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At Venice, Mr. Murray, the English minister, and Mr. Smith, the British consul, obtained for him the same privilege of study in the academy of that city.

In 1792 Mr. West was complimented with a diploma as a member by the Philosophical Society of Philadelphia.

In 1779 the Prince of Waldeck honoured him with a gold medal, and a whole length portrait of himself and his painter looking at the death of Wolfe, which Mr. West painted for that prince. In the year 1781 the Duke of Courland complimented him with a gold medal, and rewarded him with great liberality for two pictures which he was commissioned to paint for him; the subjects were, Romeo and Juliet parting in the morning, and its companion, the couch scene of King Lear and his daughter.

In 1786 he became a member of the society established at Boston for the encouragement of arts and science.

In the year 1802 he was, without any previous knowledge, elected a member of the National Institute at Paris, in the department of fine arts.

In the year 1804 he was appointed a member of the Academy of Arts at New York.

In his first discourse to the Royal Academy on his being chosen president, (a discourse which he permitted to be published) he lamented, when in Italy, to observe the decline of the art of painting in that country. The more he investigated the cause of such degeneracy, contrasted with the glory and splendour of the art a century and a half before, the more inclined was he to impute it not only to the imbecile and corrupt taste of the patrons, but to the selfish manner of inculcating the principles of the art by those professors who elevated themselves to the dignity of masters, and erected their petty schools in every town and city. The professor was almost always the disciple of some such school as that over which he presided, and was retailing manner after manner, till the whole sunk into mannerism and insipidity.

It was the duty of Mr. West, in the station which he filled, to reprobate this mannerism, as well by precept as example; and it becomes us to remark that, in the productions of his own pencil, he has imitated no master, but been content to draw his knowledge from a higher fountain, and instruct MONTHLY MAG. NO. 338.

himself from the mistress of all art--general and unchangeable Nature.

In his Agrippina we see the Roman matron, the grand-daughter of Augustus, bearing in her arms the ashes of her husband Germanicus, her children by her side, the pledges of her husband's love, and the only object of concern to her maternal feelings: we see her in the midst of Roman ladies, and surrounded by a Roman people, with all their proper attributes.

In the Regulus we see the stern and inflexible Roman, deaf to all the ties of nature, but that of heroic devotion and love to the cause of his country, and that in the midst of all that was Roman, except the Carthaginians.

In his Wolfe we see a British hero, on the heights of Abraham, in North America, expiring in the midst of heroes and of victory, with all the characteristics of Britons, in 1759.

In the Penn we see the legislator, with the simplicity and dignity of a man administering justice to others, and diffusing his bounties in the midst of savage tribes, and disarming their ferocity by his rectitude and benevolence.

In the picture of Alexander the Third, king of Scotland, attacked by a stag, we remark a Scottish people, fierce and brave in rescuing their king from the threatened danger.

In the picture of Moses receiving the law on Mount Sinai, we see the Jewish sages with humility in the presence of God, whilst their lawgiver, with a conscious firmness, raises the tables into heaven for the signature of the Deity.

In the picture of Cressy and Poictiers we behold the juvenile hero, his paternal sovereign, and the nobles with their heroic vassals, in proud triumph, their gothic banners waving in the wind; and in the battle of Poictiers we behold the same hero, with manly demeanour, receiving the vanquished king, expressing an air of welcome, and treating him more as a visitor than as a captive.

In the picture of St. Paul shaking the viper from his finger, in the chapel at Greenwich, we see that apostle unshaken in the midst of bands of armed Roman soldiers, and the poisonous reptile hanging to his hand: the multitude of men, women, and children, cast on shore by the wreck of the ship, bespeaks the deplorable situation of such a mixture of sex and ages, composed of Jews, Romans, and islanders.

In the picture of the Battle of La 2 H Hogue,

Hogue, we see all that marked the courage of the English and the Dutch on the memorable event of that sea vic

tory.

In the Interview between Calypso and Telemachus on the sea-shore of Ogygia, the passion, character, and propriety are equally preserved. The astonishment of Telemachus at the sight of the majestic goddess and her nymphs is pourtrayed so masterly in the countenance of the young Ithacan, that the beholder reads his whole course of thoughts upon the canvas.

In the picture of Cicero and the Magistrates of Syracuse ordering the tomb of Archimedes to be cleared from the wood and bushes that obscured it, all is classical and appropriate in the design, the character, and the grouping.

In the picture of Phaeton receiving from Apollo his last commands how to govern the chariot of the Sun, the boldness of the ambitious youth is sublimely contrasted with the parental solicitude of Apollo. All the images of the poet are upon the canvas; the swift Hours harnessing the horses, and leading the fiery steeds with their silken reins; the palace, the chariot, the four seasons, the zodiac, all have their place, their characters, and attributes: in one place we behold the rosy-fingered morn unbarring the gates of light (the Pododakluλos Nas); in another the hoary, shivering winter, the green spring, the plenteous summer, and the autumn---" madidus uvis."

In the pictures from the Revelations, of Death on the pale horse, and the overthrow of the old beast and false prophet, the imagination is on the wings of fancy, and the indiscriminate ravages of Death are every where seen under appropriate characters. In the destruction of the old beast, the swiftness of the divine agents passes like lightning, and all is overwhelmed.

His great picture of Christ Rejected has been already fully described in this miscellany, and it will for ages rank among the finest productions of art. Both the latter are more wonderful as

the works of a eightieth year. he was proud;

man verging on his Of this circumstance and he often quoted the old age of Titian and Michael Angelo, evidently hoping that the renown of his own old age would thus be rendered equal to theirs.

These feelings resulted however from the enthusiasm with which he cultivated his art, and not from vanity. Of all men he was the most modest. He was the last person in his own painting room, surrounded by his finest productions, whom you would have taken for the illustrious artist. His self-love was subdued by his love for his art; and having been educated a Quaker, though he retained none of their peculiarities, he possessed their better traits of gravity of manner, and sincerity of expression.

He lived much in courts, yet in politics he was an unfeigned republican; and though President of the Royal Academy, he suffered the frowns of royalty owing to the honesty with which he never failed to express his abhorrence of all the wars in which, in his time, it was the ill-fortune of his patron to engage. He belonged to the court, therefore, without being a courtier, and ornamented the palace of residents, whose public policy he constantly and freely contemned. He was, in a word, superior as an artist to all his contemporaries, amiable in private life, liberal to rising artists of merit, and modest in his address and conversation; while he was never debauched by the smiles of courts and the personal confidence of royalty, to swerve from his principles, or compromise the truth. The writer of this knew him well, and though he loved and respected him, as much as any public man of his time, yet he never met with any one, who also knew him, who did not entertain for him similar feelings.

He died at his house in Newmanstreet, where he lived for half a century, in the 82d year of his age, after a severe illness of many months. His funeral was public, and was splendidly at

tended.

THE BRITISH MUSEUM.

We have great satisfaction, in being enabled to lay before our readers, the following Original Letters of our illustrious English Mathematician.

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to call a Council, on Saturday next, at twelve o'clock, and beg the favour, that you would send it to him by the porter who brings you this. I am, sir, your most humble servant, IS. NEWTON,

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ᎠᏒ.

Jermin Street, Sept. 14. I beg the favour of you to get Mr. Hawksbee to bring his air-pump to my house, and then I can get some philosophical persons to see his experiments, who will otherwise be difficultly got together. But first, now when My Lord P. can be at leisure, and let me know the time, and let Mr. Hawksbee bring his air-pump that evening by a porter, and I will give him two guineas for his pains. I am, your humble servant,

For Dr. Sloan.

SIR,

Is. NEWTON.

I thank you for giving me timely notice of the Caveat, I think we should stick

at no charge for defending the legacy. What money shall be wanting for this purpose, I'll advance till the council shall be called. If you should see Dr. Harwood before me, pray desire him to have an eye upon this matter. I do not know the method of proceeding in these cases, but he can tell us. I will take the first opportunity to inform myself of what is to be done.

I am, your most humble obt. Servt. For Dr. Hans Sloan, B.

IS. NEWTON. SIR, Tuesday Night. My Lord Pembrook has appointed Thursday, a little before six in the afternoon, to introduce us to the Prince, and therefore I beg the favour that you would be in the Anti-chamber on ye Prince's side, about a quarter before six, where you will meet me and others of ye Society.

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put into an expectation of what perhaps they are never like to have, I do not love to be printed upon every occasion, much less to be decerned and teazed by foreigners about mathematical things, or to be thought by our people to be triflingt away my time about them, when I should be about the king's business. Had, therefore, I desired Dr. Gregory to write to Dr. Wallis against printing that clause, which related to that theory, and mentioned me about it. You may let the world know, if you please, how well you are stored with observations of all sorts, and what calculations you have made towards rectifying the theories of the heavenly motions. But there may be cases§ wherein your friends should not be published without their leave. And, therefore, I hope you will so order the matter, that I may not on this occasion be brought upon the stage,

I am, your humble servant, Is. NEWTON. Dr. Flamstead to Sir Isaac Newton, in answer to the preceding.

SIR,

Your's, dated Jermin Street, June 6, arrived last night, the 9th, with the general post mark and charge upon it, as if it had come from some place, less than eighty miles from London; I waited for it from the 2d to the 7th instant, Saturday night, and then wrote to Dr. Wallis, that I thought he needed not take any notice of Dr. Gregory's letter to him, to forbear printing that clause in mine, wherein I had mentioned you, since you took no notice of two of mine I had wrote to you that week concerning it, which made me think, you thought it not worth your while to concern yourself about it; now I find you did desire Dr. Gregory to write so to him, I shall write to him myself to alter that passage, so as he first advised, and so as I believe you will find no just cause of offence in it. My letter goes to him this night, the altered paragraph you have at the foot of this letter; I did not think I could have disobliged you by letting the world know, that the King's Observatory had furnished you with 150 places of the moon, derived from observations here made, and compared with tables, in order to correct her theory, (not to seem to boast,) I said nothing of what more it has furnished you freely with, as I had leisure, and Mr. Halley has not stuck to tell it abroad, both at the society and elsewhere, that you had compleated her theory and given it to him as a secret, I could not think you would be unwilling our nation should have the honour

Was Mr. Newton a trifler when he read mathematics for a salary at Cambridge? Surely, Astronomy is of some good use, though his place be more beneficial.--Ibid.

I know what I have to do without his telling.-Ibid.

§ Where persons think too well of themselves to acknowledge they are beholden to those who have furnished them with the feathers they pride themselves in, when they have great Fr. &c.-Bibl. Birch, 4292.

of

of furnishing you with so many, and good observations for this work, as were not, (I speak it without boasting) to be had elsewhere; or that it should be said, you were about a work, which others said you had perfected, I thought it could not be any diminution to you, since you pretend not to be an observer yourself. I thought it might give some people a better notion of what was doing here, than had been impressed upon them by others, whom God forgive. You will pardon me this freedom, and excuse me when I tell you, that if foreigners dun and trouble you, 'tis not my fault, but those who think to recommend themselves to you, by advancing the fame of your works as much as they possibly can. I have sometimes told some ingenious men, that more time and observations are required to perfect the theory, but I found it was represented as a little piece of detraction which I hate, and therefore was forced to be silent. 1 wonder that hint should drop from your pen, as if you looked upon my business as trifiing; you thought it not so surely, when

PAR

you resided at Cambridge, it's property is not altered, I think it has produced something considerable already, and may do more, if I can procure health to work up the observations I have under my hands, which is one of the designs of my letter to Dr. Wallis, was to move for, I doubt not but it will be of some use to your ingenious travellers and sailors, and other persons that come after me, will think their time as little mispent in these studies, as those that have gone before me. The works of the eternal providence, I hope will be a little better understood through your labours and mine, than they were formerly. Think me not proud for this expression, I look on pride as the worst of sins, humility as the greatest virtues. This makes me cxcuse small faults in all mankind, bear great injuries, without resentment, and resolve to maintain a real friendship with ingenious men, to assist them, what lies in my power, without the regard of any interest, but that of doing good by obliging them.—Bibl. Birch, 4292. January 10, 1698-9.

CORNUCOPIA.

*

PARSON, (ETYMOLOGY OF.)* DARSON, (persona.) A clergyman is so called, says Blackstone, because by his person, the church, which is an invisible body, is represented; and he is in himself a body corporate, in order to protect and defend the rights of the church (which he personates) by a perpetual succession.†

This is a very plausible, and has been the generally received and accredited derivation of the term parson ever since Sir Edward Coke wrote, and perhaps before, and, I believe, has never yet been questioned; nevertheless, it is erroneous, for he is disignated parson (persona), because he is required, in his own proper person, to administer the sacraments, and to officiate at the holy altar. Ducking an Ancient Punishment, and Ori

gin of that Word.

Ducking was anciently a common legal mode of punishment for various of fences, in this and other countries, and is customarily inflicted in certain cases at the present day.

At Marseilles and Bourbon, vagrants formerly were condemned to the cale, that is, to be shut up in an iron cage, fastened to the yard of a chaloupe, and ducked in the river. At Thoulouse, blasphemers were punished in the same man

*The article in the present No. under this head, having been communicated under the title of Blackstoniana. † Comm. 3. p. 384.

Co. Litt. 300.

ner. And with us, in England, brewers and bakers, convicted of transgressing the laws, were of yore ducked in stercore, stinking water, as were also, it is said, common prostitutes. Whenever it is practicable, it is also generally exercised by our populace on those offenders vulgarly styled pick-pockets. And our sailors are not unfrequently punished by being thrown from the top of the mainmast-yard into the sea, having sometimes a cannon-ball tied to them, to expedite their descent.

This singular and summary mode of punishment, however, is not in any of the cases mentioned now sanctioned by law, nor, is it presumed, can it be put in force legally in any case except for the offence of being a common scold. For which, if convicted, the offender is to be placed in a certain engine of correction, called a cucking stool,† in the Saxon language, said to signify a scolding-school, and when therein, to be repeatedly plunged in the water.

The name of this engine, by an easy

* Encyclop. Londin. Art. Castigatory. + Mr. Morgan, who edited an edition of Jacob's Law Dict. mentions therein, that he remembers to have seen the remains of one of these engines on the estate of a relative of his in Warwickshire, consisting of a long beam, or rafter, moving on a fulchrum, and extending to the centre of a large pool, on which end the stool used to be placed. 3 Inst. 219. 1 Hawk. P.C. 198. 200. 4 Comm. 169.

orthographical

orthographical transmutation, has been corrupted into ducking-stool; and, from its being so often used in ducking offenders gave rise, it is submitted to our word for the act of immersion, which, I conceive, is more probable than that it should be derived (according to the generally, yet ludicrously formed opinion,) from observing the natural inclination of a duck, when in water, of frequently, but momentarily dipping its head.

Ambassador's Children born Abroad. "The children of the king's ambassadors born abroad," Blackstone observes,* were always held to be natural born subjects."

66

This assumption of the learned commentator is expressed in too general terms, and which the reported case he quotes† does by no means warrant. It only says, "If any of the king's ambassadors in foreign nations have children there of their wives, being Englishwomen, by the common law of England, they are natural born subjects." And this is agreeable to the stat. 25 Edw. 3. st. 2. which requires both the parents of children born abroad to be at the time of the birth in allegiance to the king in order to entitle them to the privilege of natural born subjects. And it also accords with the ancient maxim of the common law (of late much disregarded) partes sequiter ventrem.†

The law upon this subject has been considerably altered by modern statutes, for which, see Bl. Comm. 2. 1. p. 373, n, b.

Game Laws, Engines of Tyranny, (Vindication of Blackstone, and refutation of Christian.)

for

The game laws, (as they are called,) have, in all ages and countries, been objects of the secret, and sometimes avowed detestation and aversion of the bulk of the people; and with reason, they have generally originated in the reigns of weak or tyrannical princes, and been enacted for the purpose of destroying, not only the natural liberties of mankind, but to rivet the galling fetters of unlimitted passive obedience and non-resistance. Of this opinion was Blackstone as to the game laws of this country, who, in his observations thereon remarks, t that many reasons have concurred for making constitutions respecting game, and after enumerating three, he adds a fourth, viz. " for preventon of popular insurrections and resistance to the go

*Comm. v. 1. p. 373.

+ Calvin's Case, 7. Rep. 18. Comm. v. 2. P. 411-12.

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vernment, by disarming the bulk of the people, which last, (he observes,) is a reason oftener meant than avowed by the makers of forest or game laws."

Mr. Professor Christian (edit. of the Comm. and author of a Treatise on the Game Laws,) however, maintains a contrary opinion; and, in a note appended to the above cited passage of Blackstone, says, "I am inclined to think that this reason did not operate upon the minds of those who framed the game laws of this country; (for in several ancient statutes the avowed object is to encourage the use of the long, the most effective armour then in use.)†

To evince clearly that their reason supposed and laid down by Blackstone did operate upon the framers of our game laws, I need only refer (to an authority indisputable) their own repeated, and explicitly avowed declarations. By the first qualification act, it is recited in the preamble, “that divers artificers, labourers, servants, and grooms, keep greyhounds and dogs, and, on the holidays, when good Christian people be at church hearing divine service, they go a hunting in parks and warrens, and connigrees of lords and others, to the very great destruction of the same, and sometimes under such colour they make their assemblies, conferences, and conspiracies, for to rise and disobey their allegiance: it is, therefore, ordained, that no artificer, labourer, or other laymen, which hath not lands or tenements to the value of forty shillings by the year, nor any priest, to the value of ten pounds, shall keep any dogs, nets, nor engines, &c.

The statute of 1 Hen. 7. c. 7. has a similar, but much stronger recital and enactment; and, therefore, I should conceive, that we may properly conclude in opposition to the learned professor, that the fourth reason mentioned by Black stone did operate upon the minds of those who framed the game laws of this country.

*Warburton's Alliance, 324.

† I have cited the whole of Mr. Christian's note; but the part within brackets, has nothing to do with the point in issue, but it also might be successfully refuted.

13 Ric. 2. c. 13. which I call a qualification Act in compliance with common speech.

§ Forty shillings, in the reign of Rich. 2. may be considered equivalent to a very considerable at the present time, (see Bishop Thetwood's Chronicon Petriosum), and, of course, could not be in the annual receipt of the bulk of the people who would therefore come within this Act.

Ineligibility

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