among the Ancients. 571 



lefs reafon to complain in modern times, that 

 this delightful art, which might be employed 

 !n exciting the nobleft fentiments, and become 

 fubfervient to the beft interefts of fociety, fhould 

 fo often be exercifed upon fubjecls folely cal- 

 culated to pleafe the eye of the voluptuary and 

 debauchee. It is hardly poflTible to pafs through 

 any admired colleftion, without meeting with 

 fome of thefe; of which, however excellent the 

 performance may be, the common feelings of 

 decency and morality (if we are rreith.er profelTed 



Fuit et Arellius Romas celeber paulo ante divum Au- 

 guftum ; nifi flagitio infigni corrupiffet artem, femper 

 alicujus feminse amore flagrans, et ob id deas pingens, fed 

 dileftarum imagine, Itaque in piftura ejus fcorta nu- 

 merabantur. Plin. XXXV. 37. 



I agree entirely with the following note of Brotier, whofe 

 edition of Pliny I ufe. Piaoribus poetifque vulgare hoc 

 vitiura, homine femper indignum. Hujufmodi libidines 

 in fua villa non effe piftas fibi gratulatur Sidonius Apol- 

 linaris, Epift. II. 2, Non hie per nuda>n piaorum corporum 

 pulchritudinem turpis projlat hijioria, qua ficut ornat artem, 

 fie denjenuftat artificem. Plin. per Gabr. Brotier, i2mo. 

 vol. VI. p. 381. 



Whatever the private praftiee of the ancient painters 

 might have been, we excel them in the enjoyment of a 

 public feminary, under the patronage of the firft names m 

 the country : in which, the young votaries of the graphic 

 art are taught to admire and delineate the unveiled beau- 

 ties of a proftitute, hirad for the purpofe of exhibiting 

 in the beft light, the female naked figure. 



artilts 



