of Constantine, as if designedly neglected, the better to

correspond with the hurry and confusion of a battle. Poussin's own

conduct in his representations of Bacchanalian triumphs and

sacrifices, makes us more easily give credit to this report, since

in such subjects, as well indeed as in many others, it was too much

his own practice. The best apology we can make for this conduct is

what proceeds from the association of our ideas, the prejudice we

have in favour of antiquity. Poussin's works, as I have formerly

observed, have very much the air of the ancient manner of painting,

in which there are not the least traces to make us think that what

we call the keeping, the composition of light and shade, or

distribution of the work into masses, claimed any part of their

attention. But surely whatever apology we may find out for this

neglect, it ought to be ranked among the defects of Poussin, as

well as of the antique paintings; and the moderns have a right to

that praise which is their due, for having given so pleasing an

addition to the splendour of the art.

Perhaps no apology ought to be received for offences committed

against the vehicle (whether it be the organ of seeing or of

hearing) by which our pleasures are conveyed to the mind. We must

take the same care that the eye be not perplexed and distracted by

a confusion of equal parts, or equal lights, as of offending it by

an unharmonious mixture of colours. We may venture to be more

confident of the truth of this observation, since we find that

Shakespeare, on a parallel occasion, has made Hamlet recommend to

the players a precept of the same kind, never to offend the ear by

harsh sounds:- "In the very torrent, tempest, and whirlwind of your

passions," says he, "you must beget a temperance that may give it

smoothness." And yet, at the same time, he very justly observes,

" The end of playing, both at the first and now, is to hold, as it

were, the mirror up to nature." No one can deny but that violent

passions will naturally emit harsh and disagreeable tones; yet this

great poet and critic thought that this imitation of nature would