Whilst he regards not this or that,
Secure of T—— and of P——.
"The piece thus finish'd for our view,
The lines correct, the likeness true,
Hogarth, ensur'd of future fame,
Shall consecrate to Churchill's name."
[81] I think the reader will agree with me, that such assertions as the following demanded an apology:—
"His (Hogarth's) works are his history. As a painter he had but slender merit; in colouring he proved no greater a master: his force lay in expression, not in tints and chiaroscuro."—Anecdotes of Painting, vol. iv. p. 160.
How was it possible for Mr. Walpole to have written the foregoing lines after having seen the pictures of "Marriage à la Mode"?
[82] The last volume was not published till October 9, 1780, though printed in 1771.—Advertisement to vol. iv.