tears. C Highway-robbery, as comected with Thoughts that do often lie too deep for Riding on horse-back. And here I at once perceive that I feel that I was born an age too my steed begins to feel that his feet late. To have been stopped by Jerry have got upon the turf again. I'm Abershaw on Hounslow-heath, was afraid I must not give him his head, an event for a man to tell his grandlest he should bolt, and become un- children of, when he had forgotten manageable.- If no one but myself every thing beside. To have been were concerned, I should certainly present when Turpin kicked his shoes run the risk ; for I should not be off at Tyburn, just as he was about afraid of losing my seat. But as, to be executed, was something worth in writing for an interesting mis- living for. To me, the spot is clasçellany ” of this kind, it is prudent, sical ground to this day. To have and even necessary, to have the fear had the honour of taking a mug of of the Editor before one's eyes,--I had, ale with sixteen-stringed Jack—as a perhaps, better let my steed feel the relation of mine once did at Mrs. Fletcurb a little. I shall take leave, cher's--the Royal Waggon, at Bamet however, to do it gently; and at the where he used to go and sit in the same time pat him on the neck, just open tap-room, and enjoy the otium to show him that I'm not angry at cum dignitate, like any other gentlehis letting me know what he would man)-entitles a man to hold up his do if he might. head in the presence of princes for Nice observers may probably have ever after ! But I dare not trust myremarked, that there has been a la- self with this subject any longer at mentable falling-off, of late years, present. I may perhaps return to it in the profession of a Highway-rob- at some future period. In the mean ber. It has become a merely vulgar time, let the reader bear with me for calling ; with little to recommend it a moment, while I fancy myself but the circumstance of its be- Turpin, and exclaim ing followed in the open air.-In Oh now, for ever, the days of Turpin, Abershaw, and Farewell the tranquil moon, farewell the Duval, it might be regarded as an heath, equestrian exercise performed by Farewell the horse-patrole, and the big moon-light; and, like other liberal chains professions, requiring; at least, the That made high-daring, virtue! oh, farehabits and education of a gentleman, well ! in order to succeed in it with any Farewell the panting steed, and the shrill whistle, thing like distinction or effect. But now-a-days the profession of a High- The spirit-stirring chaise, the car-piercing shriek, way-robber is one of mere calculation The royal proclamation, and all quality, -mere profit and loss,-and, as such, Pride, pomp, and circumstance of highcan hardly be worth following at all: way robbery ! for, besides being much more pre- And, oh, you Bow-street runners, whose carious, it is, generally speaking, rude throats very little more respectable, than of clamorous hue-and-cry made counterthat of a stock-jobber, a pettifogger, feit, or a quack-doctor.- To what can Farewell ! – Dick Turpin's occupation's this fatal change be attributed, but gone! to the fact of its professors having Happily, we have something like left off practising on horse-back ? - an equivalent for this disastrous Here the sympathetic reader will change, in the fact of another of the pardon me, if I indulge myself by liberal professions—that of the soldwelling, for a moment, on the fore- dier-having assisted, by means of going subject; and if I confess that Horsemanship, in advancing, instead the lamentable state of things which of retarding, the march of intellecI have described, and the causes tual civilization. It is true, that which have conduced to bring it formerly, a mere red coat was a passabout, have furnished me with a port to any society. A pair of colours perpetual source of profound reflec- made the possessor a match for the tions, of sweet and bitter fancies, youngest daughter of a poor lord ; and of a lieutenant in a marching regiment 232 might take his choice among a host of the “ Prince's own," (as the tenth of city heiresses ; and a captain was light dragoons were then called) beas irresistible, as a handsome poet, haved better than almost any others or a Vampire.* But, thanks to heas in the service; and yet, to look at ven and horsemanship! those days them, you would have thought them are gone by; and now, a red-coat fit for nothing butturned up with white, is looked upon To caper nimbly in my lady's chamber, in much the same light as a white To the lascivious pleasing of a lute. one turned up with red: that is to say, one livery is as good as another The truth is, they were the hand- I mean in the eyes of well-bred somest, the most stylish, and the best women. And, even elsewhere, an dressing chaps about town; and these infantry officer and a sheriff's officer were just so many reasons for conare considered as pretty much on a cluding that they would do every level: and accordingly, they are gene- about. Aye-every thing --even to thing else best that they might set rally to be found in each other's company. the writing a crack article in Bald. On the other hand, an entirely new win's -- which is, undoubtedly, the race of beings has sprung up, among reader may start--but the logic is very climax of good deeds! The us during the late war. The CAVALRY OFFICERS of the present day good, nevertheless; as I shall prove to the entire satisfaction of all whom are worth looking at--which is more than can or could be said of any rich this work with certain Essays it may concern, when I come to enother set of men, since the days of the that I have in Embryo, on the subSidneys, the Surreys, and the Brookes. Notwithstanding their little foppe ject of Dress, and Personal Appear. ries, they lead us back to better ance; and the reciprocal action betimes ; and make us half believe in tween these, and Moral Character; the religion of the Parthenon, and an undertaking to which I have been that the equestrian figures in the Pan-induced to direct my attention, by athenaic procession are not covert having observed that, among my own Jibels on the human form divine," immediate acquaintance, the greatest but copies from it. scoundrel happens to be the man The women, as they always do, the dirtiest of neck-cloths ; while who wears the shabbiest of coats, and have kept pace with this change; the best fellow I have the happiness and now-from the highest to the lowest-from the palace to the pot- best dresser and the best looker ;-to to know, is, at the same time, the house-Angleseas are your only wear." My Lady's respect for morality say nothing of his being one of the forbids her to be frail in favour of any the best riders. This brings me back best thinkers, the best talkers, and man less military than a Colonel of horse: her pretty daughter would not to my subject; and the good-natured think of eloping with a less equestrian when he learns that, next to Horse reader will pardon the digression, person than a Lieutenant of lancers; her maid has no notion of being de- But, perhaps, I need not have made manship, Dress is my favourite hobby, luded by any body below the trumpeter of the regiment; and even the the apology,—for nobody complains widow Wadd herself can put up with of the man at Astley's for riding two nothing short of a “ bold dragoon !" horses at once. -This is as it should be-for, hea But stay !as I mean to go at a ven knows! the only inducement to great rate at our next “ spring meet“ fight the battles of our country” ing,” in April or May, I must let my steed his wind a little. now-a-days, is that of being caressed and gazed at at home. And that this is Rest from your task-so-bravely done,--the only, or at least the strongest in- Our course hath been right swiftly run. ducement, may be gathered from the Byron. fact, that in the late war, the officers MAZEPPA. a get Vampires are said to possess powers of fascination which no lady of any taste can withstand. THE AMBROSIAN CODEX OF HOMER, WITH ANCIENT PAINTINGS. The celebrated and indefatigable an abundant treasure of Oriental masuperintendant of the Ambrosian Li- nuscripts. brary at Milan, published about two But the greatest accession which years since, a work of the utmost it received arose from the stores of interest to the admirers of classical the Pinelli Library, formed at Padua literature and art, entitled, “ Iliadis by Giovanni Vincenzio Pinehi, beFragmenta Antiquissima, cum Pic- tween the years 1558 and 1601. turis, item Scholia Vetera ad Odys- The history of this celebrated colseam; edente Angelo Majo, Ambro- lection may be briefly told: immesiani Collegii Doctore, &c. Mediol. diately after the death of its founder Regiis Typis, MDCCCXIX.” , It it was plundered of many hundred forms a thick folio volume, illustrat- manuscripts, partly by treacherous ed by fifty-eight outline engravings, individuals, and partly by the anxiety and a specimen of the original manu- of the Venetian senate, from whose script; together with a fragment in archives Pinelli had amassed conuncial letters, and short critical ob- siderable stores. The remainder of servations. In the second division the collection was sent by sea to of the work are contained the Scho- Naples, where Pinelli's heirs residlia on the Odyssey, collected from ed; one of the three vessels aboard various Codices in the Ambrosian which they were freighter, was Library. foundered in the voyage; and out It is not our intention in this are of the thirty-three cases which it ticle to notice the literary part of the contained, only twenty-two were volume, but to confine our attention rescued from the waves. Thus reto the embellishments alone: for the duced in bulk, the collection resake, however, of its connexion with mained at Naples, until the whole our present purpose, and on account was purchased of Pinelli's heirs by of its general interest, we shall select, Cardinal Borromeo, and by him refrom the Introduction to the work, moved to Milan. some remarks relative to the origin, Among these manuscripts was the condition, &c. of the Codex itself, Codex of Homer. It is a quarto voand likewise the paintings which it lume of not quite sixty vellum leaves; contains. on the obverse of each of which is After some observations of a ge- a painting of some subject from the neral nature, the author informs us Iliad; and on the reverse,, which is as to the manner in which the Am- lined with a paper manufactured brosian Library became enriched from cotton, are some arguments of with so many manuscript treasures. the rhapsodies, and Scholia. The Cardinal Frederigo Borromeo, who editor asserts confidently, that this spared neither pains nor expence in Codex was originally much larger, order to form in Milan a permanent and contained the entire Iliad, and seat of the liberal arts and sciences, many more paintings; but that, in caused manuscripts to be collected consequence of the unwieldy bulk from every part of the world. For of the volume, the poem was cut not merely Italy, Germany, the Ne- out, and merely the embellishments therlands, France, and Spain were suffered to remai; so that now no explored to this end by literary men, more remains of the former than but Greece was likewise carefully what happened to be written on the ransacked; so that manuscripts found backs of the paintings. These lattheir way to Milan from Corcyra, ter, and such parts of the manuCephalonia, Zacynthus, Crete, Chios, script as are written in the ancient Macedonia, and Epirus. Byzan- square charac er, are referred by the tium, the coasts of Asia, Syria, and editor to the fourth or fitth century; Palestine-nay, even Babylon and but the more recent portion, namely, Africa - were obliged to contribute to that on the paper pasted on the velthis collection; and hence it is that lum to the thirteenth. Considerable the Ambrosian Library possesses such difficulty attended the preparing these a ill-preserved and frail fragments for the colours; as he does likewise the publication : care and perseverance, general correctness of the proporhowever, accomplished this desirable tions. The artist has delineated object. It was necessary, first of all, gods and heroes in an ample style: to detach the paper from the vellum, but he had not always adhered to (which was done without injury,) and consistency, for the same personage to collate the Scholia ; then the frag- appears sometimes with, and somements of the poem itself were obliged times without a beard, and not alto be transcribed, and the various ways in the same costume. It is readings carefully attended to ; last- to be regretted, that we are not more ly, the paintings remained to be co- fully informed as to the colouring, and pied; which, notwithstanding the dif- mechanical execution, of the original ficulties, arising from their mutilated designs; for as to the drawing, the condition, had been done with the outlines themselves supply us with greatest exactitude and success, by a all that is necessary on that head. very competent artist, named Ema- He does not assert that these copies nuel Schott: who has executed them are in every respect similar to the in outline, on precisely the same scale originals; but he advises us to reas the originals. gard these Homeric paintings as Before he proceeds to the descrip- equal to those in the Vatican Virgil, tion of these illustrations, the editor which are of about the same date. notices the riches of the Ambrosian · After this we are informed minuteLibrary in larger paintings and draw. ly of the manner in which the gods, ings of celebrated masters; which, priests, heroes, &c. are represented although not relevant to our present in these Homeric pictures. This purpose, is exceedingly interesting. does not admit of abridgement; and The paintings which serve as em- were we to enter into the details it bellishments to the Codex cannot be would carry us too far; we, thereextolled very highly, as accurate or fore, the rather proceed to an exabeautiful representations ; one may mination of the plates themselves. perceive in them the decline of the Both the drawing and the costume art; at the same time, they hear the remind us of the later Roman æra: evident stamp and impress of high the Grecian and Trojan heroes are antiquity. Their execution is very represented in the Roman military simple : the outline is first traced dress, except that the latter genewith a pale ink, after which the co- rally wear the Phrygian bonnet, and lours are laid on with a pencil-these the former helmets. Achilles is alare cinnabar, white-lead, red-ochre, most uniformly represented as half ultramarine, purple, green, . hya- naked; Ulysses with a seaman's boncinth, violet, glass-green, yellow, net and tunic. As to the female and dark-brown.* The cinnabar is figures, they are all dressed. The used very unsparingly. In many in- usual characteristics of ancient art are stances the figures are only partially to be recognized in the divinities, or incompletely coloured, and the who are distinguished from the other accessories are but very superficially characters by a nimbus round the treated. Corrections are occasionally head. With regard to the drawing, to be detected, for in such places it is to be observed, that the prothe colours have been laid one above portions are rather short, and the the other. The editor does not in- heads somewhat too large. form us very explicitly in what man- There is, however, neither stiffness ner the originals are shadowed, whe- nor dryness in the figures; but they ther forcibly or not; but he com- are certainly very defective, in whatmends the union and transition of ever regards motion and attitude. As the meanings of some of the Latin terms employed by the author are rather disputable, and not very precisely ascertained or agreed upon, we subjoin them here as he has given them : Minium, cerussa, rubrica, armenium, purpurissum, appianum, tincturæ hyacinthinæ, violaceæ, hyalinæ, crocæ, furvæ. We would refer the reader to Stieglitz' treatise on the Pigments employed by the Greeks and Romans. “ Ueber die Malerfarbe: der Griechen und Romer." The chief characters, such as deities out. Where nothing is introduced works. For this purpose, the text is seen of them than the bust which should be taken from the best and projects above an horizontal cloud. oldest manuscripts, and accompanied In the sacrifice of Achilles, the head by all the various readings, and all of Jupiter is shown within a circle.- the Greek scholia. In addition to Little commendation can in general which, there ought to be a Greek be bestowed upon the grouping—the paraphrase, and every treatise in figures are at one time too much that language, relating to the subscattered; at another, too much ject of Homer: these should also crowded together and confused; for, be succeeded by the best modern in this respect, the artist appears to disquisitions, biographies of the anhave resigned himself entirely to his cient bard, and a complete index to, own caprices. Of perspective, there the whole work. By way too of giving is hardly a single trace; the remoter integrity and completeness to this ima. figures being sometimes larger than mense cycle of erudition, all the works those which are in the foreground. of sculpture and painting ought to In the style and folds of the drapery, be délineated, which have been taken, on the contrary, we may easily re- from the Homeric compositions. cognize the taste and practice of the Such a stupendous and compreRoman artists; it being treated with hensive undertaking will not, it is freedom and lightness, and not unc probable, ever be completely exefrequently displaying a knowledge cuted, on the scale and to the extent of, and feeling for beauty: it might here proposed; yet it may be gratitherefore almost be imagined that fying to the admirers of the ancient the artist copied it from some models bard, and to Dilettanti in general, to of an older and better period. Much know that an entire series of Tischhowever depends upon the manner bein's Illustrations of Homer are, in which the draperies are shadowed now engraving, and will be accomin the originals; for it is not improba- panied with explanatory and descripble that the arrangement of the folds tive letter press. This work, which appears to far greater advantage is to be published by Cotta of Tubiwhen beheld in mere outline, than it ringen, will doubtless form a very in- . does in the originals: and this cir- teresting and productive mine to those cumstance is an additional reason for who admire classical and antiquarian our concluding that the painter had research-for the previous labours of purer models before his eyes, although M. Tischbein, an artist who has disit appears that he did not compre- tinguished himself by the zeal with hend them. which he has explored the most reIn the back grounds, no more is condite stores of mythology and of inserted than is absolutely necessary: art, entitle us to indulge in such exand even that is but slightly marked pectations. |