"Of all the antique figures, the most adapted to give the grand principle of the Naked, are, the Gladiator, the Apollo, the Laocoon, the Hercules Farnefe, the Torfo, the Antinous, the groupe of Caftor and Pollux, the Hermaphrodite, the Venus de Medicis. I think I can discover the traces of thefe works in the performances of fome of our great modern Sculptors. In Michael Angelo I difcover a confummate study of the Laocoön, of the Hercules, and of the Torfo. Can one doubt for a moment, on feeing the works of Francis Flamand, that he made the Gladiator, the Apollo, the Antinous, the Caftor and Pollux, the Venus, and the Hermaphrodite, his ftudy? Le Puget certainly took for his objects, the Laocoon and other antiques: but his principal conductress was Nature, whofe fprings and movements he had continually before his eyes in the Galley-flaves at Marfeilles: fo much does the frequent fight of objects, more or less relative to the - true fyftem of the arts, form the taste or stop its progrefs. For us, who fee nothing but shapes invented as it were in contradiction to the beauty of the human form, we must make confiderable efforts before we can take off the mafk; and fee, and become acquainted with Nature in her proper elegance, that we may exprefs in our works this Beautiful only, independent of any mode whatever. It belongs to great artists, before whom all Nature ftands uncovered, to give laws to tafle; they are to receive none from the caprices and extravagances of Fashion. "I muft not here forget an important obfervation refpecting the Ancients; it relates to the manner in which their Sculptors expreffed the carnations. They were fo little attentive to particularities, that they often neglected the folds and movements of the skin in those places where it extends and replicates, according to the motion of the limbs. This part of Sculpture has been brought in our time to the highest degree perhaps of perfection. An example fhall decide whether or not this be a rash obfervation. We will take it from the works of Puget. "In what piece of Grecian Sculpture do we perceive the implications of the fkin, the foftnefs of the carnations, or the fluidity of the blood, fo well expreffed as in the works of this celebrated modern Sculptor-It is impoffible not to perceive the blood circulate in the veins of the Milo at Verfailles. What man of fentiment would not be apt to be mistaken on seeing the carnations of the Andromeda ? while one may produce many fine antiques in which thefe expreffions are not to be found. It would then be a fort of ingratitude, if, while acknowledging the fublimity of the Grecian Sculptors on fo many other accounts, we were to refufe our homage to a merit which is regularly fuperior to them in the works of a French artist." The good taste and good fenfe of this celebrated artist are evidently difplayed in the above reflections; as they, indeed, are throughout the whole difcourfe. By great artifts is meant, not only Painters and Sculptors, but capital mafters in all the arts. He who fung. fo fublimely the wrath of Achilles was a great artifi. 5 The The fecond piece is a letter from Mr. Diderot to Mr. Falconet, on the Equeftrian Statue abovementioned; of which that competent judge obferves, that "the hero and the horfe together make a beautiful centaur, the human and thinking part of which, forms an aftonishing contraft, by its tranquillity, with that of the animal and fpirited." So great, indeed, are Mr. Diderot's Elogiums on this fa mous piece of Sculpture that the Artift himself modeftly confeffes, that he fhall be very well contented to abate one half the praise. To two other little pieces, on the fame fubject, of little moment, are added Obfervations on Lord Shaftesbury's letter from Italy, concerning the Art, or Science, of Defign. These we fuppofe, alfo, to come from Mr. Falconet, tho' we are not exprefsly told fo. Their tendency is to ridicule his Lord fhip's fcheme of having a picture executed from his own defign by the hand of a painter. A tafk, he fays, nobody but a poor workman, defective in genius, would be engaged in. On this occafion, he thus delineates the character of a genuine artist. "It is generally remarked, that those who profefs the arts have a greater or lefs degree of pride and fpirit, and at the fame time more or lefs modefty, according to the compound ratio of their genius, and the praises or cenfures to which they are liable. Why have great artifts, as well as great men of every kind, commonly the greatest fhare of modefty? It is, because it belongs only to fouls of a certain ftamp, to feel what they are worth, to have a juft idea of perfection, and of the impoffibility of ever reaching it. Praife a great man, and you will be aftonished at his modefty. At that time he is measuring what he knows, and what he does, with what he fees before him yet to know and to do. But, if you be fo filly, or fo prefumptuous, as to defpife him, his pride becomes then fuperior to every thing, because then he compares himself with the perfon that judges him; he recollects himfelf, and finds within the qualities which Du Fréfnoi gives to the great artist *. As Mr. Tooke, the tranflator, modeftly apologizes for fuch defects of style as may arife from his not being himself an artist, and therefore versed in the technical expreffions of the art, we pass over a flight inaccuracy or two of that kind: but we think a fimilar apology equally neceffary for the cafual offences against English idiom that occur through the whole. His attachment, indeed, to the original French is, in many places, fo fervile as to give his verfion a bald and pedantic appearance. Our reverend tranflator even appears to have already *Judicium, docile ingenium, cor nobile, fenfus fublimis. De arte gra phica v. 488. been been fo long abroad, as to have, in fome degree, forgot the ver nacular ufe of his own language: a common thing with those whose conversation in it is chiefly held with books. Of this we have a fingular inftance in his apoftrophe to the Reviewers. "As I must be anfwerable, fays he, for every impropriety of this kind, ye gentlemen Reviewers, be as pitiful as ye can." Now, if this be not a pitiful pr tenfion to wit and irony, for which we fee no good reafon, the epithet is moft unidiomatically and improperly used: fo very much fo, indeed, that we are amazed Mr. Tooke could adopt a mode of expreffion that - has been a standing joke ever fince the days of that fingularlyabfurd fpeechifier, Judge Page. "I muft fentence, you,' faid he, to a penitential convict, to be hanged: but you may get recommended to the King's mercy; for we have a pitiful King, a very pitiful King indeed!"-The use of the word pitiful, for merciful or compaffionate, is now quite obfolete, and ought never to be adopted by good writers. At least, we warn all writers againft applying it in that fenfe to us Reviewers, left we fhould convince them de fallo of their errour. The moft pitiful Critics are those who have no pity ! W. ·Poetical Amufements at a Villa near Bath. Printed for the Benefit of the Pauper Charity in that City. Vol. III. 8vo, 3s. Dilly, London.-Frederic, Bath. We are glad to learn, from the Editor's preface to this volume, that the laudable scheme, projected for reviving a decayed Charity, is likely to turn out a more confiderable object than at firft conceived. The Editor's account is this: "The General Hofpital of this City was founded in 1742, for the reception of fuch difeafed and indigent perfons, from all parts of the kingdom (the Poor of BATH only excepted), to whofe relief the ufe of its waters might be fuppofed peculiarly conducive. "The attention, humanity, economy, fo confpicuous at all times ' in the conduct of that pious foundation, reflects the highest honour upon its promoters and protectors, and will remain a lafting monument of public benevolence and charity. Nor can we doubt that an establishment fo universal and fo liberal, can ever want a revenue adequate to the importance of its objects. But whilft we feel, in its full extent, all that exalted Philanthropy, which would extend local bleffings to those, whose distance, or whofe poverty, take from them every hope of that affiftance only attainable to wealth and to condition-muft we not regret the fituation of the refident poor, who in this great and flourishing City, have neither Hofpital and Infirmary for acute or chronical diforders, nor any appropriated fund or place for the reception and relie fo cafualties? "A laud "A laudable attempt to fupply this deficiency was the foundation of the Pauper-charity: its inftitution, conduct, and effects, will be seen in the fubjoined account of them. "The late protection it has met with bears the strongest testimony to its utility; and a little depofit, beyond the prefent currency of its monthly expences, gives a flattering profpect of our being enabled, in a future day, to found fome kind of structure that may be a lasting fanctuary to mifery and disease. "May we indulge the hope that an UNSEEN HAND will promote and cherish our prefent endeavours, and improve them into fome PIOUS and PERMANENT ESTABLISHMENT." To this account of the charity in general is added, the ftate of it for the year 1776; including a lift of fuch benefactors and fubfcribers as have contributed fums of money to its fupport. Among thefe fums we find ten pounds arifing from the fale of the Poetical Amufements. The fubjects of the verses, contained in the prefent volume, are Dreams, their prefumptive caufes, connections and references.-Ancient and modern Mufic compared, and their refpective effects.-Bath its beauties and amusements.—Garrulity. The rife and fall of elegance in Greece.-Genius.-BathEafton Villa.-Phyfiognomy -The Pleafures of May, &c. &c. The writers who figure by name, as contributors to this agreeable mifcellany, are Mr. Jerningham.-The Rev. Mr. Toogood, of Sherborne.-The Rev. Mr. Graves.-The M-q-s of C-m-n.-Sir John More, bart. Mr. Manfell, of Trinity-College, Cambridge.-The Rev. Mr. Sanford Hardcaftle.-Mr. Jekell.-The Hon. John St. John.—Mr. Schomberg, of Oxford.-Mr. Bragg.-Sir G-ff—th B—yn-n, bart.-David Garrick, Efq.-The Hon. Temple Luttrell. Mr. Abington. Mifs D-v-s, &c. In juftice to the feveral authors, as well as in compliment to the editor, it must be confeffed that, as the fecond volume greatly excelled the first, so this third bears away the palm from the fecond. We are forry, therefore, to fee it difgraced by a vile anonymous Charrard, a poor acroftic by the Hon. Mrs. Greville, and a poorer epigram by Earl N— *. t*. The many poetical and witty performances contained in this collection needed not fuch foils to fet them off to advantage. We are forry Mr. Luttrell's piece on phifiognomy, written in the ftile of Prior's Alma, is too long for quotation.-There is much wit and humour in it, tho' we do not give in altogether to the philofophy of it. —Mr. Jekel's Capricio on Garrulity, and Mr. St. John's *We hope thefe are not inferted because they are complimentary to the the Inftitutors of thefe poetical games. Perfons of real merit and nice alte are ever the most averfe to the stinking incenfe of grofs adulation. Miltonic Miltonic ode on the fame fubject, have both great merit.— The fame may be faid of Sir John More's feveral verfes on ancient and modern mufic.-Mr. Garrick's May-day, indeed, is no great matter; being only a remnant of his stock in hand when he left off trade; palpably a flip from his Cymon, the Maid of the Oaks, or the Stratford Jubilee. On the whole, these amusements have afforded us fo much entertainment that our readers might think it churlish, did we not gratify them with fome participation. We fhall félect two fhort pieces, therefore, in different ftiles, on the same subject. PHYSIOGNOMY, Whether always an INDEX of the MIND? "To fettle all thefe wife difputes, "Have patience, and I'll tell ye Poor Mother is a Turkey Hen; The fow ne'er farrows but I titter, - then: Now, would you think? This skill in feature Hath made me deem'd a giddy creature; And, Sunday laft, in ferious pother, |
