many difficult problems of Euclid, but was thought capable of instructing others; and such was his increasing confidence in his own superior powers, that he had scarcely reached his twelfth year, when he set up an evening school in St. Agnes, and taught arithmetic and writing, for the latter of which he was excellently qualified, as he wrote many various hands with admirable ease and accuracy; and he reckoned among his pupils some who were nearly twice his own age.

His father was very solicitous to bring him up in his own business, and to this end bound him apprentice to himself, but the soaring mind of the boy could not submit itself to drudge in 'the employment of a common man. The love of drawing and painting seems to have given a very early bias to his inclinations; and the manner in which it disclosed itself cannot be considered as uninteresting.

Emulation appears to have first lighted up the ready flame. About the tenth year of his age, seeing one of his companions, whose name was Mark Oates, (now a captain in the Marine Service) engaged in drawing a butterfly, he looked eagerly, in silence, at the performance; on being asked what he was thinking of, he replied," he was thinking that he could draw a butterfly, if he was to try, as well as Mark Oates." He accordingly made the experiment, and triumphed; and he returned home to his father's house in high spirits, on account of the victory he had obtained.

From this moment the bent of his talents was deter mined. It happened soon afterwards that his father being employed in the repairs of a gentleman's house in Truro, youg Opie attended him in the parlour hung a picture of a Farm-yard, probably of humble execution, but of sufficient merit to attract his notice; and he took every opportunity of stealing from his father's side to contemplate the beauties of this performance, which, in his eye, were of the highest class, His father, catching him in one of these secret visits, corrected him; but this had little effect; he was soon again at the door of the parlour, where being seen by the mistress of the house, he was, by her inteference, permitted to view the picture without interruption. On his return home in the evening, his first care was to procure canyas and colours, and he immediately began to paint a

resemblance of the Farm-yard. The next day he returned to the house, and again in the evening resumed his task at home. In this manner, in the course of a few days, by the force of memory only, he transmitted to his own canvas a very tolerable copy of the picture.

Nearly by the same methods, he copied a picture of several figures hunting, which he saw in the window of a house-painter. In his copy, however, he had, in compliauce with the costume of his neighbourhood, placed a huntress upon a pad instead of a side-saddle, and being laughed at for this mistake, he some time afterwards destroyed his copy.

The love of Painting had thus so thoroughly established its dominion over his whole mind, that nothing could now divert him from engaging in it as a profession: his father, however, still treated his attempts with great severity, and used his utmost endeavours to check a pursuit, which he considered as likely to prove injurious to his son's future prosperity; but the aspiring views of the young artist met with a zealous supporter in another part of his family; his father's brother, a man of strong understanding, and moreover an excellent arithmetician, continued to view his progress with pleasure, and encouraged him in his desire of learning, by jocularly complimenting him with the name of the little Sir Isaac, in consideration of the knowledge he displayed in mathematics.

He therefore followed his new studies with ardour, and had already attained a competent skill in portrait painting, and had hung his father's house with the pic tures of his family, and of his youthful companions, when he became accidentally known to Dr. Walcot, then residing at Truro, (and since so celebrated under the title of Peter Pindar) who having himself some skill in painting, a sound judgment, and a few tolerable pic tures, was well fitted to afford instruction, and various advantages, to the young scholar.

Thus assisted and recomiended, his fame found its way through the country, and so rapid was his progress, that he now, commenced professed portrait-painter, and went to many of the neighbouring towns, with letters of introduction to all the considerable families resident in them,

One of these expeditions was to Padstow, whither he set forward, dressed, as usual, in a boy's plain short jacket, and carrying with him all proper apparatus for portrait-painting. Here, amongst others, he painted the whole household of the ancient and respectable family of Prideaux, even to the dogs and cats of the family. He remained so long absent from home, that some uneasiness began to arise on his account, but it wss dissipated by his returning dressed in a handsome coat, with very long skirts, laced ruffles, and silk stockings. On seeing his mother, he ran to her, and, taking out of his pocket twenty guineas, which he had earned by his pencil, he desired her to keep them; adding, that, in future, he should maintain himself.

The first efforts of his pencil, though void of that grace which can only be derived from an intimate knowledge of the art, were true to nature, and in a style far superior to any thing in general produced by country artists. He painted at that time with smaller pencils, and finished more highly than he afterwards did when his hand had attained a broader and more masterly execution: but several of his early portraits would not have disgraced even the high name he has since attained. Towards the end of the year 1777, when he was sixteen years of age, he brought to Penryn a head he had painted of himself for the late Lord Bateman, who was then at that place with his regiment (the Hereford Militia), and who was an early patron of Mr. Opie, employing him to paint pictures of old men, beggars, &c. in subjects of which kind he was principally engaged, and which he treated with surprising force, and truth of representation.

At length, still under the auspices of Dr. Walcot, he came to London, where his reception, and his continued progress, are the fit objects of the biographer. It is the purpose of this paper to delineate solely his character, as a man, a scholar, and an Artist.

Mr. Opie's ruling passion was ambition, but ambition tending to the use and delight of mankind. It impelled him to eminence in his art, and it displayed itself in a resolution always decided, sometimes impetuous, to obtain every distinction which his path in life Yaid open to him. Accustomed in childhood to prove himself superior to his companions, the desire of com

petition became unextinguishable. Wherever eminence appeared, he felt and eagerly shewed himself its rival. He was forward to claim the honours which he was still more diligent to deserve. He regarded every honourable acquisition as a victory, and expressed with openness the delight he experienced in success. On the professorship of painting in the Royal Academy becoming vacant by Mr. Barry's dismissal, he offered himself a candidate: and being told that he had a competitor, whose learning and talents pre-eminently entitled him to that office, he replied, that he abstained from further interference, but that the person who had been proposed was the only one in whose favour he would willingly resign his pretensions: consistently with his declaration, on Mr. Fuzeli's appointment to the office of keeper, he renewed his claim, and was elected.

Examples of a mind more open to the reception of knowledge, more undaunted by difficulty, more unweared in attainment, are rarely to be found. Conducted to London, by the hand of one who discerned his yet unveiled merit, he approached the centre of an exalted country with the liveliest hopes he met its flatteries with trembling; and he viewed its unfeeling caprice with the sensitive emotions of genius, but with the unconquerable force of sense and judgment. An intellect, naturally philosophic, soon discovered to him that he was not born to depend on the frivolous conceit of crowds, but command the respect of the great and wise. He bent his powers to the formation of his own mind he applied himself to reading: he sought the society of the learned: ardent in his researches, boldly investigating truth, pertinacious (though not overbearing) in argument, while he elicited light from his opponent, and steady to principles which he found could not be shaken by controversy in this manner, while an unremitting perseverance, superior to the neglect of the multitude, maintained the cunning of his hand, he became a scholar and a painter.

The Life of Reynolds, published in Dr. Walcot's Edition of Pilkington's Dictionary, was the first specimen of his literary ability. In this he displayed a profound knowledge of the subject, a quick and powerful perception of distinctive character, and a mastery of lan

guage little to be expected from a youth, who was supposed to have been destitute of learning.

He next published a letter in the Morning Chronicle, (since republished in "An Inquiry into the requisite cultivation of the Arts of Design in England,") in which de proposed a distinct plan for the formation of a National Gallery, tending at once to exalt the arts of his country, and immortalize its glories.

His lectures at the Royal Institution followed ;---These were a spirited attempt to display the depths of his professional knowledge, amidst a circle assembled for entertainment and fashionable delight. His lectures impressed respect on his audience: they were full of instructive materials; they taught the principles of painting, and presented an accumulation of maxims founded on history and observation. But to whatever praise they might vindicate a claim, they never satisfied their author; and he declined the continuance of them. His election to the professorship of painting at the Royal Academy happening nearly at this time, he resolved to perfect what he had perceived defective; and he read at Somerset House four lectures, which, avoiding any collision with the brilliant specimens of erudition and imagination which had immediately preceded him in that place, appeared to have been unequalled in their kind.

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In his former lectures at the Royal Institution, he was abrupt, crowded, and frequently unmethodical rather rushing forward himself, than leading his auditors, to the subject. In the latter lectures, he was more regular, progressive, distinct, instructive; and delivered a mixture of humorous and impassioned sentiment in a strain of clear, natural and flowing eloquence. Here he found his genius roused, and his whole faculties adequately excited; and he shone more as professor at the Academy, than as lecturer at the Institution, because he was more formed by nature and application to address the studious and philosophic, than the light and gay. He possessed no superficial either in his conversatiou or professional pracgraces, tice. Every thing in him was manly, resolute, energetic; yielding little to fashion, nothing to caprice ; less addressed even to fancy than to judgment; in no measure adapted to catch a careless glance, but fitted to awaken thought, and gratify reflection.

P. H.