4l6 STUDIES OF NATURE. 



moft important of which is, that the acceflbry ccn- 

 trafts, as thofe of littlenefs and greatnefs, of weak- 

 nefs and ftrength, of finite and infinite, concur in 

 heightening the contrail of the fubject. When 

 PouJJin conceived the idea of a picture of the 

 univerfal deluge, he confined it to the reprefenta- 

 tion of a fingle family. There you fee an old man 

 on horfeback, on the point of drowning; and in a 

 boat, a man, who is perhaps his fon, prefents to 

 his wife, who has made fhift to fcramble up a 

 rock, a little child dreffed in a red petticoat, who, 

 on it's part, is making every effort, with it's little 

 feet, to get upon the rock. The back-ground of 

 the landfcape is frightful from it's black melan- 

 choly. The herbage and the trees are foaked in 

 water, the Earth itfelf is penetrated by it, which 

 is rendered vifible by that long ferpent, in eager 

 hade to quit it's hole. The torrents are gufhing 

 down on every fide ; the Sun appears in the Hea- 

 vens like an eye thruft out of it's focket : but the 

 moft powerful intereft in the piece bears upon the 

 feebleft object : a father and a mother, ready 

 themfelves to perifh, are wholly engroffed in the 

 prefervation of their infant. Every feeling is ex- 

 tinguifhed on the Earth, but maternal tendernefs 

 is flill alive. The human race is deftroyed be- 

 caufe of it's crimes, and innocence is going to be 

 [involved in the punilhment. Thefe unreftrained 

 torrents, that deluged Earth, that lurid Atmo- 



fphere, 



