off the fly, and then found the deceit. The story soon spread, and, as such trifling deceptions often do, made more impression than greater excellences. Orders were given to prevent the city being deprived of so wonderful an artist, but in the meanwhile Holbein had withdrawn himself privately. A Roman cardinal, it is said, even presented a paper to a portrait of Pope Leo, for him to sign it.

Chance has sometimes effected that which the skill of the artist in vain endeavoured to perform. A lucky hit of this sort is attributed to Protogenes, who had for a long time endeavoured to represent the foam about the mouth of a horse. Getting at last impatient, he threw the sponge with which he wiped off his colours at the horse, when he found that his long wished-for design had been thus most happily executed.

Many excellent designs doubtless owe their origin to chance. Leonardo da Vinci says, "the spots which are seen on an old wall, forming confused masses of different subjects, may excite genius, and help it to produce something;" and it has often been an amusing exercise of the ingenious to develop the irregular and fanciful lines in veined marbles into perfect and intelligible pictures.

The idea of the elegant Corinthian capital was first suggested by an accidental circumstance, which is .thus recorded: A young maid of Corinth dying, her mother or nurse collected in a basket the toys of which she had been fond, and carried them to her grave, where she left the basket, covered with a tile. It happened to be set upon an acanthus, which, being thus depressed in the middle, spread its leaves and stalks outwards, and grew up the sides of the basket, till, reaching the tile placed on the top, they were

again depressed; at which time Callimachus, the sculptor, chanced to pass the grave, and, pleased with

the graceful appearance of the foliage, applied it to the formation of the capital, afterwards called Corinthian.

The Gothic style of architecture, especially the windows,

sprang, it has been imagined, from the beauty and simplicity observed in the interlacing of the lighter branches of appropriate trees. For another origin of it, we are indebted to Sir James Hall, of Dunglass. In his Essay on Gothic Architecture, he has with

great ingenuity and plausibility traced the Gothic order through its various forms, and seemingly eccentric ornaments, to an architectural imitation of wickerwork; of which, as we learn from some of the legends, the earliest Christian churches were constructed. In such an edifice, the original of the clustered pillars is traced to a set of round posts, begirt with slender rods of willow, whose loose summits were brought to meet from all quarters and bound together artificially, so as to produce the frame-work of the roof; and the tracery of our Gothic windows is displayed in the meeting and interlacing of rods and hoops, affording an inexhaustible variety of beautiful forms of open work. As Sir Walter Scott has beautifully described it

"Thou would'st have thought some fairy's hand,
'Twixt poplars straight the osier wand,

In many a freakish knot, had twined;
Then framed a spell, when the work was done,
And changed the willow wreaths to stone."

As the older masters often repeated their best pieces, the circumstance of there being two or three of the same subject, is no argument against their genuineness. At the same time, some copies have deceived the most skilful judges. The following is, perhaps, the best instance of the fidelity and masterly execution of a copy. Frederick II. Duke of Mantua, going through Florence on his way to Rome, paid a visit to the Medici palace; over one of the doors he saw the portrait of Pope Leo X. between Cardinal de Medici and Cardinal de Rossi ; the heads were painted by Raphael, and the drapery by Julio Romano, and altogether it was an admirable painting. The duke looked earnestly at it, and became so much in love with it, that he could not forbear begging it of Pope

of Paul Veronese, many of which he sold for originals, and even once deceived La Fosse. When the latter was convinced of the imposition, he gave this severe but just reprimand to Sebastian-" For the future, take my advice, paint nothing but Paul Veroneses, and no more Riccis."

At the time when the French army were on their triumphant march through Italy, many Italians, who dreaded being plundered, were anxious to dispose of the valuables they possessed; so that the finest productions of art were everywhere offered for sums far below their value. To such an extent did this proceed, that the Pope at last issued his edict to forbid the exportation of all works of art, except with the permission of a committee learned in these matters, who had positive directions to let no works depart which might be considered a loss to the collections of the city. Lord Northwick was then at Rome, when, not a little to his surprise, an offer was made to him of the St. Gregory of Annibal Caracci; but it was dded, that the transaction must be a secret, as the ending away of the picture would be prevented. Vhat was to be done? A happy thought was hit pon. A poor dauber was sent for, who was ordered › paint in body colour over it, a copy of the Archngel Michael, of Guido. This was done, and a vile Fair it was. When it was finished, a learned carinal on the committee was requested to see it. He me, and not a little did he smile at the taste of the rchaser; a gentle hint was given, that it was hardly orth the cost, but my lord was all raptures.

When arrived in England, several of the first collectors ere invited to see the unpacking of it. Soon a mble imitation of the Michael of Guido stood bere them. At first they stared at the picture, then