a corpse, seeming to all appearance dead: his valets expressed the strongest marks of grief for the loss of their master, and while they sat beside his bed they drank very freely, by way of consolation. At last one of them, who grew very much intoxicated, said to his companions: "Our master was very fond of his glass while he was alive, and, out of gratitude, let us give him a glass now he is dead." As the rest of the servants assented to the proposal, he raised up the head of his master, and endeavoured to pour some of the liquor down his throat. By the fragrance of the wine, or probably by a small quantity of it that imperceptibly got down his throat, Beek opened his eyes; and the servant being excessively drunk, and forgetting his master was considered dead, compelled him to swallow what wine remained in the glass. The painter gradually revived, and by proper management and care perfectly recovered, and escaped interment, How highly the works of this master were esteemed, will appear from the many marks of distinction and honor which were shewn him; for he received from princes, as an acknowledgment of his singular merit, nine gold chains, and several medals of gold, of a large size.

POUSSIN ROMANIZED.

WHEN the court of France was at variance with the Holy See, and a considerable acrimony existed

among his Holiness's troops against all Frenchmen; consequently, wherever they met them in Rome, they instantly attacked them with sticks and stones, and sometimes with even more formidable weapons. It happened one day that as Poussin and three or four of his countrymen were returning from a drawing excursion, they met at the Quattro Fontane near Monte Cavallo, a company of soldiers, who seeing them dressed in the French costume, instantly attacked them. They all fled but Poussin, who was surrounded, and received a cut from a sabre between the first and second finger. Passeri, who relates the anecdote, says, that the sword turned, otherwise "a great misfortune must have happened both to him and to painting." Not daunted, however, he fought under the shelter of his portfolio, throwing stones as he retreated, till the passengers taking his part, he effected his escape to his lodgings. From that day he put on the Roman dress, adopted the Roman way of living, and became so much a Roman, that he considered the city as his true home.

ESTIMATE OF PORTRAIT PAINTING.

A REALLY fine portrait of a distinguished person, deserves to rank in the highest and most interesting class of historical pictures, on the same principle, that biography is the most valuable and instructive portion of history. Indeed, to those who have the

unhappy propensity of " inquiring too curiously," written history and written biography may frequently become null and void, from our not being able fully to satisfy ourselves as to the grounds on which the facts constituting them are related, or the motives and feelings which may have actuated the relators. But a face is not to be doubted or gainsayed-it speaks plainer than the pen, and truer than the tongue-and furnishes, for those who are able to read it aright, at once a history which cannot be denied, a commentary on that history which cannot be disregarded—and, above all, a prophecy which may be safely relied on when no others can. • From this it follows that an authentic portrait of an historical character, painted by the unerring hand of one of the old masters, ranks among the most valuable fragments of mingled history and biography that we possess. Titian's portrait of Hippolito de Medici is worth one of Mr. Roscoe's best chapters of the life of his relatives; Guido's Beatrice Cenci is the most eloquent and affecting portion of her fatal history; and Raffaelle's Pope Julian the Third gives one a higher notion of the papal dignity, and a greater respect for the ecclesiastical character, than the proceedings of half-a-dozen conclaves.

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Again, coming nearer to one's private and personal feelings, what delightful pieces of egotism or (auto-biography-which ever you please) are artist's portraits of themselves; and those of their wives

and mistresses are equally delightful. There is a portrait of Raffaelle, which is the best account of his life that we possess. Rubens' superb and florid style may be read in the expression of his face, and the hair of his head-and Titian lives over again in the eyes and on the lips of his mistress!

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ON BEARDS.

WHEN Cæsar invaded Britain, the natives shaved their chins, and wore simple mustaches on their upper lip and according to Diodorus Siculus and Tacitus, the Germans also shaved off their beards. In France the princes of the race of the Merovingians were distinguished for their flowing locks and bearded chins, are described by Eginhard, the secretary of Charlemagne, as sitting in council barba submissá. From the time of Hugh Capet, the kings of the third race are more or less bearded; but Philip I. has a large beard. The statues and portraits of the French kings, the successor of Philip II. till Philip of Valois, are beardless. Under this latter king, beards began to be worn larger and more flowing till the time of Francis I. when they were introduced in all their philosophical magnitude, and began insensibly to decline till Louis XIV. when they were finally abolished.

BAYEUX TAPESTRY.

THIS celebrated piece of tapestry representing the conquest of England by William of Normandy

is preserved in the cathedreal of Bayeux in Normandy, the ancient Beducussum or Baiocas. This curious work of art is supposed to have been the work of Matilda, the wife of William, or of the Empress Matilda, daughter of Henry I. It consists of a web of linen, four hundred and forty-two feet in length, and about two feet in breadth.

THE CABALISTICAL ABRAXAS OF THE ANCIENTS.

THIS word was used as an amulet or charm by the disciples of Basil, father of the monks of Pontus and others of his sect. It is also appropriated to a sculptured stone on which the word is engraven, and sometimes the names of saints, angels, gods, and even that of Jehovah himself. It is believed that the Abraxas originally came from Egypt, and that specimens as old as the third century are still

extant.

By this name are also known a description of small statues, sculptured gems, and stones, with the word Abraxas engraved on them, and ornamented with figures of Egyptian divinities, combined with Zoroastical and Judaical symbols, and a whimsical combination of Greek, Phoenician, Hebrew, and Latin letters, without any apparent meaning. They were used as amulets, and were supposed to have great efficacy in driving away flies. They are mostly of a coarse and ill designed workmanship, and are supposed by some critics and antiquaries not to be