UNCLE IN ENGLAND. 273 



all the world ; but perhaps you may not have heard 

 that during his whole life, both while suffering 

 opposition from envious artists, who threw every 

 obstacle in his way, and afterwards when he had 

 attained the highest success, he preserved his un- 

 pretending modesty and simplicity. He neither 

 yielded to occasional disappointment, nor to the 

 vanity of shewing that he could surpass his rivals. 

 Improvement was the one great object which 

 he unremittingly pursued, and all his ideas were 

 subjected to rigid examination ; he compared 

 them first with nature, and he then flew to the 

 Vatican, where he compared them with the an- 

 tique. The result always calmed his solicitude ; 

 he returned with fresh confidence to his studio, 

 and in solitude laboured to perfect his style, 

 without either boasting to his friends, or triumph- 

 ing over his opponents. 



" This modest reserve always marked his con- 

 duct. To the observations of friends, whether 

 of approbation or criticism, he seldom replied. 

 ' To praise,' he used to say, ' what can I an- 

 swer ? to the censures of well-wishers I must 

 listen in silence ; for if wrong, their feelings 

 would be hurt by telling them so, and if correct, 

 I endeavour to profit by their remarks.' But it 

 frequently occurred that he reminded his friends 

 of their former criticisms, and candidly pointed 

 out the consequent correction. 



" His high talents were combined with the 



