As10.] 
Being now on this subject, I would 
just mention, that with repeated trials, 
I have scarcely ever seen any spots on 
the sun, from October 1807, up to this 
time. Caper Lor¥r. 
d7oston-hall, July 23, 1810. 
, one 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
VISIT of an ANTIQUARY lO LONDON. 
Tis an eccentric commencement of a 
letter to quote two passages in an 
abrupt form: one is from Voltaire, “I 
speak what I think, and care very little 
whether others think as I do;” and the 
other, ‘‘ That there is no disputation in 
matters of taste.” 
From business and pleasure united, I 
have just made an excursion to the me- 
tropolis. Whatever pleasure pastoral 
poets, may derive from beholding lazy 
Tityrus piping under a tree, I confess 
that I had full as much inclination to 
hear the music of. Bow bells, and behold 
the beauties of Kensington-garden. giris, 
who luckily did not live in the time of a 
calumniating poet, who, without heed 
of slander, would probably have styled 
them, as he did romping Galatea, duscive 
puelle. And this, though they are only 
harmless 
&¢ White-rob’d misses, ambling two and two, 
Nodding to booted beaux, How doy how 
do ?? 
I had scarcely been in London an hour, 
before | was urged with, “ You will go 
and see the Duke of Bedford’s statue; the 
New Theatre, the Townley Collection; 
and the Four-inehand Club: the present 
tions of London. - Vhe last of these visits 
I declined for the following reason, very 
sensibly given by a stage-coachman. 
*Gentlemen (he said) often mount our 
box with an inclination to become 
adepts in driving curricles, phaetons, 
&c. but they are quite mistaken. 
Stage-coaches are heavy burdens, and 
our task is to inake every horse do his 
duty: but the light open carriages of 
yentlemen, are little more than wheel- 
barrows at the heels of horses, and driv- 
ing these, is chicfly to restrain the horses 
from mischief.” © Donkies, as is weil 
known, are very prone to gid; and how- 
ever amusing: may be the pranks which 
they play in thei sulky moments, I am 
inclined to think that the Eton boy, who 
lately dashed among them with his team 
of donkies, is not to be considered with 
a faun smile in the spirit of Fun, bat as 
presenting a good example for the mo- 
dern Jehus, by finding them plenty of 
1 
Visit of an Antiquary to London. 
125 
useful oecupation—that of curing the res-. 
tiveness of asses. This is no trifling 
consideration, when it is known that a 
donkey has lately been sold for the enor- 
mous sum of fifieen guineas. Forsaking 
then, any idea of entertainment from 
merely seeing carriages and four drivea 
by gentlemen, I repaired to the spot 
where stands the sad memorial of the 
noble patron of the useful arts—the Eng- 
lish Triptolemus, who in the days of 
mythology, (from the policy of sound 
patriotism,) would have been honoured 
witha temple. I confess, that I could 
not advance to the spot without the 
most melancholy sensations. I recol- 
lected the untimely fate, the short-lived 
bloom, of this bright flower of family, 
opulence, and merit. The execution of 
the statue appeared to me to confer 
honour upon the artist, and the orna- 
ments to be perfectly coincident. Some 
powertul reasons may, however, conduce 
to prevent the possibility of sound cri- 
ticism. First, the statue is of bronze, 
which was not the general custom of the 
ancients; and, by no means, shows exe- 
cution like marble. It sinks through 
darkness all the small parts, and is cer- 
tainly not the best form. Nobody weuld 
desire the Venus, Apollo, Meleager, &c. 
to be changed in materials: though it 
perhaps would be eligible in a Hercules, 
or figures which exhibit much mus¢le. 
Secondly, this statue stands so high, that 
the view teazes the spectator with the 
bare outline of a human figure. In mo- 
dern statuary, there 1s often no attitude, 
no character, no allusion to any thing 
from position. Either they sit and Jook 
as tamely as if they were at dinner, or . 
they extend one arm, and only. want ‘a 
fishing-rod, to have the graceful attitude 
of anglers. This taste was no doubt 
derived from days when those white or 
vilt sticks, called truncheons, were m 
vogue, Iam aware, that although Hope 
gazes upon a rose-bud, and the Philovo- 
pher declines the head, such character. 
istic representations are mostly limited 
to deified and allegorical figures; yet the 
plough upon which the statue rests the 
hand, might cause it to pass fora Cincin-— 
natus, were it excavated in Italy. The 
statue looks straight forward, like 
Charles I, at Charing Cross, and many 
others, in unmeaning vacancy. Ido not 
say that a Bakewell ram would well suit 
the genius of sculpture, and that the 
duke’s eye could be directed to it; but, 
in my Opinion, some character should 
haye been given to the statue, Jam not 
speaking 
