ACCOUNT 
went fo Italy, where he ftudied dur- 
ing nearly three years. Mr. Rey- 
nolds, who was no mufician, relates 
acircumftance that will confirm the 
ftory which every one has heard of 
the natives of Switzerland, in a fo- 
reign country, being feized with 
the Maladie du pais, on their hear- 
ing a vulgar national melody play- 
ed, called the Rauz des vaches,a cow- 
keeper’s tune. He fays, 
“ When he was at Venice, in 
compliment to the Englifh gentle- 
men then refiding there, the ma- 
nager of the opera one night order- 
ed the band to play an. Englith bal- 
Jad-tune. Happening to be the po- 
pular air which was played or fung 
in almoft every ftreet juft at the 
time of their leaving London, by 
fuggefting to them that metropolis, 
with all its connexions and endear- 
ing circumftances, it immediately, 
brought tears into our author’s eyes, 
as well as into thofe of his country- 
men who were prefent. 
“ Very foon after his return from 
OF BOOKS. = 4o# 
Tialy, his acquaintance with Dr. 
Johnfon commenced, which foon 
mellowed into a clofe and uninter- 
rupted friendfhip, as durable as their 
lives. His firft refidence in Lon- 
don, after his travels, was in New- 
port-ftreet. — In 1759, he firft be- 
gan to exercife his pen, by furnifh- 
ing his friend Johnfon with three 
effays for the Idler, in the form of 
letters, on the fubject of painting. — 
In 1761, he removed to Leicefter- 
fquare, where he continued till the 
time of his death. —In 1769, on the 
inftitution of the Royal Academy 
of Painting, Sculpture, and. Archi- 
tecture, Mr. Reynolds, holding un- 
queftionably the firft rank in his 
profeftion, was nominated pref- 
dent, and foon afterward recéived 
the honour of knighthood. His 
fituation in the academy gave birth 
to his admirable difcourfes, which 
have gained him nearly as much re- 
putation in literature as the pro- 
ductions of his pencil obtained for 
him in painting *.” 
Soon 
* Yn allufion to Mr. M‘Cormick’s affertion of Mr. Burke’s being the author 
ef thefe difcourfes, as mentioned in his Life of Burke, which we hayé noticed ia 
page 557 of this volume, Mr. Malone inferts the following note:—** A new hy- 
pothetis has been lately fuggefted; and, among many other ftatements concerning 
the late Mr. Burke, which I know to be erroneous, we have been confidently told 
that they were writien by that gentleman. ‘ . 
« The readers of paetry are not to learn, that a fimilar tale has been told of fome 
of our celebrated Englifh poets. Accordiag to fome, Denham did not write his 
eos Cooper’s Hill; and, with a certain fpecies of critics,our great moral poet 
3 us, 
“ 
—Mbof authors fteai their works, or buy ; 
“ Garth did not write his own Dispensary.” 
“ Such infinuations, however agreeable to the envious and malignant, who may 
give them a temporary currency, can have but little weight with the judicious and 
ingenious part of mankind, and therefore, in general, only merit filent contempri- 
But that Mr. Burke was the author of all fuch parts of his difcourfes as do not 
relate to painting and frulplure (wwat thele are, the difcoverer of this pretended fe- 
cret has-not informed us) has lately been fo peremprorily afferted, and fo particu- 
dar an appeal has been made on this occafion to their edivor, that I think it my duty 
to refute this injurious calumny, left poftcrity thould be deceived and. mifled by 
ahe minurcacfs of uncontradifted mifreprefyatation, delivered to the world with ah 
the 
