NOTES. 73 



raster of the Actor. It may be remarked that action is the prin- 

 cipal requifite to a fubject for Hiflory- pain ting, and that there 

 are many fubjedts which, tho' very interefting to the reader, 

 would make no figure in reprefentation ; thefe are fuch as 

 confift in any long feries of action, the parts of which have 

 very much dependency each on the other ; they are fuch where 

 any remarkable point or turn of verbal expreffion makes a 

 part of the excellence of the ftory; or where it has its effect 

 from allufion to circumftances not actually prefent : an inftance 

 occurs to me of a fubject which was recommended to a Painter 

 by a very diftinguimed perfon, but who, as it appears, was 

 but little converfant .with the art; it was what palled between 

 James II. and the Duke of Bedford in the Council which 

 was held juft before the Revolution. This is a very ftriking 

 piece of hiftory; but it is fo far from being a proper fubject, 

 that it unluckily pofTefTes no one requifite necefTary for a pic- 

 ture; it has a retrofpedt to other circumftances of hiftory of a 

 very complicated nature ; it marks no general or intelligible 

 action or paflion ; and it is necefTarily deficient in that variety 

 of heads, forms, ages, fexes, and draperies which fometimes, 

 by good management, fupply by picturefque effect the want of 

 a real interefl in a hiilory. R. 



NOTE XL VERSE 106. 

 'Then let the virgin canvas fmooth expand, 

 To claim the Jketch and tempt the Artift's hand. 

 I wim to underftand the laft line as recommending to the 

 artift to paint the fketch previoufly on canvas, as was the 

 practice of Rubens. 



This method of painting the fketch, inftead of merely draw- 

 ing it on paper, will give a facility in the management of 

 colours, and in the handling, which the Italian Painters, not 



K having 



