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Collection of Lord Mount Stuart; befide fome mifcellaneous

prints.

Netley Abbey has been recommended to the attention of the Public by a poem which it occafioned fome years ago.

The pleasing melancholy, obferves this Writer, inspired by contemplating the mouldering towers and ivy-mantled walls of ancient buildings, is univerfally felt and acknowledged, by oblervers, of every fort and difpofition; but thefe fcenes receive a double folemnity, when the remains are of the religious kind, fuch as churches and monafteries.

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Religious ruins not only ftrike pious perfons with that reverential awe, which the thoughts of their original deftination must always command, but as places of fepulture excite ideas equally applicable to all ranks and opinions, from the monarch to the beggar, whether believers or fceptics, it being impoffible to walk over a spot of ground, every yard of which covers the remains of a human being, once like ourselves, without the intrufion of the awful memento, that we must foon, very foon, occupy a like narrow tenement of clay; a confideration which will, for a moment, overcloud the most cheerful temper, and abstract from trifling purfuits, at least for a while, thofe of the most diffipated turn, and oblige them to bestow fome thoughts on that inevitable moment, when they are to depart

hence.

Netley Abbey, an infide view of which is here given, flands eminently diftinguished among the monaftic ruins of this country, for its peculiar fitnefs to excite thofe folemn ideas juft mentioned. For this it is indebted not only to the elegance of its construction, its fize and extent, but alfo to the profufion of ivy with which it is overgrown, and which half clofes its figured windows, ferving by its fober colour to fet off the more lively green of a variety of plants and fhrubs, which have spontaneously grown up within its walls, and out of the huge fragments fallen from its fretted roof, fo as to form a fort of grove in the body of the church, which, by limiting the coup d'oeil of the fpectator, hufbands out the beauties of the scene, and, in appearance, trebles its real magnitude.

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Among thefe ruins, feveral of the different offices of the monaftery are distinguishable, particularly the Abbot's kitchen, in which opens a vault, faid by the perfon who fhews the place to communicate with the adjacent cattle. The hiftorians of the spot, likewise, commonly point out the place where a facrilegious mafon met that fate with which he had been threatened by dreams and visions; that is, was crushed to death by the fall of part of a window, he was attempting to take down, having first demolished the roof.-This monattery was founded about the year 1239. For the fake of its materials, it has been dilapidated and plundered by different perfons, till within thefe few years; Mr. Dummer, the prefent proprietor, has caused it to be fhut up, and a key to be left with a neighbouring cottager, who picks up a maintenance by fhewing it to the parties that come by water, from Southampton, to drink tea among these ruins; an expedition the Editor of this work recommends to all perfons of tafe. The river runs within an hundred yards of the Abbey, which itands on an eminence furrounded by woods.

The fecond volume of the Repertory opens with an elegant print of White Knights, Berkshire, the Seat of Sir Henry Englefield, Bart. The account of it is communicated by Governor Pownal, but is too long to admit of infertion. We are told it was one of the firft examples of the ferme ornée. It is a real farm, under the highest degree of culture, dreffed the mean while in every ornament which nature in her best country garb can wear; while other feats of greater extent and more enlarged defign, have each some one striking feature for which they are admired, this place, an harmonized affemblage of pleafing parts, has the fingular merit of being a one whole, and becomes as fuch a model to this fashionable tafte of a country feat.' We are rather surprised, that while we have a long and entertaining description of this feat in its prefent form, there should not be fome brief account of the time of its ancient ftructure and use, which certainly comports with the defign of this work.

It may be an amusement to many of our Readers to peruse an Order of Council, defcribing the drefs of a page in the reign of Queen Elizabeth,' faid to be copied from the original in the library of Thomas Aftle, Esq.

These are to praye and requier you to make pfent ferch within your ward & charges pfently to macke hew & cry for a yong ftripling of the age of xxii yeres, the coler of his aparell as foloweth : One doblet of yelow million fuftion th'one half therof buttoned with peche colour buttons, & th'other halfe laced downwards one payer of peche color hofe laced with fmale tawnye lace a graye hat with a copper edge rounde aboute it with a bande pcell of the fame hatt a payer of watched ftockings. Likewife he hath twoe clokes th'one of veffey collor garded with twoe gards of black clothe & twisted lace of carnation colour & lyned with crymfon bayes & th'other is a red fhipp ruffet colour ftriped about the cape & downe the fore face twisted with two rows of twisted lace ruffet & gold buttons afore and uppon the fholdier being of the clothe itfelfe fet with the said twisted lace & and the buttons of ruffet filke & gold. This youthes name is Gilbert Edwodd & page to Sr Valentine Browne Knight who is run awaye this fowerth day of January with theis parcells following, viz. A chaine of wyer worke golde with a button of the fame & a fmalle ringe of golde at it two flagging chaines of golde th'one being marked with theis letters v. & b. uppon the locke, & th'other with a little broken jewell at it, one carkanet of pearle and jafynitts therto hangeing, a jewell like a marimade of gold enameled the tayle therof being fet with diamonds the bellye of the made with a ruby & the fhilde a diamond the cheine of golde whereon it hangeth is fet with fmale diamonds & rubyes & certeyne money in golde and white money.

Burghlye Warwick
Hunjdone Howard

To all Conflables Bayliffs & Hedboroughs, & to all other the Quene's Officers whatfoever to whome the fame belongeth & apperteyneth. Valentine Browne.

Blue.

Concerning

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Concerning the print given in the first volume, of Edward the Black Prince, we find the following juft remark, which ought to be here inferted: To a perfon fkilled in painting, this portrait will feem both much out of drawing, and extremely flat; thefe faults the engraver could eafily have corrected, but in pictures of this kind, the exactness of the copy, even in defects, conftitutes the greateft value of the piece. Ancient portraits ferve not only to hand down fome refemblance of the perfon reprefented, but also the state of the arts at the time of their execution. Amendments would undoubtedly fruftrate information in both thefe articles.'

The laft extract which we fhall at prefent lay before our Readers, is the Copy of Sir John Lefley's Letter to Sir Thomas Riddle, of Gateshead, upon the fiege of Newcastle, by the Scots, in the year 1640.

• Sir Thomas,

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Between me and God, it maks my heart bleed bleud, to fee the warks gae thro' foe trim a garden as yours. I hae been twa times wi' my coufin the General, & fae thall I fax time mare afore the wark gae that gate; but gin a'this be dune Sir Thomas, yee maun macke the twenty pound thretty, & I maun hae the tag'd tail'd that ftands in the ftaw, & the little wee trim gaeing thing trooper that fands in the neuk o'th ha' chirping and chiming at the noun tide of the day, and forty bows of beer to faw the mains witha'; and as I am a Chevalier of fortune, & a limb of the houfe of Rothes, as the muckle maun kit in Edinburg, auld kirk can weel witness for thefe aught hundred years bygaine, nought fhall fkaith your houfe within or without, to the validome of a twapenny chicken. JOHN LESSLEY, Major-general & Captain over fax fcore & twa men & fome mare; Crowner of Cumberland, Northumberland, Murrayland & Fife; Baillie of Kirkaldie; Governor of Burnt Island, & the Bafs; Laird of Libertine, Tilly and Wolly; Siller Tacker of Stirling, Conftable of Leith, & Sir John Lefsley, Knight to the Boot of a' that.'

I am your humble fervant,

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One might be apt to fuppofe that this letter had been formed in ridicule of the Major-general. The editor fhould have taken care to acquaint us from whence it is communicated, and how far its authenticity is to be relied on.

Farther extracts from this work we propose to lay before our Readers in the next Number of our Review.

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Scotland. For a defcription, fee Pennant's Tour,

lector of the land tax.

ART.

ART. III. A Difcourfe delivered to the Students of the Royal Academy, on the Diftribution of the Prizes, Dec. 16, 1778. By the Prefident. 4to. 3 s. Cadell. 1779

HE defign of the Prefident, in this performance, is to

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explain the original principles on which the rules of paint ing are founded; to give the young artift an enlarged and liberal view of his ftudies; and to recommend to his attention an acquaintance with the paffions and affections of the mind, from which all rules arife, and to which they are ultimately to be referred. The Author acknowledges that poetry has a more extensive influence over the mind than her fifter art. Poetry operates by raising our curiofity, engaging the mind by degrees to take an intereft in the event, keeping that event fufpended, and furprifing at laft with an unexpected catastrophe.'

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The painter's art is more confined, and has nothing that correfponds with, or perhaps is equivalent to, this power and advantage of leading the mind on, till attention is totally engaged. What is done by painting is done at one blow; curiofity has received at once all the fatisfaction it can ever have. There are, however, other intellectual qualities and difpofitions which the painter can fatisfy and affect as powerfully as the poet; among these we may reckon our love of novelty, variety, and contraft; thefe qualities, on examination, will be found to refer to a certain activity and reftleffnefs, which has a pleasure and delight in being exercifed and put in motion; art therefore only adminifters to thofe wants and defires of the mind.

The Author proceeds to explain more particularly in what manner the qualities of novelty, variety, and contrast, are agreeable to the mind, and how far they ought to be employed in works of art. As there is a principle of activity, fo there is alfo a love of indolence in man, which is averfe to every exceffive exertion. This difpofition, which must likewife be qualified by the painter, ought to limit the extent which he allows to the active principles. He muft not, by a predilection for novelty, exclude the pleasure arifing from the fight of what is agreeable to old habits and cuftoms; variety must not destroy the gratification derived from uniformity and repetition; and contraft ought not to be carried to fuch a length as 'would fatigue the fenfes by a violent and perpetual oppofition.

The Author's obfervations on this abftract, but important fubject, are just and ingenious; but the nature of his undertaking did not admit of his giving them their full extent. Those of our Readers who defire to fee the fame fubject treated at greater length, may confult an ingenious French work, entitled, "The Theory of agreeable Senfations*;" in which this doctrine is

• Vid. Review, vol. ii. p. 66, & feq. REV. July 1779.

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explained

explained philofophically, and confirmed by many examples drawn from art and nature.

In the performance before us, the Author illuftrates his geferal remarks by the conduct of two eminent artists.

Two inftances occur to me of two painters (Rembrant and Pouffin) of characters totally oppofite to each other in every respect, but in nothing more than in their mode of compofition and management of light and fhadow. Rembrant's manner is abfolute Unity; he often has but one groupe, and exhibits little more than one spot of light in the midst of a large quantity of fhadow; if he has a fecond mafs, that fecond bears no proportion to the principal.

Pouffin, on the contrary, has fearce any principal mafs of light at all, and his figures are often too much difperfed, without fufficient attention to place them in groupes.

The conduct of thofe two painters is entirely the reverfe of what might be expected from their general file and character; the works of Pouffin being as much diftinguished for fimplicity, as thofe of Rembrant for combination. Even this conduct of Pouffin might proceed from too great an affection to fimplicity of another kind; too great a defire to avoid that oftentation of art, with regard to light and fhadow, on which Rembrant fo much wifhed to draw the attention: however, each of them ran into contrary extremes, and it is difficult to determine which is the moft reprehenfible, Loth being equally diftant from the demands of Nature, and the purpofes of Art.'

The Author obferves, that it is the knowledge of those powers and faculties of our nature, to which Art addreffes itfelf, that will enable the artift to distinguish between thofe rules that require implicit obedience, and thofe that are of lefs confequence, and may be more eafily difpenfed with.' This is fufficiently illuftrated by the practice of the greatest painters. We shall infert, as a fpecimen, what is faid of a rule laid down by Frefnoy:

It is given as a rule, for infance, by Frefnoy, That the principal Figure of a Subject must appear in the midst of the Picture, under the principal light, to diftinguish it from the ref. A painter who fhould think himfelf obliged ftrictly to follow this rule, would incumber himself with needlefs difficulties; he would be confined to great uniformity of compofition, and be deprived of many beauties which are incompatible with its obfervance. The meaning of this rule extends, or ought to extend, no further than this-That the principal Figure fhould be immediately diftinguished at the first glance of the eye; but there is no neceffity that the principal light fhould fall on the principal figure, or that the principal figure fhould be in the middle of the picIt is fufficient that it be diftinguished by its place, or by the attention of other figures pointing it out to the fpectator.

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