Star.
London, England, 1824-03-04 00:00:00

tions, or of satisfying the plssions with invisible objects
of adoration, wisely enlisted the arts in her serviet.
" Painting (which, in the progress of civilization, pie-
cedes music, as being less abstracted in its principles,!
and move tangible in its effects) was, even as early as
the thirteenth century, adopted by the Church as a
means of riveting her power, by bringing over the'
senses to her interest. Its effects were in •gical :it per-
sonified the essence which thought could not reach; it
depicted the mystery which reason could not explain ;1
it revealed the beatitudes of Heaven, and the punish-
ments of Hell, in imagery which struck o pon the dullest
apprehenSions and intimidated the hardiest conscience ;
and the Madonnas of Cimabuet and the saints of
Giottot were found to be no less influential in their
calling, than the Councils of the assembled Church and
the Bulls of the Lateran. Eyes which shed no tears
over the recited sufferings of the SAVIOUR, wept grate-
fully over the•pictured agonies of a self-sacrificed me-
diator; and stubborn knees,.unused to bend in mental
devotion, dropped involu-ntaiily before shrines where a
fair young mother and her blooming offspring, a virgin
pat eat and an infant Gon, awakened religious adoration
thongli human sympathies.
" The doctrines of a mystic creed thus enforced
through palpable forms addressed to the affections, pow.
erfully assisted to awaken faith through feeling; for
that which is felt, it is difficult to doubt, and that which
satisfies the senses, is vainly distrusted by the under-
standing.
The people likewise, denied the use of the Scrip-
tures, were now taught much of what it was expedient
they should know, from pictures. The art, in process
of time, became an acknowledb,ed State engine; and
the artists, virtually, if not nominsilly, acting as minis-
ters, were soon subsidized as al; iesdi
ITo be contiaurd J
t The people of Florence were so struck by the Madonna of
Cimabue, that the picture was carried in procession, with sound of
trumpet, to the church of Santa Maria Novella, where it may still
be seen in the chapel de' ltuccellai. The same painting gave the
name of Borgo Allegro to the little village iu which it was painted.
t Giotto, the friend and portrait painter of Dante, wets courted
and employed by all the Pontiffs and pious Princes of day ; par-
ticularly by Clement the Fifth, and King Itubert of N4les. Dante's
well known lilies
" Credette Cimaliue nella pittura
Truer lo campo, ed era ha Giotto ii grido," &e.
brought lath still more into fashion. Li another age Giotto might '1
have been the protector of Dante; for the Church soon discovered
that artists wt:e leas likely to paint heresy, than such poets and phi-
losophers as Dante and Tetrarch to preach it. -•-
U Raphael was offered a Cardinal's hat, and Pope Giulio was the
friend, and almost the slave, of Michael Angelo. Leo the Tenth
courted the aid and suffrages of all the artists of his day, Whom lie
flattered, however, more than he rewarded. In latter times, pain-
ters presided in Cabinets and were appointed to embassies. Rubens
supported a high diplomatic character. •
LE VT' ASSIZES.

READING, MARCH 2.
Daniel Grimshire was indicted for the murder of his
son, WilliaM crirnshire, an infant of the age of six
months. The indictment charged him with having, on
the 3d of January last, feloniously, wilfully, and of
malice aim ethought, poured a large quantity of boiling
and scalding water into the mouth, and over the neck,i
breast, and arms of the deceased, who thereby became'
sore, sick, and distempered, and languished till the 18th
of January, when he died of the sickness and distemper
occasioned by the act of his father. The prisoner, a
young man of decent appearance, in the condition of a
labourer, pleaded " Not Guilty."
. Catherine Dew gave evidence as follows.:—I am
fifty years of age. I live at Sutton Courtney. On the
Ist of January last, Daniel Grimshire and his wife lived
in the house with me. They had one.child, apparently
rather more than six months old. The outer door opens
into a brewhouse, common to butt, which parts my
rooms from those of the prisoner. The doors of the
rooms are nearly, but not quite, opposite to each chher.
The partitions are very thin, being composer: of lath and
plaster. The doors shut tolerably close. When lam
in my own room I can hear the prisoner and his wife
converse, but not so as to understand them. On the
3d of January I went two or three times in the course of
the day into the prisoner's room. About five in the
evening I went in, when Mrs. Grimshire was ironing. I
held the child while she finished her ironing, by the
fire-side. It was very well then; as well as I had seen
it for some time. In about a quarter of an hour she
said she would dress it and put it to bed before the
shepherd (that was her husband) cane. home. I then
returned into my own room. About, six, or a little
after, I heard the prisoner come home, and go into his
room. Mrs. Grimshire soon after' went out on errands.
A little after, she came in, and shortly went out a
second time. After sire had been • gone about two
minutes, I heard the child cry out very much indeed. I
said to my'boy, I could not think what had happened
to little Billy, and I would go in and see. I went across
the brewhouse, opened the door, and said to the pri-
soner, " shepherd, what makes little Billy cry so?"
Ile said, " Yes, he did : 1 have been to the cradle once,
and rocked him before." I had heard no cry before
that on which I went in. The shepherd was sitting on,
a chair which he usually sat in when he was at home.,
He went to the cradle, and took one side, while I took
the other, and rocked the cradle. Mrs. Grim-hire came
in from the shop with the things, and asked, What
did little thlly cry so?" (lie was still crying.) I said,
Ye 4, Ire do; I could not bear to hear him cry so, or I
should not have come in." I returned to my own house.
Some time after I beard the shepherd go out; and a
little while after, it might be three or four minutes, Mr:.
Grimshire ran in to me with the child in her arms. The'
child was rather stiller, though yet crying. I sat down
in the chair, and Mrs. Grimshire put tire child into my
arms, while she went to call a neighbour. The child
was very much scalded on the neck, round the left ear,
all the cheek, mouth, breast, and shoulder. The lips
were very much scalded indeed ; all up in blisters. Mrs.
Warrick and I undressed it : we opened its mouth and
saw that all around its mouth was blistered. It had
then its night dress on. They were very wet round the
neck and shoulder. It had a night cap on, tied under
the chin' and wet round the ear. I began scraping a
potable to mix will oil,. While Mrs. Warrick held the
.child. Mrs. Grimshire werit to fetch her husband home.
The prisOner cams in before her, two or three minutes ;
she said she went and called him out of Mr. Reeves's.
When he came in, I said,'"La I shepherd, what have
.you done to little Billy l" He made me answer, and
said, " I hav,e done nothing." He took .the chair, sat
down, and beg ma crying very ninth indeed. The table
was between the cradle and the fite. The cradle is
wicker cradle with a head ; the feet were towards the
fire. On the table were two cups and saucers, and a
tea-pot. They had not drank tea. Other '
people ex-
amined the. cradle, did not. I saw the pillow and
clothes. The coverlet was not wet.• •
Mr. Thomas West said—l am a surgeon at Sutton