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gate. An iron gate in cottage scenery, every way offensive, even the sound in its falling-to is shrill, harsh, and dissonant, and disturbs the tranquillity of the scene. The shutting of a gate in the stillness' of evening, is a sound that creates an interest. The expected return of a friend, the solitary peasant retiring from his labour, its echoes among the woods; each of these affords a theme of reflection; even the sound itself is pleasing, either mingled with other sounds, or breaking for a moment the silence that reigns around."

In the third essay the author considers the cottages of the poor, and claims with great earnestness and humanity the attention of land owners to the comfortable habitation of their labourers. It is well observed that convenient room for cleanliness, and proper separation of the sexes is necessary for the health and the morals of the family, while the products of a garden ground, and a few rented acres would banish the abject poverty and hard necessity which breaks the spirit of the poor man, renders him careless of character, and impels him to knavery and depredation. Is it to be wondered at, (exclaims the author with benevolent zeal) that men whose hearts are chilled by the icy gripe of poverty and distress, whose houses, or rather huts, exhibit nought but wretchedness, in short, who are to expect no comfort at their return from toil; is it to be wondered at, that deprived as it were of every thing which should constitute happiness in their own family, they seek with eagerness the comfort of an alehouse fire, and any society or amusement capable of producing a momentary oblivion to their cares?"

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Copious as our extracts have been, we cannot refuse ourselves the pleasure of quoting, in contrast to these melancholy reflections, the beautiful description of a happy cottage.

"In the humblest cot there are innumerable little circumstances to which attention may be directed; and which, though trifling in themselves, and almost equally so in regard to expence, tend greatly to heighten the pic turesque appearance externally, as well as its character and comforts internally.

"A warm and comfortable cottage, under every circumstance of seasons, is an object calculated to produce the most pleasant sensations. In spring and summer, the surrounding verdure, the little garden decorated with flowers and loaded with fruit, to which add

cleanliness and cheerfulness, place it among the most interesting and rural scenes.,

of its cheerful hearth.

it has been before observed, is considerably "The picturesque character of a cottage, increased by ivy, or other creeping plants, climbing about it; but in the peasant's cettage, beauty and emolument should go handin-hand, and be kept constantly in view: therefore, instead of the ivy or the honeysuckle, let the apricot, the pear, the pluab, or any other productive wall-fruit, be placed as a substitute; the north aspect alone, as u favourable to the ripening of fruit, may be reserved for ivy, the situation of all othes most adapted to its nature. The vine is by far the most beautiful of all the wall-frut trees, and where it meets with a situation that it likes, is by no means unproductive."

And again:

"The more elegant creeping plants suffered to twine about the door or windows, native wildness, have an effect so nearly alliel whose regularity they break with all ther in idea to the primitive simplicity of past ages, an effect (if I may be allowed the expres sion) so classical, that it always excites out

admiration.

"They may sometimes be allowed to aspire even to the chimney, where their de licate tendrils flaunting in the breeze are seca to advantage; but if carried further than this, produces a heaviness that is disagreeable." the very profusion destroys the effect, and

priety, the same power of combination, the same vividness of conception, the same creativeness of mind, are necessary in both; these intellectual endowments are convertible to other purposes, and accordingly great painters, and great poets, are found to have distinguished themselves in every department. Salvator excelled as a poet, Rubens as a statesman, Michael Angelo, and Raffaello, as architects, Leonardo da Vinci in every accomplishment, and every branch of human knowledge. To instance this same convertibility of genius in the poets, we need not look beyond England. Chaucer was the most scientific man of his contemporary countrymen: the wisest treatise upon Ireland which has been written is the work of Spenser. Sidney, for the author of the Arcadia is, in the truest sense of the word, a poet, ap proaches more nearly to the idea of a perfect man, as well as of a perfect knight, than any character of any age or nation; and, when Charles I. was brought to the block, Milton was the man chosen by the commonwealth of England to justify the action to all Europe, and to all poste

rity.

But more is required of the poet than of the painter; a wider range of knowledge, and more continuous exertion of thought; his reward is proportionately greater; the picture produces the most general effect; whoever sees it understands it to the measure of his capacity; it is, in this respect, as universal as music; but it is material, and therefore perishable. Of all the Grecian painters, not a relic survives ; and, were it not for the accidental discovery of engraving, the pictures of Michael Angelo, and Raffaello, would share the fate of those of Zeuxis, and Parrhasius, and Apelles. It falls to the lot of few to see the masterpieces of the art, and, after they have been seen, the impression which they leave becomes, day after day, more faint. But we lay up the treasures of poetry in our memory, and in our hearts. The tooth of time, said Burns to one of his poetical friends, who might with more propriety have addressed the noble praise to him

"The tooth of time may gnaw Tamallin,

But thou's for ever."

The engraver, therefore, stands in a higher relation to the painter, than the translator to the poet; he not only ex

tends his sphere of fame, but he preserves it, and without him it would perish.

Mr. Duppa is well known to the public, by his account of the subversion of the papal government; when that event took place, he was busied in studying those fresco pictures, the characteristic merits of which are here elucidated. To speak of the merits of the two great artists, with whose works we are thus made more accurately acquainted, would be superfluous: to names so celebrated no commendation now can add celebrity.

The preface to the first of these works does not enter into the life of Michael Angelo, that being reserved for a separate publication. It relates chiefly to the great picture, from which the heads are selected.

with perhaps an exception to one part, is "The general design of this composition, strictly conformable to the doctrine and tenets of the Christian faith. Angels are represented as sounding trumpets, the dead as rising from the grave and ascending to be judged by their Redeemer, who, accompanied by the Virgin Mary, stands surrounded by martyred both sexes, who, having passed their trial, saints. On his right and left are groups of piness. On the opposite side to the resurare supposed to be admitted into eternal haprection and ascension, are the condemned precipitated down to the regions of torment, and at the bottom is a fiend in a boat conducting them to the confines of perdition, where the other fiends are ready to receive them. In two compartments at the top of the picture, which are made by the form of bearing the different insignia of the passion. the vaulted ceiling, are groups of figures

"A minute criticism of this extensive picture might rather perplex than inform the general reader, yet illimited and indiscrimi nate praise serves only to characterise a heated imagination, and rarely advances the credit of either the work or the encomiast. Varchi and Vasari are both of this description; their judgment is lost in their admiration, and stowing encomium. They are not, however, peculiar in wishing that the abilities of their friends should appear to have increased with declining years; and as this was the most important of his latter works, it is easy to apologise for their desire of representing it as the most perfect.

words seem insufficient for their desire of be

"Amidst such an assemblage of figures, some groups may reasonably be expected more admirable than others, more justly conceived, or happily executed : and it cannot be denied, that there are many parts which shew the plenitude of Michael Angelo's talents: yet, upon the whole, comparing him with huself, it may be questioned, whether this

picture, stupendous as it is, does not rather mark the decline than the acme of his genius. The satire of Salvator Rosa, in these lines, is well known; and, though put into the mouth of the critic Biagio Martinelli, appears not to be wholly ill founded:

"Michel Angiolo mio, non parlo in gioco; Que to che dipingete è un gran Giudizio : Ma, del Giudizio voi n'avete poco."

"In addition to his adopting the unphilosophical notions of the darker ages, to comply with the vulgar prejudices of his time, the painter has also injudiciously added some ludicrous embellishments of his own. But the most serious exception made to the general composition by his contemporaries, was that of violating decorum, in representing so many figures without drapery, The first person who made this objection was the pope's master of the ceremonies, who, seeing the picture when three parts finished, and being asked his opinion, told his holiness, that it was more fit for a brothel than the pope's chapel. This circumstance caused Michael Angelo to introduce his portrait into the picture with ass's ears; and not overlooking the duties of his temporal office, he represented him as master of the ceremonies in the lower world, ordering and directing the disposal of the damned; and, to heighten the character, wreathed him with a serpent, Dante's well known attribute of Minos:

"Stavvi Minos orribilmente, e rhingia : Esamina le colpe nell' entrata, Giudica e mauda, secondo ch avvinghia. Dies, che quando Vanima mal nata Li vieu dinangi; tutta si confessa ; E quel conoscitor delle peccata Vede quol luogo d' interno è da essa; Cignesi cou la coda tante volte, Quantunque gradi vuol, che qui sia messa INFERNO, Canto V. "It is recorded, that the monsignore petitioned the pope to have this portrait taken out of the picture, and that of the painter put in its ste d; to which the pope is said to have replied, " Had you been in purgatory, there might have been some remedy, but from hell, nulla est redemptio."

"However this may have been, the portrait still remains, (V. Pl. IV.); yet it would seem, succeeding popes were less indulgent to the feelings of Michael Angelo, and more disposed to adopt those of Martinelli; for Adrian VI. was so disgusted with the picture, that he had

it in contemplation to destroy it entirely and Paul IV. would certainly have whitewashed the wall, had it not been suggested to him, that drapery might still be added to obviate his objections; for which purpose Daniel de Volterre was afterwards employed, and his additions still remain.

"For the credit of this great master whose talents were so unworthily en gaged, it is but justice to observe, that he made no alteration in the picture, which might not at any time be easily removed; as he purposely painted the drapery in a different process, to prevent its uniting with the original colour, ing."

One main object which Mr. Duppa had in view, in the selections both from this master and from Raffaello, was to shew, that there is a just feeling of chiar' oscuro, corresponding with grandeur of design, in the fresco works of both, and that the light and shadow is distributed in masses, unlike the oil pictures of the Roman and Florentine schools, which are generally without any science of chiar'oscuro, and the drawing of the features hard and liney, consequently the general composition frittered into parts, which is materially disadvantageous to the impression a picture ought to make upon the mind as a whole. Plates 6, 8, 10, in Michael Angelo, and the heads from the jurisprudence, and the retreat of Attila in Raffaello, are good examples, and indisputably prove that the principle was well understood by both; a fact that could never be inferred from the oil pictures which go under their names. These great masters therefore are vindicated from the imputation of having been deficient in the knowledge of what, in the language of painters, is called breadth, as well in drawing as in light and shadow. To render justice to the illustrious dead, is always a worthy occupation; but Mr. Duppa will benefit future artists as well as the past, if by these magnificent publications he should make the public inquire about those masters who have gone out of fashion in modern times, because they were sup posed not to possess the subordinate requisites of historical painting. This demonstration of their union, in these works of acknowledged sublimity, may possibly occasion a reformation in the English school, where the utmost ex