Thorwaldsen and Canova. 121 



art I saw in Paris and Rome, and partly because I 

 was such an enthusiast about the language and 

 everything belonging to ancient Greece. During 

 this journey I was highly gratified, for we made the 

 acquaintance of Thorwaldsen and Canova. Canova 

 was gentle and amiable, with a beautiful counte- 

 nance, and was an artist of great reputation. Thor- 

 waldsen had a noble and striking appearance, and 

 had more power and originality than Canova. His 

 bas-reliefs were greatly admired. I saw the one he 

 made of Night in the house of an English lady, who 

 had a talent for modelling, and was said to be 

 attached to him. We were presented to Pope Pius 

 the Seventh ; a handsome, gentlemanly, and amiable 

 old man. He received us in a summer-house in the 

 garden of the Vatican. He was sitting on a sofa, 

 and made me sit beside him. His manners were 

 simple and very gracious ; he spoke freely of what 

 he had suffered in France. He said, "God forbid 

 that he should bear ill-will to any one; but the 

 journey and the cold were trying to an old man, and 

 he was glad to return to a warm climate and to his 

 own country." When we took leave, he said to me, 

 " Though a Protestant, you will be none the worse 

 for an old man's blessing." Pius the Seventh was 

 loved and respected ; the people knelt to him as he 

 passed. Many years afterwards we were pro- 



