising nobility, are only shown when an artist’s -reputation makes it safe to encourage him.”—<i>Practical Essays.</i></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>DANGEROUS RETORT.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Antonio More</span> was a favourite of Philip of Spain, whose familiarity with -him placed the painter’s life in danger; for he one day ventured to -return a slap on<a name="page_II_69" id="page_II_69"></a> the shoulder, which the king in a playful moment gave -him, by rubbing some carmine on his Majesty’s hand. This behaviour was -accepted by the monarch as a jest; but it was hinted to More that the -holy tribunal might regard it as sacrilege; and he fled, to save -himself, into Flanders, where he was employed by the Duke of Alva.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>THE VENETIAN SCHOOL.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> late Sir Walter Scott used to say that when he told a story, he -generally contrived to put a laced coat and a cocked hat upon it: this -is a good illustration of the Venetian painters—their stories look like -the spectacles of a melodrama.—<i>Burnet’s Essays.</i></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>REYNOLDS’S “NATIVITY.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">In</span> a fire at Belvoir Castle, in October, 1816, several of the pictures -were burnt; among them was Sir Joshua Reynolds’s “Nativity,” a -composition of thirteen figures, and in dimensions twelve feet by -eighteen. This noble picture had been purchased by the Duke of Rutland -for 1200 guineas.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>HOLLOWAY AND “THE CARTOONS.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Holloway</span>, who so successfully copied in black chalks the cartoons of -Raphael in Hampton Court Palace, was an eccentric genius, deeply read in -Scripture, which he expounded in the most nasal tone; but it was very -interesting to listen to his observations on the beauties and merits of -these master-pieces of art. A Madame Bouiller, a French <i>emigrée</i>,<a name="page_II_70" id="page_II_70"></a> was -also occupied on the same subjects. She was patronised by West, who gave -her permission to study in the palace; and said that he had never seen -such masterly artistical touches of the crayon as hers.</p> - -<p>One morning Holloway was found foaming with rage in the Cartoon Gallery. -Some person had written against the cartoons, denominating them -“wretched daubs;” and sorely did it wound the feelings of the -enthusiastic artist, who worshipped with religious fervour these works -of Raphael. Yet it was a grotesque scene to behold Madame Bouiller -pacing after Holloway, up and down the gallery, with all the grimace and -intensity of a Frenchwoman, and re-echoing his furious lamentations.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>TITIAN’S PAINTING.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Sir Abraham Hume</span>, the accomplished annotator of <i>The Life and Works of -Titian</i>, observes: “It appears to be generally understood that Titian -had, in the different periods of life, three distinct manners of -painting: the first hard and dry, resembling his master, Giovanni -Bellino; the second, acquired from studying the works of Giorgione, was -more bold, round, rich in colour, and exquisitely wrought up; the third -was the result of his matured taste and judgment, and, properly -speaking, may be termed his own—in which he introduced more cool tints -into the shadows and flesh, approaching nearer to nature than the -universal glow of Giorgione.”</p> - -<p>After stating what little is known of the mechanical means employed by -Titian in the colouring of his<a name="page_II_71" id="page_II_71"></a> pictures, Sir Abraham remarks: “Titian’s -grand secret of all appears to have consisted in the unremitting -exercise of application, patience, and perseverance, joined to an -enthusiastic attachment to his art: his custom was to employ -considerable time in finishing his pictures, working on them repeatedly, -till he brought them to perfection; and his maxim was, that whatever was -done in a hurry, could not be well done.” In manner and character, as -well as talent, Titian may not inappropriately be associated with the -most eminent painter this country ever produced, Sir Joshua Reynolds.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>CATLIN’S PICTURES.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Catlin</span>, the traveller, was born in Wyoming, on the Susquehannah: he was -bred to the law, but after he had practised two or three years, he sold -his law library, and with the proceeds commenced as painter in -Philadelphia, without either teacher or adviser. Within a few years, a -delegation of Indians arrived from wilds of the far west in -Philadelphia, “arrayed and equipped in all their classical beauty—with -shield and helmet—with tunic and manteau, tinted and tasselled off -exactly for the painter’s palette. In silent and stoic dignity, these -lords of the forest strutted about the city for a few days wrapped in -their pictured robes, with their brows plumed with the quills of the -war-eagle,” and then quitted for Washington city, leaving Catlin to -regret their departure. This, however, led him to consider the -preservation by pictorial illustrations of the history and customs of -these<a name="page_II_72" id="page_II_72"></a> people, as a theme worthy the life of one man; and he therefore -resolved that nothing short of the loss of life should prevent him from -visiting their country, and becoming their historian. He could find no -advocate or abettor of his views; still, he broke from all connexions of -family and home, and thus, firmly fixed, armed, equipped, and supplied, -he started, in the year 1832, and penetrated the vast and pathless wilds -of the Great Far West—devoted to the production of habitual and graphic -portraiture of the manners, customs, and character of an interesting -race of people who were rapidly passing away from the earth.</p> - -<p>Catlin spent about eight years in the Indian country, and, in 1841, -brought home portraits of the principal personages from each tribe, -views of their villages, pastimes, and religious ceremonies; and a -collection of their costumes, manufactures, and weapons. He was -undoubtedly the first artist who ever started upon such a labour, -designing to carry his canvass to the Rocky Mountains. He visited -forty-eight different tribes, containing 400,000 souls, and mostly -speaking different languages. He brought home 310 portraits in oil, all -painted in their native dress, and in their own wigwams; besides 200 -paintings of their villages, wigwams, games, and religious ceremonies, -dances, ball-plays, buffalo-hunts, &c.; containing 3000 full-length -figures; together with landscapes, and a collection of costumes and -other artificial produce, from the size of a huge wigwam to that of a -rattle. It was for a time expected that the collection would have been -purchased by the British Government, and added to the<a name="page_II_73" id="page_II_73"></a> British Museum, -but the opportunity was let slip; and thus did we lose these records of -a race of our fellow-creatures, whom we shall very shortly have swept -from the face of the globe.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>MARTIN’S “DELUGE.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Sir E. Bulwer Lytton</span> has written this eloquent criticism: “Martin’s -‘Deluge’ is the most simple of his works; it is, perhaps, also, the most -awful. Poussin had represented before him the waste of inundation; but -not the inundation of a world. With an imagination that pierces from -effects to their ghastly and sublime agency, Martin gives, in the same -picture, a possible solution to the phenomenon he records; and in the -gloomy and perturbed heaven, you see the conjunction of the sun, the -moon, and a comet. I consider this the most magnificent alliance of -philosophy and art of which the history of painting can boast.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>SIR JOSHUA’S GOODNATURE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">In</span> the year 1760, a youth named Buckingham, a scholar at Mr. King’s -academy, in Chapel-street, Soho, presuming upon his father’s knowledge -of Sir Joshua Reynolds, asked the President if he would paint him a flag -for the next breaking-up of the school; when Sir Joshua goodnaturedly -replied, if he would call upon him at a certain time, he would see what -he could do. The boy accordingly went, accompanied by a school-fellow, -named Williamson (the narrator of this anecdote), when Sir Joshua -Reynolds presented them with<a name="page_II_74" id="page_II_74"></a> a flag, about a yard square, on which he -had painted the king’s coat of arms. This flag was carried in the -breaking-up procession to the Yorkshire Stingo, an honour to the boys, -and a still greater honour to him who painted it, and gave up his -valuable time to promote their holiday amusements.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>THOMAS SYDNEY COOPER “THE ENGLISH PAUL POTTER.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> admirers of Mr. Cooper’s Cuyp-like pictures will be gratified with -the following anecdote of the early recognition of the painter’s genius, -pleasantly related by Miss Mitford, in her <i>Belford Regis</i>.</p> - -<p>“Sometime in November, 1831, Mr. Cribb, an ornamental gilder in London, -(King-street, Covent Garden,) was struck with a small picture—a -cattle-piece, in a shop window in Greek-street, Soho. On inquiring for -the artist, he could learn no tidings of him; but the people of the shop -promised to find him out. Time after time, our persevering lover of the -arts called to repeat his inquiries, but always unsuccessfully; until -about three months after, when he found that the person he sought was a -Mr. Thomas Sydney Cooper, a young artist, who had been for many years -settled at Brussels, as a drawing-master, but had been driven from that -city by the Revolution, which had deprived him of his pupils, among whom -were some of the members of the royal family; and, unable to obtain -employment in London as a cattle-painter, he had, with the generous -self-devotion which most ennobles a man of genius, supported his family<a name="page_II_75" id="page_II_75"></a> -by making lithographic drawings of fashionable caps and bonnets, I -suppose, as a puff for some milliner, or some periodical which deals in -costumes. In the midst of this interesting family, and of these caps and -bonnets, Mr. Cribb found him; and deriving from what he saw of his -sketches and drawings additional conviction of his genius, he -immediately commissioned him to paint a picture on his own subject, and -at his own price, making such an advance as the richest artist could not -scruple to accept on a commission, conjuring him to leave off caps and -bonnets, and foretelling his future eminence. Mr. Cribb says, that he -shall never forget the delight of Mr. Cooper’s face when he gave the -order—he has the right to the luxury of such a recollection. Well! the -picture was completed: our friend, Mr. Cribb, who is not a man to do his -work by halves, bespoke a companion, and while that was painting, showed -the first to a great number of artists and amateurs, who all agreed in -expressing the strongest admiration, and in wondering where the painter -could have been hidden. Before the second picture was half finished, a -Mr. Carpenter, (I believe that I am right in the name,) gave Mr. Cooper -a commission for a piece, which was exhibited in May, 1833, at the -Suffolk-street Gallery; and from that moment orders poured in, and the -artist’s fortune was made. It is right to add, that Mr. Cooper was -generously eager to have this story made known, and Mr. Cribb as -generously averse to its publication. But surety, it ought to be -recorded for the example sake, and for their mutual honour.<a name="page_II_76" id="page_II_76"></a>”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>VERRIO AND CHARLES II.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Verrio</span>, who painted the ceilings in Windsor Castle, was a great -favourite with Charles II. The painter was very expensive, and kept a -great table; he often pressed the King for money, with a freedom -encouraged by his Majesty’s own frankness. Once, at Hampton Court, when -he had but lately received an advance of £1000, he found the King in -such a circle, that he could not approach. He called out, “Sire, I -desire the favour of speaking to your Majesty.” “Well, Verrio,” said the -King, “what is your request?” “Money, Sire; I am so short of cash, that -I am not able to pay my workmen; and your Majesty and I have learned by -experience, that pedlars and painters cannot long live on credit.” The -King smiled, and said “he had but lately ordered him £1000.” “Yes, -Sire,” replied Verrio; “but that was soon paid away, and I have no gold -left.” “At that rate,” said the King, “you would spend more money than I -do to maintain my family.” “True,” answered Verrio; “but does your -Majesty keep an open table as I do?”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>HOGARTH’S PICTURES AT VAUXHALL GARDENS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Soon</span> after his marriage, Hogarth had summer lodgings at South Lambeth, -and became intimate with Jonathan Tyers, then proprietor of Vauxhall -Gardens. On passing the tavern one morning, Hogarth saw<a name="page_II_77" id="page_II_77"></a> Tyers, and -observing him to be very melancholy, “How now, Master Tyers; why so sad -this morning?” said the painter. “Sad times, Master Hogarth,” replied -Tyers, “and my reflections were on a subject not likely to brighten a -man’s countenance: I was thinking, do you know, which was likely to -prove the easiest death, hanging or drowning.” “Oh,” said Hogarth, “is -it come to that?” “Very nearly, I assure you,” said Tyers. “Then,” -replied Hogarth, “the remedy you think of applying is not likely to mend -the matter; don’t hang or drown to-day. I have a thought that may save -the necessity of either, and will communicate it to you to-morrow -morning; call at my house in Leicester Fields.” The interview took -place, and the result was the concocting and getting up the first -“Ridotto al Fresco,” which was very successful; one of the new -attractions being the embellishment of the pavilions in the gardens by -Hogarth’s pencil. Thus he drew the Four Parts of the Day, which Hayman -copied; and the two scenes of Evening and Night, with portraits of Henry -VIII. and Anne Boleyn. Hayman was one of the earliest members of the -Royal Academy, and was, when young, a scene-painter at Drury Lane -Theatre.</p> - -<p>Hogarth was at this time in prosperity, and assisted Tyers more -essentially than by the few pieces he painted for the gardens; and for -this Tyers presented the painter with a gold ticket of admission for -himself and friends, which was handed down to Hogarth’s descendants—the -medal being for the admission of six persons, or “one coach,” as it was -termed.<a name="page_II_78" id="page_II_78"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>RUBENS AND THE LION.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">It</span> is related that Rubens caused a remarkably fine and powerful lion to -be brought to his house, in order to study him in every variety of -attitude. One day, Rubens observing the lion yawn, was so pleased with -his action, that he wished to paint it, and he desired the keeper to -tickle the animal under the chin, to make him repeatedly open his jaws; -at length, the lion became savage at this treatment, and cast such -furious glances at his keeper, that Rubens attended to his warning, and -had the animal removed. The keeper is said to have been torn to pieces -by the lion shortly afterwards; apparently, he had never forgotten the -affront.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>NARROW ESCAPE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Andrea Boscoli</span>, the Italian painter, whilst sketching the fortifications -of Loretto, was seized by the officers of justice, and condemned to be -hanged; but he happily escaped within a few hours of execution, by the -interposition of Signor Bandini, who explained to the chief magistrate -the painter’s innocent object.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>GAINSBOROUGH.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Gainsborough</span> was born at Sudbury, in Suffolk, in 1727, and had the good -fortune to take Nature for his mistress in art, and her to follow -through life. Respecting this painter, memory is strong in his native -place. A beautiful wood, of four miles extent, is shown, whose ancient -trees, winding glades, and sunny<a name="page_II_79" id="page_II_79"></a> nooks inspired him while yet a -school-boy with the love of art. Scenes are pointed out where he used to -sit and fill his copy-books with pencillings of flowers and trees, and -whatever pleased his fancy. No fine clump of trees, no picturesque -stream nor romantic glade, no cattle grazing, nor flocks reposing, nor -peasants pursuing their work, nor pastoral occupations, escaped his -diligent pencil. He received some instruction from Gravelot; and from -Hayman, the friend of Hogarth. Having married, he settled in Ipswich; -but in his thirty-first year removed to Bath, where he was appreciated -as he deserved, and was enabled by his pencil to live respectably.</p> - -<p>He then removed to London, where he added the lucrative branch of -portrait-painting to his favourite pursuit of landscape. The permanent -splendour of his colours, and the natural and living air which he -communicated to whatever he touched, made him at this time, in the -estimation of many, a dangerous rival of Sir Joshua himself.</p> - -<p>Gainsborough was quite a child of nature, and everything that came from -his easel smacked strongly of that raciness, freshness, and originality, -the study of nature alone can give. “The Woodman and his Dog in the -Storm” was one of his favourite compositions; yet, while he lived, he -could find no purchaser at the paltry sum of one hundred guineas. After -his death, five hundred guineas were paid for it by Lord Gainsborough, -in whose house it was subsequently burnt. “The Shepherd’s Boy in the -Shower,” and the “Cottage Girl with her Dog and Pitcher,” were<a name="page_II_80" id="page_II_80"></a> also his -prime favourites. Although having the good taste to express no contempt -for the society of literary or fashionable men, Gainsborough, unlike the -courtly Sir Joshua, cared little for their company. Music was his -passion, or rather, next to his profession, the business of his life. -Smith, in his <i>Life of Nollekens</i>, relates that he once found Colonel -Hamilton playing so exquisitely to Gainsborough on the violin, that the -artist exclaimed, “Go on, and I will give you the picture of the ‘Boy at -the Stile,’ which you have so often wished to purchase of me.” The -Colonel proceeded, and the painter stood in speechless admiration, with -tears of rapture on his cheek. Hamilton then called a coach, and carried -away the picture.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>HAYDON AT SCHOOL.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Haydon</span> was born at Plymouth, and at ten years old was sent to the -Grammar School, under the care of the Rev. Dr. Bidlake, who possessed -great taste for painting, and first noticed Haydon’s love of drawing; -and, as a reward for diligence in school, the reverend gentleman used to -indulge his pupil by admitting him to his painting-room, where he was -allowed to pass his hal.-holidays.</p> - -<p>At the age of fourteen, Haydon was sent to Plympton St. Mary School, -where Sir Joshua Reynolds acquired all the scholastic knowledge he ever -received. On the ceiling of the school-room was a sketch drawn by -Reynolds with a burnt cork; and it was young Haydon’s delight to sit and -contemplate this early production of the great master. Whilst at this -school, he was about to<a name="page_II_81" id="page_II_81"></a> join the medical profession; but the witnessing -of an operation at once debarred him. When he left the Plympton School, -after a stay there of about two years, he had not decided what -profession he should pursue; and whilst at home in this unsettled state, -his mind was never at rest, but he was constantly employed in drawing or -painting, and reading hard. About this time, Reynolds’s “Discourses” -attracted his attention, and fixed his resolution on painting; and, as -the first step to which, he resolved to study anatomy.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>RUBENS’S DAY.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Rubens</span> was in the habit of rising very early: in summer at four o’clock, -and immediately afterwards he heard mass. He then went to work, and -while painting, he habitually employed a person to read to him from one -of the classical authors, (the favourites being Livy, Plutarch, Cicero, -and Seneca,) or from some eminent poet. This was the time when he -generally received his visitors, with whom he entered willingly into -conversation on a variety of topics, in the most animated and agreeable -manner. An hour before dinner was always devoted to recreation, which -consisted either in allowing his thoughts to dwell as they listed on -subjects connected with science or politics,—which latter interested -him deeply,—or in contemplating his treasures of art. From anxiety not -to impair the brilliant play of his fancy, he indulged but sparingly in -the pleasures of the table, and drank but little wine. After working -again till evening, he usually, if not prevented by business, mounted a -spirited<a name="page_II_82" id="page_II_82"></a> Andalusian horse, and rode for an hour or two. This was his -favourite exercise: he was extremely fond of horses, and his stables -generally contained some of remarkable beauty. On his return home, it -was his custom to receive a few friends, principally men of learning, or -artists, with whom he shared his frugal meal, (he was the declared enemy -of all excess,) and passed the evening in instructive and cheerful -conversation. This active and regular mode of life could alone have -enabled Rubens to satisfy all the demands which were made upon him as an -artist; and the astonishing number of works he completed, the -genuineness of which is beyond all doubt, can only be accounted for -through his union of extraordinary diligence with the acknowledged -fertility of his productive powers.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>DILIGENCE OF RUBENS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Like</span> other great painters, Rubens was an architect, too; and, besides -his own house, the church and the college of the Jesuits, in Antwerp, -were built from his designs.</p> - -<p>We are enabled to form some estimate of the astonishingly productive -powers of Rubens, when we consider that about 1000 of his works have -been engraved; and, including copies, the number of engravings from his -works amount to more than 1500. The extraordinary number of his -paintings adorn not merely the most celebrated public and private -galleries, and various churches in Europe, but they have even found -their way to America. In Lima, especially,<a name="page_II_83" id="page_II_83"></a> there are several, and some -of them of considerable value and excellence. Yet, of the countless -pictures everywhere attributed to Rubens, but a small proportion were -entirely painted by his own hands; the others contain more or less of -the workmanship of his pupils. The greatest number of works, begun and -finished by his own hands, are to be found in the galleries of Madrid, -Antwerp, and Blenheim.—<i>Mrs. Jameson’s Translation of Dr. Waagen’s -Essay on Rubens.</i></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>HAYDON’S “JUDGMENT OF SOLOMON.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> picture was bought of the artist by Sir W. Elford and Mr. Tingcomb, -for 700<i>l.</i> Whilst painting it, Haydon got embroiled in a controversy on -the Elgin Marbles, with Mr. Payne Knight, one of the Directors of the -British Institution. This gave great offence; and when the painter had -been four months at work on the “Solomon,” he was left without -resources; but, by selling successively his books, prints, and clothes, -he was enabled to go on with his picture. At length, after a labour of -two years, and by a closing exertion of painting six days, and nearly as -many nights, the picture was completed, and exhibited in Spring Gardens, -with great success. The Directors of the British Institution then showed -their sense of Haydon’s genius by a vote of 100 guineas, and all -ill-feeling was forgotten. For this work, Haydon was presented with the -freedom of the borough of Plymouth, says the vote, “as a testimony of -respect for his extraordinary merit as an historical painter; and -particularly<a name="page_II_84" id="page_II_84"></a> for the production of his recent picture, ‘the Judgment of -Solomon,’ a work of such superior excellence, as to reflect honour on -his birthplace, distinction on his name, lustre on the art, and -reputation on the country.”</p> - -<p>Miss Mitford addressed to the painter the following Sonnet on this -picture:—</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Tears in the eye, and on the lips a sigh!<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Haydon, the great, the beautiful, the bold,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Thy Wisdom’s King, thy Mercy’s God unfold?<br /></span> -<span class="i1">There art and genius blend in unison high,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">But this is of the soul. The majesty<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Of grief dwells here; grief cast in such a mould<br /></span> -<span class="i3">As Niobe’s of yore. The tale is told<br /></span> -<span class="i1">All at a glance. ‘A childless mother I!’<br /></span> -<span class="i3">The tale is told, and who can e’er forget,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">That e’er has seen that visage of despair!<br /></span> -<span class="i3">With unaccustomed tears our cheeks are wet,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Heavy our hearts with unaccustomed care,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Upon our thoughts it presses like a debt,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">We close our eyes in vain; that face is there.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>Mr. West, on seeing the picture, was affected to tears, at the figure of -the pale, fainting mother.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>VAN DE VELDE AND BACKHUYSEN.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">When</span> Dr. Waagen visited England in 1835, his sea passage gave rise to -the following exquisite critical observations: “I must mention as a -particularly fortunate circumstance, that the sea gradually subsided -from a state of violent agitation to a total calm and a bright sunshine, -attenuated with a clouded sky, and flying showers. I had an opportunity -of observing in succession all the situations and effects which have -been represented by the celebrated Dutch marine<a name="page_II_85" id="page_II_85"></a> painters, William Van -de Velde, and Backhuysen. Now, for the first time, I fully understood -the truth of their pictures, in the varied undulation of the water, and -the refined art with which, by shadows of clouds, intervening dashes of -sunshine near, or at a distance, and ships to animate the scene, they -produce such a charming variety in the uniform surface of the sea. To -conclude in a striking manner this series of pictures, Nature was so -kind as to favour us at last with a thunder-storm, but not to interrupt -by long-continued rain, suffered it to be of very short duration.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>A PAINTER’S HAIR-DRESSING.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">It</span> was the constant practice of Sir Joshua Reynolds, as soon as a female -sitter had placed herself on his throne, to destroy the tasteless -labours of the hairdresser and the lady’s maid with the end of a -pencil-stick.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>A MIS-MATCHED PORTRAIT.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Dr. Waagen</span> relates the following singular anecdote of one of the -portraits in the Waterloo Chamber at Windsor Castle—that of the -minister, William von Humboldt. The conception is poor, and the likeness -very general; but the want is, that the body does not at all suit the -head; for when king George the Fourth, who was a personal friend of the -minister, during his last visit to England, and a short time before his -departure, made him sit to Sir Thomas Lawrence, the latter being pressed -for time, took a canvass on which<a name="page_II_86" id="page_II_86"></a> he had begun a portrait of Lord -Liverpool, and had already finished his body in a purple coat, and -painted upon it the head of M. Von Humboldt, intending to alter it -afterwards. This, however, in consequence of the death of the king, and -of Sir Thomas Lawrence, was not done.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>VAST PAINTED WINDOW.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">In</span> the spring of 1830, there was exhibited in London a superb specimen -of painting on glass, the size almost amounting to the stupendous, being -eighteen by twenty-four feet. The term “window,” however, is hardly -applicable to this vast work, for there was no framework visible; but -the entire picture consisted of upwards of 350 pieces, of irregular -forms and sizes, fitted into metal astragals, so contrived as to fall -with the shadows, and thus to assist the appearance of an uninterrupted -and unique picture upon a sheet of glass.</p> - -<p>The subject was “the Tournament of the Field of the Cloth of Gold,” -between Henry VIII. and Francis I., in the plain of Ardres, near Calais; -a scene of overwhelming gorgeousness, and, in the splendour of its -appointments well suited to the brilliant effects which is the peculiar -characteristic of painting in enamel. The stage represented was the last -tourney on June 25, 1520. The field is minutely described by Hall, whose -details the painter had closely followed. There were artificial trees, -with green damask leaves; and branches and boughs, and withered leaves, -of cloth-of-gold; the trunks and arms being also covered with<a name="page_II_87" id="page_II_87"></a> -cloth-of-gold, and intermingled with fruits and flowers of Venice gold; -and “their beautie shewed farre.” In these trees were hung, emblazoned -upon shields, “the Kynge of Englande’s armes, within a gartier, and the -French Kynge’s within a collar of his order of Sainct Michael, with a -close croune, with a flower de lise in the toppe;” and around and above -were the shields of the noblemen of the two courts. The two queens were -seated in a magnificent pavilion, and next to the Queen of England sat -Wolsey; the judges were on stages, the heralds, in their tabards, placed -at suitable points; and around were gathered the flower of the French -and English nobility, to witness this closing glory of the last days of -chivalry.</p> - -<p>The <i>action</i> of the piece is thus described:—The trumpets sounded, and -the two kings and their retinues entered the field; they then put down -their vizors, and rode to the encounter valiantly; or, as Hall says, -“the ii kynges were ready, and either of them encountered one -man-of-armes; the French Kynge to the erle of Devonshire, the Kynge of -England to Mounsire Florrenges, and brake his Poldron, and him disarmed, -when ye strokes were stricken, this battail was departed, and was much -praised.”</p> - -<p>The picture contained upwards of one hundred figures (life size) of -which forty were portraits, after Holbein and other contemporary -authorities. The armour of the two kings and the challenger was very -successfully painted; their coursers almost breathed chivalric fire; and -the costumes and heraldic devices presented a blaze of dazzling -splendour. Among the<a name="page_II_88" id="page_II_88"></a> spectators, the most striking portraits were the -two queens; Wolsey, Anne Boleyn, and the Countess of Chateaubriant; -Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk; and Queen Mary, Dowager of France; -with the ill-fated Duke of Buckingham, whose hasty comment upon the -extravagance of the tournament proved his downfall. The elaborate -richness of the costumes sparkling with gold and jewels, the fleecy, -floating feathers of the champions, their burnished armour and -glittering arms, the congregated glories of velvet, ermine, and -cloth-of-gold, and the heraldic emblazonry amidst the emerald freshness -of the foliage—all combined to form a scene of unparalleled -sumptuousness and effect.</p> - -<p>The picture was executed in glass by Mr. Thomas Wilmshurst (a pupil of -the late Mr. Moss), from a sketch by Mr. R. T. Bone; the horses by Mr. -Woodward. The work cost the artist nearly 3000<i>l.</i> It was exhibited in a -first-floor at No. 15, Oxford-street, and occupied one end of a room -decorated for the occasion with paneling and carving in the taste of the -time of Henry the Eighth. It was very attractive as an exhibition, and -nearly 50,000 descriptive catalogues were sold. Sad, then, to relate, in -one unlucky night, the picture and the house were entirely burnt in an -accidental fire; not even a sketch or study was saved from destruction; -and the property was wholly uninsured. As a specimen of glass painting, -the work was very successful: the colours were very brilliant, and the -ruby red of old was all but equalled. The artistic treatment was -altogether original; the painters,<a name="page_II_89" id="page_II_89"></a> in no instance, borrowing from the -contemporary picture of the same scene in the Hampton Court collection.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>CLAUDE’S “LIBRO DI VERITA.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">It</span> was thus Claude Lorraine denominated a book in which he made drawings -of all the pictures he had ever executed. Since even in his own day his -works had obtained a great reputation, it was found that many inferior -artists had painted pictures in his style, and sold them as genuine -Claudes; so that it was found necessary to prove the authenticity of his -paintings by a reference to his “Book of Truth.”</p> - -<p>This renowned record of genius is in the possession of the Duke of -Devonshire. The drawings are in number about 200, and upon the back of -the first is a paper pasted, with the following words in Claude’s own -handwriting and orthography:—</p> - -<p>“Audi 10 dagosto, 1677. Ce livre aupartien a moy que je faict durant ma -vie. Claudio Gillee Dit le lorains. A Roma ce 23. Aos. 1680.”</p> - -<p>When Claude wrote the last date, he was seventy-eight years old, and he -died two years afterwards. On the back of every drawing is the number, -with his monogram, the place for which the picture was painted, and -usually the person by whom it was ordered, and the year; but the -“Claudio fecit” is never wanting. According to his will, this book was -to remain always the property of his own family; and it was so -faithfully kept by his immediate descendants, that all the efforts of -the Cardinal d’Estrées, the French ambassador<a name="page_II_90" id="page_II_90"></a> at Rome, to procure it, -were in vain. His later posterity had so entirely lost all traces of -this pious reverence for it, that they sold it for the trifling price of -200 scudi to a French jeweller, who again sold it in Holland, whence it -came into the possession of the Duke of Devonshire, who preserved it -with due honours. The well-known copies by Barlow, in the work of -Boydell, give but a very vague and monotonous representation of these -splendid drawings.</p> - -<p>Dr. Waagen, who inspected the treasure at Devonshire House, says: “The -delicacy, ease, and masterly handling of all, from the slightest -sketches to those most carefully finished, exceed description; the -latter produce, indeed, all the effect of finished pictures. With the -simple material of a pen, and tints of Indian ink, sepia, or bistre, -with some white to bring out the lights, every characteristic of -sunshine or shade, or ‘the incense-breathing morn,’ is perfectly -expressed. Most happily has he employed for this purpose the blue tinge -of the paper, and the warm sepia for the glow of evening. Some are only -drawn with a pen, or the principal forms are slightly sketched in -pencil, with the great masses of light broadly thrown in with white; the -imagination easily fills up the rest.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>THE OLDEST PICTURE IN THE NATIONAL GALLERY.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> picture is—Portraits of a Flemish Gentleman and Lady, standing in -the middle of an apartment, with their hands joined. In the back-ground -are a<a name="page_II_91" id="page_II_91"></a> bed, a mirror, and a window, partly open; the objects in the room -being distinctly reflected in the mirror. A branch chandelier hangs from -the ceiling, with the candle still burning in it; in the foreground is a -small poodle. In the frame of the mirror are ten minute circular -compartments, in which are painted stories from the life of Christ; and -immediately under the mirror is written “Johannes de Eyck fuit hic,” -with the date 1434 below. This signifies literally, “John Van Eyck was -this man,” an interpretation which leads to the conjecture that this may -be Van Eyck’s own portrait, with that of his wife, though in this case -the wife’s name should have been written as well as his own; and the -expression is not exactly that which would have been expected. The words -are, however, distinctly <i>fuit hic</i>. As already mentioned, the date of -the picture is 1434, when John Van Eyck was, according to the assumed -date of his birth, in his fortieth year, which is about the age of the -man in this picture. Van Mander speaks of the painting as the portraits -of a man and his wife; or bride and bridegroom: it may be a bridegroom -introducing his bride to her home.</p> - -<p>This picture, about a century after it was painted, was in the -possession of a barber-surgeon at Bruges, who presented it to the then -Regent of the Netherlands, Mary, the sister of Charles X., and Queen -Dowager of Hungary. This princess valued the picture so highly, that she -granted the barber-surgeon in return, an annual pension, or office worth -100 florins per annum. It appears, however, to have again fallen into -obscure hands; for it was discovered by <a name="page_II_92" id="page_II_92"></a>Major-General Hay in the -apartments to which he was taken in 1815, at Brussels, after he had been -wounded at the battle of Waterloo. He purchased the picture after his -recovery, and disposed of it to the British Government in 1842, when it -was placed in the National Gallery. It is the oldest painting in the -collection.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>EXPERIMENTAL COLOURING.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> great experimental colourist of the fifteenth century, Van Eyck, has -left unfading proofs of his skill as well as his genius; whilst the -experimental colourist of the eighteenth century, Sir Joshua Reynolds, -has already lost so much of his tone and brightness. The painters of our -own time throughout Europe, notwithstanding the recent discoveries in -chemistry and natural science, are unable to reproduce the rich hues of -Titian, or of the early Germans.</p> - -<p>Yet, Van Eyck met with many disappointments. He had just applied a -newly-invented combination, (probably of lime-water and some other -ingredients,) to a large and highly-finished picture. This mixture -required to be rapidly dried; and for that purpose the picture was left -for a short time in the sun. When the artist returned to witness the -result of his experiment, he found that the action of the heat on the -composition had split the canvas, and that his work was utterly ruined! -Happily for the arts, their best votaries have possessed the genius of -perseverance, as well as the genius of enterprise.<a name="page_II_93" id="page_II_93"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>STOTHARD’S FRIEZE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">One</span> of Stothard’s last great designs was that for the frieze of the -interior of Buckingham Palace. The subjects are illustrative of the -history of England, and principally relative to the Wars of the Red and -White Roses. The venerable artist was between seventy and eighty years -old when he executed these; and they possess all the spirit and vigour -of imagination that distinguished his best days. As a whole, there is -not, perhaps, to be found a more interesting series of historical -designs of any country in ancient or modern times. The drawing of this -frieze ought to have been in the possession of the King; but they were -sold at Christie’s, with other works, on the decease of the painter. Mr. -Rogers was the purchaser.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>JOHN MARTIN ON GLASS PAINTING.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">About</span> the year 1844, when John Martin, the historical painter, was -examined before the Parliamentary Committee on Arts and Manufactures, he -was questioned as to the information he had collected on the subject of -glass-painting. To this he replied, “Glass-painting has fallen almost to -the same level as china-painting; but it might be greatly improved now -to what it was in ancient times. There is an ignorant opinion among the -people that the ancient art of glass-painting is completely lost: it is -totally void of foundation; for we can carry it to a much higher pitch -than the ancients, except in one particular colour, which is that of -ruby, and we come very near to that. We can<a name="page_II_94" id="page_II_94"></a> blend the colours, and -produce the effect of light and shadow, which they could not do, by -harmonizing and mixing the colours in such a way, and fixing by proper -enameling and burning, that they shall afterwards become just as -permanent as those of the ancients, with the additional advantage of -throwing in superior art.” Martin began life as a painter on glass. One -of his earliest pictures was for the conservatory at the mansion of the -Marquess of Wellesley, at Knightsbridge.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>“SITTING FOR THE HAND.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">If</span> you have an artist for a friend, (says N. P. Willis,) he makes use of -you while you call, to “sit for the hand” of the portrait on his easel. -Having a preference for the society of artists myself, and frequenting -their studios considerably, I know of some hundred and fifty -unsuspecting gentlemen on canvas, who have procured, for posterity and -their children, portraits of their own heads and dress-coats to be sure, -but of the hands of other persons.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>HAYDON AND FUSELI.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Prince Hoare</span> introduced Haydon to Fuseli, who was so struck with his -close attendance at the Royal Academy, that he one day said, “Why, when -do you dine?” The account of his introduction is very characteristic. -“Such was the horror connected with Fuseli’s name, (says Haydon,) that I -remember perfectly well the day before I was to go to him, a letter from -my father concluded in these words: ‘God speed you with the terrible -Fuseli.’ Awaking from a night of<a name="page_II_95" id="page_II_95"></a> awful dreaming, the awful morning -came. I took my sketch-book and drawings,—invoking the protection of my -good genius to bring me back alive, and sallied forth to meet the -enchanter in his den! After an abstracted walk of perpetual musing, on -what I should say, how I should look, and what I should do, I found -myself before his door in Berners-street——1805.” Haydon was shown -into his painting-room, full of Fuseli’s hideous conceptions. He -adds:—“At last, when I was wondering what metamorphosis I was to -undergo, the door slowly opened, and I saw a little hand come slowly -round the edge of it, which did not look very gigantic, or belonging to -a very powerful figure, and round came a little white-faced lion-headed -man, dressed in an old flannel dressing-gown, tied by a rope, and the -bottom of Mrs. Fuseli’s work-basket on his head for a cap. I was -perfectly amazed! there stood the designer of Satan in many an airy -whirl plunging to the earth; and was this the painter -himself?—Certainly. Not such as I had imagined when enjoying his -inventions. I did not know whether to laugh or cry, but at any rate I -felt that I was his match if he attempted the supernatural. We quietly -stared at each other, and Fuseli kindly understanding my astonishment -and inexperience, asked in the mildest voice for my drawings. Here my -evil genius took the lead, and instead of showing him my studies from -the antique, which I had brought, and had meant to have shown him, I -showed him my sketch-book I did not mean to show him, with a sketch I -had made coming along, of a man pushing a sugar-cask into a<a name="page_II_96" id="page_II_96"></a> grocer’s -shop. Fuseli seeing my fright, said, by way of encouragement, ‘At least -the fellow does his business with energy.’ ” From that hour commenced a -friendship which lasted till his death.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>RICHARD WILSON.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Wilson</span> loved, when a child, to trace figures of men and animals, with a -burnt stick, upon the walls of the house, a predilection which his -father encouraged. His relation, Sir George Wynn, next took him to -London, and placed him under the care of one Wright, an obscure -portrait-painter. His progress was so successful, that in 1748, when he -was thirty-five years old, he had so distinguished himself as to be -employed to paint a picture of the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York, -for their tutor, the Bishop of Norwich. In 1749, Wilson was enabled by -his own savings, and the aid of his friends, to go to Italy, where he -continued portrait-painting, till an accident opened another avenue to -fame, and shut up the way to fortune. Having waited one morning for the -coming of Zuccarelli the artist, to beguile the time, he painted a scene -upon which the window of his friend looked, with so much grace and -effect, that Zuccarelli was astonished, and inquired if he had studied -landscape. Wilson replied that he had not. “Then I advise you,” said the -other, “to try—for you are sure of success;” and this counsel was -confirmed by Vernet, the French painter. His studies in landscape must -have been rapidly successful, for he had some pupils in that line while -at<a name="page_II_97" id="page_II_97"></a> Rome; and his works were so highly esteemed, that Mengs painted his -portrait, for which Wilson, in return, painted a landscape.</p> - -<p>It is not known at what time he returned to England; but he was in -London in 1758, and resided over the north arcade of the Piazza, -Covent-garden, where he obtained great celebrity as a landscape painter. -To the first Exhibition of 1760, he sent his picture of Niobe, which -confirmed his reputation. Yet Wilson, from inattention to his own -interests, lost his connexions and employment, and was left, late in -life, in comfortless infirmity—having been reduced to solicit the -office of librarian of the Royal Academy, of which he had been one of -the brightest ornaments.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>THE BRIDGEWATER GALLERY.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Had</span> its origin in the Orleans Gallery. The Italian part of the -collection had been mortgaged for 40,000<i>l.</i> to Harman’s banking-house, -when Mr. Bryan, a celebrated collector and picture-dealer, and author of -the “Dictionary of Painters,” induced the Duke of Bridgewater to -purchase the whole as it stood for 43,000<i>l.</i> The pictures, amounting to -305, were then valued separately by Mr. Bryan, making a total of -72,000<i>l.</i>; and from among them the Duke selected ninety-four of the -finest, at the prices at which they were valued, amounting altogether to -39,000 guineas. The Duke subsequently admitted his nephew, the Earl -Gower, and the Earl of Carlisle, to share his acquisition; resigning to -the former a fourth part, and to the latter an eighth of the whole -number thus acquired. The<a name="page_II_98" id="page_II_98"></a> exhibition and sale of the rest produced -41,000<i>l.</i>; consequently, the speculation turned out most profitably; -for the ninety-four pictures, which had been valued at 39,000<i>l.</i>, were -acquired, in fact, for 2000<i>l.</i> The forty-seven retained for the Duke of -Bridgewater were valued at 23,130<i>l.</i> * * The Duke of Bridgewater -already possessed some fine pictures, and after the acquisition of his -share of the Orleans Gallery, he continued to add largely to his -collection, till his death in 1803, when he left his pictures, valued at -150,000<i>l.</i>, to his nephew, George, first Marquis of Stafford, -afterwards first Duke of Sutherland. During the life of this nobleman, -the collection, added to one formed by himself when Earl Gower, was -placed in the house in Cleveland-row; and the whole known then, and for -thirty years afterwards, as the Stafford Gallery, became celebrated all -over Europe. On the death of the Marquis of Stafford, in 1833, his -second son, Lord Francis Leveson Gower, taking the surname of Egerton, -inherited, under the will of his grand-uncle, the Bridgewater property, -including the collection of pictures formed by the Duke. The Stafford -Gallery was thus divided: that part of the collection which had been -acquired by the Marquis of Stafford fell to his eldest son, the present -Duke of Sutherland; while the Bridgewater collection, properly so -called, devolved to Lord Francis Egerton, and has resumed its original -appellation, being now known as the Bridgewater Gallery. This gallery -has a great attraction, owing principally to the taste of its present -possessor: it contains some excellent works of modern English painters.<a name="page_II_99" id="page_II_99"></a> -Near to the famous “Rising of the Gale,” by Van de Velde, hangs the -“Gale at Sea,” by Turner, not less sublime, not less true to the -grandeur and the modesty of nature; and by Edwin Landseer, the beautiful -original of a composition which the art of the engraver has made -familiar to the eye, the “Return of the Hawking Party,” a picture which -has all the romance of poetry and the antique time, and all the charm -and value of a family picture. Nor should be passed, without particular -notice, one of the most celebrated productions of the modern French -historical school—“Charles I. in the Guard Room,” by Paul Delaroche; a -truly grand picture, which Lord Francis Egerton has added to the Gallery -since 1838.—<i>Mrs. Jameson.</i></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>THE LOST PORTRAIT OF PRINCE CHARLES, BY VELASQUEZ.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">It</span> is well known that, in 1623, Charles, then Prince of Wales, -accompanied by his father’s favourite, George Villiers, the celebrated -Duke of Buckingham, visited Madrid, with the avowed object of wooing and -winning the Infanta. We are informed by Pacheco, that his son-in-law, -Velasquez, received one hundred crowns for taking the portrait of the -prince, probably designed as a present to his lady-love. The suit, -however, proved unsuccessful; but what became of the picture has not -been recorded, even incidentally. There is reason to suppose it was -committed to the custody of Villiers, who had at York House, which -occupied the site of Villiers, Duke, and Buckingham<a name="page_II_100" id="page_II_100"></a> streets, in the -Adelphi, a splendid collection of pictures. Charles, on his return from -Spain, reached York House past midnight, on the 6th of October; and the -picture may have been left there in some private apartment, and -afterwards have gradually fallen out of mind. There was a sale of -pictures on the assassination of the first duke. Again, when the second -duke fled to the Continent, to escape the vengeance of the parliament, -he sold part of his paintings to raise money for his personal support; -and according to a catalogue of these pictures, compiled by Vertue, the -Velasquez was not among them. Subsequently, the parliament sold part of -the remaining pictures. Either at or before the death of the second -duke, a fourth sale took place. In 1697, York House was burned down; and -it is possible the missing portrait may have been in the house at this -date.</p> - -<p>A very interesting search after the lost treasure is detailed in a -pamphlet, extending to 228 pages, published in 1847, from which these -particulars are, in the main, condensed:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>About four years since, Mr. Snare, a bookseller, at Reading, and a -dealer in pictures, was much struck with the notice of the -long-lost portrait of Charles, by Velasquez, which occurs in Mr. -Ford’s <i>Hand-Book for Spain</i>. Not long after, Mr. Snare, -accompanied by a portrait-painter also living at Reading, went to -Radley Hall, between Abingdon and Oxford, and there, among other -pictures, saw a portrait in which he recognised the features of -Charles the First; the owner told him the figure was by Vandyke, -and the back ground by the artist’s most clever pupils; but a -dreamy conviction came over Mr. Snare that it was the missing -portrait by Velasquez. On the 25th of<a name="page_II_101" id="page_II_101"></a> October, 1845, the pictures -in Radley Hall were sold by auction; Mr. Snare attended, and bought -the portrait for 8<i>l.</i>, notwithstanding many picture-dealers were -present. After some delay, he took the treasure home: he put it in -all lights; he moistened it with turpentine, which strengthened his -conviction: he ran for his wife to admire it with him, and he was -wrought up to the highest pitch.</p> - -<p>“I was quite beside myself,” says he, “with enthusiasm. I could not -eat, and had no inclination to sleep. I sat up till three o’clock -looking at the picture; and early in the morning I rose to place -myself once more before it. I only took my eyes from the painting -to read some book that made reference to the Spaniard whom I -believed its author, or to the Flemish artist to whom, by vague -report, it was attributed.”</p> - -<p>To trace the pedigree of the picture was the possessor’s next -object; and, in Pennant’s <i>London</i>, he found mentioned the house of -the Earl of Fife, as standing on part of the site of the palace of -Whitehall, anciently called York House, which Mr. Snare confuses -with the York House beyond Hungerford Market, the family mansion of -the Duke of Buckingham. Among the works which adorned Fife House, -Pennant mentions—</p> - -<p>“A head of Charles I., when Prince of Wales, done in Spain when he -was there in 1623 on his romantic expedition to court the Infanta. -It is supposed to have been the work of Velasco.”</p> - -<p>Here was some clue. Mr. Snare then traced the owner of Radley Hall -to have received the picture from a connoisseur, who in his turn -received a number of pictures from the Earl of Fife’s undertaker, -after his lordship’s funeral, in 1809.</p> - -<p>Next he discovered a quarto pamphlet, entitled, “Catalogue of the -Portraits and Pictures in the different houses belonging to the -Earl of Fife, 1798.” A reprint of this catalogue was then found in -the possession of Colonel Tynte, of Halewell, dated in 1807, the -only alteration being a slight addition to the preface. Colonel -Tynte remembers having been shown the pictures at Fife House, by -the Earl himself. On page 38 of the Catalogue, under the head, -“First Drawing-room,” the following entry occurs:—</p></div> - -<p><a name="page_II_102" id="page_II_102"></a></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Charles I. when Prince of Wales. Three quarters. Painted at -Madrid, 1625, when his marriage with the Infanta was proposed.</p> - -<p>—— Velasquez. This picture belonged to the Duke of Buckingham.”</p></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>Pennant, however, speaks of the portrait as a head; but this may be -owing to confused recollection, especially as there appears to have -been in the ‘Little Drawing-room of the hall’ a head of Charles I. -by old Stone.</p> - -<p>Two persons, upon inspecting the portrait, next identified it as -the picture they had seen at the connoisseur’s, and at the -undertaker’s.</p> - -<p>The general opinion, however, seemed to be that the painting was by -Vandyke, not by Velasquez: so believed its possessor at Radley -Hall, and the experienced person who cleaned the picture for Mr. -Snare. He, on the other hand, maintains that although Vandyke was -in England for a few weeks in 1620, there is no proof that he -painted for royalty till 1632, when Charles was too old for the -portrait in question, and when any allusion to the Spanish match -would have been an insult to the nation.</p> - -<p>Cumberland, in his “Anecdotes of Eminent Painters in Spain,” states -that Prince Charles did not sit to Velasquez, but that he -(Velasquez) took a sketch of the prince, as he was accompanying -King Philip in the chase. Pacheco seems to have been the authority -to Cumberland, who, however, has mistranslated the passage, which -really should be “in the meantime, he also took a sketch -(<i>bosquexo</i>) of the Prince of Wales, who presented him with one -hundred crowns.” The word “sketch,” however suggests another -difficulty, for the picture itself is a fine painting on canvas. -Mr. Ford, in his <i>Hand Book for Spain</i>, comes to the rescue, when -he says that Velasquez “seems to have drawn on the canvas, for any -sketches or previous studies are not to be met with.” Still, the -picture in question is all but finished. In it can be traced the -red earthy preparation of the canvas, and the light colour over it, -which Velasquez was accustomed to introduce. The pigments also bear -decisive<a name="page_II_103" id="page_II_103"></a> evidence of their belonging to the Spanish school, and -are exactly similar to the pigments used in the authenticated works -of Velasquez—“the Water Seller,” in the possession of his Grace -the Duke of Wellington; the portrait of Philip II., in the Dulwich -Gallery; and a whole-length portrait, the property of the Earl of -Ellesmere.</p> - -<p>Mr. Snare thus describes the painting itself:—</p> - -<p>“Prince Charles is depicted in armour, decorated with the order of -St. George; the right arm rests upon a globe, and in the hand is -held a baton; the left arm is leaning upon the hip, being partly -supported by the hilt of the sword; a drapery of a yellow ground, -crossed by stripes of red, is behind the figure, but the curtain is -made to cover one half of the globe on which the right arm is -poised; the expression is tranquil; but in the distance is depicted -a siege, numerous figures being there engaged in storming a town or -fortress.”</p> - -<p>Some proofs of identity are traceable in the costume and -accessories. Thus, among the jewels sent to the Prince, was “a fair -sworde, which was Prince Henry’s, fully garnished with dyamondes of -several bignes.”</p> - -<p>Now, the hilt of the sword in the picture sparkles as if jewelled. -The drapery, which covers half of the globe, is a rich yellow -damask, with streaks of red. These are the national colours of -Spain.</p> - -<p>In the “Memoirs of George Villiers, first Duke of Buckingham,” p. -17, we are told that, on the arrival of the Prince and Marquis—</p> - -<p>“He (Olivarez) then complimented the Marquis, and told him, ‘Now -the Prince of England was in Spain, their masters would divide the -world between them.’ ”</p> - -<p>Similar mention of dividing the world between them also occurs in -notices of the above meeting in the Journals of the House of -Commons; and in Buckingham’s Narrative, in Rushworth’s Historical -Collections. This may explain the Prince leaning on the globe, -while half of it is covered by the national drapery of Spain. -Still, the globe and drapery were afterthoughts in the painting.</p></div> - -<p><a name="page_II_104" id="page_II_104"></a></p> - -<p>The picture was exhibited for some time in Old Bond-street; but the -opinion in favour of its being by Velasquez did not gain ground among -connoisseurs: the distance has more of the painter’s manner than the -portrait itself, which is rather that of Vandyke. The pamphlet goes very -far to settle the identity of the picture with that mentioned in the -Fife House Catalogue; but the ascription may merely have been that of -the Earl of Fife; and it is somewhat strange that it should not have -been specially mentioned as the lost picture, had its identity been -positively settled.</p> - -<p>Since the publication of Mr. Snare’s pamphlet, Sir Edmund Head, in his -“Handbook of the History of the Spanish and French Schools of Painting,” -has expressed his disbelief in the authenticity of the picture being the -long-lost portrait; adding, first, it is not in his opinion by -Velasquez; secondly, it is a finished picture; and, thirdly, it -represents Charles as older than twenty-three years, which was his age -when at Madrid. Again, Mr. Stirling, in his “Annals of the Artists of -Spain,” published in 1848, does not consider the picture proved to be -that formerly at Fife House; nor does he regard it as a sketch, -(“bosquexo,”) but more than three parts finished. He thinks also that -Charles looks considerably older than twenty-three; and he sees “no -resemblance in the style of the execution to any of the acknowledged -works of Velasquez.” To both these objections, Mr. Snare replied, in a -second pamphlet, wherein he opposed to their opinions the cumulative -evidence of his unwearied investigations. His first pamphlet, “The -History and Pedigree<a name="page_II_105" id="page_II_105"></a>”—is a singularly interesting array of presumptive -evidence.<a name="FNanchor_15_15" id="FNanchor_15_15"></a><a href="#Footnote_15_15" class="fnanchor">[15]</a></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>HAYDON’S “MOCK ELECTION.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">While</span> Haydon was an inmate of the King’s Bench Prison, in July, 1827, a -burlesque of an election was got up. “I was sitting in my own -apartment,” (writes the painter,) “buried in my own reflections, -melancholy, but not despairing at the darkness of my own prospects, and -the unprotected condition of my wife and children, when a tumultuous and -hearty laugh below brought me to my window. In spite of my own sorrow’s, -I laughed out heartily when I saw the occasion.” (He sketched the -grotesque scene, painted it in four months with the aid of noblemen and -friends, and the advocacy of the press, in exciting the sympathy of the -country.) “To the joint kindness of each,” wrote the painter, in -gratitude, “I owe the peace of the last five months, without which I -never could have accomplished so numerous a composition in so short a -time.” The picture proved attractive as an exhibition; still better, it -was purchased by King George IV. for 500<i>l.</i>, and it was conveyed from -the Egyptian-<a name="page_II_106" id="page_II_106"></a>hall to St. James’s Palace. A committee of gentlemen then -undertook Mr. Haydon’s affairs; and with the purchase-money of the -picture, and the proceeds of the exhibition, the painter was restored to -the bosom of his family. In 1828, he painted, as a companion to this -picture, “The Chairing of the Members,” which was bought by Mr. Francis, -of Exeter, for 300 guineas.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>PORTRAITS IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> Eastern Zoological Gallery of the British Museum has its walls -decorated with an assemblage of portraits, in number upwards of one -hundred, forming, probably, the largest collection of portraits in the -kingdom. The execution of many of them is but indifferent; there are -others which are exceedingly curious; and some are unique. Great part of -them came into the Museum from having belonged to the Sloanean, -Cottonian, and other collections, which now form the magnificent -library; and others have been the gifts of individuals. Before the -rebuilding of the Museum, many of these pictures were stowed away in the -lumber-rooms and attics of the mansion; and it was principally at the -suggestion of an eminent London printseller, that they were drawn from -their “dark retreat,” cleaned, and the frames regilt, and hung in their -present position, above the cases containing the fine zoological -specimens. The Gallery itself occupies the whole of the upper story of -the wing of the edifice, and has five divisions formed by pilasters, on -the side walls, the ceilings being also divided into the same number of -compartments, which gives an harmonious proportion<a name="page_II_107" id="page_II_107"></a> to the whole it -would not otherwise possess. The light comes from elevated skylights, -and it may be a question whether, taken altogether, its advantages for -the display of paintings are not superior to those of the National -Gallery, in Trafalgar-square.</p> - -<p>Among the portraits are those of the English Sovereigns, including -Richard II., Henry V., Margaret Countess of Richmond, Edward VI., (no -doubt an original,) and Elizabeth, by Zucchero. Here are likewise -foreign sovereigns, British statesmen, heroes, and divines, &c., -peculiarly appropriate to the place; naturalists and philosophers, -mathematicians, navigators, and travellers, whose labours have -contributed to enrich this national Museum.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>A PAINTER OF THE DEAD.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Bacici</span>, a Genoese painter, in the seventeenth century, had a very -peculiar talent of producing exact likenesses of deceased persons he had -never seen. He first drew a face at random; and afterwards, altering it -in every feature, by the advice and under the inspection of those who -had known the subject, he improved it into striking resemblance.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>COPLEY’S PORTRAITS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> fame of Copley as a portrait-painter is comparatively limited. I can -speak (says Dr. Dibdin) but of <i>four</i> of his portraits from -reminiscence; those of the late Earl Spencer, Lord Sidmouth, Lord -Colchester, and the late Richard Heber, Esq.—the latter when a boy of -eight years, in the dining-room at Hodnet<a name="page_II_108" id="page_II_108"></a> Hall. These portraits, with -the exception of the last, are all engraved. That of Earl Spencer, in -his full robes as a Knight of the Garter, and in the prime of his -manhood, now placed at the bottom of the great historical portrait -gallery at Althorp, must have been a striking likeness; but, like almost -all the portraits of the artist, it is too stiff and stately. The -portrait of the young Heber has, I think, considerable merit on the -score of art. There is a play of light and shadow, and the figure, with -a fine flowing head of hair, mixes up well with its accessories. He is -leaning on a cricket-bat, with a ball in one hand. The face is, to my -eye, such as I could conceive the original to have <i>been</i>, when I first -remember him a Bachelor of the Arts at Oxford, full, plump, and -athletic. In short, as Dean Swift expresses it, “if you should look at -him in his boyhood through the magnifying end of the glass, and in his -manhood through the diminishing end, it would be impossible to spy any -difference.” The contemplation of <i>this</i> portrait has at times produced -mixed emotions of admiration, regard, and pity.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>“BONAPARTE REVIEWING THE CONSULAR GUARD.”</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">In</span> the year 1800, M. Masquerier had occasion to go to Paris on family -matters. Like a sensible man, who made all his pursuits available to the -purposes of his profession, he conceived the happy thought of obtaining -permission to make a portrait of Bonaparte, (then First Consul,) and -afterwards portraits of his generals the whole of which were -concentrated in one grand<a name="page_II_109" id="page_II_109"></a> picture, of the size of life, and exhibited -in this country as “Bonaparte Reviewing the Consular Guard.” It appears -that Masquerier, through the interest of a friend acquainted with -Josephine, got permission to be present at the Tuilleries, where he saw -Bonaparte in the <i>grey great-coat</i>, which has since been so well-known -throughout Europe. Masquerier remarked that Bonaparte’s appearance in -this costume was so different from all portraits which he had seen, that -he resolved to fix him in his sketch-book in this identical surtout, the -French thinking that the portrait of a great man must necessarily be -tricked out in finery. He sketched him just as he saw him, and carried -him to England; placing him upon a grey horse, his usual charger, and -surrounding him with his staff. The picture told in all respects. The -Prince Regent (afterwards George IV.) and Tallien, then in London on his -return from Egypt, were among the twenty-five or thirty-thousand -visitors who went to see it. Tallien left in the exhibition-room the -following testimony to the likeness of the First Consul:—</p> - -<p>“<i>J’ai vu le portrait du General Buonaparte fait par M. Masquerier, et -je l’ai trouvé tres resemblant.</i>” <span class="smcap">Tallien</span>, <i>Londres, ce 24 Mars, 1801</i>.”</p> - -<p>There is a print of this picture, which is scarce. The original was -afterwards sold, to be taken to America. Masquerier netted about -1000<i>l.</i> by this speculation, but the remuneration did not overpay the -toil. Such was the reaction, from incessant application and anxiety, -that the artist was confined to his room several weeks afterwards.<a name="page_II_110" id="page_II_110"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>LAWRENCE’S PORTRAIT OF CURRAN.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">One</span> of Lawrence’s most remarkable male portraits is that of Curran: -under mean and harsh features, a genius of the highest order lay -concealed, like a sweet kernel in a rough husk; and so little of the -true man did Lawrence perceive in his first sittings, that he almost -laid down his palette in despair, in the belief that he could make -nothing but a common or vulgar work. The parting hour came, and with it -the great Irishman burst out in all his strength. He discoursed on art, -on poetry, on Ireland; his eyes flashed, and his colour heightened; and -his rough and swarthy visage seemed, in the sight of the astonished -painter, to come fully within his own notions of manly beauty. “I never -saw you till now,” said the artist, in his softest tone of voice; “you -have sat to me in a mask; do give me a sitting of Curran, the orator.” -Curran complied, and a fine portrait, with genius on its brow, was the -consequence.</p> - -<p>Allan Cunningham, whose Memoir of Lawrence we quote, states how he -gradually raised his prices for portraits as he advanced to fame. In -1802, his charge for a three-quarter size was thirty guineas; for a -half-length, sixty guineas; and for a whole-length, one hundred and -twenty guineas. In 1806, the three-quarters rose to fifty guineas; and -the whole length to two hundred. In 1808, he rose the smallest size to -eighty guineas, and the largest to three hundred and twenty guineas; and -in 1810, when the death of Hoppner swept all rivalry out of the way, he -increased<a name="page_II_111" id="page_II_111"></a> the price of the heads to one hundred, and the full-lengths -to four hundred guineas. He knew—none better—that the opulent loved to -possess what was rare, and beyond the means of poorer men to purchase; -and the growing crowds of his sitters told him that his advance in price -had not been ill received.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>OPIE AND NORTHCOTE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">It</span> was the lot of Northcote to live long in something like a state of -opposition to Opie. They were both engaged in historical pictures, by -the same adventurous alderman, (Boydell,) and acquitted themselves in a -way which, with many, left themselves in a balance. In after life, when -Opie had ceased to be in any one’s way, Northcote would recal, without -any bitterness, their days of rivalry. “Opie,” said he to Hazlitt, “was -a man of sense and observation: he paid me the compliment of saying, -that we should have been the best of friends in the world if we had not -been rivals. I think he had more feeling than I had; perhaps, because I -had most vanity. We sometimes got into foolish altercations. I -recollect, once in particular, at a banker’s in the City, we took up the -whole of dinner-time with a ridiculous controversy about Milton and -Shakspeare. I am sure neither of us had the least notion which was -right; and when I was heartily ashamed of it, a foolish citizen added to -my confusion by saying, ‘Lor! what I would give to hear two such men as -you talk every day!’ On another occasion, when on his way to Devonport, -Opie parted with him where the road branches off for Cornwall. He<a name="page_II_112" id="page_II_112"></a> said -to those who were on the coach with him, ‘That’s Opie, the painter.’ ‘Is -it, indeed!’ they all cried, and upbraiding Northcote for not informing -them sooner. Upon this, he contrived, by way of experiment, to try the -influence of his own name; but his fame had not reached the enlightened -‘outsides;’ and the painter confessed he felt mortified.”—<i>Cunningham.</i></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>ORIGIN OF KIT-KAT PICTURES.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">In</span> Shire-lane, Temple Bar, is said to have originated the famous Kit-Kat -Club, which consisted of thirty-nine distinguished noblemen and -gentlemen zealously attached to the protestant succession of the house -of Hanover. The club is supposed to have been named from Christopher -Kat, a pastry-cook, who kept the house where the members dined; and who -excelled in making mutton-pies, which were always in the bill of fare, -these pies being called kit-kats. Jacob Tonson, the bookseller, was -secretary to the club. “You have heard of the Kit-Kat Club,” says Pope -to Spencer. Sir Richard Steele, Addison, Congreve, Garth, Vanburgh, -Manwaring, Stepney, and Walpole, belonged to it.</p> - -<p>Tonson, whilst secretary, caused the club meetings to be transferred to -a house belonging to himself at Barn Elms, and built a handsome room for -the accommodation of the members. The portrait of each member was -painted by Sir Godfrey Kneller; but, the apartment not being -sufficiently large to receive half-length pictures, a shorter canvas was -adopted; and hence the technical term of kit-kat size. Garth<a name="page_II_113" id="page_II_113"></a> wrote the -verses for the toasting-glass of this club, which, as they are preserved -in his works, have immortalized four of the reigning beauties at the -commencement of the last century—Lady Carlisle, Lady Essex, Lady Hyde, -and Lady Wharton.</p> - -<p>In 1817, the club-room was standing, and was the property of Mr. Hoare, -the London banker. Sir Richard Phillips visited it at this date, when it -was sadly in decay. It was 18 feet high, and 40 feet long, by 20 wide. -The mouldings and ornaments were in the most superb fashion of the last -century; but the whole was falling to pieces from the effects of -dry-rot. There was the faded cloth-hanging of the walls, whose red -colour once set off the famous portraits of the club that hung around -it. Their marks and sizes were still visible, and the numbers and names -remained as written in chalk for the guidance of the hanger! “Thus,” -says Sir Richard, “was I, as it were, by these still legible names, -brought into personal contact with Addison, and Steele, and Congreve, -and Garth, and Dryden, and with many <i>hereditary</i> nobles, remembered -only because they were patrons of those <i>natural</i> nobles!—I read their -names aloud!—I invoked their departed spirits!—I was appalled by the -echo of my own voice! The holes in the floor, the forests of cobwebs in -the windows, and a swallow’s nest in the corner of the ceiling, -proclaimed that I was viewing a vision of the dreamers of a past -age—that I saw realized before me the speaking vanities of the anxious -career of man! The blood of the reader of sensibility will thrill as -mine thrilled! It was<a name="page_II_114" id="page_II_114"></a> feeling without volition, and therefore incapable -of analysis!”</p> - -<p>Not long after this the club-room was united to a barn, to form a -riding-house. The kit-kat pictures were painted early in the eighteenth -century, and about the year 1710, were brought to this spot; but the -club-room was not built till ten or fifteen years afterwards. The -paintings were forty-two in number, and were presented by the members to -the elder Tonson, who died in 1736. He left them to his great nephew, -also an eminent bookseller, who died in 1767. They were then removed -from the building at Barn-Elms, to the house of his brother, at -Water-Oakley, near Windsor; and on his death, to the house of Mr. Baker, -of Hertingfordbury, where they were splendidly lodged, and in fine -preservation. We are not aware if the collection has been dispersed.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>COPLEY’S LARGE PICTURE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Copley</span>, the father of Lord Lyndhurst, painted a vast picture of the -Relief afforded to the Crew of the Enemy’s Gun-boats on their taking -fire at the Siege of Gibraltar. The painting was immense, and it was -managed by means of a roller, so that any portion of it, at any time, -might be easily seen or executed. The artist himself was raised on a -platform. The picture was at length completed, and a most signal mark of -royal favour was granted the painter, by his receiving permission to -erect a tent in the Green Park for its exhibition. It attracted -thousands. Beneath the principal subjects, in small, was painted<a name="page_II_115" id="page_II_115"></a> Lord -Howe’s relief of the garrison of Gibraltar; and the portraits of Lords -Heathfield and Howe, (heads only,) occupied each one side of this -smaller subject.</p> - -<p>When Copley’s magnificent picture, afterwards hung up in the Egyptian -darkness of the Council-room in Guildhall, was first exhibited, Dr. -Dibdin one day placed himself in front of it, and was sketching the -portrait of Lord Heathfield with a pencil on the last blank page of the -catalogue, when some one to his right exclaimed, “Pretty well, but you -give too much nose.” The Doctor turned round—it was the artist himself, -who smiled, and commended his efforts.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>SIR ROBERT KERR PORTER’S PANORAMA.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Mr</span>. (subsequently Sir) Robert Kerr Porter, at the age of nineteen -produced a performance at once inconceivable and unparalleled—the -panorama of <i>the Storming and Capture of Seringapatam</i>. It was not the -very first thing of its kind, because there had been a panorama of -London exhibited in Leicester Fields by Mr. Barker; but it was the very -first thing of its kind, if artist-like attainments be considered. The -learned, (says Dr. Dibdin,) were amazed, and the unlearned were -enraptured. I can never forget its impression upon my own mind. It was a -thing dropt from the clouds—all fire, energy, intelligence, and -animation. You looked a second time; the figures moved, and were -commingled in hot and bloody fight. You saw the flash of the cannon, the -glitter of the bayonet, the gleam of the falchion. You longed to be -leaping from crag to crag with Sir David Baird,<a name="page_II_116" id="page_II_116"></a> who is hallooing the -men on to victory! Then again, you seemed to be listening to the groans -of the wounded and the dying—and more than one female was carried out -swooning. The oriental dress, the jewelled turban, the curved and -ponderous scimitar—these were among the prime objects of favouritism -with Sir Robert’s pencil: and he touched and treated them to the very -spirit and letter of the truth. The colouring, too, was good and sound -throughout. The accessories were strikingly characteristic—rock, earth, -and water, had its peculiar and happy touch; and the accompaniments -about the sally-port, half choked up with the bodies of the dead, made -you look on with a shuddering awe, and retreat as you shuddered. The -public poured in by hundreds and by thousands for even a transient -gaze—for such a sight was altogether as marvellous as it was novel. You -carried it home, and did nothing but think of it, talk of it, and dream -of it. And all this by a young man of nineteen.</p> - -<p>Miss Jane Porter, Sir Robert’s sister, wrote for Dr. Dibdin a very -interesting narrative of this extraordinary work.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“It was two hundred and odd feet long,” says Miss Porter; “the -proportioned height I have now forgotten. But I remember, when I -first saw the vast expense of vacant canvas stretched along, or -rather in a semicircle, against the wall of the great room in the -Lyceum, where he painted it, I was terrified at the daring of his -undertaking. I could not conceive that he could cover that immense -space with the subject he intended, under a year’s time at least, -but—and it is indeed marvellous!—he did it in <small>SIX WEEKS</small>! But he -worked on it every day (except Sundays) during those weeks, from -sunrise until dark. It was finished during the time the committees -of the Royal Academy were sitting at Somerset House, respecting<a name="page_II_117" id="page_II_117"></a> -the hanging of the pictures there for that year’s exhibition; -therefore it must have been towards the latter end of April. No -artist had seen the painting of Seringapatam during its progress; -but when it was completed, my brother invited his revered old -friend, Mr. West, (the then President of the Royal Academy,) to -come and look at the picture, and give him his opinion of it, ere -it should be opened to the public view. * * * Mr. West went over -from the Lyceum, on the morning on which he had called to see my -brother and his finished painting, to Somerset House, where the -Committee had been awaiting his presence above an hour. ‘What has -detained our President so long?’ inquired Sir Thomas Lawrence of -him, on his entrance. ‘A wonder!’ returned he, ‘a wonder of the -world!—I never saw anything like it!—a picture of two hundred -feet dimensions, painted by that boy <span class="smcap">Kerr Porter</span>, in six weeks! and -as admirably done as it could have been by the best historical -painter amongst us in as many months!’ You, my dear Sir, need no -description of this picture; you saw it; and at the time of its -exhibition you also must have heard of, and probably also saw, some -of the affecting effects the truth of its pictorial war-tale had on -many of the female spectators.</p> - -<p>“After its exhibition closed, it was deposited, packed upon a -roller, in a friend’s warehouse. Thence, some circumstances caused -it to be removed successively to other places of supposed similar -security, but in one of which I believe it finally perished by the -accidental burning down of the premises. The original sketches of -this ‘noble and stupendous effort of art,’ as you so truly call it, -are now in my own possession; and you may believe I value them as -the apple of my eye. I must not forget to mention, with regard to -Seringapatam, that had our British government, at the time of my -brother’s ardour for these paintings, possessed a building large -enough for the purpose, he would have presented his country with -that picture, and three others on British historical subjects, to -form a perpetual exhibition for the benefit of its military and -naval hospitals. Mr. Pitt lamented to him the impossibility then, -of commanding such a building; so the project fell to the ground. -The last of these intended four pictures was that of ‘<i>The Battle -of Agincourt</i>,’ which my brother afterwards presented to the city -of London, where it was hung up in the Egyptian Hall of the Mansion -House. Some alterations in the room occasioned its being taken down -for a temporary purpose; but it never saw the light again until -<i>last year</i>, when (after above a dozen years<a name="page_II_118" id="page_II_118"></a> oblivion in—nobody -knew where), it was accidentally found in one of the vaulted -chambers under Guildhall. When disentombed, it was hastily spread -out against one of the walls of the great hall itself, and -announced, in the newspapers, as a picture of <i>unknown antiquity</i>, -of some also unknown but evidently distinguished artist; and most -probably it had been deposited in those vaults for security, at the -<i>great fire of London</i>, and had remained there, unsuspected, ever -since! The hall was thronged, day after day, to see it; and Sir -Martin Shee told me, that so great was the mysterious valuation the -discovery had put on it, that he heard he had been quoted as having -passed his opinion on it, that ‘it was a picture worth £15,000!’ -Without proper safeguards behind the canvas, a long exposure on the -wall would have injured the picture; and it was taken down again -before I came to London, after having heard of the discovery of the -‘<i>Agincourt</i>’—for I immediately recognised what, and whose, the -picture was—and hastened to inform the present gentlemen of the -city corporation accordingly.”</p></div> - -<p>Such is the affectionate narrative from the pen of the youthful -painter’s sister.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>ZOFFANI AND GEORGE III.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Zoffani</span> was employed by George III. to paint a scene from Reynolds’s -<i>Speculation</i>, in which Quick, Munden, and Miss Wallis were introduced. -The King called at the artist’s to see the work in progress; and at last -it was done, “all but the <i>coat</i>.” The picture, however, was not sent to -the palace, and the King repeated his visit. Zoffani, with some -embarrassment, said, “It is all done but the goat.” “Don’t tell me,” -said the impatient monarch; “this is always the way. You said it was -done all but the coat the last time I was here.” “I said the goat, and -please your Majesty,” replied the artist. “Ay!” rejoined the King; “the -goat or the coat, I care not which you call it; I say I will not have -the picture,” and was about to leave<a name="page_II_119" id="page_II_119"></a> the room, when Zoffani, in agony, -repeated, “It is the <i>goat</i> that is not finished,” pointing to a picture -of a goat that hung up in a frame, as an ornament to the scene at the -theatre. The King laughed heartily at the blunder, and waited patiently -till “the goat” was finished.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>THE TRUE FORNARINA.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">In</span> the year 1644, Cosmo, the son of Ferdinand II. de Medici, undertook a -journey, an account of which was written at the time by Philipe -Pizzichi, his travelling chaplain. This work was published at Florence, -in 1829. It contains some curious notices of persons and things, and, -among others, what will interest every lover of the fine arts. Speaking -of Verona, the diarist mentions the Curtoni Gallery of Paintings, in -which “the picture most worthy of attention is the Lady of Raffaello, so -carefully finished by himself, and so well preserved, that it surpasses -every other.” The editor of these travels has satisfactorily shown that -Raffaello’s lady here described is the true Fornarina; so that of the -three likenesses of her said to be executed by this eminent artist, the -genuine one is the Veronese, belonging to the Curtoni Gallery, then the -property of a Lady Cavalini Brenzoni, who obtained it by inheritance.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>HOGARTH AND BISHOP HOADLY.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Upon</span> pulling down the Bishop’s palace at Chelsea, many years ago, a -singular discovery was made. In a small room near the north front were -found, on the<a name="page_II_120" id="page_II_120"></a> plaster of the walls, nine figures as large as life, -three men and six women, drawn in outline, with black chalk, in a bold -and animated style. Of these correct copies have been published. They -display much of the manner of Hogarth, who, it is well known, lived on -intimate terms with Bishop Hoadly, and frequently visited his lordship -at this palace; and it is supposed that these figures apply to some -incident in the Bishop’s family, or to some scene in a play. His -lordship’s partiality for the drama is well known. His brother, who -resided in Chelsea, at Cremorne House, wrote one of the best comedies in -the English language—<i>The Provoked Husband</i>.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS’S PALETTE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Mr. Cribb</span>, of King-street, Covent Garden, has (1848), in his collection -of memorials of men of genius, a palette which belonged to Sir Joshua -Reynolds. It descended to Mr. Cribb from his father, who received it -from Sir Joshua’s niece, the Marchioness of Thomond. It is of plain -mahogany, and measures 11 inches by 7 inches, oblong in form, with a -sort of loop handle.</p> - -<p>Cunningham tells us that Sir Joshua’s sitters’ chair moved on castors, -and stood above the floor a foot and a half. He <i>held his palettes by a -handle</i>, and the sticks of his brushes were 18 inches long. The -following memoranda are dated 1755:—“For painting the flesh, black, -blue-black, white, lake, carmine, orpiment, yellow ochre, ultramarine, -and varnish. To lay the palette: first lay, carmine and white in -different<a name="page_II_121" id="page_II_121"></a> degrees; second lay, orpiment and white ditto; third lay, -blue-black and white ditto. The first sitting, for expedition, make a -mixture as like the sitter’s complexion as you can.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS’ BENEVOLENCE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Sir</span> Joshua once hearing of a young artist who had become embarrassed by -an injudicious marriage, and was on the point of being arrested, -immediately hurried to his residence, to inquire into the case. The -unfortunate artist told the melancholy particulars of his situation; -adding, that £40 would enable him to compound with his creditors. After -some further conversation, Sir Joshua took his leave, telling the -distressed painter he would do something for him. When bidding him adieu -at the door, Sir Joshua took him by the hand, and, after squeezing it -cordially, hurried off with a benevolent triumph in his heart—while the -astonished and relieved artist found in his hand a banknote for £100!</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>A TRIUMPH OF PAINTING.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> anecdotes of the dog which menaced a goat depicted by the faithful -pencil of Glover, and of the macaw, which, with beak and wings, attacked -the portrait of a female servant painted by Northcote, are well known. -Two family portraits, painted by Mr. J. P. Knight, were one day sent -home, when they were instantly recognised with great joy by a spaniel -which had been a favourite with the originals. On being taken into the -room, and perceiving the canvas thus stamped<a name="page_II_122" id="page_II_122"></a> with identity even to -illusion, the faithful dog endeavoured, by every demonstration of -affection, to attract the notice of her former friends; and was with -difficulty withheld by one of the bystanders from leaping upon them, and -overwhelming them with her caresses. This interesting recognition -continued for many minutes, and was repeated on the next and following -days; until finding, doubtless, that the scent was wanting, poor -“Flossy” slunk away abashed, in evident mortification that her -well-known playfellows were so regardless of her proffered kindness. -Yet, turning upon them both alternately many a wistful look, she seemed -unwilling to be convinced, even by experience, that she had thus -mistaken the shadow for the substance.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>MORLAND AT KENSAL-GREEN.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> Plough public-house at Kensal-green, on the road to Harrow, was a -favourite resort of George Morland. Here this errant son of genius was -wont to indulge in deep potations. He lodged hard by, and was frequently -in company with Ward, the painter, whose example of moral steadiness was -exhibited to him in vain. While at Kensal-green, Morland fell in love -with Miss Ward, a young lady of beauty and modesty, and soon afterwards -married her; she was the sister of his friend, the painter; and to make -the family union stronger, Ward sued for the hand of Maria Morland, and -in about a month after his sister’s marriage, obtained it.</p> - -<p>Morland’s courtship and honeymoon drew him<a name="page_II_123" id="page_II_123"></a> from the orgies at the -Plough, but on returning to the metropolis, he betook himself to his -former habits. Yet, with all his dissipation, Morland was not indolent; -as is attested by four thousand pictures, most of them of great merit, -which he painted during a life of forty years.</p> - -<p>Among Morland’s portraits is one which has become of peculiar historical -interest: it is a small whole-length of William the Fourth when a -midshipman. The sailor-prince is looking wistfully upon the sea, which -he loved far dearer than the cumbrous splendour of a crown.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>ORIGIN OF THE TAPESTRY IN THE OLD HOUSE OF LORDS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Henry Cornelius Vroom</span>, the Dutchman, having painted a number of devout -subjects, started for Spain to sell them; but was cast away upon a small -island near the coast of Portugal. The painter and some of the crew were -relieved by monks, who lived among the rocks, and they conducted them to -Lisbon, where Vroom was engaged by a picture-dealer to paint the storm -he had just escaped. In this picture he succeeded so well, that the -Portuguese dealer continued to employ him. He improved so much in -sea-pieces that he saved money, returned home, and applied himself -exclusively to that class of painting. He then lived at Haerlem, where -he was employed to design the suite of tapestry representing the Defeat -of the Spanish Armada, which hung for many years upon the walls of the -House of Lords, at Westminster. It<a name="page_II_124" id="page_II_124"></a> had been bespoken by Lord Howard of -Effingham, the Lord High Admiral of the English Fleet, which engaged the -Armada; it was sold by him to James the First. It consisted originally -of ten compartments, forming separate pictures, each of which was -surrounded by a wrought border, including the portraits of the officers -who held command in the English fleet. This tapestry was woven, -according to Sandrart, by Francis Spiering: it was destroyed in the fire -which consumed the two Houses of Parliament, in 1834. Fortunately, -engravings from these hangings were executed by Mr. John Pine, and -published in 1739, with illustrations from charters, medals, &c.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>MELANCHOLY OF PAINTERS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> following summary of the fortunes of painters is at once curious and -interesting:—</p> - -<p>“One must confess that if the poets were an order of beings of too great -sensibility for this world, the painters laboured still more under this -malady of genius. Zoppo, a sculptor, having accidentally broken the -<i>chef d’œuvre</i> of his efforts, destroyed himself. Chendi poisoned -himself, because he was only moderately applauded for the decorations of -a tournament. Louis Caracci died of mortification because he could not -set right a foot in a fresco, the wrong position of which he did not -perceive till the scaffolding was taken away. Cavedone lost his talent -from grief at his son’s death, and begged his bread from want of -commissions. Schidone, inspired with the passion of<a name="page_II_125" id="page_II_125"></a> play, died of -despair to have lost all in one night. There was one who languished, and -was no more from seeing the perfection of Raphael. Torrigini, to avoid -death at the hands of the Spanish Inquisition, put an end to himself, -having broken to pieces his own statue of the Virgin, an avaricious -hidalgo, who had ordered it, higgling at the price. Bandinelli died, -losing a commission for a statue; Daniel de Volterra, from anxiety to -finish a monument to Henry IV. of France. Cellini frequently became -unwell in the course of his studies, from the excitement of his -feelings. When one sums up the history of painters with the furious and -bloody passions of a Spagnoletto, and Caravaggio, Tempeste, and -Calabrese, one must suppose all their sensibilities much stronger than -those of the rest of mankind.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>THE CHANDOS PORTRAIT OF SHAKSPEARE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> far-famed picture, believed to be the only genuine portrait of the -poet, was bought at the sale at Stowe, in the autumn of 1848, by the -Earl of Ellesmere, for 355 guineas. Its history, as stated in the -<i>Athenæum</i> shortly after the period of the sale, is as follows:—“The -Duke of Chandos obtained it by marriage with the daughter and heiress of -a Mr. Nicholl, of Minchenden House, Southgate; Mr. Nicholl obtained it -from a Mr. Robert Keck, of the Inner Temple, who gave (the first and -best) Mrs. Barry, the actress, as Oldys tells us, forty guineas for it. -Mrs. Barry had it from Betterton, and Betterton had it from Sir William<a name="page_II_126" id="page_II_126"></a> -Davenant, who was a professed admirer of Shakspeare, and not unwilling -to be thought his son. Davenant was born in 1605, and died in 1668; and -Betterton, (as every reader of Pepys will recollect,) was the great -actor, belonging to the Duke’s Theatre, of which Davenant was the -patentee. The elder brother of Davenant, (Parson Robert,) had been heard -to relate, as Aubrey informs us, that Shakspeare had often kissed Sir -William when a boy.</p> - -<p>“Davenant lived quite near enough to Shakspeare’s time to have obtained -a genuine portrait of the poet whom he admired—in an age, too, when the -Shakspeare mania was not so strong as it is now. There is no doubt that -this was the portrait which Davenant believed to be like Shakspeare, and -which Kneller, before 1692, copied and presented to glorious John -Dryden, who repaid the painter with one of the best of his admirable -epistles.</p> - -<p>“The Chandos Shakspeare is a small portrait on canvas, 22 inches long by -18 broad. The face is thoughtful, the eyes are expressive, and the hair -is of a brown black. The dress is black, with a white turnover collar, -the strings of which are loose. There is a small gold ring in the left -ear. We have had an opportunity of inspecting it both before and after -the sale, and in the very best light, and have no hesitation in saying -that the copies we have seen of it are very far from like. It agrees in -many respects—the short nose especially—with the Stratford bust, and -is not more unlike the engraving before the first folio—or the Gerard -Johnson bust on the Stratford monument<a name="page_II_127" id="page_II_127"></a>—than Raeburn’s Sir Walter Scott -is unlike Sir Thomas Lawrence’s—or West’s Lord Byron unlike the better -known portrait by Phillips. It has evidently been touched upon; the -yellow oval that surrounds it has a look of Kneller’s age.”</p> - -<p>The opinion of the writer in the <i>Athenæum</i> is, that the Chandos picture -is not the original for which Shakspeare sat, but a copy made for Sir -William Davenant from some known and acknowledged portrait of the poet.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>COSTUME OF REYNOLDS’S PORTRAITS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Sir Joshua Reynolds</span> has done more than any one else to vindicate the art -of portrait-painting as indigenous to our country—he has started it -afresh from its lethargy and recovered it from its errors—placed -himself at once above all his countrymen who had preceded him, and has -remained above all who have followed. Like Holbein and Vandyke, Sir -Joshua put his stamp upon the times; or rather, like a true artist and -philosopher, he took that aggregate impression which the times gave. -Each has doubtless given his sitters a character of his own; but this is -not our argument. Each has also made his sitters what the costume of the -time contributed to make them. If Vandyke’s women are dignified and -lofty, it is his doing, for he was dignified and lofty in all his -compositions; if they are also childish and trivial, it is the accident -of the costume; for he was never either in his other pictures. If -Reynolds’s sitters are all simple, earnest, and sober, it is because he -was the artist, for he was so in all he touched; if they are<a name="page_II_128" id="page_II_128"></a> also -stately, refined, and intellectual, it was the effect of the costume, -for he was not so in his other conceptions. For instance, Lady St. -Asaph, with her infant, lolling on a couch, in a loose tumbled dress, -with her feet doubled under her, is sober and respectable looking—in -spite of dress and position. Mrs. Hope, in an enormous cabbage of a cap, -with her hair over her eyes, is blowsy and vulgar in spite of Reynolds.</p> - -<p>To our view, the average costume of Sir Joshua was excessively -beautiful. We go through a gallery of his portraits with feelings of -intense satisfaction, that there should have been a race of women who -could dress so decorously, so intellectually, and withal so becomingly. -Not a bit of the costume appeals to any of the baser instincts. There is -nothing to catch the vulgar, or fix the vicious. All is pure, noble, -serene, benevolent. They seem as if they would care for nothing we could -offer them, if our deepest reverence were not with it. We stand before -them like Satan before Eve, “stupidly good,” ready to abjure all the -fallacies of the Fathers, all the maxims of the moderns—ready to eat -our own words if they disapproved them—careless what may have been the -name or fame, family or fortune, of such lofty and lovely -creatures—yea, careless of their very beauty, for the <i>soul</i> that -shines through it. And then to think that they are all dead!—<i>Quarterly -Review.</i><a name="page_II_129" id="page_II_129"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>SIGN PAINTERS IN THEIR PRIME.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Before</span> the change that took place in the general appearance of London, -soon after the accession of George III., the universal use of signs, not -only for taverns and ale-houses, but also for tradesmen, furnished no -small employment for the inferior rank of painters, and sometimes even -for the superior professors. Cotton painted several good ones; but among -the most celebrated practitioners in this branch, was a person of the -name of Lamb, who possessed a considerable degree of ability. His pencil -was bold and masterly, well adapted to the subjects on which it was -generally employed. Mr. Wale, who was one of the founders of the Royal -Academy, and appointed the first Professor of Perspective in that -institution, also painted some signs; the principal one was a -full-length of Shakspeare, about five feet high, which was executed for -and displayed before the door of a public-house at the corner of Little -Russel Street, Drury Lane. It was enclosed in a sumptuously carved gilt -frame, and suspended by rich iron-work. But this splendid object of -popular attraction did not stand long before it was taken down, in -consequence of an Act of Parliament that was passed for paving, and -removing the signs and other obstructions from, the streets of London. -Such was the total change of fashion, and the consequent disuse of -signs, that this representation of the immortal bard was sold for a -trifle to a broker, at whose door it stood for several years, until it -was totally destroyed by the weather and other accidents.<a name="page_II_130" id="page_II_130"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>A BRIBE REPENTED.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> Duchess of Kingston was very anxious to be received by some crowned -head, as the only means of relief from the disgrace fixed upon her by -her trial and conviction for bigamy. The Court of Russia was chosen, -where pictures were sent as presents, not only to the Sovereign, but to -the most powerful of the nobles. Count Tchernicheff was represented to -the Duchess as an exalted character, to whom she ought, in policy, to -pay her especial <i>devoirs</i>. Feeling the force of the observation, she -sent him two paintings. The Duchess was no judge of pictures, and a -total stranger to the value of these pieces, which were originals by -Raphael and Claude Lorraine. The Count was soon apprised of this, and, -on the arrival of the Duchess at St. Petersburg, he waited on her Grace, -and professed his gratitude for the present, at the same time assuring -the Duchess that the pictures were estimated at a value in Russian money -equal to ten thousand pounds sterling. The Duchess could with the utmost -difficulty conceal her chagrin. She told the Count “that she had other -pictures, which she should consider it an honour if he would accept; -that the two paintings in his possession were particularly the -favourites of her departed lord; but that the Count was extremely kind -in permitting them to occupy a place in his palace, until her mansion -was properly prepared.” This palpable hint was not taken.<a name="page_II_131" id="page_II_131"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>PRACTICAL JOKES OF SWARTZ.</h3> - -<p class="nind">J. <span class="smcap">Swartz</span>, a distinguished German painter, having engaged to execute a -roof-piece in a public townhall, and to paint by the day, grew -exceedingly negligent; so that the magistrates and overseers of the work -were frequently obliged to hunt him out of the tavern. Seeing he could -not drink in quiet, he one morning stuffed a pair of stockings and shoes -corresponding with those that he wore, hung them down betwixt his -staging where he sat to work, removed them a little once or twice a-day, -and took them down at noon and night; and by means of this deception he -drank without the least disturbance a whole fortnight together, the -innkeeper being in the plot. The officers came in twice a-day to look at -him; and, seeing a pair of legs hanging down, suspected nothing, but -greatly extolled their convert Swartz as the most laborious and -conscientious painter in the world.</p> - -<p>Swartz had once finished an admirable picture of our Saviour’s Passion, -on a large scale, and in oil colours. A certain Cardinal was so well -pleased with it, that he resolved to bring the Pope to see it. Swartz -knew the day, and, determined to put a trick on the Pope and the -Cardinal, painted over the oil, in fine water-colours, the twelve -disciples at supper, but all together by the ears, like the Lapithæ and -the Centaurs. At the time appointed, the Pope and Cardinal came to see -the picture. Swartz conducted them to the room where it hung. They stood -amazed, and thought the painter mad. At length<a name="page_II_132" id="page_II_132"></a> the Cardinal said, -“Idiot, dost thou call this a Passion?” “Certainly I do,” said Swartz. -“But,” replied the Cardinal, “show me the picture I saw when here last.” -“This is it,” said Swartz, “for I have no other finished in the house.” -The Cardinal angrily denied that it was the same. Swartz, unwilling or -afraid to carry the joke further, requested that they would retire a few -minutes out of his room. No sooner had they done so, than Swartz, with a -sponge and warm water, obliterated the whole of the water-colour -coating; then, re-introducing the Pope and the Cardinal, he presented -them with a most beautiful picture of the Passion. They stood -astonished, and thought Swartz a necromancer. At last the painter -explained the mystery; and then, as the old chroniclers say, “they knew -not which most to admire, his work or his wit.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>AN ENCOURAGEMENT TO FRANKNESS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Richardson</span>, in his anecdotes of painting, tells the following:—“Some -years ago, a gentleman came to me to invite me to his house. ‘I have,’ -said he, ‘a picture of Rubens, and it is a rare good one. Little H—— -the other day came to see it, and says it is a copy. If any one says so -again, <i>I’ll break his head</i>. Pray, Mr. Richardson, will you do me the -favour to come and <i>give me your real opinion of it</i>?’ ”</p> - -<p class="c">THE END.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"> - -<p class="cb">FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> Southey’s Life of John Bunyan.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> In his Comic Miscellanies.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> Supported by the following note, written by Dr. Parr, in -his copy of “The Letters of Junius:”—“The writer of ‘Junius’ was Mr. -Lloyd, secretary to George Grenville, and brother to Philip Lloyd, Dean -of Norwich. This will one day or other be generally acknowledged.—S. -P.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a> Personal Recollections of the late Daniel O’Connell, M.P. -By William J. O’N. Daunt.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_5_5" id="Footnote_5_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a> See, also, an ensuing page, 120.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_6_6" id="Footnote_6_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_6"><span class="label">[6]</span></a> Johnson, by the way, had a strange nervous feeling, which -made him uneasy if he had not touched every post between the Mitre -Tavern and his own lodgings.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_7_7" id="Footnote_7_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor_7_7"><span class="label">[7]</span></a> The house has been destroyed many years.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_8_8" id="Footnote_8_8"></a><a href="#FNanchor_8_8"><span class="label">[8]</span></a> “The Dyotts,” notes Croker, “are a respectable and wealthy -family, still residing near Lichfield. The royalist who shot Lord Brooke -when assaulting St. Chad’s Cathedral, in Lichfield, on St. Chad’s Day, -was a Mr. Dyott.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_9_9" id="Footnote_9_9"></a><a href="#FNanchor_9_9"><span class="label">[9]</span></a> “I have seen,” says a Correspondent of the <i>Inverness -Courier</i>, “a copy of the second edition of Burns’s ‘Poems,’ with the -blanks filled up, and numerous alterations made in the poet’s -handwriting: one instance, not the most delicate, but perhaps the most -amusing and characteristic will suffice. After describing the gambols of -his ‘Twa Dogs,’ their historian refers to their sitting down in coarse -and rustic terms. This, of course, did not suit the poet’s Edinburgh -patrons, and he altered it to the following:— -</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">’Till tired at last, and doucer grown,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Upon a knowe they sat them down.’<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p> -Still this did not please his fancy; he tried again, and hit it off in -the simple, perfect form in which it now stands:— -</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">‘Until wi’ daffin weary grown,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Upon a knowe they sat them down.’ ”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_10_10" id="Footnote_10_10"></a><a href="#FNanchor_10_10"><span class="label">[10]</span></a> Campbell’s alterations were, generally, decided -improvements; but in one instance he failed lamentably. The noble -peroration of Lochiel is familiar to most readers:— -</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Shall victor exult, or in death be laid low,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">With his back to the field and his feet to the foe;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And leaving in battle no blot on his name,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Look proudly to heaven from the death-bed of fame.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p> -In the quarto edition of <i>Gertrude of Wyoming</i>, when the poet collected -and reprinted his minor pieces, this lofty sentiment was thus -stultified:— -</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Shall victor exult in the battle’s acclaim,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Or look to yon heaven from the death-bed of fame.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p> -The original passage, however, was wisely restored in the subsequent -editions.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_11_11" id="Footnote_11_11"></a><a href="#FNanchor_11_11"><span class="label">[11]</span></a> Abridged from “Practical Essays on the Fine Arts,” by John -Burnet, F.R.S., an acute and amusing work.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_12_12" id="Footnote_12_12"></a><a href="#FNanchor_12_12"><span class="label">[12]</span></a> See Haydon’s graphic letter in Brownlow’s “Memoranda; or, -Chronicles of the Foundling Hospital.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_13_13" id="Footnote_13_13"></a><a href="#FNanchor_13_13"><span class="label">[13]</span></a> Peg Woffington was for some time President of the Club; -and often, after she had been portraying on the stage -</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“The fair resemblance of a martyr queen,”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind"> -she was to be seen in the Club-room, with a pot of porter in her hand, -and crying out, “Confusion to all order! let liberty thrive!”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_14_14" id="Footnote_14_14"></a><a href="#FNanchor_14_14"><span class="label">[14]</span></a> The Germans are great admirers of English art, and a -picture by Wilkie has long graced the Gallery of Munich.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_15_15" id="Footnote_15_15"></a><a href="#FNanchor_15_15"><span class="label">[15]</span></a> There hangs in the Long or Zoological Gallery of the -British Museum a portrait of Charles I., when Prince of Wales. The -artist by whom this picture was executed is unknown. Neither in the -features, nor in the thoughtful expression of countenance, does it -resemble the portraits taken in his maturer age: the melancholy which -Vandyke has thrown into the celebrated picture of the King, at Windsor -Castle, is here wanting; yet this portrait is known to have been amongst -those that were sold by order of the Commissioners of the Commonwealth, -from the collection at Whitehall.</p></div> - -</div> - -<p><a name="transcrib" id="transcrib"></a></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="padding:2%;border:3px dotted gray;"> -<tr><th align="center">Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber:</th></tr> -<tr><td align="center">just by by chance=> just by chance {pg I,98}</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">snm of four hundred=> sum of four hundred {pg I,110}</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">had a great gout=> had a great goût {pg I,124}</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">proved his downfal=> proved his downfall {pg II,88}</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">have no hesitatation=> have no hesitation {pg II,126}</td></tr> -</table> -<hr class="full" /> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Anecdotes about Authors and Artists, by John Timbs - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ANECDOTES ABOUT AUTHORS AND ARTISTS *** - -***** This file should be named 50156-h.htm or 50156-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/1/5/50156/ - -Produced by Chris Curnow, ChuckGreif and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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