FRANCE UNDER LOUIS XIV.-Anne of Austria Regent-Car- dinal Mazarin-Condé-Turenne-War of the Fronde- Cardinal De Retz-Treaty of the Pyrenees and of Oliva- Christina, queen of Sweden-Peace of Breda-Wars in Flanders-Triple Alliance-Sabatei Sevi-Louis attacks Holland-Death of Turenne-Peace of Minequar-Revoca- tion of the Edict of Nantes-Louis continues the War in Germany--Peace of Ryswick-Spanish Succession-Prince Eugene War with England-Marlborough-Battle_of Blenheim-Gibraltar taken by the English-Battle of Ra- millies-Louis's Schemes in favour of the Stuarts-Succes- sors of the Allies-Battle of Malplaquet-Humiliation of Louis-Battle of Villa Vitiosa restores Philip to the Throne PETER THE GREAT, CZAR OF MUSCOVY, AND CHARLES XII. OF SWEDEN-Origin of the Russian Empire-Siberia_con- quered--Rapid extension in Asia-Peter the Great-Forms the first small body of regular Troops-Equips a Fleet- Travels in search of Knowledge-Returns to Russia--His vast Innovations--Charles XII. of Sweden-Confederacy against-Defeats the Russians in the Battle of Narva--In- vades Poland--Takes Warsaw and Cracow-Places Stan- islaus on the Throne-Invades the Ukraine--Is defeated at Pultowa--Taken Prisoner by the Turks-Returns to his Dominions-Killed at Frederickshal-Character-Peter the VIEW of the PROGRESS of SCIENCE and LITERATURE in EU- ROPE, from the END of the FIFTEENTH to the END of the SEVENTEENTH CENTURY:-Progress of Philosophy-Lord Bacon-Experimental Philosophy-Des Cartes-Galileo- Kepler-Logarithms-Circulation of the Blood-Royal So- ciety of London Instituted-Sir Isaac Newton-Locke- Progress of Literature-Epic Poetry-Ariosto-Tasso- UNIVERSAL HISTORY. BOOK THE SIXTH. CHAPTER XXII. AGE OF LEO X.-State of the Arts under the Goths--Revival in Italy-Cimabue-Academy for Painting instituted at Florence, 1350-Michael Angelo, Raphael, and Leonardo da Vinci-The different Italian Schools-Flemish School Dutch Statuary and Architecture-Art of Engraving. IN enumerating those great features in the history of the progress of the human mind, which exhibited themselves at the end of the fifteeenth and beginning of the sixteenth centuries, we remarked the high advancement to which the fine arts attained in Europe, in the age of Leo X. There are periods in which the human genius seems to turn strongly to one peculiar direction. In one period, the reasoning faculty seems chiefly to delight in contemplating its own powers, the nature and operations of the mind; in another, perhaps the imagination reigns predominant, and the general taste is attracted to works of fancy in poetry or romance. another era the mechanic or the useful arts engross the general attention, and are cultivated with high success; in a fourth, as in the period of which we In now treat, the popular taste, delighted with the contemplation of beautiful forms, bestows its chief attention on the fine arts of painting, sculpture, and archi tecture. The causes which give the bent or direction to the general taste, and consequently operate in the production of artists, or men eminent in the several departments of literature, sciences, and the arts, are not easily ascertained. That a great deal is owing to the operation of moral causes, I believe is certain; but I doubt greatly if they alone are sufficient to account for this remarkable distinction, of eras favourable and unfavourable for particular arts and sciences. By moral causes, I mean such as the following: the peaceful or happy situation of a country; the genius or taste of a prince, directed to one particular department of science or of art, together with a liberal disposition to encourage those who are eminent in that department: the accidental circumstance of a few illustrious men contributing by their favour to bring artists into observation and repute, and, by their example promoting a fashionable relish for their productions. To these we may add, what perhaps has no less influence, the aid derived by one artist from the studies of another; and the emulation that naturally takes place among all the professors of an art, where there are one or two of distinguished excellence. These causes have unquestionably a very great influence in rendering certain periods more or less favourable than others; and we may observe in general, with regard to the fine arts, that, in order to their advancement, a state of society is required, wherein men can employ more attention on their pleasures than on their wants. The nation which enjoys peace and security, and where a great proportion of the people possess such a degree of wealth as to exempt them from laborious occupation, is the true soil for these arts to grow and flourish; and where any of the causes before-mentioned join their operation, still more of all, it is not surprising that, under such advantages, they should attain a very high degree of perfection. Yet still I am inclined to doubt if even all these concurring are sufficient to account for this phenomenon in its full extent. In the first place, we find that history shows many periods where most of these causes, sometimes all, have concurred, yet the effect has not resulted. Princes have inherited a taste for the fine arts, and lavished their rewards upon indifferent artists. Nations have enjoyed peace, and ease, and opulence, and individuals have sought with eagerness the productions of art of other countries and of other ages, because their own age and country were barren. In the next place, we find that, in those golden ages of the arts, the transition from a bad to a good taste, from obscurity to splendour, was so rapid and instantaneous, as not at all to resemble the slow and gradual operation of moral causes. In those ages the torch of genius seems to have dropped at once from heaven, and to have kindled all in a blaze around it. In the period of ancient history, we have seen that remarkable splendour to which the fine arts arose in the age of Pericles. In modern times, the age of Leo X. is an era equally distinguished. The art of painting lay long buried in the west, under the ruins of the Roman empire. It declined in the latter ages with the universal decay of taste and genius, and needed not an irruption of the Goths to lay it in the dust. The Ostrogoths, who subdued Italy, that people who were barbarians only in name, had they found it in splendour, would have industriously cherished and preserved it, as they did every monument of ancient grandeur or of beauty: but painting and sculpture were never high among the ancient Romans; and that the taste and genius for the imitative arts underwent a regular and natural decay, we have the strongest proof in examining the series of the coins of the lower empire. Such of the arts as were found by the Goths, upon the conquest of Italy, were carefully preserved by them. Muratori, in treating of those ages, informs us that Theodelinda, queen of the Lombards, about the year 592, built a palace, in which she made paintings be put up, representing the heroic actions of the Lombards. That paintings were used in the churches under the Gothic monarchy in Spain, in a very early period, we know from one of the canons of the council of Eliberi, held in the year 305, which prohibits them as idolatrous. Instead of extinguishing and suppressing, there is even a probability that the Goths were the improvers, if not the actual inventors, of some of the arts dependant on design. A collection of receipts are given by Muratori, from an ancient manuscript, written in the most barbarous Latin-from which, however, it is evident that the Goths, at that time, possessed a pretty extensive knowledge in the ornamental arts, particuularly in that of the composition of mosaic. That they possessed taste and genius I will not pretend to assert. It is even probable that that mechanical knowledge which showed itself in those ages was in the subsequent times greatly diminished. The fine arts are said to have been revived in Italy by artists from Greece; and it seems highly probable that in that country, which had been eminently distinguished by their splendour and perfection, the taste should have been less entirely lost than in any other. The most common notion is, that, about the end of the thirteenth century, Cimabue, a Florentine, observing the works of two Grecian artists, who had been sent for to paint one of the churches at Florence, began to attempt something of the same kind, and soon conceived that it would not be difficult to surpass such rude performances. His works were the admiration of his time; he had his scholars and his imitators, among these were Ghiotto, Gaddi, Tasi Cavallini, and Stephano Florentino; and the number of artists con |