renzo, in the same garb, appeared to him again, and had enforced his orders with a violent blow on the cheek. M. Angelo now, with great earnestness, infifting on his immediate compliance with the commands of the vision, Cardiere set off directly for Careggi, a villa of the family, about three miles distance from Florence; but having scarcely got half way, met Piero with his fuite returning to town, and instantly acquainted him with what he had feen, heard, arnd fuffered. He was laughed at by Piero, and ridiculed by his attendants, one of whom, Divizio, afterwards cardinal di Bibiena, told him he was mad to fancy Lorenzo would charge a stranger with a message he might deliver himself to his fon. Difmifled in this manner, he returned to M. Angelo, and prevailed on him to quit Florence and go to Bologna, where he had scarcely settled in the house of Gian Francefco Aldrovandi, before the predicted revolution took place, and the expulfion of the whole family of the Medici with all their party confirmed the vision of Cardiere, whether fancy-bred,' or communicated by spirit blest or goblin damned.' 6 LEONARDO DA VINCI. Leonardo da Vinci, made up of all the elements, without the preponderance of any one, gave univerfal hints, and wasted life insatiate in experiment; now on the wing after beauty, then grovelling on the ground after deformity; now look ing full in the face of terror, then decking it with shards, * and shells, and masks: equally attracted by character and caricature, by style and common nature, he has drawn rudiments of all, but, like a stream loft in ramification, vanished without a trace. Want of perfeverance alone could make him abandon his cartoon of the celebrated group of horsemen, destined for the great council chamber at Florence, without painting the picture. For to him who could organize the limbs of that composition, Michael Angelo himself could be no object of fear. And that he was able to organize it; we may be certain from the sketch that remains of it, however pitiful, in the 'Etruria Pittricé,' lately published, but still more from the admirable print of Edelinck, after a drawing of Rubens, who was his great admirer, and has faid much to impress us with the beauties of his Last Supper at Milan, which he abandoned likewife without finishing the head of Chrift, exhausted by a wild chace after models for the heads and hands of the apostles. Had he been able to conceive the centre, the radii must have followed of course Whether he confidered that magic of light and fhade, which he poslessed in an unparalleled degree in his smaller pictures, as an inferior principle in a work of fuch dignity, or was unable to diffuse it over numerous groups, cannot now be determined; but he left his fresco flat, and without that folemnity of twilight, which is more than an equivalent for those contrafts of Chiaroscuro that Gior gione is faid to have learnt from him. The legend which makes Leonardo go to Rome with Juliano di Medici at the election of Leo X. to accept employment in the Vatican, whether fufficiently authentic or not, furnithes a characteristic trait of the man. The pope pafing through the room allotted for the pictures, and instead of designs and cartoons, finding nothing but an apparatus of distillery of oils and varnishes, exclaimed, 'Ah me! he means to do nothing; for he thinks of the end before he has made beginning. From fonnet of Leonardo, preserved by Lomazzo, he appears to have been sensible of the inconftancy of his own temper, Shells of beetles. This requires some explanation: Leonardo was employed to paint à head of Medufa. A beautiful woman fat to him for the face. The adjuncts of horror he fought for in the fields, bringing home for them occafiorally in his walks, nettles, thorns, beetles, spiders, toads, adders, &c. a and full of wishes at least to correct it. Much has been faid of the honour he received, by expiring in the arms of Francis I. It was indeed an honour, by which destiny in some degree atoned to Francis for his disafter at Pavia. only a short slay, when instead of re signing the veil, the only uncovers her head, permitting the veil to hang carelessly down on the shoulders. This generally produces a friendly contest between the parties; one insisting upon taking the veil away, the other refusing to furrender it. A like contest takes place at the close of the visit. When entreaty cannot prevail on the vifitant to stay longer, the veil is hidden, the flaves, inftructed before hand, pretend to fearch for it every where in vain, and when the urges the absolute neceffity of her going, the is assured that the aga, or master of the house, is not yet gone abroad, and is then jocofely dared to depart without it. In their manner of receiving one another, the ladies are lefs formal than the men; their complimental speeches, though in a high ftrain, are more rapidly and familiarly expressed. The common falutation is performed by laying the right hand on the left breaft, and gently inclining the head. They fometimes falute by kiffing the cheek; and the young ladies kifs the hands of their fenior relations. They entertain with coffee and tobacco, but the sherbet and perfume are only produced on particular occafions. The great men are attended in the harem, by the female flaves, in the fame manner as, in the outer apartments, by the pages. They remain Aanding in the humble attitude of attendance, their hands crossed before them on their cincture, and their eyes fixed on the ground. The other ladies, as well as the daughters of the family, occafionally bring the pipe and coffee, but do not remain standing; they either are are defired to fit down, or they retire. This, however, is to be understood of the grandees; for in ordinary life, both wives and daughters minifter fervilely to the men: the two fexes never fitting at table together. It is feldom that all the ladies of a Harem are, by the great man, seen affembled, unless they happen, in the fummer, to be surprized fitting in the divan, where they meet to enjoy the cool air. At his approach, they all rise up, but, if defired, refume their places, (fome of the flaves excepted) and return to their work. However loquacious they may have been before he entered, a refpectful filence ensues the moment he appears: a restraint which they feel the less, from their being accustomed to it almost from their infancy. It is surprizing how fuddenly the clamour of children is hushed on the approach of the father; but the women often lament their want of power, in his absence, of quieting the children either by threats or foothing. Though the prefence of the great man may impose filence on the younger ladies, he always finds fome of the elderly matrons ready enough to entertain him, should he be disposed for conversation. In this manner he learns the domestic news of the town, which, though rarely a topic of difcourse among the men, being in great request at the public baths, is circulated by the female pedlars, and the Bidoween women attached to the harem. The former, who are chiefly Jewish or Christian women of a certain age, fupply the ladies with gauzes, muslins, embroidery, and trinkets, and moreover have the art of collecting and embellishing all kinds of 2 private history; the latter are not less talkative, nor more fecret, but possess also a licensed privilege of speaking freely to the men, which they perfectly know how to exerciseTheir licence is derived from being often retained as nurses, by which they gain a permanent establishment in the family; the foster sister re maining attached to the harem, and in time fucceeding her mother. The grandees, in these indolent hours converse also on their own domeftic affairs, and amuse themselves with their children. When they wish to be more retired, they withdraw to another apartment, into which no perfon, except the lady to whom it belongs, prefumes to enter uncalled. The Turks, in presence of their women, appear to affect a more haughty, referved air, than usual, and in their manner of speaking to them, are less courteous, and more abrupt, than they are to one another, or even to men who are much their inferiors. As this was frequently observed in persons remarkable for an affable deportment to men, it may be confidered rather as their usual manner than ascribed to the accidental preference of an European; and is farther confirmed by the ordinary behaviour of the boys, who talk to the women in an imperious manner, which they could only have learned from example. The men perhaps judge it politic to afsume this demeanour, in a fituation where dominion may be fuppofed to be maintained, with more difficulty, than among their male dependants; and therefore venture only, in hours of retirement, to avow that gentleness, which, as if derogatory from their dignity, they think prudent, in their general conduct, to conceal, from persons whose obedience they believe 1 1 believe can alone be secured, by an air of ftern authority. The ladies, especially those of rank, appear referved in regard to their husbands, while they shew an engaging, affectionate fondness for their brothers, though it is often returned with little more than frigid complaisance: as if their tender endearments were a tribute due to male fuperiority. There are times, however, when natural affection gets the better of this cold indifference of the young men. The fight of a fifter in distress, or languishing in a fit of fevere illness, often produces emotion, of which, judging from general appearances, they would feem to be unfufceptible. The affectation of apathy, is a remarkable trait in the character of the Turks. They are led by it, under misfortunes, to aflume an appearance of tranquillity, more than they possess in reality; and, on other occations, they ftrive to hide that fenfibility which other nations think it honourable to indulge. Their exterior manners are univerfally marked by this affectation: their real feelings, influenced by the common fprings of humanity, are more remote from the eye of obfervation. Persons of diftinction, who are in office, leave the harem early in the morning, and, two hours after noon excepted, pass most of their time in the outer apartments. But others, who have little business, and the luxurious young men of all denominations, lounge many hours in their harem. Some allowance, in this weeks after marriage; but an efrespect, is made to youth, for fome feminate character, which is by no is far from being acceptable to the means refpectable among the men, at unusual hours in the day time, women. The prefence of the men, straint, and however fome particulays the whole harem under relar favourite may be gratified by the particular attention of her lord, the rest of the women are apt to lament the liberty they are deprived home. of, by his remaining too much at pofed, continue to fee company in The grandees, if flightly indif the outer apartments; but when the diforder becomes ferious they retreat into the harem, to be nursed by their women: and in this fituation, besides their medical attendants, and very near relations, no perfon whatever can have access, except make choice of the females they on very urgent business. They about their perfon, and one in parwish to have more immediately ticular is appointed to give an acpens in the intervals of his vifits, to count to the physician, of what hapthem duly obeyed. receive his directions, and to fee Medical people, whether Euroharem, at all times when their atpeans or natives, have access to the tendance is requifite. The phyfician, after being announced, is obliged to wait at the door till the way be cleared; * that is, till his * When it is known that the physician is about to enter, the lave, who undertakes to clear the way, gives rotice by calling Amel Dirb! Amel Dirb! make way, masc way; and, returning after some time, fays, fi Dirk, the way is clear. patient patient, when a female, her company, and attendants, and others who might happen to be in the courts through which he must pass, hove either veiled, or retired out of fight. He is then conducted to the chamber of the fick lady by a flave, who continues, in a loud voice, to give warning of his approach, by exclaiming, Dirb, Dirb, al Hakeem Gia-y. Way! Way! the doctor is coming: a precaution which does not always prevent the unveiled ladies, who have not been apprized, from accidentally croffing the court, in which cafe it becomes the wellbred physician to turn his eyes another way. a Upon entering the chamber, he finds his patient covered with loose veil, and, it being a vulgar notion that the malady may be difcovered from the pulfe, * he is no fooner feated, than the naked wrist is presented for his examination. † She then defcribes her complaints, and, if it be neceffary to look at the tongue, the veil is for that purpose removed, while the afsistants keep the reft of the face, and especially the crown of the head, carefully covered. The women do not hefitate to expose the neck, the bofom, or the ftomach, when the cafe requires those parts to be inspected, but, never without extreme reluctance confent to uncover the head. Ladies whom I had known very young, and who, from long acquaintance, were careless in con cealing their faces from me, never appeared without a handkerchief or fome other flight covering thrown over the head. So far as I could judge, from general practice, it feemed to be confidered, in point of decorum, of more confequence to veil the head, than the face. The physician is usually entertained with tobacco and coffee, which, being intended as a mark of respect, cannot in civility be declined, though the compliance leads to an intemperate use of both. Atter he has examined, and given directions concerning his patient, he requests leave to retire, but is feldom allowed to escape without hearing the incurable complaints of as many valetudinary visitants, as happen to be present, who either fit ready veiled, or talk from behind a curtain occafionally fufpended in the chamber. These ladies always confider themselves entitled to verbal advice, or at least to an opinion of such remedies, as have been recommended by others; and a principal part of the medical art, among the native practitioners, confifts in being able to acquit themselves dexteroufly in fuch incidental confultations. In families which the Eurepean physician has been accustomed to attend, and when his patient is on the recovery, he is fometimes induced to protract the vifit, and to gratify the curiofity of the ladies, who ask numberless questions con • The native practitioners give a fanction to this foolish notion. I followed, in that refpect, the example of my brother, who, except in fevers, always infifted on the fick giving an account of their complaints, before he would feel the pulfe. + I have been offered, sometimes, the wrist covered with thin muslin, but the Aleppo ladies in general ridicule that punctilio, and I always refused compliance with a piece of prudery not sanctioned by custom. Tournefort found the practice different in the harems he visited. Voyage, tom. ii. P. 17. cerning |