528 On the Art of Painting 



Jmmanem exhaufit rerum in diverfa laborem 

 Fingeret affedlum matris ut ambiguum. 



Ira fubeft lachrymis, miferatio non caret ira ; 

 Altereutrum videas ut fit in altereutro. 



Neither is the degree lefs, though the objeft be 

 more infignificant, alluded to in the following 

 epigram of Martial.* 



expreflion of mixt paffion. " A ftatue (fays he) in which 

 you endeavour to unite, ftately dignity, with youthful 

 elegance and ftern valour, muft furely poiTefs none of thefe 

 to a very eminent degree." It will be allowed that an 

 attempt at a mixt expreflion of incompatible charafters (as 

 mildnefs and fternnefs, Herculean ftrength with the ele- 

 gance and agility of the Farnefe Apollo) would be vain. 

 But it is certainly true, Firft, That certaiu mixt paflions 

 and charadlers exift in nature, and may be expreffed by 

 art: I think even his own inftance to the contrary may. 

 Secondly, The truth of a fubjeft may -admit, and the 

 nature of it may demand this. Thirdly, Such expref- 

 fions may be and often are more interefting than expreffions 

 of fingle charafter; nor do all cafes require the excefs of 

 any particular charader to be expreffed. How can there 

 be a good painting of a Chrift, unlefs with an expreflion 

 of dignity mixt with humility, or an evident abfence of 

 pride ? A difficult, but certainly a poflible expreflion ; 

 and far more fublime and interefting than any expreflion 

 of fimple charafter that occurs to ray recolleftion, unlefs 

 perfeft benevolence could be well painted. "Je n' admire point 

 an homme (fays Pafcal, Penfees, 279.) qui fojifede une <vertue 

 dans toute Ja perfe£iion, i'il ne poJJ'ede en me/me temps dans un 

 fareil degre la <vertue oppofee : tel que V Epaminondas qui a<voit 

 I 'extreme valeur jointe a I' extreme bcnignite ^ car autrement ce 

 n'eji pas monter, c^ejl tomher. On ne monjire pas fa grandeur 

 four ejire en une extremite mats bien en touchant Us deux a /« 

 fois et remplijfant tout Ventredeux. 



* Lib. III. Ep. 41. 



Inferta 



