She on his mind her every charm imprints,
Her eafy poftures, and her perfect tints,
Till his quick pencil, in maturer hour,
Becomes her rival in creative power.

Yet in these paths difdain a long delay,
While eager
Genius points a nobler way:
For fee! expanding to thy raptur'd gaze,
The epic field a brighter fcene difplays!

155

Here ftands the temple, where, to merit true,
Fame gives her laurel to the favour'd few:
Whofe minds, illumin'd with cœleftial fire,
Direct the pencil, or awake the lyre;

160

Who trace the fprings of nature to their fource,

And by her guidance, with refifiless force,

165

The tides of terror and of transport roll,

Thro' every channel of the human foul !

How few, my friend, tho' millions boast the aim,

Leave in this temple an unclouded name!

Vain the attempt, in every age and clime,

170

The elders of thy art, ordain'd to ftand
In the firft circle of this honour'd band,
(Whofe pencil, ftriving for the noblest praise,
The heart to foften and the mind to raise,
Gave life and manners to the finifh'd piece)
These fons of glory were the fons of GREECE!
Hail throne of genius, hail! what mighty hand.
Form'd the bright offspring of this famous land?

180

Firft

Firft in the annals of the world they shine:
Such gifts, O LIBERTY, are only thine;
Thy vital fires thro' kindling fpirits run,
Thou foul of life, thou intellectual fun;
Thy rays call forth, profufe and unconfin'd,
The richest produce of the human mind.

185

Firft taught by thee, the Grecian pencil wrought 190 The forceful leffons of exalted thought,

And generously gave, at glory's call,

The patriot picture to the public hall.

"Twas then PANAUS drew, with freedom's train, The chief of Marathon's immortal plain,

In glorious triumph o'er the mighty host
That Perfia pour'd in torrents on their coaft.

There POLYGNOTUS, fcorning fervile hire,†
Difplay'd th' embattled fcene from HOMER's lyre.
His country view'd the gift with fond regard,
And rank'd the painter with their noblest bard.

Thy tragic pencil, ARISTIDES, caught
Each varied feeling, and each tender thought,
While moral virtue fanctified thy art,
And paffion gave it empire o'er the heart.

Correct Parrhafius firft to rich design |||
Gave nice proportion, and the melting line,
Whose foft extremes from obfervation fly,
And with ideal diftance cheat the eye.

*Ver. 194. See NOTE V.
+ Ver. 198. See, NOTE VI.
Ver. 202. See NOTE VIL
Ver. 206. See NOTE VIL

195

200

205

The

The gay, the warm, licentious ZEUXIS drew,* 210 Voluptuous Beauty in her richeft hue :

Bade in one form her scatter'd rays unite,

And charm'd the view with their collected light.

But Grace confign'd, while her fair works he plann'd, Her fofteft pencil to APELLES' hand:

Yet oft to gain fublimer heights he ftrove,t
Such ftrong expreffion mark'd his mimic Jove,
Inimitably great he seem'd to tower,

And pafs the limits of the pencil's power.

Ye fons of art, tho' on the gulph of years,
No floating relict of your toil appears,
Yet glory fhews, in every cultur'd clime,
Your name ftill radiant thro' the clouds of time.

215

220

Thy pride, O ROME, inclin'd thee to abhor Each work that call'd thee from thy fphere of war: 225 By freedom train'd, and favour'd by the Nine, The powers of eloquence and verse were thine, While chilling damps upon the pencil hung,‡ Where TULLY thunder'd, and where VIRGIL fung, Yet Grecian artists had the fplendid fate,

230

To triumph o'er the Romans' fcornful hate,

Their matchlefs works Profufion toil'd to buy,
Their wonders glitter'd in the public eye,

Till ROME's terrific pomp, and letter'd pride,
Were funk in Defolation's whelming tide..

235

Oh! lovely painting! long thy cheering light Was loft and buried in barbaric night;,

* Ver. 210. See NOTE IX.

Ver. 216. See NOTE X.
Ver. 228. See, NOTE XI..

The

The furious rage of Anarchy effac'd
Each hallow'd character thy hand had trac'd,
And Ign'rance, mutt'ring in her monkish cell,
Bound thy free foul in her lethargic fpell.

At length from this long trance thy fpirit rofe,
In that fweet vale where filver Arno flows;
There ftudious VINCI treafur'd every rule,*
To form the basis of a rising school.
Like early HESIOD, 'twas his fate to shine,
The herald of a maiter more divine.

Inflam'd by Genius with fublimest rage,
By toil unwearied, and unchill'd by age,
In the fine phrenzy of exalted thought
Gigantic ANGELO his wonders wrought;†
And high, by native strength of spirit rais'd,

240

245

250

The mighty HoMER of the pencil blaz'd.

Tafte, Fancy, Judgment, all on RAPHAEL fmil'd, t Of Grandeur and of Grace the darling child: Truth, paffion, character, his conftan aim, Both in the human and the heavenly frame, Th' enchanting painter rules the willing heart, And shines the finish'd VIRGIL of his art.

255

The daring JULIO, tho' by RAPHAEL train'd,§ 260. Reach'd not the fummit, where his master reign'd; Yet to no common heights of epic fame, True Genius guided his adventurous aim.

* Ver. 244. See NOTE XII.

+ Ver. 251. See NOTE XIII.

Ver. 254. See NOTE XIV.
Ver. 260. See NOTE XV.

Thus

Thus STATIUS, fraught with emulous regard,
Caught not the fpirit of the Mantuan bard:

Tho' rival ardour his ambition fir'd,

And kindred talents his bold verfe infpir'd.

265

270

More richly warm, the glowing TITIAN knew *
To blend with Nature's truth the living hue:
O! had fublime defign his colours crown'd!
Then had the world a finish'd painter found :
With powers to feize the highest branch of art,
He fix'd too fondly on an humbler part;
Yet this low object of his partial care
Grew from his toil fo exquifitely fair,
That dazzled judgment, with fufpended voice,
Fears to condemn the error of his choice.
Thus pleas'd a flowery valley to explore,
Whence never Poet cull'd a wreath before, t
LUCRETIUS chofe the epic crown to lose
For the bright chaplets of an humbler mufe.

Soft as CATULLUS, fweet CORREGIO play'd
With all the magic charms of light and shade.
Tho' PARMA claim it for her rival fon, §
The praise of sweetest grace thy pencil won:
Unhappy genius! tho' of skill divine,
Unjutt neglect, and penury were thine.
Lamenting o'er thy labours unrepaid,
Afflicted Art oppreft with wrongs decay'd,

*Ver. 268. See NOTE XVI.

+ Unde prius nulli velarunt Tempora Mufæ.

275

280

285

Lucretius, Lib. iv. Ver. 5.

Ver. 282. See NOTE XVII. § Ver. 284. See NOTE XVIII.

Till