LETTER XXXIII.

TO THE SAME.

THE polite arts are in this country subject to as many revolutions as its laws or politics: not only the objects of fancy and dress, but even of delicacy and taste, are directed by the capricious influence of fashion. I am told there has been a time when poetry was universally encouraged by the great; when men of the first rank not only patronized the poet, but produced the finest models for his imitation. It was then the English sent forth those glowing rhapsodies, which we have so often read over together with rapture; poems big with all the sublimity of Mentius, and supported by reasoning as strong as that of Zimpo.

The nobility are fond of wisdom, but they are also fond of having it without study, to read poetry required thought, and the English nobility were not fond of thinking: they soon therefore placed their affections upon music because in this they might indulge an happy vacancy, and yet still have pretensions to delicacy and taste as before. They soon brought their numerous dependants into an approbation of their pleasures; who in turn led their thousand imitators to feel or feign similitude of passion. Colonies of singers were now imported from abroad at a vast expence, and it was expected the English would soon be able to set examples to Europe; all these expectations however were soon dissipated. In spite of the zeal which fired the great, the ignorant vulgar refused to be taught to sing: refused to undergo the ceremonies which were to initiate them in the singing fraternity: thus the colony

colony from abroad dwindled by degrees; for they were of themselves unfortunately incapable of propagating the breed.

Music having thus lost its splendour, Painting is now become the sole object of fashionable care. The title of connoisseur in that art is at present the safest passport in every fashionable society; a well-timed shrug, and admiring attitude, and one or two exotic tones of exclamation, are sufficient qualifications for men of low circumstances to curry favour. some of the young nobility are themselves early instructed in handling the pencil, while their happy parents, big with expectation, foresee the walls of every apartment covered with the manufactures of their posterity.

Even

But many of the English are not content with giving all their time to this art at home; some young men of distinction are found to travel through Europe with no other intent than that of understanding and collecting pictures, studying seals, and describing statues. On they travel from this cabinet of curiosities to that gallery of pictures; waste the prime of life in wonder; skilful in pictures, ignorant in men; yet impossible to be reclaimed, because their follies take shelter under the names of delicacy and taste.

It is true, Painting should have due encouragement; as the painter can undoubtedly fit up our apartments in a much more elegant manner than the upholsterer; but I should think a man of fashion makes but an indifferent exchange, who lays out all that time in furnishing his house, which he should have employed in the furniture of his head. A person, who shews no other symptoms of taste than his cabinet or gallery, might as well boast to me of the furniture of his kitchen.

I know no other motive but vanity that induces the great to testify such an inordinate passion for pictures;

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pictures; after the piece is bought, and gazed at eight or ten days successively, the purchaser's pleasure must surely be over; all the satisfaction he can then have is to shew it to others; he may be considered as the guardian of a treasure of which he makes no manner of use; his gallery is furnished not for himself but the connoisseur, who is generally some humble flatterer, ready to feign a rapture he does not feel; and as necessary to the happiness of a picture-buyer, as gazers are to the magnificence of an Asiatic procession.

I have enclosed a letter from a youth of distinction, on his travels, to his father in England; in which he appears addicted to no vice, seems obedient to his governor, of a good natural disposition, and fond of improvement; but at the same time early taught to regard cabinets and galleries as the only proper schools of improvement, and to consider a skill in pictures as the properest knowledge for a man of quality.

My lord,

"We have been but two days at Antwerp; "wherefore I have sat down as soon as possible to "give you some account of what we have seen since

our arrival, desirous of letting no opportunity "pass without writing to so good a father. Im"mediately upon alighting from our Rotterdam ma

chine, my governor who is immoderately fond of "paintings, and at the same time an excellent judge, "would let no time pass till we paid our respects to "the church of the virgin-mother, which contains "treasure beyond estimation. We took an infinity "of pains in knowing it's exact dimensions, and dif"ferred half a foot in our calculation; so I leave "that to some succeeding information. I really be"lieve my governor and I could have lived and died "there. There is scarce a pillar in the whole church

"that

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"that is not adorned by a Reubens, a Vander Meuy"len, a Vandyke, or a Woverman. What atti"tudes, carnations, and draperies! I am almost in"duced to pity the English who have none of those "exquisite pieces among them. As we are willing "to let slip no opportunity of doing business, we "immediately after went to wait on Mr. Hogendorp, "whom you have so frequently commended for his judicious collection. His cameas are indeed beyond price; his intaglio's not so good. He shewed "us one of an officiating flamen, which he thought "to be an antique ; but my governor, who is not to "be deceived in these particulars, soon found it to be "an arrant cinque cento. I could not, however, sufficiently admire the genius of Mr. Hogendorp, "who has been able to collect from all parts of the "world a thousand things which nobody knows the "use of. Except your lordship and my governor, "I do not know any body I admire so much. He "is indeed a surprizing genius. The next morning "early, as we were resolved to take the whole day "before us, we sent our compliments to Mr. Van Sprokken, desiring to see his gallery, which re

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quest he very politely complied with. His gallery "measures fifty feet by twenty, and is well filled; "but what surprized me most of all, was to see an "holy family just like your lordship's, which this in"genious gentleman assures me is the true original. "I own this gave me inexpressible uneasiness, and I "fear it will to your lordship, as I had flattered my"self that the only original was in your lordship's "possession; I would advise you, however, to take yours down till it's merit can be ascertained, my governor assuring me, that he intends to write a long dissertation to prove it's originality. One might study in this city for ages, and still find "something new: we went from this to view the "cardinal's statues, which are really very fine; there

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"were three spintria executed in a very masterly 66 manner, all arm in arm: the torse which I heard "you talk so much of, is at last discovered to be a "Hercules spinning, and not a Cleopatra bathing, "as your lordship had conjectured: there has been "a treatise written to prove it.

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My lord Firmly is certainly a Goth, a Vandal, "no taste in the world for painting. I wonder how any call him a man of taste; passing through the "streets of Antwerp a few days ago, and observing "the nakedness of the inhabitants, he was so bar"barous as to observe, that he thought the best me"thod the Flemings could take, was to sell their pic"tures, and buy cloaths. Ah, Cogline! We shall

go to-morrow to Mr. Carwarden's cabinet, and the "next day we shall see the curiosities collected by "Van Rau, and the day after we shall pay a visit to Mount Calvary, and after that--but I find my 66 paper finished; so with the most sincere wishes to "your lordship's happiness, and with hopes after having seen Italy, that centre of pleasure, to re"turn home worthy the care and expence which "has been generously laid out in my improve

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"ment,

"I remain, my Lord,

"Yours, &c."

LETTER

XXXIV.

From Hingpo, a slave in Persia, to Altangi, a travelling philosopher of China, by the way of Moscow. FORTUNE has made me the slave of another but nature and inclination render me entirely subservient to you; a tyrant commands my body, but

you