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pester the three great estates of the empire, about twenty or thirty students, drawing after a man or a horse, appears, it must be acknowledged, foolish enough; but the real motive is, that a few bustling characters, who have access to people of rank, think they can thus get a superiority over their brethren, be appointed to places, and have salaries as in France, for telling a lad when an arm or a leg is too long or too short.

"Not approving of this plan, I opposed it; and having refused to assign to the society the property which I had before lent them, I am accused of acrimony, ill nature, and spleen, and held forth as an enemy to the arts and artists. How far their mighty project will succeed, I neither know nor care; certain I am it deserves to be laughed at, and laughed at it has been. The business rests in the breast of majesty, and the simple question now is,-whether he will do, what Sir James Thornhill did before him, i. e. establish an academy, with the little addition of a royal name, and salaries for those professors who can make most interest and obtain the greatest patronage. As his majesty's beneficence to the arts, will unquestionably induce him to do that which he thinks most likely to promote them, would it not be more useful, if he were to furnish his own gallery with one picture by each of the most eminent painters among his own subjects? This might possibly set an example to a few of the opulent nobility; but even then, it is to be feared that there never can be a market in this country, for the great number of works, which encouraging parents to place their children in this line, would probably cause to be painted. The world is already glutted with these commodities, which do not perish fast enough to want such a supply."

Hogarth makes us acquainted with his motives for publishing his Analysis, the success with which it was attended, and the abuse which it procured. He describes his own feelings before he commenced author, and the ill-natured remarks of those who envied or disliked him, in the following whimsical epigram:

"What!-a book, and by Hogarth!-then twenty to ten,
All he's gain'd by the pencil, he'll lose by the pen."
"Perhaps it may be so, howe'er, miss or hit,

He will publish,-here goes-it's double or quit."

Though he represents himself as little affected by the malevolent attempts of the many, he acknowleges that he was

*The late Sir Robert Strange, though he did not speak quite so plain as Hogarth, seems to have entertained an opinion somewhat similar.

"Academies under proper regulations, are no doubt the best nurseries of the fine arts. But when the establishment of the Royal Academy at London, is impartially examined, it will not, I am afraid, reflect that credit we wish upon the annals of its royal founder." Strange's Inquiry, p. 61.'

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wounded by the venom of those attacks which extended to his domestic connections:

This was a cruelty hardly to be forgiven; to say that such mali cious attacks, and caricatures, did not discompose me, would be un true; for to be held up to public ridicule would discompose any man; but I must at the same time add, that they did not much distress me. I knew that those who venture to oppose received opi nions, must in return have public abuse; so that feeling I had no right to exemption from the common tribute, and conscious that my book had been generally well received, I consoled myself with the trite observation, that every success or advantage in this world must be attended by some sort of a reverse; and that though the worst writers, and worst painters, have traduced me; by the best, I have had more than justice done me. The partiality with which the world have received my works, and the patronage and friendship with which some of the best characters in it have honoured the author, ought to excite my warmest gratitude, and demands my best thanks; it enables me to despise this cloud of insects; for happily, though their buzzing may teaze, their stings are not mortal.'

All the particulars relating to the artist's engagement to paint the picture of Sigismunda are extremely interesting; and they are given with such an air of simplicity and plainness, that little doubt can be entertained of their truth. In the whole transaction, as well as in the censure and ridicule so copiously bestowed on the performance, Hogarth appears to have been ungenerously and unjustly treated. It is well known that this work was begun at the express desire of Sir Richard, (now Earl) Grosvenor; and that, when the artist undertook it, he relinquished engagements attended with no hazard, and with considerable emolument. Yet, when the picture was finished, it was suffered to remain on Hogarth's hands, and:: was not sold till after his and his widow's death. The con duct of the venerable Earl of Charlemont, (whom the world has just lost,) in similar circumstances, forms a pleasing contrast. (See Mr. I.'s book.)

After some account of the unhappy differences between Wilkes, Churchill, and Hogarth, (which certainly, whoever was the aggressor, or most to blame, embittered the decline of: the artist's life,) the latter closes his memoranda with the folen lowing pathetic observation: og hing

Thus have I gone through the principal circumstances of a life? which, till lately, past (passed) pretty much to my own satisfaction, and, I hope, in no respect injurious to any other man. This A-caust. safely assert, I have invariably endeavoured to make those about, me tolerably happy, and my greatest enemy cannot say I did ever an in. tentional injury; though, without ostentation, I could produce many instances of men that have been essentially benefited by me. What may follow, God knows.'

This volume contains forty-four engravings, on very different subjects, and possessing very different degrees of merit. Some of them are in a style so opposite to what we have seen from the hand of Hogarth, that, without the most unequivocal testimony, we should have doubted that they were his productions.-Heidegger in a Rage is a spirited sketch, of which Mr. Ireland gives the following account:

The very spirited, though slight sketch from which this plate is copied, was presented to me by a person who considered it as Ho-í garth's, and at the request of several of my subscribers, who are of the same opinion, I have had it engraved, and think it alludes to the following circumstance.

The late Duke of Montagu invited Heidegger to a tavern, where he was made drunk, and fell asleep; in that situation a mould of his face was taken; from which was made a mask; and the Duke provided a man of the same stature to appear in a similar dress, and wear it to personate Heidegger, on the night of the next masquerade, when George II. (who was apprized of the plot) was to be present. On his majesty's entrance, Heidegger, as was usual, bade the music play God save the King; but no sooner was his back turned, than the impostor, assuming his voice and manner, ordered them to play. Charley over the water. On this, Heidegger raged, stamped, swore, and commanded God save the King. The instant he retired, the im postor returned, and ordered them to resume Charley. The musicians thought their master drunk, but durst not disobey. The scene now became truly comic ;-shame! shame! resounded from all parts of the theatre. Heidegger offered to discharge his band, when the impostor advanced, and cried out in a plaintiff tone,-"Sire, the whole fault lies with that devil in my likeness." This was too much; poor Heidegger turned round, grew pale, but could not speak. The duke, seeing it take so serious a turn, ordered the fellow to unmask. Heidegger retired in great wrath, seated himself in an arm chair, furiously commanded his attendants to extinguish the lights, and swore he would never again superintend the masquerade, unless the mask was defaced, and the mould broken in his presence. For this purpose, the man on his knee has a mallet stuck in his girdle.'

We have little hesitation in giving our opinion that this was not the work of Hogarth, but of Philip Mercier, who was a great favourite of the late Prince of Wales, and was taken into his service and household. He, according to Lord Orford, "painted portraits and pictures of familiar life in a genteel style of his own, and with a little of Watteau; in whose manner there is an etching of Mercier and his wife and two of their children; he died in the year 1760, aged seventy-one."-We have indeed been informed by an artist, who was intimately acquainted with Mercier, that he, and not Hogarth, was the designer of this piece.-It may not be improper here to mention, that the life of Mercier has been omitted in the last edition of Pilk

ington's

ington's Dictionary of Painters, in which it ought unquestionably to have been introduced. (See Rev. N. S. vol. xxv. p. 429.) Mr. Ireland has concluded his volume with an Appendix, containing a catalogue of the artist's productions, with the variations, &c. which he has rendered interesting by an account of his object and intentions, prefixed to several of them, from Hogarth's MSS. We apprehend, however, that many performances are here attributed to him, which belong to other artists.

We shall now take leave of this work, with observing that Mr. Ireland has introduced much interesting matter; and that the friends and admirers of Hogarth must feel themselves indebted to his liberal exertions in favour of our highly ingenious and justly celebrated countryman.

S.R.

ART. IX. A Compendious View of the Civil Law, being the Substance of a Course of Lectures read in the University of Dublin, by Arthur Browne, Esq. S. F. T. C. D. Professor of Civil Law in that University, and Representative in Parliament for the same. To which will be added, à Sketch of the Practice of the Eccle siastical Courts, with some Cases determined therein in Ireland, and some useful Directions for the Clergy. Vol. I. Svo. pp. 420. 8s. Boards. Dublin, Mercier. London, Butterworth.

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"HE History of the Roman Law, and of the various degrees of favour with which it has been received in different countries, is a curious and entertaining subject-In England, its introduction was attempted by the Bishops, and the Clergy, and was resisted by the Nobility and Laity, who never relinquished their attachment to the common law. When the Ecclesiastics withdrew themselves from the temporal Courts in this country, in consequence of their aversion to the municipal law, which they were unable to supersede by the civil and canon law, they introduced the laws of antient and modern Rome into the spiritual Courts of all denominations; in which, as well as in the High Court of Chancery, and in the Courts of the two Universities, the proceedings are, even now; conformable to the course of the civil law. Though it does not possess the force of authority in the Courts of Westminster-Hall, it is frequently followed, when an express rule of the common-law is wanting; and, when both laws concur, support and explanation have been received from the words of the civil law Similar, in a great measure, are the nature and extent of its incorporation into the Scotch code; as we lately had occasion to remark, in our review of Mr. Hume's Commentaries *. Though the study of these institutions, both on account of their intrinsic

Vide M. Rev. Vol. xxvi. N. S. p. 170.

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merit, and of peculiar circumstances, may have been more favoured and encouraged in former periods of our history than in the present day, we cannot observe any appearances to justify Professor Browne's remark, that the English Forum sometimes treats the study of the civil law with levity.' To the inference, if the fact were established, we readily assent, when he adds, may its disciples be permitted to say, that it never was despised, but by those who are ignorant of it.

We are informed by the Author, in his preface, that his principal object in publishing these Lectures has certainly been to prove industry, and to shew that he did not wish to hold any office as a sinecure.'The sentiment does credit to his feelings; and we not only approve the motive, but consider the work, in many particulars, as entitled to praise.-He attributes the disrepute in which this study has been held, to the nature and quality of the treatises on the subject; and he gives the following short account of them:

Domat is calculated for the meridian of France. Ayliffe's work, tho' learned, is dull and tedious, and stuffed with superfluous matter, delivered in a most confused manner; the beautiful ketch of Mr. Gibbon is too short, and, like all his writings, presupposes rather than conveys knowledge: Woods's Institute, tho' an excellent work for the student, pursues a method not familiar to the English lawyer. Taylor's Elements, tho' highly respectable, are filled with heterogeneous matter, amidst which the Civil Law seems to be considered but collaterally, insomuch that he has acquired from Gibbon, the character of a learned, spirited, but rambling writer. Lastly, Heineccius, an author powerful in erudition, by a German dress and sectional form, disgusts the English eye.'

Surely this is speaking in a disrespectful manner of so valuable a writer as Heineccius, whose works on the Roman law have been implicitly followed by Gibbon, and recommended by him as learned and perspicuous.-To the author's censure of Gibbon himself, we do not object; for that portion of his history (vol. 8. p. i. to cxi.) we have frequently read, and never without surprise and regret that his view of so important a subject should be so slight and unsatisfactory.

It occurred to me, therefore, (says Prof. B) that a short work in the method and order adopted by Mr. Justice Blackstone, in his Commentaries on the Laws of England, as nearly as the spirit of the two laws would possibly allow, might by the familiarity of its order, entice the student of the Common Law, to take at least a cursory and general view of this more ancient code, when the conciseness of the sketch could not possibly encroach on his time. If the text be still uninteresting to him, perhaps some of the notes, as far as they relate to the Statute Law of this kingdom, or contain any new matter, may engage his attention. I have called it the Substance of Lectures, be cause the reader must naturally suppose, they were longer when de livered, much having been omitted which was adapted only to aca

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