252 
66 Mild Spring appears in Joy arrayd 3” the 
Words taken from Mrs. Cummyng’s T. ranflation 
of Florian’s much admired Paftoral Remance, 
- Eftelle. Set to Mufic for two Voices by Thomas 
. Cummyng. Is. Skillern, 
«¢ Mild fpring appears” is a pleafing 
and familiar little duett.. The parts are 
put together with fome degree of judg- 
ment, and the bafs is well chofen. Many 
of the lines of the poetry are well turned: 
we have only to objcét to its extending to 
four verfes : more than three, to a fubject 
of this nature, gives a Jaffitude of effect to 


Retrofpedt of the Fine Arts. ~ 
_ »- 
[O&ober 4, 1 
the mufic, and operates againft the coms 
pofer. 
When you tell me your Heart is another's ; & much 
pane Mir, varied far the Pians-forte by'T, 
aigh. 1s, 6d. , Rolfe. 
Mr. Haigh has ¢ifplayed much dexteri- 
ty in the arra:cement of this rendo, 
The execution is pretty equally difiriouted 
between the two hands, and the whole is 
fo worked as to form a regular and con- 
fiftent compofition, at once calculated to 
pleafe the car, and improve the hand of 
the practitioner. 

MONTHLY RETROSPECT OF THE FINE ARTS. 
(The Loan of al! new Prints and Communications of Articles of Inteliigence are requefted.) 

St. Stephen's Chapel. 
TN our Jaftretrofpe&t,we flightly noticed 
the pictures which have been difco- 
yered by the alterations making in the 
Houfe of Commons, As- thefe very 
{plendid and interefting remains have been 
the fubject of much converfation among 
all admirers of the fine arts, and have, 
fince that time, been almoft entirely re- 
_ moved, and fome of them neceffarily mu- 
tilated ; and, as they will probably create 
“much future debate, we think a more 
‘ample defcription than has yet appeared of 
the ftate which they were in when firft dif- 
covered, will be acceptable to many of our 
readers, and fhall therefore devote this ~ 
paper to that fubjedt. ~ 
The profufion of ultra-marine, foil, 
burnifhed gold, and every gaudy colour in 
the rainbow, muft originally have been fo 
painfully fplendid as to dazzle the eye, 
and. give a fironger impreflion of one of the 
enchanted palaces we read of in the Ara- 
bian Nights, than of a Chriftian temple. 
_ Moft part.of it was probably the work 
of foreigners; but yet, that we had even 
then fome artiits in this country capable 
of performing fome part of the work, 
feems implicd by a mandate, or precept, 
which Edward III. fent to a nobleman, 
giving him the power of iffuing orders to 
compel all fuch as were capable of carvyng, 
peyuling, cr gylding, Gc. Ge. in any part 
of the realm, to affift in completing his 
chapel, which he meant to be the paragon 
of the univerfe. | 
Tt has been generally fuppofed, that 
Fobu Van Eyk was the fir perion who mix- 
ed his colours with oil, and his difcovery 
is faid to have been made about the year 
14103 but by fomerecords [till remaining 
in the exchequer, the fums paid for the 
building aud decoration of this edifice, iz 
ewhich the paintings were all in oil, appear 
to have been in the year 1348 and 13499 
at which time Edward III. rebuilt and 
converted it into a collegiate chapel. 
The altar was of plain ftone, without 
any decorations, and probably covered 
with embroidered velvet ; for from the 
profufion of ornament with which the walls 
were covered, we may fairly conclude it 
was in the moft fplendid ftyle. 
The firft pigiure to the north-eaft re- 
prefents a man in gold armour, holding a 
white horie, and looking up to a picture 
of the king, who, with a {ceptre in his right 
hand, and the pix-box inhis left, is making 
an oblation tothe Virgin. ‘The {ceptre is 
furmounted with a-dove, though in the 
feals of that day the fceptre of Edward 
has not that diftinétion. One of the two 
figures behind was in red, the other in 
blue, ftockings ; they are probably intend- 
ed to reprefent two noblemen following 
in the {uite of the king. Before him is a 
female figure, fuppofed to be the queen, ' 
with a crown before her, and in a fuppli- 
cating poiture at the feet of the Virgin, 
who is reprefented as {eated in a curious 
Gothic chair, with the infant Jefus in her 
arms. Edward, ina black robe, fpangled 
with blue covered with foil, and thoes 
powdered with pearl, is repretented ina 
fupplicating pofure, with his hands ¢lafp- 
ed ; and on the finifter fide is the patron 
faint, St. George, affifting him in bis de- 
votions, and intimating by his aétion, 
that the king muft lcok up to heaven. 
Part of an infcription beneath has been 
obliterated, but the words Mounfeyer le 
Roz and Seynt George are partly vitibie. 
Six arched niches below the king, &c. 
are occupied by knights, mofily in gilt 
armour, with their proper badges and he- 
raldic coats. In the north eait corner be- 
yond is reprefented a boy dreft in white, 
and holding a large taper. ‘Phere wag 
originally 
