of Van Eyck's invention, and the fubfequent introduction of the secret into Italy. A most learned antiquarian and entertaining writer of our own time has supposed that Van Eyck might poffibly "learn the fecret of ufing oil in England, and take the honour of the invention to himself, as we were then a country little known to the world of arts, nor at leifure, from the confufion of the times, to claim the discovery of fuch a fecret."- -Walpole's Anecdotes of Painting, Vol. I. p. 29.— -The conjecture is not without fome little foundation; but the conjectural claims which either Italy or England' can produce to this excellent invention, are by no means fufficiently strong to annihilate the glory of the happy and ingenious Fleming.

Since the preceding part of this Note was written, the reputation both of Van Eyck, and his encomiast Vafari, has been very forcibly attacked in an Essay on Oil-painting, by Mr. Raspe; an Essay which discovers fuch a zealous attachment to the arts, and such an active pursuit of knowledge, as do great credit to its ingenious author. But, though I have perused it with the attention it deferves, it does not lead me to retract what I had faid; because, after all his researches on this fubject, it appears that although Oil-painting was not abfolutely the invention of Van Eyck, it was yet indebted to him for those improvements which made it of real value to his profeffion. -The ingenious Fleming feems therefore to be ftill entitled to thofe honours that have been lavished on his name, as improvement in fuch cafes is often more ufeful and more meritorious than invention itself, which is frequently the effect of chance, while the former arises from well-directed study.

Where fumptuous Leo courted every Mufe.] The name of Medicis is familiar to every lover of the fine arts. nal, was raised to the papal See 1513.

John de Medicis, the CardiHe continued that liberal pa

tronage

tronage and encouragement to learning, which had before diftinguished his illuftrious family. He was profufe and magnificent. The various, and celebrated productions of taste and genius under his pontificate, clearly mark the age of Leo the Xth as one of the great aras of literature.

NOTE XXXV.

VERSE 405.

3

Untrodden paths of Art Salvator tried.] Salvator Rofa was born at a village near Naples, in 1615. After a youth of poverty and adventure, he raised himfelf by his various and uncommon talents into lucrative reputation. Having paffed nine years at Florence, in confiderable employment, he settled in Rome, and died there at the age of 58, in 1673.-He was one of the few characters who have poffeffed a large portion of pleasant vivacity and fatirical humour, with a fublime imagination. His talents as a painter are univerfally celebrated; but his focial virtues, though perhaps not inferior, are far from being fo generally known. In the " Raccolta di Lettere fulla Pittura" there are many of his letters to his intimate friend Ricciardi, an Italian poet, and profeffor of moral philofophy at Pifa, which perfectly difplay the warmth of his friendship, and the generosity of his heart.They contain also some amufing anecdotes relating to his profession, and the great delight which he took in discovering historical subjects of a peculiar caft, untouched by other painters, and appearing to an ignorant eye almost beyond the limits of his art. He feems to defcribe himself with juftice, as well as energy, in the following words of a letter to Ricciardi “tutto bile, tutto spirito, tutto fuoco."Though he must have been wonderfully pleafant as a companion, and valuable as a friend, yet he laments that his fatires had made him many enemies, and heartily wishes he had never produced them: In that which relates to painting, he expofes indeed the vices of his brethren with great freedom and severity.-It is remarkable that his

M

poetry

poetry abounds more with learned allufions than with high flights of imagination; yet in the fatire I have mentioned, there is much whimfical fancy. An ape is introduced applying to a painter, and begging to learn his profeffion, as Nature he says has given him a genius for the mimetic arts. The painter complies-but his difciple, after an apprenticeship of ten years, bids his master adieu, with many humorous execrations against the art of Painting,-Other parts of the poem fenfible and serious remarks on the abuses of the penmany cil; and as the author has given us a portrait of himself in his poetical character, I fhall present it to the reader as a specimen of his ftyle.

contain

The fage Pouffin, with pureft fancy fraught.] Nicolas Pouffin was born at Andely in Normandy 1594: one of his firft patrons was the

whimsical

7

whimfical Italian poet Marino, who being ftruck with fome fresco works of the young painter at Paris, employed him in fome designs from his own poem l'Adone, and enabled him to undertake an expedition to Rome. He was recalled from thence by Cardinal Richelieu in 1640, but upon the death of Richelieu and the king he returned to Rome, where he ended a life of primitive fimplicity and patient application in 1665:

NOTE XXXVII. VERSE 435.

Then rofe Le Brun, his scholar, and his friend.] Charles Le Brun, univerfally known by his Battles of Alexander, and his treatise on the paffions, was born in Paris 1619: having prefided over the French Academy, with great reputation, more than forty years, he died in 1690, partly, as the author of the Abrégé affures us, from the chagrin which he received from a cabal raised against him in favour of his rival Mignard: but neither his own works, nor the partial favour of his patron Louvois, nor the friendship of Moliere, who has written a long poem in his praise, have been able to raise Mignard to the level of Le Brun.

Thy dawn, Le Sueur, announc'd a happier taste.] Eustache Le Sueur (who, without the advantage of ftudying in Italy, approached nearer than any of his countrymen to the manner of Raphael) was a native of Paris. Le Brun, who came to vifit him in his last moments, is reported to have faid, on quitting his chamber, Que la mort alloit lui tirer une groffe epine du pied." If he was capable of uttering fuch a fentiment, at such a time, he thoroughly deferved the fate which is mentioned in the preceding Note.

M 2

NOTE

NOTE XXXIX. VERSE 447.

Though Frefnoy teaches, in Horatian fong.] Charles Alfonfe du Frefnoy, author of the celebrated Latin poem de Arte graphicâ, very haftily tranflated into English profe by Dryden, was himself a painter of fome eminence, and the intimate friend of Mignard. He died in a village near Paris,, at the age of forty-four, in 1665.