lao On Vahiting. 



in<T to our feeling?, he has created a fct of fiends that make 

 us laufi^h. Scenes of horror require great delicacy of treat- 

 ment, as the mind cannot dwell without difguft on repre- 

 fentations brought home in that determined way which paint- 

 ing demands. Pilkington relates, from Sandrart, that Spa- 

 gnoletto reprefentcd an Ixion on the wheel lb full of pain 

 and agony, that the wife of Mr. Uftcl, the poffeflbr, from 

 looking on it when with child, was fo affe6led by it, " that 

 her child when it was born had all the fingers diftorted cx- 

 a£lly as the fingers of the Ixion appeared in the picture." 

 So lenfible of the neceffity of this delicacy have the bell paint- 

 ers been, that thev have concealed as mucli as poffible the 

 (hocking parts of a' fpeftacle. In the Slaughter of the Inno- 

 cents, Poulfin would be content with an incident or two, 

 while Le Brun in the fame fubjeft has aggravated all the hor- 

 rors bv an cndlefs variety of butcheries. Rubens, in one of 

 the fined fketchcs of his we have had in this country, has 

 reprefented, in adifgulling way, a faint with his hands and 

 feet cut off; and has moft injudicioufly, nay, moil infenfibly 

 and indelicately, introduced dogs licking up the blood. Con- 

 trait the above and Titian's pidure of the winding out a faint's 

 bowels on a wheel, with Domenichino's delicate and fenfible 

 reprefentation of the death of St. Cecilia. A Britidi artift 

 ■would difplay more feeling and delicacy in reprefenting a 

 bull-bull, than either Titian or Rubens have done in the 

 above compofitions. Juftice muft allow that a want of deli- 

 cacy is not often chargeable on the Italians. 



In the fniall compals we have been obliged to prefcribe to 

 ourfelves, we fear it will become difficult fufficicntly lo com- 

 prefs the matter, and at the lame time render the fubjeft to- 

 lerablv clear. 



We take it for granted that the mind well informed is the 

 true ftandard of wliatever is great and illultrious in any point 

 of view. Hence it will follow that in works of imagination 

 we fliall derive credit in proportion as we difplay more or lefs 

 mental cnergv. For though we may not pollefs the power 

 of colouring, or fuch other excellences as would captivate 

 the eye, vet we mav exert the vigour of the foul in the rea- 

 foning and fcience of the work ; and this cnerr^y it is in our 

 power to improve by education and habit. One of our firft 

 duties is to enlarge and elevate our notions; for the dignity 

 and grandeur ot our work depend entirely on the dignity and 

 grandeur of our thoughts, and the elevation of the foul. A 

 greater misfortune cannot attend the arts than for men of 

 mean parts to pradife them, cither as painters or engravers, 

 as they invariably communicate the fame bad qualities to 



their 



