getting all the statement he has made, and listening only to the expression of his wishes at the close of it."

But Mr. Jennens might have requested any person, whom his witty assailant had led to smile at his pretensions, to compare his picture in some important traits with the bust at Stratford. He would point to the identity of the forehead, and the placid unbroken sweep of the eye-brows. He would shew that the general contour is the same-he would notice that the expression is different, only because the painter had the surer surer taste :-he closed those lips that the sculptor opened. The latter aimed at a particular and casual expression of hilarity; the former exhibited the general expression of his countenance and his mind. A marked difference to be sure remained in the style of the beard and the mustaches; in the picture, both are waving and artless; in the monument, the one turns up with a Bobadilian fierceness, and the other, like the fashion of Southampton's beard, courts the form of the dagger, or rather of the spade. The print of Droeshout, differing from both in these particulars, exhibits our poet with a beard clipped close to the chin; a mode, that, while he was an actor, he probably preferred: the chin, unencumbered by its native growth, left the player at liberty to discharge his part, as Bottom has it," in either your straw-coloured beard, your orange-tawny beard, your purple-in-grain beard, or

your French crown-coloured beard, your perfect yellow."

With respect to the picture by Jansen, one point is clear enough-Mr. Jennens seems to have acquired it after the year 1761. This is ascertained by a reference to the very exact catalogue of his pictures at the house in Great Ormond Street, which may be found in a work of the period, called London and its Environs. There we find only Vandergucht's drawing in crayons from the Chandos picture. But in 1770, he published, as has been stated, Mr. Earlom's beautiful engraving from his new acquisition. In the regular course of business, the picture, after Earlom had done with it, should have gone to the magnificent residence he had built at Gopsal, in Leicestershire, to take the honourable position that had no doubt been assigned to it by Mr. Jennens. I incline to believe that it never reached the gallery of that fine seat. In 1773 its owner died, and Gopsal became the property of the late Penn Asheton Curzon, Esq. who had married the niece of Mr. Jennens.

Although the utmost reliance can be placed upon the fidelity of Earlom, under Mr. Jennens's anxious inspection, it became desirable to compare some proofs of his print, in my possession, with the original picture, to see whether the resemblance could at all be heightened by the present admirable artist. I accordingly wrote to Earl Howe, the noble

proprietor of Gopsal, expressing my wish to review the picture, which I did not at all doubt must be there with the rest of the collection. I received an answer from his Lordship, which stated, that unfortunately, the only head of Shakspeare in his possession, was the drawing in crayons by Vandergucht, certainly of no great antiquity,' as the Earl observes: he was pleased to add, how happy it would have made him to concur in the object to which I had drawn his Lordship's attention.

Thus it is ascertained, that the picture has wandered from its original mansion; and where it is now to be found, and the cause of its alienation, will be subjects, I trust, of diligent enquiry. In the mean time, the most perfect engraving is supplied from the only accessible authority. It is in truth an object of the highest importance; because, however faithful, the other originals of our poet are work of very indifferent artists. Cornelius Jansen is, in his happiest portraits, only inferior to the hitherto unequalled Vandyke.

A few words yet remain to be added as to this artist, and the period of his residence among us. The accounts given of him at page 71, admit of easy reconciliation. The author of An Essay, &c. says he resided long at Amsterdam; and this is also said by Sandrart. But if he began to paint among us at the lowest date assigned, namely 1618, he could not have resided as a painter long in

Amsterdam, previous to his coming to this country. It follows, therefore, that the residence in Holland was, as Sandrart describes it, a measure of necessity. He left this place when the civil war frightened from us every thing like elegance, and then certainly resided long at Amsterdam, since he did not die till 1665; so that he probably passed more than TWENTY years among the Dutch, after he had quitted us either in disgust or alarm. The real history of Jansen, therefore, seems to be this:-Upon the miserable sack of Antwerp by the Spaniards in 1576, his parents took refuge in England, where, some time after, they gave birth to their son Cornelius. Here he grew celebrated for his art, was employed by Southampton, and painted Shakspeare. An honour hardly less was yet reserved for him; for in 1618, Milton's father carried the author of Paradise Lost, then in his tenth year, to sit to the greatest portrait painter then in England. It may teach us reliance upon Jansen's fidelity, to find as we' do, in the expression of young Milton, that time only developed and expanded the features; the same characteristics are found in his boyhood and at his maturity.

IN the Critical Review for December 1770, the print by Earlom is thus noticed:

King Lear, 8vo. price 3s.-A mezzotinto of the author, by the ingenious Mr. Earlom, (whose industry and abilities do honour to the rising arts of Great Britain), is placed at the head of it. We should have been glad indeed, to have some better proofs concerning the authenticity of the original, than a bare assertion that it was painted by Cornelius Jansen,* and is to be found in a private collection, which we are not easily inclined to treat with much respect, especially as we hear it is filled with the performances of one of the most contemptible daubers of the age.

These kind observations were from the pen of Mr. Steevens himself, who, being then engaged with Dr. Johnson in preparing the edition of 1773,

* Walpole says, Jansen's first works are dated in England about 1618; this picture bears date in 1610. The only true picture of Shakspeare supposed to be now extant, was painted either by Richard Burbage, or John Taylor, the player, the latter of whom left it by will to Davenant. After his death, Betterton bought it; and when he died, Mr. Keck, of the Temple, gave forty guineas for it to Mrs. Barry, the actress. From him it descended to Mr. Nicol, of Southgate, by whose daughter it afterwards came to the present Marquis of Caernarvon, in whose possession we believe it still remains.-Note of the Reviewer.