BOOK OF A TRAVELLER. 239 



such a journey necessarily presented to his enthusiastic 

 and enquiring mind ; the varieties of architecture which 

 Italy presents elicited his utmost attention, he alike 

 studied the glories of the present and the records of 

 the past, he paused in admiration before the sacred 

 edifice which no one but a Michael Angelo could have 

 designed and he stood in solemn contemplation with- 

 in the wreck of the Coliseum. 



" O ! 'twas a glorious sight ! but yet how dread 

 " The awful, solemn, deathly silence round ! 

 " August admonitor far more sublime 

 " In old decay than early dignity. " 



After such mental discipline and extended observa- 

 tion, it was to be expected that his knowledge should 

 be considerable and his taste refined such was the 

 case, as he eminently displayed in the orations on the 

 rise and progress of his favorite art, which he delivered 

 in the temple of Minerva, and as he more fully made 

 evident in passing through the formidable ordeal of 

 discussion. In treating the subject of architecture he 

 had the tact of making his discourses pleasing and in- 

 teresting to general auditors, by the investure of elegant 

 language which he threw around them, by avoiding ab- 

 struse or pedantic technicalities and by the illustrations 

 of numerous drawings and designs apt in purpose and 

 good in execution. 



But Architecture was not the only subject to which 

 he called the attention of the priests and neophytes of 

 the temple, his discourses on the works and styles of 

 the ancient and modern painters were characterised by 

 discriminating judgment and fine taste, and always 

 excited much interest. 



When he treated on dramatic literature he evinced 

 laborious reading, good judgment, sympathizing imagi- 

 nation and critical acumen, I need hardly say that the 

 works of our immortal Shakespeare are translated into 

 the language of West Barbary, for what corner of the 

 world is there into which the books of the Bard of Avon 



have not not found their way ? C - C 



studied these books with the view of making a series of 



