A GENUINE SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF THE LATE 'ORIGINAL, ECCENTRIC, AND JUSTLY CELEBRATED GENIUS, G. MORLAND, THE PAINTER; WITH A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF SEVERAL OF HIS MOST CAPITAL PRODUCTIONS NOT GENERALLY KNOWN: CLEARLY EVINCING HIM TO HAVE BEEN A MAN OF MUCH SUPERIOR INTELLECT· TO WHAT THE ENVY OF COTEMPORARY IGNORANCE HAS FALSELY DESCRIBED

HIM..

THE natural curiosity of mankind, when excited by such motives as are truly amiable, is not only praise-worthy, but highly honourable to the best feelings of the human heart. Every attempt, therefore, to

gratify such laudable curiosity, is entitled to as much encouragement from the public, as the ability and integrity of the person making it shall be fairly judged to have employed in such a well-meant undertaking. That the productions of such a highly gifted genius as the subject of this present Memoir, the beauty and interest of whose pencil will never cease to delight, as long as a ray of natural taste shall distinguish civilized man from the barbarism of Gothic and Vandal ignorance,-we say, that the pleasure resulting from a contemplation of his works, should give birth to an inquiry respecting the origin, habits, and fate of such a genius, does equal credit to our hearts and our understanding.

If to draw a faithful outline, or sketch, of such a phenomenon, from so authentic a source as an intimate acquaintance with. him, his family, and connections, for more than twenty years, must have afforded, be considered as facilitating in a great measure that design, the author who is now

about delineating the portrait of G. Morland, has every just reason to anticipate success. In addition to the preceding, a more powerful motive has considerably influenced the mind of his biographernamely, a promise given to the subject of this narrative, about five or six months. previous to his death, when together at his brother's, coffee-house, Dean Street, Soho.. Upon that occasion it was, that the author, was rallied by our painter for his want of industry, in not having yet brought forward the work now before the public. The reply of the former was the first intimation the author ever gave him of the liberties he had taken with his name, in the first volume of these said Memoirs, as being so perfectly appropriate, and connected with that part of the subject. The consequence of this friendly retort, was a good-humoured laugh from the painter, and a promise, that should the author survive him, the sketch of his life, here added ; to what had been previously written in this work, should be given to the public.

by one who will-"nothing extenuate, hor set down aught in malice."

It is, therefore, humbly conceived, that, from the number of scurrilous attacks, and malicious stories, which have lately appeared in the daily papers, and other periodical journals, the necessity of what is now here attempted will be fully admitted by all those who have still virtue enough to estimate the full value of truth and literary candour*. For persons of other description, however specious their pretences, or vain of their flimsy, pedantic acquirements, the author neither ever wrote to please, nor lived to fear.

any

The subject of our sketch, Mr. G. Mor

* For the particular satisfaction of our readers, we have added a complete Appendix to these Memoirs of our distinguished painter; where some of the particulars respecting the malicious transaction here alluded to, may be found. Also, all the anecdotes that were any`way connected with the subject, and which were worthy of notice, and possessed any of the marks of authenti. city; or were even characteristic of his strange life and habits.

land, was born in the Haymarket, the 26th of June, in the year 1763, and is lineally descended from the great Samuel Morland, a most ingenious artist and mathematician; as appears from a little, but very curious and scarce volume now before us, written upon the various machines and instruments. invented by him for the ordinary operations of arithmetic; "Tables for the readi ly finding what Sign the Moon is in, or shall be for ever; a Perpetual Almanack, &c. &c." together with several other mat ters, as curious as they must have been thought useful at that time. Particularly a"Table of Foreign Weights and Measures, carefully compared with the English, by the great pains and industry of the famous, and my worthy friend, Sir Jonas Moore, Knight." Such is the title prefixed to this part of the work, which was presented to his majesty, Charles II. who conferred the honour of knighthood upon the author; and by whom, and all the great men of that day, he appears to have been held in great esteem..