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LETTER XXXIII.

TO THE SAME.

THE polite arts are in this country fubject to as many revolutions as its laws or politics: not only the objects of fancy and drefs, but even of delicacy and tafte, are directed by the capricious influence of fashion. I am told there has been a time when poetry was univerfally encouraged by the great; when men of the firft rank not only patronized the poet, but produced the fineft models for his imitation. It was then the English fent forth those glowing rhapsodies, which we have fo often read over together with rapture; poems big with all the fublimity of Mentius, and fupported by reafoning as ftrong as that of Zimpo.

The nobility are fond of wifdom, but they are alfo fond of having it without study; to read poetry required thought, and the English nobility were not fond of thinking: they foon therefore placed their affections upon mufic, because in this they might indulge an happy vacancy, and yet ftill have pretenfions to delicacy and tafte as before. They foon brought their numerous dependants into an approbation of their pleafures; who in turn led their thousand imitators to feel or feign a fimilitude of paffion. Colonies of fingers were now imported from abroad at a vaft expence, and it was expected the English would foon be able to fet examples to Europe; all thefe expectations however were foon diffipated. In fpite of the zeal which fired the great, the ignorant vulgar refufed to be taught to fing; refused to undergo the ceremonies which were to initiate them in the finging fraternity: thus the

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

Mufic having thus loft its fplendour, Painting is now become the fole object of fashionable care. The title of connoiffeur in that art is at prefent the safest paff port in every fashionable fociety; a well-timed fhrug, an admiring attitude, and one or two exotic tones of exclamation are fufficient qualifications for men of low circumftances to curry favour. Even fome of the young nobility are themselves early inftructed in handling the pencil, while their happy parents, big with expectation, forefee the walls of every apartment covered with the manufactures of their pofterity.

But many of the English are not content with giving all their time to this art at home; fome young men of diftinction are found to travel through Europe with no other intent than that of underftanding and collecting pictures, ftudying feals, and defcribing ftatues. On they travel from this cabinet of curiofities to that gallery of pictures; wafte the prime of life in wonder; fkilful in pictures, ignorant in men; yet impoffible to be reclaimed, becaufe their follies take fhelter under the names of delicacy and tafte.

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

I know no other motive but vanity that induces the great to teftify fuch an inordinate paffion for pictures;

VOL. III.

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pictures; after the piece is bought, and gazed at eight or ten days fucceffively, the purchaser's pleafure muft furely be over; all the fatisfaction he can then have is to fhew it to others; he may be confidered as the guardian of a treasure of which he makes no manner of ufe; his gallery is furnished not for himself but the connoiffeur, who is generally fome humble flatterer, ready to feign a rapture he does not feel; and as neceffary to the happiness of a picture-buyer, as gazers are to the magnificence of an Afiatic proceffion.

I have enclosed a letter from a youth of diftinction, on his travels, to his father in England; in which he appears addicted to no vice, feems obedient to his governor, of a good natural difpofition, and fond of improvement; but at the fame time early taught to regard cabinets and galleries as the only proper fchools of improvement, and to confider a fkill in pictures as the propereft knowledge for a man of quality.

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"We have been but two days at Antwerp; "wherefore I have fat down as foon as possible to "give you fome account of what we have feen fince our arrival, defirous of letting no opportunity pafs without writing to fo good a father.

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mediately upon alighting from our Rotterdam ma"chine, my governor who is immoderately fond of 36 paintings, and at the fame time an excellent judge, "would let no time pafs till we paid our refpects to "the church of the virgin-mother, which contains "treasure beyond eftimation. We took an infinity "of pains in knowing it's exact dimensions, and dif"ferred half a foot in our calculation; fo I leave "that to some fucceeding information. I really be"lieve my governor and I could have lived and died "there. There is scarce a pillar in the whole church

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& that is not adorned by a Rubens, a Vander Meuy"len, a Vandyke, or a Woverman. What attitudes, carnations, and draperies! I am almoft in"duced to pity the English who have none of those "exquifite pieces among them. them. As we are willing "to let flip no opportunity of doing bufinefs, we "immediately after went to wait on Mr. Hogendorp, "whom you have fo frequently commended for his judicious collection. His cameas are indeed be"yond price; his intaglio's not fo good. He fhewed us one of an officiating flamen, which he thought to be an antique; but my governor, who is not to "be deceived in thefe particulars, foon found it to be

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an arrant cinque cento. I could not, however, fuf"ficiently admire the genius of Mr. Hogendorp, "who has been able to collect from all parts of the "world a thoufand things which no body knows the "ufe of. Except your lordship and my governor, "I do not know any body I admire fo much. He "is indeed a furprizing genius. The next morning "early, as we were refolved to take the whole day "before us, we fent our compliments to Mr. Van Sprockken, defiring to fee his gallery, which re

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queft he very politely complied with. His gallery "measures fifty feet by twenty, and is well filled; but what furprized me moft of all, was to fee an holy family just like your lordship's which this ingenious gentleman affures me is the true original. * I own this gave me inexpreffible uneafinefs, and I fear it will to your lordship, as I had flattered myfelf that the only original was in your lordship's poffeffion; I would advise you, however, to take yours down till it's merit can be ascertained, my governor affuring me, that he intends to write a long differtation to prove it's originality. One "might study in this city for ages, and ftill find fomething new: we went from this to view the cardinal's ftatues, which are really very fine; there

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were three fpintria executed in a very masterly manner, all arm in arm: the torfe which I heard you talk fo much of, is at last discovered to be a "Hercules fpinning, 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; paffing through the "ftreets of Antwerp a few days ago, and obferving "the nakedness of the inhabitants, he was fo bar"barous as to obferve, that he thought the best me"thod the Flemings could take, was to fell their pic"tures, and buy cloaths. Ah, Cogline! We shall

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go to-morrow to Mr. Carwarden's cabinet, and the "next day we shall fee the curiofities collected by "Van Ran, and the day after we fhall pay a vifit to "Mount Calvary, and after that—but I find my paper finifhed; fo with the most fincere wishes to your lordship's happiness, and with hopes after having feen Italy, that centre of pleasure, to re"turn home worthy the care and expence which has been generoufly laid out in my improve

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

you

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