400 ARIADNE FLORENTINA. 



It is just what you may see any day, anywhere, innocent, 

 seemingly artless ; but the artlessness of Turner is like the 

 face of Gainsborough's village girl, and a joy forever. 



IV. 



On the study of anatomy. 



The virtual beginner of artistic anatomy in Italy was a man 

 called ' The Poulterer ' from his grandfather's trade ; ' Polla- 

 juolo,' a man of immense power, but on whom the curse of 

 the Italian mind in this age * was set at its deepest. 



Any form of passionate excess has terrific effects on body 

 and soul, in nations as in men ; and when this excess is in 

 rage, and rage against your brother, and rage accomplished 

 in habitual deeds of blood, do you think Nature will forget 

 to set the seal of her indignation upon the forehead ? I told 

 you that the great division of spirit between the northern and 

 southern races had been reconciled in the Val d'Arno. The 

 Font of Florence, and the Font of Pisa, were as the very 

 springs of the life of the Christianity which had gone forth to 

 teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Prince of ; 

 Peace. Yet these two brother cities were to each other I do 

 not say as Abel and Cain, but as Eteocles and Polynices, and 

 the words of .ZEschylus are now fulfilled in them to the utter- 

 most. The Arno baptizes their dead bodies : their native 

 valley between its mountains is to them as the furrow of a 

 grave ; " and so much of their land they have, as is sepul- 

 chre." Nay, not of Florence and Pisa only was this true : 

 Venice and Genoa died in death -grapple ; and eight cities of 

 Lombardy divided between them the joy of levelling Milan to 

 her lowest stone. Nay, not merely in city against city, but in 



i 



between its mountain banks in central distance. It is exquisitely en- 

 graved, the plate being of the size of the drawing, about ten inches by. 

 six, and finished with extreme care and feeling. 



* See the horrible picture of St. Sebastian by him in our own National 

 Gallery. 



