Monday, November 19. N° 226. -Mutum eft pictura poema. A picture is a poem without words. IH HOR HAVE very often lamented and hinted my forrow in feveral fpeculations, that the art of painting is made fo little ufe of to the improvement of our manners. When we confider that it places the action of the perfon represented in the most agreeable afpect imaginable, that it does not only exprefs the paflion or concern as it fits upon him who is drawn, but has under thofe features the height of the painter's imagination, what ftrong images of virtue and humanity might we not expect would be inftilled into the mind from the labours of the pencil? This is a poetry which would be understood with much lefs capacity, and lefs expence of time, than what is taught by writings; but the ufe of it is generally perverted, and that admirable skill proftituted to the bafeft and moft unworthy ends. Who is the better man for beholding the most beautiful Venus, the best wrought Bacchanal, the images of fleeping Cupids, languishing nymphs, or any of the reprefentations of gods, goddeffes, demigods, fatyrs, polyphemes, fphinxes, or fawns? But if the virtues and vices, which are fometimes pretended to be reprefented under fuch draughts, were given us by the painter in the characters of real life, and the perfons of men and women whofe actions have rendered them laudable or infamous; we should not fee a good hiftory-piece without receiving an inftructive lecture. There needs no other proof of this truth, than the teftimony of every reafonable creature who has feen the cartons in her majefty's gallery at Hampton-court: thefe are reprefentations of no lefs: actions than thofe of our bleffed Saviour and his apoftles. As I now fit and recollect the warm images which the admirable Raphael has raised, it is impoffible even from the faint traces in one's memory of what one has not feen these two years, to be unmoved at the horror and reverence which appear in the whole assembly when the mercenary man fell down dead; at the amazement of the man born blind, when he first receives fight; or at the graceless indignation of the forcerer, when he is ftruck blind. The lame, when they firft find strength in their feet, ftand doubtful of their new vigour. The heavenly apoftles appear acting thefe great things, with a deep fenfe of the infirmities which they relieve, but no value of themfelves who adminifter to their weakness. They know themselves to be but inftruments; and the generous diftrefs they are painted in when divine honours are offered to them, is a reprefentation in the moft exquifite degree of the beauty of holinefs. When St. Paul is preaching to the Athenians, with what wonderful art are almoft all the different tempers of mankind represented in that elegant audience? You fee one credulous of all that is faid, another wrapt up in deep fufpenfe, another faying there is fome reafon in what he fays, another angry that the apostle defiroys a favourite opinion which he is unwilling to give up, another wholly convinced and holding out his hands in rapture, while the generality attend, and wait for the opinion of those who are of leading characters in the affembly. I will not pretend fo much as to mention that chart on which is drawn the appearance of our bleffed Lord after his refurrection. Present authority, late suffering, humility and majefty, defpotic command, and divine love, are at once feated in his celeftial afpect. The figures of the eleven apoftles are all in the fame paffion of admiration, but difcover it differently accordingly to their characters. Peter receives his malter's orders on his keees with an admiration mixed with a more particular attention: the two next with a more open ecftafy, though ftill conftrained by the awe of the divine prefence; the beloved difciple, whom I take to be the right of the two first figures, has in his countenance wonder drowned in love; and the laft perfonage, whofe back is towards the fpectators, and his fide towards the prefence, one would fancy to be St. Thomas, as abafhed by the confcience of his former diffidence which perplexed concern it is poffible Raphael thought 1 too hard a task to draw but by this acknowledgment of the difficulty to describe it. The whole work is an exercise of the highest piety in the painter; and all the touches of a religious mind are expreffed in a manner much more forcible than can poffibly be performed by the moft moving eloquence. Thefe invaluable pieces are very juftly in the hands of the greatest and moft pious fovereign in the world; and cannot be the frequent object of every one at their own leifure: but as an engraver is to the painter, what a painter is to an author, it is worthy her majefty's name, that he has encouraged that noble artist, monfieur Dorigny, to publifh these works of Raphael. We have of this gentleman a piece of the transfiguration, which, I think, is held a work fecond to none in the world. Methinks it would be ridiculous in our people of condition, after their large bounty to foreigners of no name or merit, fhould they overlook this occafion of having, for a trifling fubfcription, a work which it is impoffible for a man of fenfe to behold, without being warmed with the nobleft fentiments that can be infpired by love, admiration, compaffion, contempt of this world, and expectation of a better. It is certainly the greatest honour we can do our country, to diftinguish ftrangers of merit who apply to us with modesty and diffidence, which generally accompanies merit. No opportunity of this kind ought to be neglected; and a modeft behaviour fhould alarm us to examine whether we do not lofe fomething excellent under that difadvantage in the poffeffor of that quality. My skill in paintings, where one is not directed by the paffion of the pictures, is fo inconfiderable, that I am in very great perplexity when I offer to fpeak of any performances of painters, of landskips, buildings, or fingle figures. This makes me at a lofs how to mention the pieces which Mr. Boul expofes to fale by auction on Wednesday next in Chandois-ftreet: but having heard him commended by thofe who have bought of him heretofore for great integrity in his dealing, and overheard him himfelf, though a laudable painter, fay nothing of his own was fit to come into the room with thofe he had to fell, I feared I fhould lofe an occafion of ferving a man of worth, in omitting to fpeak of his auction. T. N° 227. Tuefday, November 20. Ὤ μοι ἐγὼ τι πάθω ; τὶ ὁ δύσσους; οὐχ ὑπακούεις κ IN THEOCR. my laft Thursday's paper I made mention of a place called the Lover's Leap, which I find has raifed a great curiofity among feveral of my correfpondents. I there told them that this leap was used to be taken from a promontory of Leucas. This Leucas was formerly a part of Acarnania, being joined to it by a narrow neck of land, which the fea has by length of time overflowed and washed away; fo that at prefent Leucas is divided from the continent, and is a little island in the Ionian fea. The promontory of this island, from whence the lover took his leap, was formerly called Leucate. If the reader has a mind to know both the ifland and the promontory by their modern titles, he will find in his map the ancient ifland of Leucas under the name of St. Mauro, and the ancient promontory of Leucate under the name of the Cape of St. Mauro. Since I am engaged thus far in antiquity, I must obferve that Theocritus in the motto prefixed to my paper, defcribes one of his defpairing shepherds addreffing himfelf to his mitrefs after the following manner : "Alas! "what will become of me! Wretch that I am! Will you not hear me? I will throw off my clothes, and "take a leap into that part of the fea which is fo much frequented by Olpis the fifherman. And though I "fhould efcape with my life, I know you will be pleased "with it." I fhall leave it with the critics to determine whether the place which this fhepherd fo particularly points out, was not the above-mentioned Leucate, or at leaft fome other lover's leap, which was fupposed to have had the fame effect. I cannot believe, as all the interpreters do, that the fhepherd means nothing farther here than that he would drown himfelf, fince he reprefents the iffue of his leap as doubtful, by adding, that if he should escape with life, he knows his mistress would be pleased with it; which is according to our interpretation, that fhe would rejoice any way to get rid of a lover who was fo troublefome to her. After this fhort preface, I fhall prefent my reader with fome letters which I have received upon this fub ject The first is fent me by a physician. Mr. SPECTATOR, THE Lover's Leap, which you mention in your 223d paper, was generally, I believe, a very effec-tual cure for love, and not only for love, but for all other evils. In short, fir, I am afraid it was fuch a leap as that which Hero took to get rid of her paffion for Leander. A man is in no danger of breaking his heart, who breaks his neck to prevent it. I know very well the wonders which ancient authors relate con-cerning this leap; and in particular that very many perfons who tried it, escaped not only with their lives. but their limbs. If by this means they got rid of their love, though it may in part be afcribed to the reasons you give for it; why may we not fuppofe that the cold bath into which they plunged themfelves, had alfo fome share in their cure? A leap into the fea, or into any creek of falt waters, very often gives a new motion to the fpirits, and a new turn to the blood; for which 'reafon we prefcribe it in diftempers which no other medicine will reach. I could produce a quotation out of a very venerable author, in which the frenzy produced by love is compared to that which is produced. by the biting of a mad dog. But as this comparison is a little too coarfe for your paper, and might look: as if it were cited to ridicule the author who has made: ufe of it; I fhall only, hint at it, and defire you to> *. confider whether, if the frenzy produced by these two ". |