The DEATH of LEONARD DE VINCY, the famous Painter, in the Arms of King Francis I. Embellished with an elegant ENGRAVING. near Florence, in the year 1455; and towards the end of the 15th. and the beginning of the 16th. century, he was one of the most remarkable men of his age. To a moit graceful figure he added all the fafhionable accomplishments of the time, He was a lover of the fine arts, and was intimately acquainted with poetry, mufic, anatomy, mathematicks, and architecture; and, what was ther fingular in a man who cultivated thefe ftudies, he was equally kilful in the management of his horfe, and in the ufe of arms. Above all, he was fo uncommonly ftrong in the texture of his body, that there was no movement of any engine, however rapid, which he could not flop; and he could bend a bar of iron with as much facility as if it had been a bar of lead. No man ever laBoured with more affiduity than this famous artif, to acquire excellence in his profeffion as a painter, and to examine, develope, and exprefs, all the paffions of the foul. Nothing efcaped him from which information could be drawn, or knowledge increafed. Inflead of fludying nature from the defective imitations of art, he fought her in the original, and purfued her through all the varieties of her appearance. He conftantly carried with him his tablets and pencil, that he might feize on every humourous or extraordinary head which chance might prefent to him; and he frequently followed the criminals to the place of execution, that he might have an opportunity of tracing in their countenances the impreffion which the ideas of approaching death might convey. He painted many famous pieces, and performed other great fervices for Louis Sforce, Duke of Milan, and it was under his direction and management that the Academy of Painting and Architecture, eftablished at Milan by that Duke, was formed. Being an excellent engineer, and well fkilled in mathematicks, it was by his means, and under his conduct, that the famous canal was formed by which the city of Milan is fupplied with water from the river Adda, and by which a moft valuable navigation was opened. Until his plan was prefented it was confidered as almoft imponible to accomplish this object, and his fuccefs exalted his EUROP. MAG, character to fo high a pitch with the Mi beral prefents; and when Louis XII. was to make his entry into the city, they applied to him to contrive fome extraordinary preparations, at once to fhew their loyalty and magnificence. He exerted himfelf with his ufual fuccefs, and erected domes, arches, and pillars, in all the fplendour of original genius. Among other remarkable automaton, he contrived a figure of a lion, full of interior movements, fo juft, that after having marched fome fteps before the King, when he entered the hall of the Palace, the creature flopped fhort, opened his wide jaws, and prefented to the Monarch the arms of France. About a year after this, the Duke of Milan was overcome, and fent in the year 1500 a prifoner to France. Leonard de Vincy then retired to Florence, and painted in 1503 the grand faloon in the Council Chamber of that City. He remained in Florence to the year 1513, and oppofed himfelf with great vehemence to the celebrated Michael-Angelo, who had, even at this time, rifen to very great reputation. This enmity, which had its rife in emulation, carried Leonard de Vincy to Rome foon after the advancement to the Papal throne of Leo X. His ftay in Rome, however, was short; and he afterwards went to France, where he was careffed by Francis I. and loaded with the favours of that Prince. Senfible of his greatnefs, and fond of the arts, the Monarch made an honourable provifion for him for his life; and, by his exprefs defire, he was accommodated with a fuite of apartments in the royal palace of Fontainbleau. He did not live long, however, to experience the bounty of Francis; for in five years afterwards he fell dan geroufly ill. His Majefly was fo afflicted, that he came himfelf to vifit him. De Vincy, in his laft fruggle with death, was anxious to exprefs his warm fenfe of the honour which was done him by this vifit, and firove to raife himfelf in his bed, to pay his duty to his Sovereign but his firength was gone-his voice failed him-the fhock was too much for his fenfibility-he fell back, and expired in the arms of Francis. This event happened in the year 1520. Leonard de Vincy has left fuch memorials of his excellence N will never be forgotten. His Treatife on Painting is greatly efteemed. He had a moft gentle temper, which was expreffed in a countenance beaming good will and kindness to all men. The authors of his day, who are full of flories of his prodigious ftrength, do not record one inftance in which he exercifed it with brutality on bis fellow creatures. His oppofition to Michael Angelo never hurried him into difrefpect; it was rather a generous conteft for fame, than a perfonal quarrel between two rivals. His most celebrated picture is his Laft Supper, painted for the Convent of Dominican Friars at Milan. The heads of the Apoflles are fo fine, that it is not poffible to imagine ary thing more perfect. The head of our Saviour he left unfinished, togive the idea to the spectator of the impoflibility of any mortal art being able to give expreffion to the divinity. And as to that of Judas, not conceiving at firft any thing fufficiently hideous, he at laft painted the head of the Prior of the Convent, a man peevish, and infupportable in his manners. The Prior never ceased to perfecute the artist for this fatirical freedom. Of the ORIGIN and PROGRESS of PUNISHMENTS. a Iind lived in fate of ferocious indeN the early ages of fociety, when manpendence, and had not fubjected them Telves to the authority of any civil power, Punishments were inflicted merely to gratify private refentment and revenge. In this ftate, when the paflions of the relent lefs favage were once roufed, he purfued the violator of his rights with the moft implacable fury, and the innocent, as well as the guilty, often fell facrifices to his undiftinguishing impetuofity. That individuals, however, fhould enjoy this privilege of revenging their own injuries, was inconfiftent with the tranquillity of fociety, and they could only poffefs it, when in their most uncultivated fate. As fociety advanced, this privilege was gradually wrefted from them, and transferred to the public.- -So great a revolution muft have been accomplished by very flow degrees. Perhaps the fociety at firft only in terpofed to mitigate the punishment, which the revenge of an individual might hurry him on to inflict in a manner too rigid, and difproportioned to the crime. The perfon committing an injury, dreading the refentment of the injured, would naturally, in order to avoid corporal punishment, offer fome other reparation for the offence he had been guilty of. If this reparation appeared reafonable to the other members of the fociety, they would again interpofe, and compel the injured party to accept of the compenfation offered. This mode of procedure would foon become common, and must have been the first flep taken by fociety towards a proper adminiftration of justice. Afterwards, when men became more intimately connected in fociety, and more clofely united for their mutual defence, the idea of a Publick began to dawn upon flitted, not only to gratify the revenge of the injured, but to protect and fecure the fafety of the community at large. A rude and fimple form of civil government would foon be eftablifhed, and thofe leaders who drew forth nations to battle, and decided their difputes with the common enemy, would naturally become the arbiters of fuch diffentions as might arife among themfelves. their minds; Punishments came to be in The crimes which government would at firft exert its authority to punish, would be fuch as tended to deftroy the peace and fafety of fociety, confidered as one body. Treachery and cowardice, would, perhaps, be the firft crimes that would feel the correction of the arm of civil power. Private crimes would foon be confidered as not only affecting individuals, but as difturbing the peace and tranquillity of the public; and government would affume the power of punishing thofe alfo. Thus we fee Punishments are not meant merely to gratify private revenge, but to secure the peace and fafety of the community, by deterring others from committing the like crimes. grefs towards maturity, and foon becomes firmly established. Mankind advance in civilization by much flower fteps, and it becomes neceffary to enforce obedience to the laws by punishments extremely fevere. Men, at this period of fociety, were ftill in a very rude state; and their paffions, as yet impetuous and unreftrained, would be continually exceeding the bounds of that regularity, neceffary for the welfare of the whole. It was, therefore, neceffary for the civil power to tame and fubdue their licentious paffions, by the moft fevere punifhments. If we examine the penal laws tranfmitted down to us from the ancients, we will find that at this ftage of the progrefs of fociety, they were extremely truel, and carried into execution with the most inflexible rigour. This was the flate of Punishments when civil government was firmly established, and the power of avenging crimes lodged in the hands of the public. From this flate fociety gradually improved, and advanced towards refinement. As mankind became more civilized, we find that Punishments diminished in feverity. Now that the manners of men are highly polifhed; that Punishments are nearly adjufted to their crimes, and that few fevere Punishments are neceffary, the administration of juftice feems to be advanced almost to the highest degree of perfection. In modern times, and in civilized countries, we meet with few fe vere Punishments; and where we do find them, it is only in defpotic governments, where they are ufed not fo much from the neceflity of them to the fecurity of fociety, as from their being neceffary to fupport that particular form of govern ment. In every defpotic government a feries of fubordinate tyrants are spread over the state, and all of them, blind to public views, are folely guided by their own private paffions; hence their Punishments are various, arbitrary, and fevere, But where Liberty reigns; where the people are themfelves the guardians of their rights, the laws are fixed and permanent; and Punishments inflicted with peculiar circumftances of cruelty would not be fuffered to prevail. Under our own hap py conftitution Puaifhments are more mild, and crimes of a cruel nature less frequent than in any other kingdom in Europe, In France, where Punifhments are dread. ful and fhocking to humanity, every crime that merits capital punishment, is gene rally, in order to avoid difcovery, ac companied with murder. Happy is the nation governed by fixed and permanent laws; whofe lives and properties depend not on the nod of a capricious defpot; happy the people who are the guardians of their own liberty, who are tried by their peers, and whofe lives cannot be taken away but by the voice of their fel low-citizens ! SENTIMENTAL FRAGMENT S. No. I. THE HE bounds were in the town, and the horns were blowing under the window of the inn where I lay. Lord lay in the next room; I heard him curfe the horns for difturbing the town: Now his Lordship's horns had, a few years ago, made a noife over the whole country. Shame fhame, exclaimed Captain O'Carrol, his Majefty has been up above an hour, and the hounds are ordered out. And I will be with you in a minute, anfwered 1, flipping on my cloaths, and ringing for my fervant. But I must dif. patch a meffage to Sophia; fhe's to be of our party, and you fhall have breakfaft in an inftant. I have taken of that, anfwered Captain O'Carrol, we breakfasted at a farm houfe on the fide of a hill, from whence we can fee a great part of the chace. But I muft fend a note to Sophia, said I, and I have it ready. The note lay upon the table. I had written it the preceding night; fo I took it up, and fealed it. Now, candidly, there was no neceffity for fending this note, but Sophia and I, in the courfe of the preceding day, had been difputing on the Irish language, and the preffed the argument fo clofe, I had reafon to feel for the honour of my country. She judged of my language from the uncouthnefs of its found; and, monftrous, infifted it had not power to convey thofe foft ideas with which, on the fubject of love, the Italian tongue is replete. I infifted the Irish language was infinitely fuperior. I brought the matter to experiment, by an original illuftration and a tranflation. The tranflation was what the objected to. I had determined on a fecond fpeci men; and for that purpose translated an Irish fonnet I had by me. My vanity was concerned, so I difpatched it to Sp. phia, and it pleased her fo, fhe was ready. to accompany us to the chace when we called on her, in half an hour after.. The SONNET. Tranflated from the original Irifh, as now fpoken in that part of Ireland called the Deafey's county. IT was on the white hawthorn, on the brow of the valley, I faw the ring of day first break. The foft, the young, the gay, delight ful morning, killed the crimlon off the rofe, mixed it with her fmiles, and laughed the feafon on us. Rife, my Evelina, foul that informs my heart; do thou fmile too, more lovely than the morning in her blufbes, more model than the rifled lily, when weeping in her dews. Pride of the western fhore-the fky's blue face, when cleared by dancing funbeams, looks not fereer than thy countenance. The richness of the wild honey is on thy lip, and thy breath exhales (weets like the apple bloffoms. Black are thy locks, my Evelina, and polished as the raven's fimooth pinions, The fwan's filver plumage is not fairer than thy neck, and the witch of love heaves all her inchantments from thy bofom. Rife, my Evelina, the fprightly beam of the fun defcends to kifs thee, and the heath referves its bloom to greet thee with its odour. Thy lover will pick thee ftrawberries from the lofty cragg, and rob the hazel of its yellow nuts. My berries fhall be red as thy lips, and my nuts ripe and milky as the love-begotten fluid in the bridal bofom. Queen of the chearful fmile, fhall I not meet thee in the mofs-grown cave, and prefs thy beauties in the wood of Mif cother? How long wilt thou leave me, Evelina, mournful as the lone fon of the rock, telling thy beauties to the paffing gale, and pouring out my complaints to the grey flone in the valley? And didft thou hear my fong, O virgindaughter of a meck-eyed mother! Thou comeft, Evelina, like fummer to the children of froft, and welcome are thy feps to my view as the harbinger of fight to the eye of darkness! The CHA CE. WE had just finished breakfaft when the hunters appeared. His Majefy and the Prince were in the midft. There were ladies in military uniforms, and lords dreffed like grooms. The Prince turned his eye every where, and on every one; the ladies fought to meet it. They looked up, they looked down, they looked to the right, and they looked to the left. Women have a natural averfion to looking forward, and that's the reafon fo many of them are apt to ftumble, by making retrograde fteps. The crab-ftep is the most dangerous of all to woman; for woman is never in fuch danger, as when fhe attempts to make an honourable retreat. There's more fafety even in facing the enemy. The ladies fought the Prince's eye, and when they met it they blufhed; the rofe of Sharon bloomed upon each lily cheek with inviting ardour. If the Prince bowed, the blufh encreafed; the rofe tints glowed into fcarlet, and fpread like the sporting flashes of the Aurora Borealis over the argent neck and bofom. Yet confufion did not reign within. A woman knows what he's about in the most trying mo, ments; and, in the prefent inftance, lures were throwing out on all fides, heightened and multiplied by the fpirit, of emulation and rivalflip. You fee, faid I to Sophia, pointing to the Prince, and pointing to the ladiesYou fee with what authority, and to what effect, wealth and independence, and eleyated flation, recommend a man to the hearts of women. You have miftated the cafe, answered Sophia; look again-and you will fee the ladies are recommending themfelves. Sophia was right; every pretty foot looked boldly from under the petticoatevery handfome hand was ungloved. But fure you are not furprized, continued Sophia; for fince love has made his favours matter of barter, a title and for tune gives a man the most unexceptionable credit on love's exchange; but exclufive of the elevated fituation of the Prince, I fee no man in his company whofe face and appearances promises more— More what? Interrupted I. Why more, more, more- More»I don't know what, anfwered Sophia peevish ly, but with an arch fignificant fmile.-Let the most beautiful Duchefs in Great Bitain tranflate that fmile into plain English. Turning towards Captain O'Cariol, who had not uttered a fyllable fince the Royal troup appeared, I found hin wrapped in meditation. I am confidering, faid the Captain, heaving a deep figh, what a glorious figure the Prince would make at the head of an army |