The gentleman, stung with his own guilt, and astonished at the excellent nature of this Prince, fell on his knees, confessed his design, and who employed him; and having promised eternal gratitude for his Royal favour, departed without any other notice taken of him; and fearing to tarry in France, entered himself into the service of the Spanish King. It was his fortune afterwards to encounter the Duke of Orleans in a battle in Flanders. The Duke, at that instant, was oppressed with a crowd of Germans, who surrounded him; and, in the conflict, he lost his sword; which this gentleman perceiving, nimbly stept to him, and delivered one into the Duke's hand, saying withal, "Now reap the fruit of thy former clemency. Thou gavest me my life, now I put thee in a capacity to defend thy own." The Duke by this means at length escaped the danger he was in; and that day the fortune of war was on his side. The French had a considerable victory.
You see by this, that heroic actions have something divine in them, and attract the favours of Heaven. No man was a loser by good works; for though he be not presently rewarded, yet, in length of time, some happy emergency arises to convince him, "That virtuous men are the darlings of Providence."
The remarkable Story of GIOTTO, an Italian Painter, and his Crucifix.
IT was a cruel and inhuman caprice of an Italian Painter (I think his name was Giotto), who designing to draw a crucifix to the life, wheedled a poor man to suffer himself to be bound to the cross an hour, at the end of which he should be released again, and receive a considerable gratuity for his pains. But instead of this, as soon as he had him fast on the cross, he stabbed him dead, and then fell to drawing. He was esteemed the greatest master in all Italy at that time; and having this advantage of a dead man hanging on a cross before him, there is no question but he made a matchless piece of work on't.
As soon as he had finished his picture he carried it to the Pope, who was astonished, as at a progidy [sic] of art, highly extolling the exquisiteness of the features and limbs, the languishing pale deadness of the face, the unaffected sinking of the head: In a word, he had drawn to the life not only that privation of sense and motion which we call death, but also the very want of the least vital symptom.
This is better understood than expressed. Every body knows that it is a master-piece to represent a passion or a thought well and natural. Much greater is it to describe the total absence of these interior facilities, so as to dis
tinguish the figure of a dead man from one that is only asleep.
Yet all this, and much more, could the Pope discern in the admirable draught which Giotto presented him. And he liked it so well, that he resolved to place it over the altar of his own chapel. Giotto told him, since he liked the copy so well he would shew him the original, if he pleased.
What dost thou mean by the original, said the Pope? Wilt thou shew me Jesus Christ on the cross in his own person? No, replied Giotto, but I'll shew your Holiness the original from whence I drew this, if you will absolve me from all punishment. The good old father suspecting something extraordinary from the painter's thus capitulating with him, promised, on his word, to pardon him, which Giotto believing, immediately told him where it was; and attending him to the place, as soon as they were entered, he drew a curtain back which hung before the dead man on the cross, and told the Pope what he had done.
The Holy Father, extremely troubled at so inhuman and barbarous an action, repealed his promise, and told the painter he should surely be put to an exemplary death.
Giotto seemed resigned to the sentence pronounced upon him, and only begged leave to finish the picture before he died, which was granted him. In the mean while a guard was set upon him to prevent his escape. As soon as the Pope had caused the picture to be delivered
into his hands, he takes a brush, and dipping it into a sort of stuff he had ready for that purpose, daubs the picture all over with it, so that nothing now could be seen of the crucifix, for it was quite effaced in all outward appearance.
This made the Pope stark mad; he stamped, foamed, and raved like one in a phrenzy: he swore the painter should suffer the most cruel death that could be invented, unless he drew another full as good as the former, for if but the least grace was missing, he would not pardon him; but if he would produce an exact parallel he should not only give him life, but an ample reward in money.
The painter, as he had reason, desired this under the Pope's signet, that he might not be in danger of a second repeal; which was granted him; and then he took a wet sponge, and wiped off the varnish he had daubed on the picture, and the crucifix appeared the same in all respects as it was before.
The Pope, who looked upon this as a great secret, being ignorant of the arts which the painters use, was ravished at the strange metamorphosis. And to reward the painter's triple ingenuity, he absolved him from all his sins, and the punishment due them; ordering moreover his steward to cover the picture with gold, as a farther gratuity for the painter. And, they say, this crucifix is the original, by which the most famous crucifixes in Europe are drawn.
FABLE of the HARE and many FRIENDS.
By Mr. GAY.
