in the contour of the body being as diftinctly pronounced through it, as if the figure were naked, the chief merit of this ftatue is thought to confift. But this reasoning does not feem juft; for the daily opportunities the ancient artists had of seeing naked figures, in every variety of action and attitude, must have given them advantages over the moderns, in forming even drapery figures. At Sparta, the women, upon particular occafions, danced naked. In their own families, they were seen every day clothed in light draperies; and fo fecondary was every confideration, even that of decency, to art, that the prettiest virgins of Agrigentum, it is recorded, were called upon by the legislature, without dif tinction, to fhew themfelves naked to a painter, to enable him to paint a Venus. Whilft the moderns, therefore, must acknowledge their inferiority to the ancients in the art of sculpture, they may be allow

ed

ed merit, on account of the caufe, to which it feems, in fome measure at leaft, to be owing.

The finest specimens of antique fculpture are to be feen in the Vatican. In these the Greek artists difplay an unqueftionable fuperiority over the moft fuccessful efforts of the moderns. For me to attempt a description of these master-pieces, which have been defcribed a thousand times, and imitated as often, without once having had juftice done them, would be equally vain and fuperfluous. I confine myself to a very few observations. The most infenfible of mankind must be ftruck with horror at fight of the Laocoon. On one of my vifits to the Vatican, I was accompanied by two perfons, who had never been there before: one of them is accufed of being perfectly callous to every thing which does not immediately touch his own perfon; the other is a worthy, good man: the first, after ftaring for fome time with marks

marks of terror at the groupe, at length recovered himself; exclaiming with a laugh,—“ Egad, I was afraid these d-d "ferpents would have left the fellows they are devouring, and made a snap at me;

but I am happy to recollect they are of "marble."-" I thank you, Sir, moft heartily," faid the other, "for putting me in mind of that circumftance; till mentioned it, I was in agony for

you mentioned it,

"thofe two youths."

Nothing can be conceived more admira bly executed than this affecting groupe; in all probability, it never would have entered into my own head that it could have been in any respect improved. But when I first had the happiness of becoming acquainted with Mr. Lock, Mr. Lock, a period of my life which I fhall always recollect with peculiar pleasure, I remember my converfing with him upon this subject; and that Gentleman, after mentioning the exe

cution

cution of this piece, in the highest terms of praife, obferved that, had the figure of Laocoon been alone, it would have been perfect. As a man fuffering the most excruciating bodily pain with becoming fortitude, it admits of no improvement; his proportions, his form, his action, his expreffion, are exquifite. But when his fons appear, he is no longer an infulated, fuffering individual, who, when he has met pain and death with dignity, has done all that could be expected from man; he commences father, and a much wider field is opened to the artift. We expect the deepest pathos in the exhibition of the fublimeft character that art can offer to the contemplation of the human mind: A father forgetting pain, and inftant death, to fave his children. This Sublime and Pathetic the artift either did not fee, or defpaired of attaining. Laocoon's fufferings are merely corporal; he is deaf to the cries of his agonizing children, who are calling VOL. II. C

on

on him for affiftance. But had he been throwing a look of anguish upon his fons, had he feemed to have forgotten his own. fufferings in theirs, he would have commanded the sympathy of the spectator in a much higher degree. On the whole, Mr. Lock was of opinion, that the execution of this groupe is perfect, but that the conception is not equal to the execution. I fhall leave it to others to decide whether Mr. Lock, in thefe obfervations, fpoke like a man of tafte: I am fure he spoke like a father. I have fenfibility to feel the beauty and juftness of the remark, though I had not the ingenuity to make it.

It is difputed whether this groupe was formed from Virgil's defcription of the death of Laocoon and his fons, or the defcription made from the groupe; it is evident, from their minute refemblance, that one or other muft have been the cafe. The Poet mentions a circumftance, which could

not