the Petit Moustier; part of the tomb was in the nave, and part in the choir of the nuns. Eloisa expired, Sunday, the 7th May, 163; and, conformably to her orders, her corpse was laid by the side of her husband's. In the year 1497, their common coffin was transferred from the Petit Moustier to the Church belonging to the Convent, but the bones of each body being separated, two tombs were erected, one on each side of the choir. Madame Mary de Rochefoucault removed them, in 1630, to the Chapel, called Chapel of the Trinity; and Madame Roye de la Rochefoucault, in 1766, projected the plan of a new monument, in honour of the two lovers, which was not completed, however, until after her death in 1779 it is represented in plate XLI, and is formed of the group of the Trinity, which Abelard had ordered to be sculptured, and the base of a pedestal, containing the following inscription, said to have been composed by Marmontel: Hic Sub endem marmore jacent Et Abbatissa prima Heloissa. Nunc æterna, quod speramus, felicitate Petrus obiit XX prima Aprilis anno 1142. Curis Carole de Roucy Paraclete Abbatissa. 1779. It appears, by an epitaph upon black marble, which ornamented the plinth of the monument, that Catherine de Rochefoucault, twentyfifth abbess of the Paraclete, also contributed to embellish it.' • Extract of a Letter, addressed to ALEXANDER LENOIR, 10th Germinal, Year 8, by C. Boisset, Physician, at Chalous-sur Saône. Founder of an establishment which has nothing similar to it in Europe, permit me, as a friend to the arts, to send you some historical notes respecting Abelard's tomb, of which I am in possession: I hope they will sufficiently reply to the letters, published in the Journal de Paris of this month, upon the identical monument erected to the abbot of St. Gildas, of whose authenticity, the writer of them seems to be doubtful. It is my intention to transmit part of these notes to the editor of the Moniteur. Abelard, persecuted on account of certain religious opinions, and condemned by a council held at Sens, undertook a journey to Rome, for the purpose of excuipating himself in security before an unprejudiced judge: he reached Cluny, about the year 1139, where Fierre le Venerable, who then governed that important Abbey, received him with distinction, and captivated his confidence by frankness of con. duct and mildness of disposition. He dissuaded Abelard from his intended journey, by the most powerful reasons, and prevailed upon him to embrace tranquillity, in the retirement of Cluny; where he The official paper at Paris. T.' accord. 1 accordingly spent two years in repose, conducting himself in the most exemplary manner both as a monk, and a man of learning. About this time, an eruption broke out over all his body; he could neither sit or lie down without excruciating pains; every remedy applied was unsuccessful, and the physician advising him to remove to a more salubrious air, his respectable friend sent him to Saint Marcel, near Châlons. "I chose for him," writes this estimable abbot, "a spot which I considered likely to re-establish his health; separated from Châlons only by the Saon, there is none more agreeable in Burgundy." This change of air was at first favourable to Abelard, his ulcers healed, and he recovered his former appearance; but these prognostics of returning health were merely the precursors of death: from the keenness of the atmosphere, the cutaneous eruption was repelled, and fixing upon the internal organs, he was removed from the world and misfortune, on the twenty-first of April, 142, in the sixty third year of his age. The monks of Saint Marcel erected to his memory a monument, in which were deposited the remains of this illustrious victim to atrocious vengeance it is this very block, of ill-fashioned and gothic workmanship, which, with some difficulty, I procured, at the moment it was about to be employed for domestic purposes by the country man who had purchased it. It is valuable upon account of affording an historical document, that the remains of Abelard were here first deposited; Hic primo jacuit: and it may be presumed that the figure, features, and dress, however uncouthly represented, resemble those of him, whose learning and misfortunes rendered his name so celebrated! the other parts of the cenotaph, formed of a kind of gypso-alabaster stone, are covered with small figures, disposed in frames and parallel to each other; the whole is at my country-house near St. Marcel. The body of Abelard remained in this tomb until the latter end of the year in which he died; during this period Eloisa solicited in the most urgent manner, that the abbot of Cluny should allow the ashes of their departed friend to be removed to the Paraclete, of which he was the founder, and where he had de. sired to be interred: Pierre le Venerable acceded to her requests, but exacted from her inviolable secrecy, in order to avoid the violent opposition which the monks of St. Marcel, jealous of preserving their treasure, might be induced to make. In the early part of November, the abbot of Cluny, under the pretext of an official visit, proceeded to St. Marcel; during the night, whilst the monks were asleep, he removed the body of Abelard, and accompanied it in great haste, to the Paraclete, where he arrived the 16th November, 1142. 6 Such, according to two respectable authors, is the real fact, and. I thought it interesting to you, on account of the difference of opinion which exists between y u and M. Mesnard, respecting Abelard's menument. I shall feel great pleasure in sending it to you, to increase the number of those monuments of our history which you have rescued from destruction. It is natural that a resident of Châlons should be well informed of an historical fact, so particularly interesting to that part part of his country: such an advantage is rather to be looked upon as a duty, than a merit. • Receive the assurance of my esteem, (Signed) BOISSET, M. D. We have derived so much satisfaction from this work, that we look with some impatience for its continuation, which is stated to be in the press. The British public will feel themselves obliged to the translator, not only for the trouble which he has taken to exhibit M. LENOIR in the English costume, but for the notes which he has occasionally subjoined. Some literal errors occur, but not so many as might have been expected in the production' of a foreign press. ART. XIII. Le Musée Français, &c.; i. e. The French Museum; containing a complete Exhibition of the Pictures, Statues, and Basreliefs, which compose the National Collection; with an Explana, tion of the different Subjects, and Discourses on Painting, Sculpture, and Engraving. By S. C. CROZE-MAGNAN. Published by ROBILLARD-PERONVILLE and LAURENT. Imperial Folio, Paris. 1803. Imported by De Boffe, London. Price 21. 12s. 6d. each Number: or Proof Impressions, 51. IT has been the avowed wish of the French Government to make Paris the great school of the Arts; and for this purpose the conquered countries have been despoiled of their most valuable pictures, statues, &c. which, together with those in France that escaped the destructive rage of the revolution, now make one vast National Collection, chiefly arranged and exhibited in the Museum of the Louvre. Travellers have expressed the highest admiration of the treasures which this collection displays; and, while men of taste will be desirous of obtaining copies of its invaluable originals, artists will be induced, by the pleasure as well as the profit attending such an undertaking, to gratify their wishes.-The very superb work, of which the commencement is now before us, is planned on sɔ magnificent a scale as to suit only the pockets of the opulent. The Editors propose to make their collection of copper-plates as complete of its kind as the Museum itself: they inform us that, at the time of publishing their prospectus, they had obtained two hundred designs executed by the best artists; and that a hundred plates were then either finished or in the hands of the engravers. It is proposed to publish the work in numbers; each of which will contain four engravings, three of pictures, and the fourth representing a statue or a bas-relief. The letter-press is beautiful, on vellum paper of the first quality, and of the largest size, each page measuring more than 24 inches by 18, English. Every copper-plate, whether of a picture or a statue, a statue, is accompanied by an explanation of the subject repre sented; to which are occasionally added notes containing his torical accounts of the picture and the painting, with critical reflections on the rules of the art and style of the master. The sculptures, in like manner, will be elucidated by suitable references to mythology and antient history. This literary department is undertaken by M. CROZE MAGNAN, well-known by many works on the fine arts, and particularly on Painting. With each number, also, is given a portion of some General Discourse, which is intended, when complete, to form an Introduction to each Volume.-If the work be prosecuted and concluded with the same taste which is displayed at its commencement, it will reflect great honour on the editors and on the artists employed under them; and it cannot fail to furnish an entertainment of a very superior kind. The three Numbers now on our table contain (No. 1.) La Belle Jardiniere, from a picture by Raphael Les Charlatans, by Karel du Jardin ;-Hunting the Deer, by Wouvermans, and (statue) the Bacchus of Richlien. (No. 2.) Moses treading under foot the crown of Pharoah, by Poussin;-A Soldier offering money to à young woman, by Terburg;-Hunting the Heron, by Teniers ;(statue) Psyche and Eros. (No. 3.) The Annunciation, by Solimene; -The Alchymist, by Teniers;--The Passage of the Rhine, by Vander Meulen;-and (statue) Polyhymnia. These plates are charmingly executed, and must delight the man of taste: but we except that which represents the statue of Psyche and Eros. We see no beauty in the countenance of Eres (or Cupid); and the face of Psyche, so far from resembling any visage human or divine, is more like something in waters under the earth," viz. a cod's head. the Though we cannot communicate to our readers the pleasure which these engravings has afforded us, we shall lay before them some specimens of the accompanying descriptions; whence they may form a judgment of the manner in which this part of the work is executed, as well as present to their imagi nations the subjects which they are designed to elucidate. The following is the account given of the picture called La Belle Jardiniere, or the beautiful female gardener: The Virgin is represented sitting on a block of stone, on a ground enamelled with flowers; the infant Jesus rests on his mother's right foot, looking up to her with attention and tenderness; the Virgin supports him with her right hand; and with the left she clasps the arm of Jesus, while she fixes her eyes on this dear object, and seems to derive a pleasure from the contemplation of him. To the left of the Vigin, is seen St. John on his knees, supported by his cross, and viewing Jesus with respect, who is placed opposite to him. The groupe groupe is skilfully composed, and the eye reposes with pleasure on the respective expression of the three figures. The landscape represents a country decorated with buildings. It may be perceived in this picture of Raphaël, which is in his second style, how this great man had already profited by the works of Leonardo da Vinci and Michael Angelo his figures are more round, his draperies are thrown with more grace and dignity, and his colours are more lively. We see also that he is putting in practice the rules of perspective which he was now studying; and in short that his genius was now developing itself, and its progress becoming every day more astonishing. It might be objected that Raphael has not followed the Jewish costume in painting the Virgin, but has made her drapery and head. dress after the manner of a Florentine peasant, and has placed in her lap a book bound in the modern style; these defects, however, were common to all the painters of his time. From the Florentine dress of the Virgin, this picture obtained the name of La Belle Jardinière. It was undertaken at the desire of a gentleman of Sienna; and not being finished when the artist set out for Rome, he left it to Ridolfo del Ghirlandajo, to put the last stroke to the blue drapery. Francis 1. bought the picture of the Siennese gentleman, from which time it has always made a part of the Collection of the Kings of France. It has been remarked that the minute circumstances, to which we give no attention in the works of ordinary masters, ought not to be overlooked in the paintings of those artists who have distinguished themselves by the splendor of their genius and the accuracy of their conceptions; especially when they appear to be solicitous of following the indications of nature. This composition appears to me to furnish an example of the truth of this remark. Why has Raphaël made the Infant Jesus rest on the foot of the Virgin? I apprehend that he wishes by this trait to characterize the respectful tenderness of the Holy Mother, who in her son beheld her Saviour.-Some persons may accuse this remark of littleness: but it will not appear in this light to the artist who reflects on the nature of his art.’ We should accuse this idea, not of littleness, but of a want of all foundation; for who could possibly infer, from a mother's resting the feet of a child or one of her own feet, that she regarded him as her Saviour? Can any idea be more far-fetched? There is, no doubt, much truth in the subsequent observation: Raphaël, in all his pictures of the Holy Family, has studied to give to his personages a suitable character, and that ideal beauty which religious Faith assigns to them. The Holy Virgin has on her countenance that air of openness, dignity, modesty, and goodness, which, combined with the regular traits of her figure, impress us with the idea of beauty united to virtue, and perfectly represent that Holiness which is the distinguishing attribute of Mary.' In the remark, however, which immediately follows, we find more of the enthusiasm of the artist than the judgment of the critic: The |