Chapter VIII

Fuseli undertakes the Illustration of Cowper's Edition of
Milton.--First notion of the "Milton Gallery" hence
suggested.--Letter to Mr. Roscoe from Fuseli and Mr.
Johnson.--Curious circumstances attending Fuseli's Election as a
Royal Academician.--Sir Joshua Reynolds's temporary secession
connected with that event.--Fuseli's progress in the pictures for
the "Milton Gallery."--Controversy between Fuseli and the Rev. Mr.
Bromley.--Subjects painted for "Woodmason's Illustrations of
Shakspeare."--Subscription towards the completion of the Milton
Gallery.--Letter from Mr. Roscoe.--Fuseli contributes to "Seward's
Anecdotes."--His Visit to Windsor with Opie and
Bonnycastle.--Anecdotes connected with that Visit.--Letter from Mr.
Roscoe.--Mr. Johnson's Imprisonment, and Fuseli's adherence to
him.--Anecdote of Lord Erskine.--Exhibition of the "Milton
Gallery," and List of the Works composing it, with incidental
Comments, &c.--Letter to Fuseli from his brother Rodolph.--Letter
from Fuseli to Mr. Locke.

The Shakspeare Gallery was now (in 1790) nearly completed, and hence Fuseli's commissions for this had ceased. The success which had attended Boydell, in his edition of Shakspeare's works, induced Mr. Johnson to issue proposals for publishing one of Milton, which should not only rival this, but, in point of letterpress, designs, and engravings, surpass any work which had previously appeared in England. Cowper had long meditated giving an edition of Milton's poetical works, with copious notes on his English poems, and translations into verse of those in Latin and Italian; and, indeed, he had made some progress in the undertaking. Johnson, who was his publisher, urged him to complete it; to which he assented, and Fuseli was engaged to paint thirty pictures, which were to be put into the hands of the ablest engravers of the time. Cowper proceeded with his part, and Fuseli laboured in putting upon canvass the sublime, the pathetic, and the playful scenes in Milton. That of "The Contest of Satan, Sin, and Death," was soon finished, and given to Sharpe to engrave. "Eve starting from seeing herself in the Water" was put into the hands of Bartolozzi. "Satan taking his flight from Chaos," and "Adam and Eve observed by Satan," were ready for the graver of Blake.

The serious mental indisposition of Cowper, which took place before he had completed his part of the work, and the opposition which Mr. Alderman Boydell offered to the progress of the scheme, thinking that it would affect the sale of his edition of Milton, made Mr. Johnson resolve to abandon it altogether. This undertaking of Fuseli's was, however, the foundation of a stupendous work by him, "The Milton Gallery," of which I shall have occasion hereafter to speak, and which he appears to have meditated in August 1790, while at Ramsgate in company with Mr. Johnson; shortly after he began to paint for Cowper's projected edition of Milton's poetical works, as will be shewn by the following letter written by him to Mr. Roscoe, and to which Johnson added a postscript.

"Ramsgate, 17th August, 1790.

"MY DEAR SIR,

"I did indeed receive your letter, but had not the pleasure of
seeing Mr. Daulby. The first time he called upon me, I happened to
be at dinner with some company, and as it never entered my head the
stately figure which I observed dropping from the coach should be
our friend, I ordered myself to be denied. The letter was left, but
no time mentioned when he would call again, or any place assigned
where I might find him. Johnson knew nothing of his abode. In about
eight or ten days he called again, but I was at Woolwich: the next
morning, I understand, he left town. You both will easily believe
that I was extremely mortified, not to have had it in my power to
enjoy an hour or two in his company; but I console myself with the
thought, that he spent those hours with more satisfaction to
himself.

"You may by this time have forgot the contents of your letter: it
contains a comparison between your pursuits and mine; and no doubt
I make the most advantageous figure on paper. I am on a road of
glory; you are only crawling about from the white to the brown bed.
I should, however, not be very uneasy if I could, without a total
change of situation, obtain a little of that "elbow-room" for my
mind, which it seems you get by moving from a large house to a
smaller one. Notwithstanding the success of my election at the
Academy, and of the pictures which I have painted for the
Shakspeare Gallery, my situation continues to be extremely
precarious. I have been and am contributing to make the public drop
their gold into purses not my own; and though I am, and probably
shall be, fully employed for some time to come, the scheme is
hastening with rapidity towards its conclusion. "There are," says
Mr. West, "but two ways of working successfully, that is,
lastingly, in this country, for an artist,--the one is, to paint
for the King; the other, to meditate a scheme of your own." The
first he has monopolized; in the second he is not idle: witness the
prints from English history, and the late advertisement of
allegorical prints to be published from his designs by Bartolozzi.
In imitation of _so great a man_, I am determined to lay, hatch,
and crack an egg for myself too, if I can. What it shall be, I am
not yet ready to tell with certainty; but the sum of it is, a
series of pictures for _exhibition_, such as Boydell's and
Macklin's. To obtain this, it will be necessary that I should have
it in my power to work without commission or any kind of
intermediate gain, for at least three years; in which time I am
_certain_ of producing at least twenty pictures of different
dimensions. The question is, what will enable me to live in the
mean time? With less than three hundred a-year _certain_, I cannot
do it. My idea is, to get a set of men (twenty, perhaps,--less if
possible, but not more,) to subscribe towards it. Suppose twenty
pounds each annually, to be repaid either by small pictures or
drawings, or the profits of the exhibition, should it succeed, of
which there can be no very great doubt.

"Such is, at present, the rude outline of my scheme: it is in this
manner alone that I can exhibit that variety of picturesque ideas
of which, I flatter myself, you have seen specimens amongst my
productions on paper and canvass; and now, tell me your opinion
with your usual openness. I am in earnest, yours truly,

"H. Fuseli."

"W. Roscoe, Esq."

"The few pictures that have been painted for Boydell's scheme by
our friend,--and he has little more to expect, from the numbers
employed,--I need not say to you, are perfectly sufficient to
justify the warmest expectations from the scheme he has projected;
but they are trifling, when we consider what he is capable of were
he perfectly at his ease for a few years, and at perfect liberty to
choose his subjects. His plan has my hearty concurrence; and I have
gone so far as to say, that I would be one of six, or even of
three, to support him in it; but he prefers a larger number. You
are the only one to whom it has been mentioned, and it should be
spoken of with great delicacy, for it had better not be known until
it is nearly ripe: think of it, and tell me your sentiments. It may
be, and I am confident it is, unnecessary to tell _you_; but as
such things are common in your experience, I shall say, that this
is not the effort of a man whose circumstances are involved, to
save himself from sinking. Our friend, though not rich, is
perfectly free from incumbrances. We shall be in town in a few
days.

"Yours,
"J. Johnson."

On the 10th of February, 1790, Fuseli was elected a Royal Academician. As his election was accompanied by a circumstance which caused a great sensation at that time, (I allude to the temporary secession of Sir Joshua Reynolds from the Royal Academy,) it will not be uninteresting to give Fuseli's account of the transaction, which I have heard him frequently relate.

The Earl of Aylesford, the intimate friend of Sir Joshua, had patronized M. Bonomi, an Italian by birth, a native of Rome, and by profession an architect; and, with the view of serving this gentleman, recommended him strongly to the protection of the President of the Royal Academy. Accordingly, in the early part of 1789, M. Bonomi became a candidate for the preliminary step, an Associate of the Academy, in opposition to Mr. Gilpin, well known as a landscape painter of merit, and who, for his amiable disposition and manners, was a man much respected and esteemed. Sir Joshua exerted his influence to secure success to M. Bonomi; but as the number of votes for the two candidates, on the ballot, were found to be equal, the President asserted his privilege of the casting-vote, which he gave in favour of the architect, avowing, at the same time, that he had done so with the intention of his being elected an Academician when a vacancy should occur, and thus becoming eligible, according to the laws of the Academy, to occupy the chair of Professor of Perspective, which was then vacant; considering it, as he said, highly desirable that this should be filled according to those laws, by an Academician, and that, in his opinion, M. Bonomi was the person best qualified for the situation. On the death of Mr. Meyer,[43] which took place early in the year 1790, M. Bonomi was accordingly proposed to succeed him as a Royal Academician. Fuseli, who had always been treated with great kindness by Sir Joshua, called upon him to solicit his vote for himself. The President received him with politeness, acknowledged the claims which he had to the distinction of an Academician, from the great talents which he possessed, and which no man appreciated more than himself; but he said, "Were you my brother, I could not serve you on this occasion; for I think it not only expedient, but highly necessary for the good of the Academy, that M. Bonomi should be elected:" and he added, "on another vacancy, you shall have my support." Fuseli, in answer, thanked Sir Joshua for his candour, and hoped if he tried his friends on _this_ occasion, he would not be offended. To this the President said, "Certainly not."

Sir Joshua was active in taking measures to favour the views of M. Bonomi; and although he expected some opposition, from the spirit which was manifested on the former occasion, yet he was nevertheless very sanguine as to the ultimate success of this candidate. On the evening of the election, an expedient was resorted to, no doubt with the sanction of, but not acknowledged by, the President,--that of exhibiting on the table of the Academy some neatly executed drawings of M. Bonomi; which display had a contrary effect to what Sir Joshua expected. The friends of Fuseli protested against this, which they deemed an innovation, and urged with great propriety, that if drawings were to be shown, he should have the same chance as his competitor; stating at the same time, that his portfolio was as rich in these as any man's; "for the members," said they, "must be aware, that no modern artist excels Mr. Fuseli in design."

The sense of the meeting was taken; and after a warm debate, M. Bonomi's drawings were ordered to be removed.

As it was considered that Fuseli's claims had not been fairly met, those who were wavering in opinion before, now became fixed in his favour, and when the numbers were declared, there were twenty-one votes for, and only nine against him. This decision was evidently unexpected by Sir Joshua, who, on leaving the chair, shewed some degree of mortification; and on the 23d of February, 1790, thirteen days after the election had taken place, he wrote a letter to the Academicians, in which were these words: "I resign the Presidency of the Royal Academy, and also my seat as an Academician." It is unnecessary, in this place, to detail the means which the Academy took, and successfully, to recall him to the chair: suffice it to say, that, notwithstanding the chagrin which he experienced, in failing to carry the point for M. Bonomi, Sir Joshua was unaltered in his kindness to Fuseli, during the remainder of his life.

The employment which had been given to Fuseli by Mr. Alderman Boydell, for the Shakspeare Gallery, enabled him to save some money; he therefore proceeded with a degree of confidence in the great work which he had for some years meditated, and on which he was now actively employed,--the pictures which were to form the "Milton Gallery." In aid of these means, however, he expected to be able to maintain himself, during the execution of the work, by painting occasionally small pictures for the printsellers and booksellers, on whom the historical painters of this country have principally depended for support. But in this he was in a great measure disappointed, for his competitors in the art raised a report, that his time was so much occupied in a scheme of such magnitude from Milton, that he had no leisure for any other subject,--hence their usual commissions began to decline, and at length almost ceased.

Fuseli felt this disappointment of his hopes, and in a letter to Mr. Roscoe says, "I am convinced that of all the lies Nero told, that in which he asserts art was supported by all the earth, was the most atrocious; and although _laudatur et alget_ seems to be intended for my motto, and though despondence often invades my pillow, yet my head and hand still keep on steady in the prosecution of my great work. May the hope which carries me on, not prove delusive."

The monotony of painting from one author, however, was in a degree broken by the variety of subjects which Milton's poetical works afford, for he could at will turn "from grave to gay:" this transition, Fuseli often acknowledged, afforded him considerable relief and pleasure.

In the year 1793, the Rev. R. A. Bromley, rector of St. Mildred's in the Poultry, issued proposals for publishing by subscription, two large quarto volumes of "A Philosophical and Critical History of the Fine Arts, more especially Painting;" and at the instance of Mr. West, the Royal Academy subscribed for a copy. The first volume appeared early in 1794, and the author, after having discussed and criticised the works of Michael Angelo and Raphael, thus expresses himself:--"The dignity of moral instruction is degraded whenever the pencil is employed on frivolous, whimsical, and unmeaning subjects. On this head, it is to be feared, there ever will be too much cause for complaint, because there ever will be persons incapable of solidity, although very capable of executing this art with power: strength of understanding, and ability in art or science, are very different things; they are derived from different sources, and they are perfectly independent of each other. The one can no more be instrumental to the communication of the other, than either can communicate temper or disposition. The finest art in the world may therefore be combined with the lightest and most superficial mind. Books are written of a light and fantastic nature by those who cannot write otherwise, and yet will write something. And so it is with painting; the mind of the artist can but give such subjects as are consecutaneous to its turn.--_The Nightmare_, _Little Red Ridinghood_, _The Shepherd's Dream_, or any dream that is not marked in authentic history as combined with the important dispensations of Providence, and many other pieces of a visionary and fanciful nature, are speculations of as exalted a stretch in the contemplation of such a mind, as the finest lessons as were ever drawn from religion, or morals, or useful history; and yet the painter who should employ his time on such subjects, would certainly amuse the intelligent no more than the man who should make those subjects the topics of a serious discourse. But what good has the world, or what honour has the art, at any time derived from such light and fantastical speculations? If it be right to follow Nature, there is nothing of her here,--all that is presented to us is a reverie of the brain. If it be allowable to cultivate fancy, that which has little or nothing of nature in its composition becomes ridiculous. A man may carry the flights of imagination even within the walks of the chastest art or science, till they become mere waking dreams, as wild as the conceits of a madman. The author of Observations on _Fresnoy de Arte_ very properly calls these persons, 'Libertines of painting:' as there are libertines of religion, who have no other law but the vehemence of their own inclinations, so these have no other model, he says, but a rodomontado genius, which shews us a wild or savage nature that is not of our acquaintance, but of a new creation.

"If not in subjects altogether, yet in manner, one of the first examples of this kind, if not the very first, appeared about the latter end of the sixteenth century, in a Neapolitan, who is commonly known by the name of Giuseppe d'Arpino."

After having thus openly condemned some of the subjects painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds and Fuseli, the author shortly after launches out in unqualified praise of the works of West, particularly his "Death of Wolfe," of which he gives an elaborate description, and concludes by considering it as "one of the most genuine models of historic painting in the world." The series of pictures painted by Barry, which adorns the great room of the Society of Arts in the Adelphi, are also eulogized by him.

It was generally known to the academicians, that Mr. Bromley had assisted Mr. West in arranging and getting up the discourses which the latter delivered to the Royal Academy; and it was conjectured that Mr. West had given his friend some of the observations on modern art, even those in praise of his own works. These circumstances, and Mr. Bromley's strictures upon a living artist (Fuseli), disgusted many of the members of the Royal Academy, and they requested Fuseli not only to animadvert upon them, but to prove (what he broadly asserted) that Mr. Bromley did not understand the subject, and that he was equally ignorant of the classical authorities which he quoted in his Dissertation upon Ancient Art. Fuseli immediately undertook the task, and published in a journal, a letter addressed to Mr. Bromley, pointing out a variety of errors in his work. I regret, after having employed much industry to find this, that I have not succeeded. Mr. Bromley answered it by publishing two letters in the Morning Herald of the 12th and 18th of March 1794, in which he deeply complains of the injury he sustained, as an author, by the observations of Fuseli; admits that several of these are correct which regard classical quotations, but shields himself by stating that his manuscript was right, and that the errors are to be attributed to the printer.

Fuseli's letter, however, made so deep an impression, that the Academy were about to reject the book altogether, as unworthy a place in their library; but after some debate, they came to the resolution to allow the first volume to remain there, but to withdraw the subscription for the second. And on the 20th of February, 1794, at a general meeting of Academicians, they came to this resolution, "That Mr. Fuseli has conducted himself properly in his remarks on Mr. Bromley's book." In consequence of the opposition of Fuseli, the second volume was never published.

In 1794, Fuseli painted for Mr. Seward "The Conspiracy of Catiline." This gentleman was so much pleased with the picture, that he wrote the following verses, which were published in the "Whitehall Evening Post," in the December that year, and copied into the "European Magazine, for January 1795."

TO HENRY FUSELI, ESQ. R.A.

ON HIS LATE PICTURE OF THE CONSPIRACY OF CATILINE.

Artist sublime! with every talent blest,
That Buonarroti's great and awful mind confest;
Whose magic colours, and whose varying line
Embody things, or human or divine;
Behold the effort of thy mastering hand,
See Catilina's parricidal band,
By the lamp's tremulous, sepulchral light,
Profane the sacred silence of the night;
To Hell's stern King their curs'd libations pour,
While the rich goblet foams with human gore.
See how, in full and terrible array,
Their fatal poignards they at once display,
Direly resolving, at their Chief's behest,
To sheath them only in their Country's breast.
Too well pourtray'd, the scene affects our sight
With indignation, horror, and affright.
Then quit these orgies, and with ardent view
Fam'd Angelo's advent'rous track pursue;
Let him extend thy[44] terrible career
Beyond the visible diurnal sphere,
Burst Earth's strong barrier, seek th' abyss of Hell,
Where sad Despair and Anguish ever dwell;
In glowing colours to our eyes disclose
The monster Sin, the cause of all our woes;
To our appall'd and tortur'd senses bring
Death's horrid image, Terror's baneful King;
And at the last, the solemn, dreadful hour,
We all may bless thy pencil's saving power;
Our danger from thy pious colours see,
And owe eternity of bliss to thee.
Then to the Heaven of heavens ascend, pourtray
The wonders of th' effulgent realms of day;
Around thy pallet glorious tints diffuse,
Mix'd from th' ethereal arch's vivid hues;
With every grace of beauty and of form,
Inspire thy mind, and thy rich fancy warm.
Cherub and seraph, now, in "burning row,"
Before the throne of Heaven's high Monarch bow,
And, tun'd to golden wires, their voices raise
In everlasting strains of rapt'rous praise.
Blest[45] commentator of our Nation's Bard,
Long lov'd with every reverence of regard,
Whose matchless Muse dares sing in strains sublime,
Things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme!
The critic's painful efforts, cold and dead,
Merely inform the slow and cautious head;
Whilst thy effusions, like Heaven's rapid fire,
Dart through the heart, and kindred flames inspire,
And at one flash, to our astonish'd eyes,
Objects of horror or delight arise.
Proceed, my friend; a Nation safely trust,
To merit splendidly and quickly just;
She the due tribute to thy toils shall pay,
And lavishly her gratitude display;
The Bard himself, from his Elysium bowers
Contemplating thy pencil's plastic powers,
Well pleas'd, shall see his fame extend with thine,
And gladly hail thee, as himself, divine. S.

In the years 1793 and 1794, Fuseli painted four pictures for "Woodmason's Illustrations of Shakspeare,"--two from subjects in the Midsummer Night's Dream, and the other two from Macbeth. Three of these are known by engravings, namely, Oberon squeezing the juice of the flowers into Titania's eyes while she sleeps,--Titania awake, attended by fairies, and in raptures with Bottom wearing the ass's head,--and Macbeth meeting the Witches on the heath.--The fourth, Macbeth with the Witches at the cauldron, was chosen by Sharpe, and some progress made by him in the engraving of it, when the scheme was abandoned. Fuseli was much gratified by my having subsequently purchased this picture, and remarked, "You have another of my best poetical conceptions. When Macbeth meets with the witches on the heath, it is terrible, because he did not expect the supernatural visitation; but when he goes to the cave to ascertain his fate, it is no longer a subject of terror: hence I have endeavoured to supply what is deficient in the poetry. To say nothing of the general arrangement of my picture, which in composition is altogether triangular, (and the triangle is a mystical figure,) I have endeavoured to shew a colossal head rising out of the abyss, and that head Macbeth's likeness. What, I would ask, would be a greater object of terror to you, if, some night on going home, you were to find yourself sitting at your own table, either writing, reading, or otherwise employed? would not this make a powerful impression on your mind?" Fuseli always complained of not being able to effect all he wished in these pictures, in consequence of being limited to shape and size, as it was stipulated by Woodmason, that those painted for his gallery should be 5 feet 6 inches high, by 4 feet 6 inches broad.

It was not until his own means were exhausted that Fuseli could bring himself to solicit pecuniary assistance from others for the accomplishment of his plan of the "Milton Gallery." As soon, however, as it was understood that he must either give it up, or be supported in it, six of his intimate friends (in 1797) immediately came forward, and each agreed to advance him fifty pounds per annum, until the task was completed. It gives me pleasure to place the names of these gentlemen on record. Messrs. Coutts, Lock, Roscoe, G. Steevens, Seward, and Johnson. It was stipulated that they were to be paid out of the proceeds of the exhibition of the Milton Gallery, or take pictures or drawings to the value of their contributions. Mr. Coutts, in addition to his annuity, with that characteristic spirit of true liberality which ever marked his conduct, and with that modesty which generally accompanies such feelings, made a donation of a hundred pounds, under the injunction that his name should not appear in the transaction; and Mr. Roscoe gave proofs of the sincere friendship which he entertained for the artist, by not only buying pictures to a considerable amount, but also by inducing his friends and connexions at Liverpool to make purchases. The interest which Mr. Roscoe took in Fuseli's labours is shown in the following letter:--

"MY DEAR FRIEND,

"I am much mortified that I shall not have the pleasure of seeing
you in Liverpool; but, at the same time, if your bringing your
works before the public next Spring depends on your close attention
to them at present, it will, I confess, in a great degree reconcile
me to my disappointment. I look upon this as the period which will
shew you to the public in your true light, and obtain for you that
universal suffrage which will secure you a great and lasting
reputation. Inclosed is a bill from Clarke's for a second hundred
pounds, of which you will be pleased to acknowledge the receipt by
a line, when it comes to hand. I consider you as connected in
London with friends of more liberality than are generally met with,
and I esteem you as a cautious and provident man, for an artist;
notwithstanding which, I may be excused in suggesting to you, that
this exhibition should be wholly on your own account, and should
not be connected with any subsequent plan that may be proposed for
publication of prints from the pictures, &c. With respect to the
mode of exhibiting the pictures, I still think the least expensive
will be to stucco the room with pannels, with broad mouldings, in
imitation of frames, which may be painted in a bold style, to suit
the pictures. If this could be done in imitation of bronze, it
would have a grave and better effect for such subjects, than if you
even went to the expense of gilding, which would be enormous. I
mention this, because, if you think the plan likely to answer, the
work should be done some time before, that it may be sufficiently
dry. Perhaps all this may be unnecessary, and you have already
decided on a better plan; but I know you will attribute it to its
proper motive.

"My wife has been unwell for some time past, owing, I believe, to
nursing too long. Apropos--I have just translated a poem on this
subject, in two capitoli from the Italian of Luigi Tansillo, in
which he endeavours to prevail on the ladies to undertake that
important duty to their children. Tansillo was contemporary with
Ariosto, &c., and for purity of style is excelled by few of his
countrymen. I have sent my version to Shepherd, to revise, &c.; but
am yet undecided whether I should publish it.[46]--Adieu, my dear
friend, and believe me very truly and affectionately yours,

"W. Roscoe."

"Liverpool, 12th Dec. 1797."

The assistance afforded by these friends enabled Fuseli to carry on steadily the grand work on which he was engaged, and to this, most probably, the public owe many of the pictures of which the Milton Gallery was composed. After acknowledging his gratitude to one of them (Mr. Roscoe), he thus expresses himself, "I shall now endeavour to carry through a work which I consider a monument of myself; whatever I may be, _magnis tamen excido ausis_, if I do not succeed to give it excellence."

In 1795, Fuseli assisted his friend Mr. Seward by contributing several articles to an amusing and instructive work known by the appellation of "Seward's Anecdotes."

In 1796, he painted a picture for Macklin's Gallery, "The Vision of the Candlesticks," from the Revelations of St. John. For this he chose what may be considered the most sublime moment, the sudden appearance of the apparition and the trance of the saint; but he always regretted that he was limited to size, and tied too much to biblical precision by Mr. Macklin, instead of being allowed to exercise the full range of his fancy on a canvass of larger dimensions.

In the autumn of this year (1796), Mr. and Mrs. Fuseli, with Messrs. Opie and Bonnycastle, passed a few days at Windsor; the object of the two artists was not only to have some relaxation and to see the pictures, but to examine critically the cartoons of Raphael, which were at this time in the Castle. An anecdote or two will show the disposition of the three men. In their journey down by the stage-coach, they were much annoyed by an outside passenger placing his legs over one of the windows. Opie at first gently remonstrated with him; this, however, not producing the desired effect, he pinched his legs, but yet the nuisance continued; at length the coach stopped at an inn. Opie, being enraged, exerted his Herculean strength, and pulled the person to the ground; but this did not produce any rencontre.--When at Windsor, the two painters endeavoured to palm the Scriptural subjects of West upon Bonnycastle for the cartoons of Raphael; but although he was not a competent judge of works of art, yet he was too well read not to detect their intentions. Bonnycastle, however, wished to show his critical knowledge, and ventured upon the observation usually made on the cartoon of "The Miraculous Draught of Fishes," that the boat was not sufficiently large for the men, much less for the lading. Fuseli instantly answered, "By G--d, Bonnycastle, that is a part of the miracle." Being at Windsor, they went to Eton College: here the youths assembled about them, asking the usual questions; "Do you wish to see the Library, Gentlemen," and such like. Fuseli amused himself by answering them in Latin; but Opie, in his usual gruff manner, said to the most prominent among them, "What do you want? I cannot make out to what class of beings you belong, being too little for a man, and too large for a monkey." This was resented as an insult by the mass; and it was only by the great physical powers of Bonnycastle and Opie, that they disengaged themselves and their companion from the crowd of boys who surrounded them. Fuseli was highly provoked, and was apprehensive also of personal violence; and when he got without the barrier, almost breathless with rage, he sat on a large stone by the side of the road and exclaimed, "I now wish I was the Grand Sultan, for I would order my vizier to cut off the heads of these urchins from the rising of the sun until the going down thereof."

By indefatigable industry, Fuseli had now made considerable progress in the pictures which were to compose the "Milton Gallery," and those friends, as well as many of the artists who had been allowed to see them as he proceeded, felt confident of the ultimate success of the exhibition. With such feelings his intimate friend Sir Thomas Lawrence offered to contribute a picture gratuitously, and Mr. Opie tendered his services, not only to paint some pictures, but to manage the concern; under the condition, however, that he was to be a sharer in the profits. These offers Fuseli politely but prudently declined, being determined not to have any assistance whatever in a work, which he wished should be a monument of himself, and feeling, perhaps, that contrarieties of style would not be beneficial to the exhibition as a whole; for his aim was more to give the sublime, quiescent, and playful imagery of the poet in his own powerful manner, than to engage attention by colour or a brilliant execution of the pictures. These observations are not however intended to depreciate the merits of the splendid picture painted from Milton by Sir Thomas Lawrence, of "Satan calling up his Legions," which for a long period was a prominent feature in the collection of his Grace the late Duke of Norfolk, at his house in St. James's Square, and which, by the style of drawing as well as its tone of colour, abundantly prove, that this artist would have been equally distinguished for his powers in treating epic subjects as in portraits, if he had employed his pencil exclusively thereon.

As soon as the intended exhibition was announced by the daily prints, but before the doors of the "Milton Gallery" were opened, the public mind was attempted to be biassed very unfairly by paragraphs in the newspapers calumniating the subjects as well as the execution of the pictures. These critics considered that he had attempted to represent on canvass scenes adapted only to poetic imagery, and thus transgressed the limits of the imitative art, and that his figures were distorted, and his colouring wanting both in force and brilliancy. As it was evident that these observations could have proceeded only from some persons who had seen the pictures through the kindness of the painter, Fuseli considered his confidence betrayed and interests injured by those who came under the mask of friendship; and he always held the opinion that the paragraphs in question were written by or at the instance of one or more of the then members of the Royal Academy.

As the mass of the public form their judgment of works of art more by what they are told by the diurnal prints, than by what they feel or know, there is no doubt that these unwarrantable criticisms had their effect in checking the desire of many persons to visit the exhibition. Fuseli, however, was sanguine as to the ultimate success of the "Milton Gallery," for he had yet to learn that he who had delineated the sublime and playful imagery of the poet, was like the poet himself to accomplish his design under every discountenance, and in the end to gain little or nothing by his performance. For, with feelings strongly in opposition to the opinion of Dr. Johnson, that "we read Milton for instruction, retire harassed and overburthened, and look elsewhere for recreation; we desert our master and seek for companions;" Fuseli wrote in large letters in the margin of a copy of the "Lives of the Poets," now in my possession, in allusion to the passage in question, "I DO NOT." Some of the judicious friends of Fuseli formed a more correct notion of the feelings of the public than himself, and were not therefore so sanguine as to the success of his exhibition; this is manifest by the following letter from Mr. Roscoe.

"Allerton, 24th May, 1799.

"MY DEAR FRIEND,

"My friend and neighbour Mr. Shepherd, who is already known to you,
being about to take his departure with Mrs. Shepherd and her sister
on a journey to London, I avail myself of the opportunity it
affords of informing you, without being questioned on the subject,
that I am yet in existence, and, what I know you will be glad to
hear, in better health, and consequently better spirits, than when
I last wrote to you. From the experience I have hitherto had of my
new residence, it promises to be productive of every advantage
which I expected to find from it:--good air, opportunity or rather
necessity of exercise, and a degree of retirement which is
indispensably necessary to my peace of mind. The latter you will
perhaps believe when I tell you that I am a mile and a half from
any neighbour; but, at that distance, I have on every side of me
some of my most intimate and valuable friends. Such being the
advantage I enjoy here, you will not wonder that I am exerting
myself to secure the means of remaining here, without the necessity
of further interference in the tumult of the town, which I hope in
a short time I shall be able to do. I consider it as one great
secret in the art of living, especially at a time when all the
necessaries of life are so high, to obtain subsistence immediately
from the earth, and, accordingly, I am surrounded with cows, hogs,
turkies, geese, cocks, hens, and pigeons, which, according to the
good old maxim, (take, Peter, kill and eat,) I plunder and
slaughter without mercy; and shall be very angry with you if you
tell me (as is not unlikely) that I am keeping up my paltry
existence at the expense of the lives of a number of beings, each
of which is ten times happier than myself.

"I was struck with the sight of an advertisement in the Courier,
which announced to me, in common with all the world, that the
Exhibition of the Pictures of Milton would be opened in a few
days. I rejoice to find your exertions so nearly brought to a
conclusion, and I hope I may say, so nearly crowned with success. I
have sometimes regretted that your intention of painting a series
of pictures from Shakspeare was frustrated; but, after what I have
seen of Milton, I am convinced that it was he alone could have
afforded sufficient scope for your powers. I will not pretend to
prophesy, _nor, to say the truth, have I any very high opinion of
the taste of the present day_; but if the public are insensible to
the feast which will now be spread before them, I shall be wholly
hopeless of their amendment. That they will see with indifference
is impossible; and this circumstance alone is favourable, however
they may be induced to decide.

"Believe me, my dear friend, I do not turn a deaf ear to the claims
you have on my friendship and affection; and if I should be able to
produce a few lines worthy of the subject, there is nothing I
should do with so much pleasure as to express the opinion I have of
your talents.

"I am affectionately your's,

"W. Roscoe."

In 1798, Mr. Johnson was brought to trial for selling the Reverend Gilbert Wakefield's political works, and being found guilty was sentenced by the Court to pay a fine to the King of £50, and to be imprisoned in the King's Bench for nine months. Johnson employed Mr. Erskine (afterwards Lord Erskine) as his counsel; and Fuseli, in common with most of Mr. Johnson's friends, considered that the prosecution was an arbitrary act on the part of the Government, because every bookseller sold the works in question, and all with impunity, except Johnson; and that Erskine, in his defence, lost sight of the interest of his client, in the wish to shew his own political opinions, and to make a display of his oratorical powers.

Mr. Johnson, on his removal to the King's Bench, occupied the Marshal's house, and gave there his usual weekly dinners to literary and scientific men. Fuseli was warned by his friends of the existence of the Alien act, and advised not to visit a man in the King's Bench Prison who had been so marked by the Government. But his friendship for Johnson was greater than any prudential motives of this nature; and he therefore visited him as frequently as he had previously done in his own house.

The following anecdote respecting Lord Erskine, who subsequently was intimate with Fuseli, was told me by Mr. Bonnycastle. He and Johnson were, just previously to the trial, walking through Lincoln's Inn on their way to dine with Fuseli, and met Erskine there accidentally, who had several dogs with him, animals of which he was particularly fond. As soon as he saw them, he cried out, "Johnson, I have something particular to say to you," and then occupied him in close conversation, apart from Bonnycastle, for nearly a quarter of an hour.

At length Mr. Johnson took his leave; and when he joined Bonnycastle, said, "You cannot even guess the topic of our conversation." "Doubtless," said the latter, "your forthcoming trial." "Not a bit," said Johnson; "he never even alluded to it, and the time was wholly occupied with his opinions about Brothers the Prophet, and in asking questions respecting a book 'on the Revelations,' lately offered me for publication."

When Johnson was liberated, he, Fuseli, and Mr. Sturch, went to Liverpool together to enjoy, for three or four weeks, that relaxation which was considered necessary for Johnson's health.

On the 20th of May, 1799, the rooms in Pall Mall, formerly occupied by the Royal Academy, were opened for the exhibition of the "Milton Gallery:" these Fuseli rented at 210_l._ per annum. This exhibition consisted of forty pictures of different sizes; but, to give an idea of the extent of the undertaking, the following are the dimensions of some of the principal ones. "Satan starting from the touch of Ithuriel's spear," and "Satan calling up his Legions," each 13ft. by 12.--"Satan encountering Death, Sin interposing;" "Adam and Eve first discovered by Satan;" "Satan flying up from Sin and Death in his enterprise;" and "The Vision of Noah:" each 13ft. by 10. "Death and Sin bridging the waste of Chaos," and "The Vision of the Lazar House," each 11ft. by 10. "The Creation of Eve;" "Christ on the Pinnacle of the Temple;" "The Fall of Satan;" "Adam resolved to share the Fate of Eve;" and "Eve at the Tree of Knowledge:" each 10ft. by 7.

To those who had a feeling for the highest class of art, epic subjects, treated with dramatic power, this exhibition afforded a high treat. But, that some judgment may be formed of its extent and variety, the following descriptive catalogue of the pictures drawn up by Fuseli himself, is here given, to which is added, as far as I can ascertain them, the names of the persons in whose possession these pictures now are.

A CATALOGUE

OF THE

MILTON GALLERY,

AS IT WAS OPENED THE 20TH OF MAY, 1799.

PARADISE LOST.

PICTURE I.--A SKETCH.

SATAN risen from the Flood, BEELZEBUB rising.

Forthwith upright he rears from off the pool
His mighty stature; on each hand the flames
Driv'n backward slope their pointing spires, and roll'd
In billows, leave i' th' midst a horrid vale.
----Him follow'd his next mate,
Both glorying to have 'scap'd the Stygian flood
As Gods----
Book I. v. 221, 238.

In the possession of Sir Thomas Lawrence.

PICTURE II.

SATAN calling up his Legions.

----On the beach
Of that enflamed sea he stood, and call'd
His legions, Angel forms, who lay entranc'd
Thick as autumnal leaves, that strow the brooks
In Vallombrosa.----
He call'd so loud, that all the hollow deep
Of Hell resounded.----
Awake, arise, or be for ever fall'n.
They heard, and were abash'd, and up they sprung----
Book I. v. 299, 314, 330.

In the possession of His Grace the Duke of Wellington.

PICTURE III.--A SKETCH.

SATAN haranguing his Host.

He spake: and to confirm his words, out flew
Millions of flaming swords, drawn from the thighs
Of mighty Cherubim.----
Book I. v. 663.

PICTURE IV.

Figures from a simile in allusion to the contracted form of the
Spirits assembled in the new-raised Hall of PANDÆMONIUM,
illustrated by a simile from

----Fairy elves,
Whose midnight revels by a forest side
Or fountain some belated peasant sees,
Or dreams he sees, while over head the moon
Sits arbitress, and nearer to the earth
Wheels her pale course, they on their mirth and dance
Intent, with jocund music charm his ear;
At once with joy and fear his heart rebounds.