Page images
PDF
EPUB

pagated in private conversation, and even in public clubs, disadvantageous reports of the minister, and declared that high rewards induced them to write against their real sentiments. Several known disseminators of infidelity were engaged to defend his measures. Many warm remonstrances were frequentlymade by the minister's friends against employing such low mercenaries, but usually disregarded. Some of these insignificant writers had frequent access to him. Their delusive and encouraging accounts of persons and things, were too often more credited than the sincere and free intimations of those who were more capable of giving accurate information. But this seems an error too common in ministers: they prefer favourable accounts to dismal truth, and readily believe what they wish to be true.

"It is a natural curiosity to inquire into the behaviour and occupations of a minister retired from business, and divested of that power which he had long enjoyed. Those who admired his talents, while he swayed senates and governed kingdoms, contemplate him, in their 'mind's eye,' enjoying his retreat with dignity, and passing his leisure hours with calmness and complacency. Yet nothing in general is more unsatisfactory than such an inquiry, or more illusive than such a preconceived opinion. The wellknown saying, 'that no man is a hero to his valet-de-chambre,' may be applied with strict justice to this case. Sir Robert Walpole experienced the truth of the observation, that a fallen minister is like a professed beauty, who has lost her charms, and to whom the recollection of past conquests but poorly compensates for present neglect.

"Though he had not forgotten his classical attainments, he had little taste for literary occupations. He once expressed his regret on this subject to Fox, who was reading in the library at Houghton. I wish,' he said, 'I took as much delight in reading as you do, it would be the means of alleviating many tedious hours in my present retirement; but to my misfortune I derive no pleasure from such pursuits." On another occasion, he said to his son Horace, who, with a view to amuse him, was preparing to read some historical performance, O! do not read history, for that I know must be 'false.'

[ocr errors]

"His principal amusement consisted in planting, observing the growth of his former plantations, and in seeing his son Horace ar range the fine collection of pictures at Houghton. He had a good taste for painting, and his observations on the style of the respective masters were usually judicious.

"A letter which he wrote from Houghton to general Churchill, in 1743, was much admired, as indicating a love of retirement, and contempt of past grandeur. Yet this letter strikes me in a contrary light: it proves that he was weary of that repose which he affected to praise; and that he did not, as much as he professed, taste the charms of the inanimate world. The trite observation, that the beeches do not deceive, proves either that he regretted the times that were past, or that with all his penetration, he had not, when in power, made a just estimate of the deceitfulness and treachery of dependents and courtiers. Houghton had been either the temporary place of retirement from public business, or the scene of friendly intercourse

and

and convivial jollity, and neglect rendered it comparatively a solitude. He saw and felt this desertion with greater sensibility than became his good sense; but in the calm and solitude of total retirement, such disagreeable reflections occur often and sink deep. The season of natural gaiety was irrecoverably past, he laboured under a painful distemper; the ill-assorted marriage of bis eldest son, and embarrassed situation of his own affairs, preyed on his mind, and increased his dejection.

"This state of mind was natural. Every circumstance must have appeared uninteresting to a man, who, from the twenty-third year of his age, had been uniformly engaged in scenes of political exertion; who, from the commencement of his parliamentary career, had passed a life of unremitting activity, and made a conspicuous figure in the senate, and in the cabinet.

"To him, who had directed the helm of government in England, and whose decisions affected the

interests of Europe in general, all speculative opinions must have appeared dull. To him, who had drawn all his knowledge and experience from practice, all theory must have appeared trifling or erroneous. He, who had fathomed the secrets of all the cabinets of Eu rope, must have considered history as a tissue of fables, and have smiled at the folly of those writers, who affected to penetrate into state affairs, and account for all the motives of action. He, who had long been the dispenser of honours and wealth, must have perceived a wide difference between the cold expressions of duty and friendship, and the warm effusions of that homage which self-interest and hope inspire in those who court or expect favours. He must have been divested of human passions, had he not experienced some mortification in finding, that he had been indebted to his situation for much of that obsequious regard which he had fondly thought was paid to his personal qualities."

"IN

CHARACTER of GAINSBOROUGH.

[From the FOUR AGES, &c. by WILLIAM JACKSON.]

N the early part of my life I became acquainted with Thomas Gainsborough the painter; and as his character was, perhaps, better known to me than to any other person, I will endeavour to divest myself of every partiality, and speak of him as he really was. I am the rather induced to this, by seeing accounts of bim and his works given by people who were unacquainted with either, and, consequently, have been mistaken in both.

[ocr errors][merged small]

painting, and music was his amusement-yet, there were times when music seemed to be his employment, and painting his diversion. As his skill in music has been celebrated, I will, before I speak of him as a painter, mention what degree of merit he professed as a musician.

"When I first knew him he lived at Bath, where Giardini had been exhibiting his then unrivalled powers on the violin. His excellent performance made Gainsborough enamoured of that instrument; and

con

conceiving, like the servant-maid in the Spectator, that the music lay in the fiddle, he was frantic until he possessed the very instrument which had given him so much pleasure-but seemed much surprised that the music of it remained behind with Giardini !

"He had scarcely recovered this shock (for it was a great one to him), when he heard Abel on the viol-di-gamba. The violin was hung on the willow-Abel's viol di-gamba was purchased, and the house resounded with melodious thirds and fifths from morn to ⚫ dewy eve! Many an adagio and many a minuet were begun, but none completed-this was wonderful, as it was Abel's own instrument, and therefore ought to have produced Abel's own music!

"Fortunately, my friend's passion had now a fresh object-Fischer's hautboy-but I do not recollect that he deprived Fischer of his instrument: and though he procured a hautboy, I never heard him make the least attempt on it. Probably his ear was too delicate to bear the disagreeable sounds which necessarily attend the first beginnings on a wind-instrument. He seemed to content himself with what he heard in public, and get ting Fischer to play to him in private-not on the hautboy, but the violin-but this was a profound secret, for Fischer knew that his reputation was in danger if he pretended to excel on two instruments.

"The next time I saw Gainsborough it was in the character of king David. He had heard a harper at Bath-the performer was soon left harpless-and now Fischer, Abel, and Giardini, were all forgotten-there was nothing like chords aud arpeggios! He really 1798.

stuck to the harp long enough to play several airs with variations, and, in a little time, would nearly have exhausted all the pieces usually performed on an instrument incapable of modulation (this was not a pedal harp), when another visit from Abel brought him back to the viol-di-gamba.

"He now saw the imperfection of sudden sounds that instantly die away-if you wanted a staccato, it was to be had by a proper manage ment of the bow, and you might also have notes as long as you please. The viol-di-gamba is the only instrument, and Abel the prince of musicians!

"This, and occasionally a little flirtation with the fiddle, continued some years; when, as ill-luck would have it, he heard Crosdill-but, by some irregularity of conduct, for which I cannot account, he neither took up, nor bought, the violoncello. All his passion for the bass was vented in descriptions of Crosdill's tone and bowing, which was rapturous and enthusiastic to the last degree.

"More years now passed away, when, upon seeing a theorbo in a picture of Vandyke's, he concluded (perhaps because it was finely painted) that the theorbo must be a fine instrument. He recollected to have heard of a German professor, who, though no more, I shall forbear to name-ascended per va◄ rios gradus to his garret, where he found him at dinner upon a roasted apple, and smoking a pipesays he, I am come to buy your lute.'

[ocr errors]

• To pay my lude !'

'Yes-come, name your price, and here is your money.' 'I cannod shell my lude!' 'No, not for a guinea or two! but by G-you must sell it." с

• May

[ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors]

Well, if I musht-but you will not take it away yourshelf?' 'Yes, yes-good bye'

("After he had gone down he came up again.)

*** I have done but half my errand. What is your lute worth, if I have not your book?'

Whad poog, maishter Cainsporough?

Why, the book of airs you have 'composed for the lute.'

[merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

Ah, py cot, I can never part wit my poog!'

Poh! you can make another at any time this is the book I mean' (putting it in his pocket). 'Ab, py cot, I cannot'

'Come, come, here's another ten guineas for your book; so, once more, good day t'ye. (Descends again, and again comes up.) But what use is your book to me, if I don't understand it? And your lute-you may take it again, if you wont teach me to play on it. Come home with me, and give me my first lesson.'

'I will gome to-marrow.'

·

• You must come now.'

I musht tress myshelf.'

[ocr errors]

second was of course out of his reach; and the summit became unattainable.

"As a painter, his abilities may be considered in three different departments.

"Portrait,

"Landscape, and

"Groups of figures—to which must be added his drawings.

"To take these in the abovementioned order

"The first consideration in a portrait, especially to the purchaser, is, that it be a perfect likeness of the sitter-in this respect his skill was unrivalled. The next point is, that it is a good picture-here he has as often failed as succeeded. He failed by affecting a thin washy colouring, and a hatching style of penciling; but when, from accident or choice, he painted in the manly substantial style of Vandyke, he was very little, if at all, his inferior. It shows a great defect in judgment to be from choice wrong, when we know what is right. Perhaps his best portrait is that known among the painters by the name of the Blue-boy; it was in the possession of Mr. Buttall, near Newport-market.

"There are three different æras in his landscapes: his first manner

For what? You are the best was an imitation of Ruysdael, with

figure I have seen to-day.'

Ay musht be shave.'

'I honour your beard!'

Ay musht bud on my wik.' D-n your wig! your cap ⚫ and beard become you! do you think, if Vandyke was to paint you he'd let you be shaved?'

In this manner he frittered away his musical talents; and though possessed of ear, taste, and genius, he never had application enough to learn his notes. He corned to take the first step, the

more various colouring; the second was an extravagant looseness of penciling, which, though reprehensible, none but a great master can possess. His third manner was a solid firm style of touch.

"At this last period he possessed his greatest powers, and was (what every painter is at some time or other) fond of varnish. This produced the usual effects-improved the picture for two or three months; then ruined it for ever! With all his excellence in this breach of the

art,

art, he was a great mannerist; but the worst of his pictures have a value, from the facility of execution -which excellence I shall again mention.

"His groups of figures are, for the most part, very pleasing, though unnatural; for a town-girl, with her clothes in rags, is not a ragged country-girl. Notwithstanding this remark, there are numberless instances of his groups at the door of a cottage, or by a fire in a wood, &c. that are so pleasing as to disarm criticism. He sometimes (like Murillo) gave interest to a single figure; his Shepherd's Boy, Woodman, Girl and Pigs, are equal to the best pictures on such subjects. His Fighting-dogs, Girl warming herself, and some others, show his great powers in this style of paint ing. The very distinguished rank the Girl and Pigs held at Mr. Calonne's sale, in company with some of the best pictures of the best masters, will fully justify a commendation which might else seem extravagant.

"If I were to rest his reputation upon one point, it should be on his drawings. No man ever possessed methods so various in producing effect, and all excellent; his wasby, hatching style, was here in its proper element. The subject which is scarce enough for a picture, is sufficient for a drawing, and the hasty loose handling, which in painting is poor, is rich in a transparent wash of bistre and Indian ink. Perhaps the quickest effects ever produced were in some of his drawings; and this leads me to take up again his facility of exe

cution.

"Many of his pictures have no other merit than this facility; and yet, having it, are undoubtedly valuable. His drawings almost rest

on this quality alone for their value; but possessing it in an eminent degree, (and as no drawing can have any merit where it is wanting,) his works, therefore, in this branch of the art, approach nearer to perfection than his paintings.

"If the term facility explain not itself; instead of a definition, I will illustrate it.

"Should a performer of middling execution on the violin contrive to get through his piece, the most that can be said is, that he bas not failed in his attempt. Should Cramer perform the same music, it would be so much within his powers, that it would be executed with ease. Now, the superiority of pleasure, which arises from the execution of a Cramer, is enjoyed from the facility of a Gainsborough. A poor piece performed by one, or a poor subject taken by the other, give more pleasure by the manner in which they are treated, than a good piece of music, and a sublime subject in the hands of artists that have not the means by which effects are produced, in subjection to them. To a good painter or musician this illustration was needless; and yet, by them only, perhaps, it will be felt and understood.

46

By way of addition to this sketch of Gainsborough, let me mention a few miscellaneous particulars.

"He had no relish for historical painting; he never sold, but always gave away his drawings, commonly to persons who were perfectly ig norant of their value. He hated the harpsichord and the pianoforte. He disliked singing, parti eularly in parts. He detested reading; but was so like Sterne in his Letters, that if it were not for an originality that could be copied from no one, it might be supposed C 2

that

« PreviousContinue »