The UNIVERSAL MAGAZINE for DECEMBER, 1796. 385. MEMOIRS of the LIFE of TITIAN: With a fine Portrait of that celebrated Painter. TITIA ITIAN, or Titiano, 'the moft univerfal genius for painting of all the Lombard school, the beft colourift of all the moderns; and the moft eminent for history-painting, landscapes, and rtraits, was born in the year 1477, at Cadore, in the Venetian province of Triuli. He was defcended from an ancient family whofe furname was Vecelli. On what account he received, or af fumed, that of Titian, we are not informed by his biographers; but it was neither adapted by his brother Francefco, or even by his own fons Pomponio and Horatio. At the age of ten years, he was fent by his parents to one of his uncles at Venice; and, evincing a very strong inclination for painting, his uncle placed him under the tuition of Gentil Bellini, and, afterward, of Giovanni Bellini, his brother, who had a more delicate and correct pencil than the former. Titian, however, was more indebted for his future eminence to the emulation that fubfifted between him and his fellow difciple Giorgione, than to all the inftructions of his mafter, When Giorgione left. the school of Bellini, Titian continued to preferve the ftricteft intimacy with him, in order to be enabled the more effectually to ftudy his manner; but Giorgione perceiving the rapid progrefs which his fellow pupil was making, and the apparent object of his vifits, behaved at firft with coolnefs, and, in the fequel, forbid him his houfe. The competition for fame, between these two illuftrious artists, fubfifted for fome time. At length, in the year 1511, Titian found himfelf without a rival, by the death of Giorgione, who expired, at the premature age of thirty-three, of grief for the infidelity of his mistrefs. The moft fplendid period in the life of Titian was his introduction to the patronage and even friendship of Charles the fifth, emperor of Ger VOL. XCIX. many, and king of Spain; and it is no lefs to the honour of that great monarch, that his affection for Titian continued uninterrupted by the envy and intrigues of his courtiers Of this royal attachment a very interefting account is given by Mr. Cumberland, in his Anecdotes of eminent Painters in Spain. Having mentioned the vifit made by the emperor to Bologna, in 1530 (a vifit, which, he obferves, brought about an event of the firft importance to the hiftory of the arts in Spain; namely, the introduction of the works of Titian, and afterward of Titian himself into that country) he thus proceeds: This great mafter was in Bologna when Charles made his entry, and, like Charles, was then in the full luftre of his fame. Scarce a character of eminence in Europe, but was to be found on the canvass of Titian. To be delivered to pofterity in the glowing colours of his pencil feemed to be an object of general ambition, and, in fome degree, an anticipation of immortality. Alcnfo de Ferrara; Frederico Gonzago, duke of Mantua; Francifco Maria, duke of Urbino, the marquis del Pafto, Pefcara, Alva, Francisco Sforza, Antonio de Leyva, Diego de Mendoza, Ariofto, Aretino, Bembo; Fracaftorio; Ferdinand, king of the Romans, and his fon Maximilian, both afterward emperors; the popes Sixtus the fourth, Julius the fecond, and Paulus the third; the great emperor Solyman, and the fultanefs Kofa, were among the illuftrious perfonages, who had been painted by Titian. The emperor fat to him at Bologna, as he paffed through that city, in the year abovementioned. He was in the meridian of life; and, though he could not be faid to inherit the beauty of Philip the Handfome, he was, neverthelefs, of a majestic comely afpect. The portrait pleafed him well; and, though fo weak an ingredient as vanity was not to be found in the com 3 C pofition of Charles, yet he was not infenfible to impreffions, and henceforward determined never to commit his perfon to any other limner than Titian. He was a lover of the arts, not an enthusiast; he knew the force of their effects, and reverenced them for their power, without being captivated by their charms. To men of eminence he was liberal without fa miliarity in fhort, his affections, in this particular, as in every other, were directed regularly to their object by reafon, not driven impetuoufly by conftitution or paffion. Upon this principle he rewarded Titian for his portrait with a thoufand golden fcudi; thus confulting no lefs his own magnificence, than the merit of the artift. He paid him two hundred ducats for a fmall piece; and, upon Titian's prefenting him with a picture of the Annunciation, for which his countrymen, the Venetians, had refufed to pay him more than two hundred feudi, Charles rewarded him for the prefent with a thoufand. He invited Titian into Spain, and preffed him to comply, ufing many promifes and fome intreaties. Anxious to wreft the palm of glory from the brows of his rival Francis, in arts as well as arms, he perceived there was no living merit but Titian's, which he could oppofe to that of Leonardo da Vinci. Carlos Rodolfi, the biographer of Titian, fays, that he never went into Spain; but he is mistaken. It was not however, till the year 1548, that he complied with the emperor's invitation. From that period till 1553, he refided in Spain. During this refidence, he compofed many admirable works, and received many princely rewards. Charles gave him the key, the order of Santiago at Bruffels, and, in 1553, conftituted him a count palatine of the empire at Barcelona.-Thefe honours alarmed the jealoufy of the nobles both of Germany and Spain: but their envy drew no other anfwer from Charles, than that he had many nobles in his empire, and but one Titian. The artift, who was at fome distance, employed upon a picture, overheard the retort with confcious fatisfaction, and, as he made his reverence to the emperor, dropped a pencil on the floor. The courteous monarch took it up, and, delivering it to him, confounded by this fecond mark of his condefcenfion, added, that to wait on Titian was a fervice for an emperor.'-Charles, moreover, not only graced this illuftrious artift with the fplendid honours and diftinctions abovementioned, but gave him more folid marks of his favour, and affigned him a confiderable pension out of the chamber at Naples. Titian enjoyed a long life in the highest degree of honour and affluence. The latter enabled him to receive the vifits of the cardinals, and of the greateft men of the age. A gay and fprightly difpofi.ion, an affable and obliging deportment, united to his many excellencies as a man, rendered our artist universally beloved and refpected. He was happy in a robuft and hearty conftitution, and enjoyed uninterrupted health till the year 1576, when, being feized with the plague, he expired, at the uncommon age of ninety-nine. Titian defigned with much greater eafe and practice than Giorgione. He excelled equally in every kind of painting. He exhibited nature with the utmoft truth. Every object, under his hand, received the impreflion most fuitable to its character. His pencil, tender and delicate, has wonderfully painted women and children. His figures of men are not fo happily de-` figned. He poffeffed all the excel, lence of colouring in a fuperior degree; none ever furpaffed him in landscape; and he perfectly underftood the ufe and effect of the clear obfcure. This great painter, however, has been reproached with not having fufficiently studied the antique: with being deficient in the expreffion of the paffions, with having fome times too much famenefs, and with having many anachronisms in his works. The poets of his own age fecond, followed the profeffion of his father; and, fuch was his merit in portraits, that his works were with difficulty to be diftinguished from those of his father. His opulence, however, with a ridiculous paffion of alHe died of the plague, in the fame chemy, made him neglect painting. year with his father. Francefco Vecelli, the brother of Titian, devoted himself firft to the profeffion of arms. He afterward came to Venice, where he ftudied painting under his brother. He made fuch a rapid progrefs, that Titian, apprehenfive of a rival, who might excel, or at least equal him, endeavoured to make him difgued with this noble art, and perfuaded him to engage in commercial purfuits. Francefco, accordingly, applied himself to the making of cabinets of ebony, ornamented with figures; but this did not prevent him from painting, occa fionally, a portrait for a friend. He lived to an advanced age, but died before his brother. *The ingenious author of the letters of fir Thomas Fitzofborne, fpeaking of the peculiar elegance which diftinguished all the writings of a celebrated prelate of his time, makes a young orator obferve: In quodcumque opus fe parabat, nefcio quâ luce fibi foli propriâ, id illuminavit: haud diffimili ei aureo Titiani radio, qui per totam tabulam glifcens eam verè fuam denunciat: which allufion to the peculiar excellence of this great painter's colouring is thus bappily expressed by the poet above quoted: The fplendid force of Titian's golden rays.' MINUTES of AGRICULTURE, from the REPORTS of the Agricultural Board: Concluded from Page 325. WILTSHIRE. By Mr. DAVIS. and the confequent improvement in husbandry that will follow them, will hereafter have on the population of this district, is very obvious. Effects of Inclofures on Population. The population of the manufacturing South Wiltshire is the granary, not part of this diftrict, has increased ra- only of the manufacturing towns withpidly during this century, while that in the county, but alfo of those in the of the villages at a distance from ma- east part of Somerfetfhire, and fends nufactures has evidently decreased; very confiderable quantities of wheat but the inclosures of open lands in this and barley to the cities of Bath and diftrict have been too few, and, in Bristol.-Every incloure must have general, too recent, to have had any improvement for its object; that imfenfible effects on its population. Other provement must be derived from an causes have contributed to these effects; increafed produce; and that produce, but the effect that future inclofures, being chiefly human food, must be capable of fupporting a greater population Jomewhere. But the effect of thofe inclofures, as to individual parishes, will be different; in fome it will increase population, in others it will diminish it, according as the nature of the foil, when applied in confequence of an inclosure, to the purpofes for which nature defigned it, requires more or less manual labour for its cultivation. The common argument, on the influence that inclofures have upon population in a corn country, is this; Arable land requires more manual labour than pafture. Those inclofures, therefore, which tend to increate the quantity of arable land, or the quantity of produce on the fame quantity of arable land, muft certainly increase the population on the fpot, befiae furnishi g the market with an increased quantity of food for an increafed population elsewhere.' This argument, though very plaufible, and taken in the abstract perfectly true, will not apply to South Wiltshire in general, and particularly to the villages in the downs. The abolition of common fields, will naturally be followed by a gradual abolition of life-hold tenures, and the latter will be as naturally followed by a con olidation of fmall farms. This alteration will, undoubtedly, decrease the number of farmers; and as the larger farmers will be able to cultivate the fame land, with proportionably lefs horfes and fervants than fmall farmers can do, it will alfo decrease the number of labourers; and yet, notwithstanding this reduction, the great farmers will be enabled to fend a greater quantity of provifions to the market, and, of course, to feed an increased population elsewhere. It may be faid in answer, that no hands will be thrown out of employ but fuch as are unneceffary; and that fuch as are uselessly employed in agriculture, are of no real fervice to the community, and would be much better employed in manufactures. How far this fhifting of population from villages to towns, may be right or wrong, it is not my province to determine. It does not follow, that if no inclofures were made, no consolidation of farms would take place. The contrary is the fact; confolidations of fmall eftates, whether held by lives, or rented at rack rent, are every day taking place in the parishes where common fields ftill remain, and for a very obvious reason; because, on the fyftem of Wiltshire-down farming, the faving of expence in managing two or three fmall eftates together, enables a farmer who is already in poffeilion of a small eftate, to give more rent for another, than any farmer, who means to occupy it feparately, can afford to do. An inclosure only tends to haften an effect, that a number of causes would in time bring on without it, viz. to bring farms to fuch a fize, that the greatest proportionable produce may be obtained from them, at the leaft proportionable expence. Proper fize of a South Wiltshire farm. -As the only difference between good husbandry and bad, is, that the former, by enabling a tenant to raise a greater comparative produce, at a lefs comparative expence, enables him to acquire more profit to himself, and to give a greater rent to his landlord, than he could do by pursuing the latter, it may not be improper here to enquire, on what fized farm, as well as by what mode of hulbandry, a farmer in this district will be beft able to do this; and this enquiry is parti cularly neceffary at this time, when fo great a part of South Wiltshire is emerging into a new fyftem, by the extinction of life-hold tenures, and the abolition of common-field husbandry. At a time when this diftrict was, in general, in a ftate of life-hold tenure, the fize of farms was not always an object of the choice of the landlord, but of neceffity; and while the lands remained in a ftate of commonage, the occupiers were in an equal ftate of advantage, or rather of difadvantage, But in thofe manors, where it is intended that the life-hold tenements fhall fall into hand, and that farms fhall be made out of them, it becomes an object of confideration, what the moft proper fize of a South Wiltshire farm is,' fo as to afcertain the neceffity of taking down unneceffary buildings, and to determine the number and fituation of thofe neceffary to be built in their room. Much has been faid and written about the proper fize of farms. The impolicy of large farms has been very frequently, and very ably difputed, and perhaps the poffibility of t er being too fmall, in particular counties, might have been as clearly demonftrated, were it not that it is an unpopular argument; and that there are few, who would not rather have their judgment, than their humanity, called in queftion. But after all that has been, or can be, faid on the fubject, the fize of farms must always depend on foils and fituations, and modes of husbandry; and every country has its level, to which farms of a certain fize are peculiarly adapted; and if they are much above or much below this, they must be managed to the disadvantage of the occupiers. Thofe farms are of the most proper fize, which return the most proportional produce at the leaft proportional expence. This ought to be the great object of every land owner. The object of every tenant, is to live by his induftry; if that industry will not allow him to live, he had better be a labourer. In thofe modes of husbandry where the hands, as well as the eyes, of the farmer, and of every branch of his family, can be fully employed, fmall farms can be managed to advantage. In dairy farms this is peculiarly the cafe; and it is frequently fo in countries where the land is partly applied to breeding cattle, and partly to raifing corn, especially where lime, fea fand, and fimilar manures, are to be fetched from a diflance on horfes' backs, as in Devon and Cornwall; and where the ploughing is entirely, or chiefly, done by the oxen bred on the farm; and even in fome parts of South Wildfhire, where fmall farms are fituate on fandy foils, they may be applied, on a garden fyftem, to raifing efculent vegetables very advantageoufly. In thefe cafes, where circumftances enable fmall farmers to do aimoft the whole of the neceffary work of their farms with their own families, they can bring their produce to market on equal terms with the large ones. But on Wiltshire down farms, where horfes are néceffary to plough the land, and fheep to manure it, the little farmer ftands on a very difadvantage. ous comparison with the great one, being obliged to be at much greater pro ortional expence in horfes and fervants. Every Wiltshire down farm, if even fo fmall as 401. per annum, provided it is to be manured by the theep-fold, requires a fhepherd, a carter, and a plough boy, and feldom lefs than three horfes, but frequently four, and yet, a farm of double the fize, may be managed frequently with one, or at the utmoft, with two additional horfes, and with one, or at any rate, with two additional boys. For, whether thefe fervants and horfes, have or have not full' employ, their expence will be nearly the fame; and if the farmer takes one branch of the active labour upon himself, the other branches are fuffering for want of his fuperintending eye; and a farm of this kind furnishes very little employ for his wife and daughters. The great object of confolidating farms, is an increase of rent; but it may be laid down as a certain maxim, that fach increase cannot be obtained, except where a decrease of useless hands, and, particularly of ufeless horfes, can be made by fuch confolidation. In this diftrict, the confolidation of fmall eftates has tended very much to reduce the number of horfes; and it is chiefly by this reduction, that a small eftate is frequently worth more to be added to a farm, than oc |