Introduction 



Two of the essays in this collection were 

 originally delivered as lectures ; the remainder 

 were published in The Universal Review dur- 

 ing 1888, 1889, and 1890. 



I should perhaps explain why two other 

 essays of his, which also appeared in The 

 Universal Review, have been omitted. 



The first of these, entitled "L 5 Affaire 

 Holbein - Rippel," relates to a drawing of 

 Holbein's "Danse des Paysans," in the 

 Basle Museum, which is usually described as 

 a copy, but which Butler believed to be the 

 work of Holbein himself. This essay requires 

 to be illustrated in so elaborate a manner that 

 it was impossible to include it in a book of 

 this size. 



The second essay, which is a sketch of the 

 career of the sculptor Tabachetti, was pub- 

 lished as the first section of an article entitled 

 "A Sculptor and a Shrine," of which the 

 second section is here given under the title, 

 " The Sanctuary of Montrigone." The sec- 

 tion devoted to the sculptor represents all 

 that Butler then knew about Tabachetti, but 

 since it was written various documents have 



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