1805.] 
individual. It is hardly neceffary to fay we 
allude to Shakespeare; a poet whom the 
people of this country look up to with 
the moft enthufiaftic admiration, and whofe 
drama, they properly confider as a fchool 
for the reprefentation of all the paflions. 
To foar like an eagle into the regions of ima- 
gination, to form a new creation from the in- 
exhauftible fources of his own mind, and 
give to his felf-created beings appropriate 
manners and language uniformly confonant 
to their characters and fituations, was his 
great and exclufive praife. If mentally con- 
lidered, he was himtelf a painter, and a pain- 
tes of the very firft order. To expect that 
thofe who delineated his characters fhould 
exhibit the full force of their great original, 
is demanding more than is the lot of man to 
perform: but confidered asa whole, the Shake- 
{peare galleryina degree proves, that the for- 
mer low ftate of the arts, did not wholly arife 
from the want ot power in the painters, but 
from the want of proper encouragement from 
the public. Be that as it may, the proprie- 
tors certainly exerted all their efforts to ren- 
der it as perfect as they could, by employ- 
ing the beft artifts we had, and paying them 
the moft liberal prices. Whatever other 
effect it may have produced, we may fairly 
hope, that from that and fome other fimi- 
lar undertakings, an hiftorical and poetical 
{pirit may be diffufed among our race of 
rifing artifts, and that they will henceforth 
not be fatisfied with making an unintereft- 
ing map of an uninterefting countenance, 
but attempt a bolder flight ; and though in 
fome infances they may fail, the attempt is 
glorious. This purfuit will lead them to 
what the art demands even in portrait, 1. e. 
a delineation of the mind, as wel! as the 
tace. _ We do not extend this to the reprefen- 
tation of thofe unhappy countenances which 
have nothing like an index in any one fea- 
ture, for that would be requiring what 
would deftroy refemblance; but where there 
isa ray of fenfe Jurking in the face, it may 
jut as well be transferred to the canvas, as 
feft out.—During the progrefs of this work, 
the Alderman fometimes received profaic 
and poetic compliments from anonymous 
correfpondents. The following little jeu 
@efpret, allulive to the manner in whieh he 
fecured iminortality to his own name, has 
fome point : 
On Alderman Boydell’s Shakefpeares 
Old Father Time, as Ovid fings, 
Is a great eater-up of things ; 
And without falt or muftard, 
Will gulp you down a caftle-wall, 
As clean, as ever at Guildhall 
An alderman ate cuftard. 
But Boypett, careful of his fame, 
Gy grafting it on Shakespeare’s name, 
Shall beat his neighbours hollow ; 
For, to the Bard of Avon’s ftream, 
Old Time has faid (like Polypheme,) 
“ You'll be the la& I {wallow.” 
Account of the late Mr. Alderman Boydell. 
55L 
—It will naturally be afked how any one 
man, however induftrious, attentive, and’ 
perfevering, could attend to this and fo 
many other great objects ; for however active 
and enterprifing the fpirit, human powers 
have certain limits, beyond which, nature 
peremptorily declares they fhall not go. 
Added to this, the Alderman had long be- 
fore his death arrived at that period of life 
which demands additional repoie ; and cer- 
tain it is, he could not have carried on his 
bufinefs in the manner it was carried on, 
without the active and. unremitting exerti- 
ons of his nephew aud partner, Mr. Jofiak 
Boydell ; whofe profeilional qualifications 
enabled him to appreciate the value and me- 
rits of the different works fubmitted to his 
infpection; and to point out the errors which 
ought to be corrected ; and whofe own pro- 
ductions, even at the very early period, when 
he made a great number of drawings from 
‘the Orford collection, proved to thofe who 
could judge the value of his remarks, gave 
weight to his remonftrances. On his uncle’s 
death, this gentleman was unanimoufly cho- 
fen to be his fucceffor in his city honours, 
and has now the fole direction of the im- 
menfe profeflional concerns. We might add, 
that, from his character and former conduét, 
there is every reafon to expect and believe 
that with the name, he will inherit the virtues 
of Alderman Boydell. But he ftill lives, 
and truth might feem flattery. The necef- 
fity of the late Alderman having the aflift- 
ance we have fuggefted will appear ftill more 
abfolute, if we confider the public fituations 
in which he ftood to the city, where he has 
filled the offices of Alderman, Sheriff, and 
Lord Mayor with the higheft refpeétability, 
and very fedulouily and confcientieufly ful- 
filled the refpective duties of each; and 
frequently when it was not in his rotation, 
fupplied the place of a brother Alderman. 
In his magiferial capacity, though inflexibly 
juft, he was conftitutionally merciful ; and 
when mafters came before him with com- 
plaints of their apprentices, or hufbands with 
complaints of their wives, be always attempt- 
ed, and very often fuccefsfully, to accom- 
modate their differences; and, when he 
could with propriety, ufually recommended 
the complaining party to amend his own 
conduét, as an example to thofe whom he 
acculed. Wifhing to diffeminate a tafte for 
the Fine Arts, he has within thefe few years 
pretented to the Corporation of the City of 
London, feveral valuable pictures, which now 
ornament the Council Chamber at Guild- 
hall. Some of them commemorate the aétions 
of our military diftinguifhed chara¢ters, and 
others are calculated to imprefs upon the 
minds of the rifing generation, the fentiments 
of induftry, prudence and virtue. Several 
of thefe well-imagined allegorical delinea- 
tions by Rigaud, Smirke, Weftall, &c. he 
has had engraved, and in the diffemination 
of either prints or books which had a moral 
tendency he always appeared to take great 
pleafure. 
