Henry III.7o the End of Henry VI. 41 



The perfon of Richard II. is flill pre- 

 ferved in the moil lively manner, in two 

 different pidures. The firfl a whole length 

 in the abbey of Weftminfter ; the other J 

 at the earl of Pembroke's at Wilton, a 

 fmall piece confiding of two tablets, on 

 which are reprefented the king kneeling, 

 accompanied by his patron faints, John the 

 Baptift, St. Edmund the king and Edward 

 the Confeffor, before the Virgin and Child, 

 attended by angels. Hollar engraved it. 

 To the bottom of this pi6lure are affixed 

 thefe words, " Invention of painting in oil 

 1 410. This was painted before in the be- 

 ginning of Richard II. 1377, &c." Tliefe 

 words, which are very equivocal, darted a 

 queflion with me, which I found nobody 

 that could refolve. Do they imply that this 

 piece was painted in oil before John ab 

 Eyck difcovered that fecret in 1410 ? fo one 

 fhould think, for what news did the infcri- 

 ber tell, if he only meant that painting in 

 water-colours or miniature was pradlifed 

 before painting in oil ? Every illuminated 



X See a full defcription of it in the accounts of the 

 curiofities at Wilton by Gambarini, Cowdry, or Ken- 

 nedy. 



MS. 



