ed well of the community. We do not know any books that are more likely to be useful than most of those she has published; and while we willingly do all we can to promote their notoriety, we earnestly exhort her to multiply their number. We rather wifh fhe would write more moral tales; for though it requires fome refolution to diffuade the author of Belinda from delineating the character of fashionable life, we are fatisfied that fhe will do moft good by continuing the former publication. By works like Belinda or Leonora, fhe can only hope to correct the vices, or abafe the follies of three or four perfons of fashion: by improving the plan of the Moral Tales, the may promote the happiness and the refpectability of many thousands in all ranks of fociety. ART. XVII. Rhymes on Art; or, the Remonftrance of a Painter. In Two Parts. With Notes, and a Preface; Including Strictures on the State of the Arts, Criticism, Patronage, and Public Tafte. By Martin Archer Shee, R. A. The Second Edition, with an Additional Preface and Notes. Murray, London. 1805. THE HE poetical part of this work would have juftified a more ambitious title than that which the author has bestowed upon it. To us, indeed, its humility appears in some measure affected, and not very confiftent with the contempt expreffed at the commencement of the preface, for those who cry out for ' quarter' on first coming into the field. The explanation which Mr Shee offers, may perhaps in fome degree fecure him from the imputation; but certain it is, that merit may fometimes be undervalued, by its confcious poffeffor, from a latent expectation, that what he himself subtracts, the good nature of others will add to the amount of his praise. Amongst the motives which induced the author to give his work to the public, he informs us (note, p. 53. of the preface) that a flight seasoning of literary ambition had its fhare. But we cannot fee that the object of this ambition was likely to be accomplished by any production correfponding to the title by which he has uthered this effort of his Mufe into the world. Befides the poetical part of this volume, we have two prefaces and notes, neither of which, in point of magnitude, bear a very ordinary proportion to the poem which they accompany. The profe compofition, however, we have found not the least interesting part of the work; and with the exception of some paffages in which there is an unneceflary repetition of the fame thoughts and arguments which the author had previously difcuffed, we were 03 not not inclined to grudge it that proportion of the volume which it occupies. The reader's patience is indeed fomewhat tried by the prolix and not very novel remarks with which he is favoured, upon the feelings and views which accompany an adventure into the fields of literature. But after the author has fufficiently evinced his refpect for the public, by a profufion of bows and apologies on his first introduction to their prefence, he gradually acquires courage to enter upon the object of his vifit. This preparatory talk occupies about ten pages of the preface, at the end of which he difcovers it to be full time to request our attention to his bu finefs. Mr Shee is a refpectable portrait-painter in London. The laudable defign for which, in the prefent instance, he has laid afide his pencil for the pen, is to entreat, for the arts in his native country, that encouragement and fupport, on which they must, in every fituation, fo effentially depend. The author, indeed, fets out with the profeffed intention of illuftrating the principles of his But we agree with himself in thinking this the least interefting part of the work, which certainly derives its chief importance from the tendency it may have to bring into ferious confideration the most eligible public meafures for cultivating the genius and exciting the exertions of British artists. The perfection to which the arts were carried in those few and memorable periods when they were regarded as high and important objects of public fupport, and particularly under the liberal and magnificent patronage of the Medici family-the numbers who then attained an eminence, to which their fucceffors have fince looked up with a veneration approaching to defpair, seems a warrantable ground for us to hope that, under circumftances equally propitious, we might be again enabled to boaft of fuch artifts. The hiftory of the arts affords, indeed, fome folitary inftances of eminent fkill acquired in fituations the most unfavourable to their cultivation; but this, fo far from weakening the argument for liberal encouragement from men of taste and influence, only proves, that abilities and perfeverance are poffeffed by fome individuals in degrees far beyond what fall to the lot of men in general; and leads us to regret that genius, which, under disadvantages fo great, could maintain its activity and fire, had not been fupported by the vital influence of that generous patronage which would have raifed it to ftill greater fplendour. The place of public patronage, we are perfectly fatisfied, can never be fupplied with good effect, even to a fingle artift, by any fupport which it is in the power of an individual to beftow. To the favour of a fingle individual, the mind attaches certain unavoidable feelings of dependence, extremely unfavourable to the growth of thofe elegant mental qua lities, ན॰༥་་ Fities which go to the formation of real genius. By affording, as is often the cafe, an exclufive encouragement to particular branches and departments of the arts, individual patronage may alfo do the maft lafting injury to genius. From fuch caufes, how often has it been diverted from its natural channel into one lefs favourable to its particular bent! a misfortune against which the unreftrained choice afforded by public patronage would have been a fecurity. Little advantage, therefore, is to be expected from the zeal or munificence of a few individuals, unlefs their exertions be feconded by a favourable difpofition of the public mind; nor can we he fitate to affirm with Barry, that even the fplendid and diftinguishe ing patronage of Cofmo and Lorenzo di Medici would have been inadequate to have produced fuch avtifts as adorned Italy in the fifteenth and fixteenth century, had there not existed, at the fame period, a general diffufion of tafte in that country, and a marked difpofition to view both the artist and his work with that cordial efteem and enlightened admiration, which afford the higheft ftimulus to farther improvement. Where this difpofition is wanting, the arts cannot but languish and degenerate. From our entire conviction, indeed, that the higheft influence exerted in their behalf must in a great measure be ineffectual, where the arts do not receive from the public a fimilar cordiality of reception, or where the general tafte has taken a vulgar and contracted direction, we have our fears if any pecuniary provifion which the British Government could devife, would certainly be followed by those happy effects which Mr Shee appears to anticipate as their undoubted refult. The most important requifite toward the accomplishment of this defirable object, would be ftill in a great measure wanting. The tafte of the nation cannot be fuddenly created or reformed by any local establishment whatever. But though we are not quite fo fanguine as Mr Shee as to the immediate effects of fuch an establishment as he feems to look forward to, we would not be understood as infinuating that the confequences which might be expected to flow from it, are too inconfiderable to render the experiment worthy of trial. If any fuch experiment hall be judged proper, we trust it will be readily felt and acknowledged, that the probability of a fatisfactory iffue is diminished or increased in proportion to the liberality and extent of the scale on which it may be conducted. A national gallery for the reception of pictures, to illuftrate the exploits of British heroifm, was a propofal, if we mistake not, firft made by Mr Opie. This plan, more than any other of the kind we have heard of, feems worthy the attention of government, as it would ferve the double purpose of rewarding and encouraging the exertions of two claffes in fo 04 ciety, ciety, on whofe celebrity that of their country has no fmall dependence. Mr Shee remonftrates, and we fear with too much reason, against that illiberality which has for years paft characterized the mode of conducting the Royal Academy. This eftablishment-which ought to be national and comprehenfive; which fhould include within its walls every thing that is effential, expedient, or inviting to the progrefs of the ftudent; which fhould reft on a foundation worthy of the firft, the richeft, the moft powerful, the moft generous people on earth; and which, by foreigners, is fuppofed to be a fplendid example of public magnificence-derives its income from the difinterefted labours of artifts; poffeffes not a fingle original example of the old mafters; and, excepting the advantage of apartments at Somerfet Place, has not for many years received the smallest affiftance from the ftate. p. 47. Such is the unpromifing condition of an inftitution which infpired its first prefident, and brightest ornament, with the hope that the prefent age might vie in arts with that of Leo the Tenth, and that the dignity of the dyeing art might be revived under the reign of George the Third.' Whether the effects of the British inftitution will better correfpond to the hopes it has already excited, the iffue will evince. Our information as to the precife nature of this inftitution, is not fufficiently explicit to enable us to form any opinion of its merits. We can only ftate, that Mr Shee is not fingular in the conviction, that every thing liberal and munificent is intended,' and in the hope that every thing wife and efficacious will be the refult." The establishment of this inftitution, it appears, took place in the interval between the publication of the first and the second edition of the work before us. The event certainly ope rates as no fmall relief to the fpirits of the author. They before laboured under a depreffion which rendered him apparently partial to the contemplation of evils, which generally meet our view in full length portraits, at leaft as large as life. Every perfon,' fays he, interefted for the fine arts, or concerned for the reputation of his country, muft perceive, with more than regret, at the prefent moment, a growing difregard to the fate of the one, which cannot fail materially to affect the fplendour of the other. All patriotic intereft in the cultivation of British genius appears to be at an end; thofe who fhould be the patrons of artifts have ceased to be even their employers, cedant arma toga;-the painter gives way to the picture-dealer; they who poffefs tafte are indifferent, and they who pretend to it are hoftile. ' Pref. p. x. This tone is difcoverable through the whole performance, except in a few of the paffages which are added in this edition, in which we find this dark and melancholy fcene beginning to brighten. He now tells us, that liberal ideas are abroad,' and that 'the feeds of protection are fown in a congenial foil.' It is the inftitution to which we before alluded that has effected fo great a change in our author's views. That this change in his colouring is warranted by the caufe, we do not pretend to queftion; but we doubt if the dark fide of the picture be so true a representation of the reality. Though we readily agree that the encouragement given to the arts in this country has hitherto been lefs than their wellwifhers must have defired, yet the neglect has not, of late, been fo very great as to threaten their finking under difficulties which neither zeal, industry, nor genius, can withstand.' (p. xix. Pref.) If this were the cafe, how comes it that the author has no hesitation to affert that, from the productions of living genius at this moment in Great Britain, might be produced examples of excellence in every department of the art that would adorn the nobleft collections, and reflect honour on any age or nation?' (p. xxxiv, Pref.) Amongst the caufes which have contributed to retard the improvement of our national tafte, and of confequence the progrefs of the arts, the author justly lays much stress on the want of pictures in our public buildings, and particularly on the ecclefiaftical law which has expelled them out of our churches. •No patriot acts adorn our public halls ; It is obvious, indeed, that, without a more eafy and frequent access to good pictures, the poffeffion of true taste and enlightened relish for the art, is as little to be expected in the nation at large, as a knowlege of refined architecture in him who has rarely feen a higher fpecimen than his employer's cotton-mill: not that the nation cannot boast of none who have fuccefsfully cultivated a taste for this art, but that the difficulties which obstruct the access to it are fuch as to confine the circle to those who have better opportunities, or more zeal than men in general poffefs, though, in all other refpects, fufficiently qualified for the attainment. It is thus that, instead of competent judges, whofe opinions would be invaluable, the artift has fo frequently to encounter the petulance which accompanies a little learning. Whatever ground there might once have been to authorise our reformers to interdict, in our churches, thofe elegant and interesting ornaments which the arts fupply, we cannot but suppose with our author, though we do not here intend to difcufs the merits of the question, that, at the prefent day, there are as ftrong arguments to be produced to refute the propriety of this law, as could be urged in its defence. We |