F792. Rubens and Shakespeare compared. 333 
trefs, seated at midnight in a lighted gallery above him, 
he introduces this particular allusion : 
‘ For thou art as glorious-to my sight, 
_., As is the winged mefsenger from Jove, 
Toth’ upturn’d wond’ring eyes of mortals 5 
When he bestrides the lazy pacing clouds, 
And sails upon the bosom of the air. 
Besides these pictures of Rubens already mentioned, 
I have seen some’ others, which are, in my opinion, most 
admirable, and of which the colours are in the highest 
beauty.and preservation. Among these I reckon the de- 
scent from the crofs, and the afsumption of the’ virgin. 
No power of genius can make the fable of a woman, as- 
eending bodily to heaven, with angels hovering. round her; 
or her coronation in heaven by the holy trinity, objects of 
nature or credit. But the virgin’s figure in the afsumps 
tion is charming, and the devout amazement of the specta- 
tors is natural to those happy mortals who have faith 
enough to believe the fact. 
The erection of the crofs in the church of St Wal- 
bourgh, and the adoration of the magi in the church of 
St Michael, I rank among the paintings of highest merit. 
In this last church there is a piece of statuary intended to 
represent eternity. My author of the little tour, calls it 
an amazingly fine piece. For my part, | think the idea is 
amazingly absurd ; and the execution, though fine, is not 
happy. It conveys an imprefsion of calm and serious, 
in place of wild and bewildered contemplation *.. 
Though I admire Vandyke’s paintings, they do not 
strike me as works of genius equal to those of Rubens. 
This may be from my want of just taste, or sufficient 
knowledge. 
* ¢ In thy immensity all thought is lost. Fancy gives over its iy 
wearied imagination spends itself in vain,” 
SHAFTSBURY: 
