Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1826-11-14
TUESDAY. NOVEMBER "A, 1896.
From. the London Ns,o Monthly Magazine for Sept
A CABINET OF PORTRAITS.
.-ssAdde

A CABINET OF PORTRAITS.
-"Adde
vultum habitumque hominis: quem tn vdisse pea'uS'
Non magni pendis, quia contigt =, .,
The subject, which have proposed Tor TINS
naner. is so extensive in itself, and so various
in its ramiications, that | scarcely know rom
what point ought to commence The oisSussion
of It, 1t strikes me, however, that II wiz not
esinconvenient, before lproceed tur'her, 10 oe-
stow short notice upon some oil tnoSe 'i'uS'ii
Gus personages, who have displayed more , ~
ordinary care 10 transmit to posierity weil-n-
n;sbed resemblance Of their form and features,
to con,ras, with their fnical and preposterous
.nx;etv the more than Mahometan reluctance
&c others. to see an image OF themselves, traced
ont unon canvass, even by the most accurate
and intelligent artists,-and TO show theretrom,
tina, we should have had no correct delinea'ion
of either Of these two classes OF men, had IL not
been for the pen and ink sketches, which con-
temporary writer's have incidentally drawn OF
them. Tn the first OF the two classes, the Mad
man of Macedonia" stands pre-eminent Inc
edicr, by which he prohibited any painter, sx-
cept Apelles, from taking picture, and any
sculptor, except Lysippus, from executing
statue OF him, is TOO well known to need fur-
Their mention. tits not perhaps equally noto-
rious, that the issuing Of a similar edict was
one eravely meditated, though subsequently
abandoned, by one Of the ablest sovereigns OF
our own country,-I mean by Queen Elizabeth.
The anecdote, sin gulai as it may appear, rests
upon authority which il is impossible TO ques-
,ion In The Archaologia Of the Society o.
ANTICIPATES, (Vol. ii, p. l69 } there is copy OF
a proc lamaiion, dated 1868, in the handwriting
of MIR Secretary Cecil, which forbids call man
ner of persons 10 draw, paint, grave, or pour
tray, her Najesty's parsonage or ylsage Tor
time, until by some perfect pattern or example
the same may be by others followed, Even
some of her wisest successors have not been
free from this miserable vanity. If we are TO
believe Pope,
.sCharles to late time to be transmitted fair
ASSIGNED his figure to Berninis care;
And great Nassau to KnellerS hand decreed
To fix him graceful on the bounding steed."
Louis the Fourteenth was actuated by similar
feelings, and would not permit either his po-
e1s to speak Of him, or his painters TO draw OF
him. except as the handsomest man of his age
and court Even the sage philosopher CT Fer
n,y was affected With this paltry ambition, and
would not sit TO any but the first rate artists,
even for silhouette of his mptibiefeatures
] cannot help suspecting that each OF these dis
tinruished characters had such an extravaganza
opinion Of his or her own personal beauty, as to
deem il impossible for any artist OF ordinary
talent 20 form copy oft, capable Of giving an
adequate idea Of the grace Of the prototype; *
If such notion did influence them, then must
add, tina; each and all Of them would have acted,
more wisely in refusing to BE painted at all
than in submitting to be painted by particular
artists. Indeed, there have been many celebrat
ed persons who could not be induced by any
consideration, either Of friendship or interest,
IT. ~c, 81, n, L.
Porphyrius informs US that Plotnus, Platoon
ic philosopher of considerable reputation, who
flourished in The third century, would on no
account submit to be exhibited upon canvass
els it not sufficient" said he, "that we have 10
drag about with us through life that figure, in
which Nature has imprisoned our souls, but
we mast even leave to posterty figure Of that
figure, as if il were work that deserved admi-
ration?" Bayle, who quotes this passage in his
Dictionary, under the article of Plotnus, over
whelms it with his prase:-"Qu'il-y-a de gran
deur dams cette pensee. ii n'y-a que de petites
anes qui lie pussent centester" After such
declaration, one cannot avoid feeling some SUR
prise at finding that Bayle once sent picture
of himself as a present TO his mother: but that
surprise is somewhat diminished, upon learning
that he sent it before bis soul or body mad ac-
quired full growth and maturity. Ills the only
picture which the world has of him, and, &C
cording to the author of his life, is so spirited
likeness that it is easy to discover in il his wit
and vivacity,-as easy, take il, as 10 discover
a hanging look in i convicted criminal. Al a
later period of his life he acted up TO the doc
trine which he preached, and would neither sit
for his picture, nor allow il to Be placed as a
frontis2iece to his Dictionary, though earnestly
requested SO TO do by the publishers Of the Eng
lish translation Of it, To such proposition
he confessed that he had reluctance which he
could not conquer: and that he therefore implor-
ed his friends 10 pardon the weakness, if weak
ness they should be pleased TO call it, which
led him 10 send refusal TO their request The
great DR.. Barrow, who personally was little
lean fre,ful man, delighting much in tobacco,
because he conceived that it regulated his think
ing, was the slave Of the same prejudice. Arch
bishop Tilotson relates, that no picture Of him |
was ever made from the life, and that the eff
eies of him on his tomb Gid any thing but re-
semble him. Madame DIES Houliers, poetess
too much admired IN her oYa day, and too lit