Page:Readings in European History Vol 1.djvu/571

 The Italian Cities and tJie Renaissance 535 series of charming biographies of painters, sculptors, and architects, which forms the chief source for the lives of the Italian artists from Giotto to Titian. The richest gifts are occasionally seen to be showered, as 227. Re- by celestial influence, upon certain human beings; nay, they m arkable sometimes supernaturally and marvelously congregate in a of^eonard single person, beauty, grace, and talent being united in da Vinci, such a manner that to whatever the man thus favored may l? rom ., turn himself, his every action is so divine as to leave all Lives of the other men far behind him. This would seem manifestly to Painters -) prove that he has been specially endowed by the hand of God himself, and has not obtained his preeminence through human teaching or the powers of man. This was perceived and acknowledged by all men in the case of Leonardo da Vinci, in whom (to say nothing of his beauty of person, which yet was such that it has never been sufficiently extolled) there was a grace beyond expression, which was manifest without thought or effort in every act and deed, and who had besides so rare a gift of talent and ability that to whatever subject he turned his attention, no matter how difficult, he presently made himself absolute master of it. In him extraordinary power was combined with remark- able facility, a mind of regal boldness and magnanimous daring. His gifts were such that the celebrity of his name was spread abroad, and he was held in the highest estima- tion not only in his own time but also, and even to a greater degree, after his death, nay, he has continued, and will continue, to be held in the highest esteem by all succeeding generations. Truly remarkable, indeed, and divinely endowed was Leonardo da Vinci. He was the son of Ser Piero da Vinci. He would without doubt have made great progress in learn- ing and knowledge of the sciences had he not been so ver- satile and changeful. The instability of his character led him to undertake many things which having commenced he afterwards abandoned. In arithmetic, for example, he