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 owing to the very urgent persuasions of these two friends that he eventually relinquished his occupation, entered at Mr. Fred Brown's Studio at Westminster, and finally decided to give his attention to Illustration. At the age of nineteen he accepted the tremendous task of illustrating the 'Morte d' Arthur,' and after considerable labour carried it through. When still quite a lad he had attracted the attention of Sir E. Burne-Jones and also of Puvis de Chavannes, and it said much for his genius that it should have received encourage- ment from two men so different in their aims and practice as were these two. His special qualities were thus described by Hamerton in his eulogy of the artist: "Extreme economy of means, the perfection of discipline, of self-control and of thoughtful deliberation, at the very moment of invention." In 1893 appeared the famous article on Beardsley in the pages of the ' Studio,' and from that moment the lad was famous. His success was the most unfortunate thing which happened to him, as he became involved with the " latest charlatanisms cf the hour," and was claimed by the artists of the decadent movement as one of themselves. His illustrations to the three vols, of 'Bons Mots,' and to 'Salome,' 'The Rape of the Lock,' and ' The Savo}-,' are works of remarkable genius, also many of his single illustrations in the ' Yellow B. ok,' while others did not add to his fame, and in some cases were distinguished by a vicious and ignoble qualitj-, together with a peculiar disposition to represent types without intellect and without morals, which later on he regretted with all his heart. His latest works were the ' Book of Fifty Drawings,' the illustrations to ' Mademoiselle de Maupin,' and to ' Volpone,' all executed when he was seriously ill with that illness from which he never recovered. He was, however, neither depraved nor immoral, but was unable to withstand the desire to do dcver, mischievous things, and to shock persons of narrow opinions. His work in the ' Savoy ' and the ' Yellow Book ' were mis- understood, and were thought to be the work of a man of evil disposition, but it was not so. He would have been better had he restrained his mischievous disposition, and had he lived he would have restrained (t left it behind him, but in any case the existence (f this curious quality, much as the artist afterwards regretted it, must not be put down to actual vice. Beardsley was always a man of religious temperament, of deep and serious aims and of earnest feelings. In the last few years of his life he became a Catholic, and in that faith he died at Mentone in March, 1898. His dra^vings were fu^l of imagination and of delicate fancy. There were often the faults of eccentric proportions and tricks and mannerisms of stjle, but with all there was a marvellous knowledge of the quality of line, an exquisite portrayal of texture, a vigour, inventiveness and daintiness which are almost unapproachable in the work of any other man. His sense of beauty was a very real and powerful one, and there is an earnestness about his work and a desire not alone to be quaint and fanciful, but also to realize the hidden depths of beauty which deserves fuller recognition than it has received. The horror and evil of many of the faces, the cunning and malice depicted in some of them, have been too much considered, to the detriment of the greater qualities which Beardsley undoubtedly possessed. His technique was masterly; there was, as has been well said, "a serene surety in his drawing and a superb sense cf style." No artist so rapidly reached so universal or contested a fame, few have had so wide an influence, few have been so much misunderstood, and few have been so profoundly original. There is an excellent sketch of his life, written by his friend Arthur Symons, and articles on his work by Aymer Vallance and Margaret Armour are to be found in the ' Magazine of Art,' and by Pennell and others in the 'Studio' and 'Artist.' From these and from personal knowledge the above notice has been written. G. C. W.

BEATRICIDS. See above. Master of the Die.

BEATRIZET, Nicolas, (Beautrizet, or BeaTRICETTO,) a French engraver, was bom at Lune- ville in or before 1520. From his style it has been conjectured that he was a scholar of Ghisi, and of Agostino Veneziano de Musis. From 1540 to 1560 he engraved under the direction of Michelangelo. He died at Rome after 1560. His works are more indebted, for the estimation in which they are held, to the subjects he has selected, than to the merit of their execution. He usually marked his plates with the letters 3^. B. L. F. Their number is con- siderable, but most of them are comprised in the following list :

PORTRAITS. Bust of Pius ni. Pope Paul III., an oval. Pope Paul IV. ; dated 1558. Henry II,, King of France ; X. B. F. Lot f. 1558. Another Portrait of Henry II. ; dated 1556, Hippolita Gonzaga, Juan Valverdus, Spaniard, Antoine Salamanca, engraver and dealer in prints, Don Juan of Austria, an oval, on a monument ; inscribed Genirale delta Legha.

The Genealogy of the first twelve Emperors and Em- presses, with their Portraits, from medals ; two sheets. The Kings of Poland, in medallions ; inscribed Regea Poionia:.

SnBJECTS OF SACRED HISTORY.

Cain killing Abel ; inscribed Fratricida Aielis, A. S- ex. 1540, Joseph explaining the Dream ; afler Raphael ; marked A* B. F.^ and his name ; one of his best plates. The Nativity of the Virgin ; after Baceio Bandinelli ; inscribed Nicolaus Beatricius restituit et formis suis eze. The Annunciation ; with the names of Michelangelo and Bcatrici. The Adoration of the Magi; (7//er Parmigiano,y.B.Z.F. The Holy Family, with St. John ; Jeroin. Mulian,pinx., Nicolaus Beatricius Lotaringus, ineidit, &c. The Good Samaritan ; Michelangelo^ inv, Christ on the Mount of Olives; after Titian; marked y. B. F. The Crucifixion, with the Virgin, Magdalene, and St. Jolm ; with the Sun and Moon on each side ; Mud' anus Brixiamts^ inv.^ Xicolaus Beatricius, ^r. exc. The Mater Dolorosa ; after Michelangelo ; A'. B. Roma. 1547, The taking down from the Cross; after Cirdgnani ; marked B. Roma. Christ delivering the Souls from Purgatory; with the names of Raphael and Beatrici. The Ascension ; after Raphael, with his cipher, 1541, The Conversion of St. Paul ; Michelangelo, pinx., ^e. ; marked y. B. St. Michael overcoming the Evil Spirit; after Raphael; marked y. B. L. The Virgin seated on a Throne, distributing Rosaries ; inscribed yicolaus Beatricius, Src. exc, oval. The Cross worshipped all over the world ; arched plate, marked y. B. P., and inscribed Crux illustris, t;e. MDLTII. The prophet Jeremiah ; after Michelangelo.