Page:The New Monthly Magazine and Universal Register - Volume 011.djvu/151

1819.] (vol. i. p. 393.) "her character and expression is delightfully tender and maternal," (vol. i. p. 396.) "The verisimilitude of nature, both in colour, chiaro-scuro and character, have been seldom better depicted," &c. (vol. i. p. 399.) "The drawing, composition and colouring, is in the first style of historical excellence." (vol. i. p. 401.) "It will contain a continuation of an historical account of the arts, from the 15th century to the year 1806; with the rise and progress of painting, sculpture, and architecture, through various parts of the world, to its establishment in Great Britain," &c. (vol. i. p. 407.) "that the first attentions of the English Government to the fine arts, was during their administration." (vol. i. p. 410.) "We feel pleasure in announcing that the library of the late Mr. Alexander, of the British Museum, sold at prices worthy of their excellence." (vol, i. p. 413.)

We trust we have adduced sufficient instances, for the present, to prove the effrontery and ignorance of these Anti-British empirics; who, without talents or acquirements, a sense of truth or a respect for the sacred writings, have so long prostituted the press to the base purpose of calumniating living genius, exciting dissensions between the British Institution and Royal Academy, and degrading the artists of their country in the opinion of foreign nations. With an ignorance of the ordinary rules of English grammar, which would disgrace the pupils of a village Lingo, and an incapacity for writing in the commonest forms, without false concords and the meanest jargon, they have carried on the trade of defamation, under the pretext of directing the public taste in literature, the fine arts, and the drama! These are the sovereign judges of fine writing, the arbitrary critics, who decide on the fame of the living and dead! We shall now give an instance of their critical acumen:—"Mr. has, by his writings at so young an age, settled for ever the question, as to the capability of painters to write their thoughts; which every one must recollect was so prevalent eight or nine years ago; and be has therefore raised the character of artists in the scale of intellect." (No. viii. p. 89, A.F.A.) Here we are let into a miraculous secret; a matter, which no one ever read or heard of before it appeared in the veritable pages of these Quacks: and yet, which they assert, every one must recollect: namely, that there existed, some eight or nine years ago, a doubtful question, in this country, whether painters possessed the capability to write their thoughts!!! A foreigner might suppose from this passage, that no English painter had ever attempted to write before Mr. Haydon; but, unluckily for these charlatan critics, we cannot forget that the and other English painters, had written and published numerous volumes, before eight or nine years ago, and some of them long enough before that period. Yet according to these profound classical authorities in literature, and the fine arts, we are to believe that the writings of the English artists just mentioned, and of all others, had not only not done any service, but had proved their own incapacity, and produced a puzzling and doubtful question in England, as to the capability of painters to write their thoughts!!! In this state of ignorant uncertainty and darkness, the nobility, gentry, and people of England were plunged, until about eight or nine years ago, that is about 1809, or 10; and then, as this lying oracle runs, Mr., at so young an age, by his writings, settled for ever the question which those illiterate dunces, the Richardsons, Barry, Reynolds, Opie, Shee, Northcote, Fuseli, Tresham, Hoppner, and Days, had raised!!! All this is certainly very amazing; but, unluckily, it is a downright and notorious falsehood: for until this impudent quackery appeared in the Liber Falsitatis, no one ever heard of it before, and the facts are directly the reverse of this puffing invention. Without going farther, the writings of Sir Joshua Reynolds have been translated into several languages, and printed and circulated in numerous editions upon the Continent. In the life-time of that great man, "some years after the publication of the first seven of the Discourses, the author had the honour to receive from the late Empress of Russia, a gold box, with a basso relievo of her Imperial Majesty in the lid, set round with diamonds; accompanied by a note within, written in her own hand, containing these words—"Pour le Chevalier en te moignage du contentment que j'ai ressentie à la lecture de sen excellent Discours sur la Peinture" (Works of Reynolds, vol. i. p. 46.) Beside the above facts there have been three editions of 's