Palais Royal are the following words:

"Pourtraict de Sainct Louoy peint en laage de 13 ans an 1226, et dont l'original se garde en la Saincte Chapelle de Paris.'

No. 1574 is an ancient picture of William II. Count of Holland, King of the Romans, born A.D. 1227, died A.D. 1256 the authenticity of which is of course only traditional.

There is a small and interesting portrait, No. 1576, of St. Louis of Sicily, Bishop of Toulouse. This prelate was the second son of Charles II. the Lame, King of Naples, and of Maria, sister and heiress of Ladislaus IV. King of Hungary. He was born at Nocera in A.D. 1275, and died A.D. 1298, at the Castle of Brignoles in Provence. His cession of his rights to the crown of Naples to his brother Robert is well-known; and the feeble tone of mind, which this act would indicate, is well expressed by the feminine delicacy of his features. As a picture this is a valuable specimen of the early Italian schools; the episcopal robes are painted with great care and delicacy, and the colouring is of the richest tone. We cannot conjecture the artist; but it is certainly worthy of close examination. As a likeness it must be classed among the works of tradition.

In the same room, No. 141, which is one of the largest in the collection, there are placed numerous pictures, coming from the former gallery of the Sorbonne. They are not of any great intrinsic value as works of art; but, from their preserving the traditionary likenesses of many eminent men, and the contemporary portraits of others, they are of a certain degree of interest. The portraits, for instance, of Albertus Magnus (No. 1577), of Dante (No. 1581), of Boccacio (No. 1596), and of several others, all of them more or less traditionary, are worthy of a place in the collection, which contains a large series of the great men of Europe, of all nations. Others which we shall come upon hereafter are of higher interest from their being probably contemporaneous with the types they represent.

No. 1578 is a small and good portrait of Jeanne de Navarre, Queen to Philip the Fair of France, and mother of Louis X., Philip V., and Charles

IV. She was foundress of the famous College of Navarre, one of the most considerable in the ancient university of Paris, and the buildings of which (partly of mediæval structure, such as the hall and chapel, still standing,) are now occupied by the Ecole Polytechnique.

Another old and highly interesting picture is No. 1582, Isabelle de France, daughter of Jeanne de Navarre, and consort of the unfortunate Edward II.

of England. Her features, like those of her mother, are noble and agreeable. She died A.D. 1357, and was buried in a convent of Cordeliers in London.

A portrait of the illustrious Duguesclin, Constable of France, is to be found in No. 1592. It is an old picture, but the traits are not sufficiently in accordance with the received features of that warrior to enable us to decide the credit to which it is entitled.

Near it is a very curious picture, which, however, is only a modern copy of the original, preserved in the Montpensier Collection at the Chateau d'Eu. It represents Margaret, Countess of the Tyrol, surnamed Maultasche, or the sack-mouthed. This appellation, if the portrait be authentic, was not misapplied, and indeed the whole of the features are hardly human. Making allowance for the difference of complexion, which, in the case of the Countess, was of a copper colour, her appearance is as nearly that of an oran-outan as can be conceived. This

lady was a personage of no small consequence -She was daughter and heiress of Henry, Duke of Carinthia, Count of the Tyrol and King of Bohemia. Her mother was Anne, daughter of Wenceslaus 11. King of Bohemia and Poland. She was born A.D. 1316, and was married first to John Margrave of Moravia, and secondly, after a divorce, to Louis I. of Bavaria, Margrave of Brandenburg. She died in 1369, having, after the death of her son, transferred the county of the Tyrol to the house of Austria.

Near to this representation of one of the greatest anomalies of physiognomy, is placed a portrait (No. 1601) of one who was endowed with all that beauty could do to grace the female form Isabeau de Bavière, Consort of Charles VI. of France. Her history

is too well known to need any allusion; but we cannot avoid observing that, probably, this queen has been too much calumniated, and that the evils of the reign are not so much attributable to her influence as has been sometimes asserted. If this picture be correct (it is a faithful modern copy of one in the Louvre,) Isabeau must have been one of those beautiful and voluptuous women, to match whom with an idiotic husband was an experiment that could not fail of producing unfortunate results. She wears, in this picture, the peculiar high head-dress, à la Hennin, which she was the first to introduce into France.

Louis, Duke of Orleans, who was the favourite brother-in-law, and the favoured lover of Isabeau, is pourtrayed in a small original picture, No. 1603, close by her side. His features are very agreeable, and there is an air of sprightly wit on his countenance which perfectly corresponds to what we know of his literary and political character. We would refer our reader to Michelet's History of France for an able sketch of the character of this unfortunate Duke, and, indeed, of his times in general.

No. 1606 is a very valuable portrait of Jean-sans-peur, Duke of Burgundy, whose history is so intimately mixed up with that of the personages just named. It is marked merely as an "old picture" in the catalogue, but it is one of the best in the collection.

Two ancient portraits and a modern one of Philip the Good of Burgundy, eldest son of Jean-sans-peur, are ap. propriately placed in this room, near the picture of his father. They are both of close resemblance to the MSS. illustrations, which have preserved to us the features of that eminent prince, and that which is numbered 1614 is of peculiar beauty as to colour and drawing.

Close to the latter is No. 1615, a highly curious but small modern copy of an old picture representing Philip the Good holding the First Chapter of the Order of the Golden Fleece. The Duke is placed under a canopy on a throne, dressed in the grand costume of the order, and round him are 24 knights, all in the grand habit. Round the picture are inscribed the names,

armorial bearings, devices, and crisde-guerre of each knight. According to the Catalogue, there is good reason to believe that the original picture is strictly contemporaneous.

At the northern end of the room, is a large and highly valuable picture, of the family of Jean Jouvenel des Ursins; which, whether considered as an object of art, or as a most elaborate contemporaneous record of the costumes of the epoch, (the first half of the 15th century,) constitutes one of the principal treasures of the Versailles collection.

Jean Jouvenel des Ursins was the second son of Pierre Jouvenel, of Assenay. He married 20th June, 1386, Michelle, daughter of Michel de Vitri, Seigneur of Goupillières, &c. Jean Jouvenel became conseiller au Chatelet at Paris, in 1380, and retained the office until 1404, when he was made King's Advocate in the Parliament. He had previously been appointed Prevôt des Marchands, in 1388, and afterwards in 1413 he was made Chancellor to Louis the Dauphin, son of Charles VI. When the Parliament was held at Poictiers, Jean Jouvenel was its President, and he died in that city at an advanced age, April 1, 1431. The city of Paris was so grateful for the many eminent services rendered by him, while Prevôt des Marchands, that it gave to him and his descendants a residence in the Ile de la Cité, called the Hotel des Ursins, only recently pulled down.

The family had a chapel in the cathedral church of Notre Dame at Paris, commonly called the Chapelle des Ursins, and in the middle of it was a monument, upon which were stone statues, (kneeling), of Jean Jouvenel, and Michelle de Vitre his wife. These statues, removed at the Revolution, are now placed in the middle of the room, No. 141, where the picture we are describing, and which was once hung on the wall of the chapel just mentioned, is also kept.

The picture represents Jean Jouvenel, and Michelle, kneeling before two pesks, and behind them their eleven children, all in the order of their birth. The back-ground of this picture is a rich hanging of cloth of gold, separating these personages from a large

We may

hall, with a vaulted roof. remark at once, that the whole is in admirable preservation, that the colours are very fresh, and the execution of the picture of no common degree of excellence. We shall now borrow the words of Montfaucon :

"The father and mother are represented in this picture with their eleven sons and daughters ranged in the order of their age and birth, with inscriptions beneath each indicating their name and condition in life. The father is kneeling with his sword by his side, and wearing a surcoat charged with his armorial bearings: having a book open before him on one side, and his casque on the other. His wife is also kneeling behind him, dressed as a religious sister (the origin of widows' weeds and caps)."

The inscription beneath these two is as follows:

"These are the representations of noble persons, Mesire Jehan Juvenel des Urssins, Chevalier and Baron de Trainel, counsellor to the king, and of Dame Michelle de Vitri his wife, and of their children."

The first of these childen is the bishop, with his pastoral crook, mitred and coped. His inscription is,

"Reverend Father in God, Mesire Jehan Juvenel des Urssins, Doctor in Laws and Decretals,* in his time Bishop and Count of Beauvais, afterwards Bishop and Duke of Laon, Peer of France, Counsellor to the King."

"He was afterwards made Archbishop of Rheims, on the resignation of that see by his younger brother James. This resignation was confirmed at Rome. This James was the youngest of the children, and is here the last of the band. Next comes a lady clad as a religious sister, (the widow's dress) nearly the same as her mother. Underneath here is read:

'Jehanne Juvenel des Urssins, who was conjoined by marriage with the noble man Maistre Nichola, Brulart, Counsellor to the King.'

"The next is a military man clothed in armour with his emblazoned surcoat : underneath is read:

'Messire Loys Juvenel des Urssins, Chevalier, Counsellor and Chamberlain to the King, and Bailly of Troyes.'

"Next come two ladies dressed the same as each other:† the first has this inscription:

*Doctor of Civil and Canon Law. This personage wrote a History of his own times

†They wear the tall conical head

'Dame Jehanne Juvenel des Urssins, who was conjoined by marriage with Pierre de Chailli'.

"The second has:

'Damoiselle Eude Juvenel des Urssins, who was conjoined by marriage to Denis des Mares, Escuyer, Seigneur of Doue :

"He who follows is Denis Juvenel des Urssins, Escuyer, Eschanson of Monseigneur Loys, Delphin of Viennois and Duke of Guienne.

"The religious sister who follows, has this inscription:

Seur Marie Juvenel des Urssins, Religieuse à Poissy.'

"Afterwards

comes the Chancellor : he is clothed with his emblazoned surcoat, on his knees before an oratory, (oratoire— prayer-desk), having a book open before him, and near it his casque. The inscription is:

'Messire Guillaume Juvenel des Urssins, Seigneur and Baron of Trainel, in his time Counsellor to the King, Bailly of Sens, afterwards Chancellor of France :'

"The one following is Pierre Juvenel des Urssins, Escuyer. The last but one (penultième) is Michel Juvenel des Úrssins, Escuyer and Seigneur of La Chappelle in Brie. The last of all was Archbishop of Rheims, and he is here seen with his crook, mitred and coped. The inscription runs thus:

'Very Reverend Father in God, Messire Jacques Juvenel des Urssins, Archbishop and Duke of Reins, Premier Peer of France, Counsellor to the King, and President of the Chamber of Accounts.'"

Such is the account left us of this curious picture, as it existed before the Revolution, and we find it corresponding exactly to its present condition. The features of the family were handsome, and the members of it look like what history tells them to have been, good and loyal gentlemen, amiable and virtuous ladies. The value of this picture as an authority in prints of costume, &c. need not be pointed out: no one should visit Versailles without carefully examining it, and from the circumstance of its being of large dimensions, (about 6 feet by 4 feet), it will immediately strike the eye of a stranger on entering this part of the gallery.

(To be continued.)

H. L. J.

dress, called the Hennin, (before mentioned,) introduced by Isabeau de Bavière.

The Ecclesiastical History of M. L' Abbé Fleury. From the second Ecumenical Council to the end of the Fourth Century. Translated, with Notes, and an Essay on the Miracles of the period.

A GOOD Ecclesiastical History is one of the greatest of all the desiderata in our national literature. The very principles of the Church of England seem to throw her members upon the line of inquiry, and that, too, in a region singularly hard to explore without the assistance of an experienced and trustworthy guide. The Church of England makes no pretension to infallibility. Dogmatic statements, binding decrees, peremptory rules, these, whether rightly or wrongly, (a ques. tion not to the present point,) are, as a matter of fact, no part of her system, but rather alien to her genius. Her standard of appeal, in matters of doctrine and discipline, is Holy Scripture, as interpreted by the voice of the Ancient Church. Now, in these days of praiseworthy curiosity, and especially on all subjects of a religious and ecclesiastical nature, persons are naturally and rightly desirous of know. ing what actually was the general line of teaching and practice in former ages of Christianity; an inquiry which our own Church, as is evident, far from discouraging, even challenges. And such curiosity is further stimulated by the fact, that the religious views of the Ancient Church have been very variously represented, according, if one may judge, to the wishes, or at least unconscious bias, of different theologians. The Catholic Church in communion with the see of Rome finds in the general voice of Antiquity a clear witness to her actual system of belief and worship, not, indeed, in all its details, but in the leading principles to which those details admit of being referred. On the other hand, it is well known that the English Reformers professed to discover, in the very same authorities which the Catholic Church has always pleaded in her own behalf, the sanction of those material, and, as GENT. MAG. VOL. XIX.

men.

many consider them, radical changes to which they and their foreign_coadjutors in the same work were instrumental. In the midst of these conflicting testimonies, earnest and reasonable Christians of our own communion are anxious for the opportunity of forming an independent judgment upon matters of such very solemn importance: yet the means of prosecuting such an investigation are, it need hardly be said, exceedingly little within the reach even of most clergymen, and still less of religious layThe writings of the great Ecclesiastical Doctors are both voluminous, and, from the language and style in which they are composed, difficult of access to the ordinary reader. Moreover, a merely partial or superficial study of them is more likely far to perplex and mislead than to assist the inquirer. Much gratitude is accordingly due to the learned persons at Oxford and elsewhere who have published, and are still engaged in publishing, translations of the chief patristic writings in a convenient form and at a moderate expense. Still, however, a learned, accurate, connected, and impartial history of the Christian Church, is a requisite by itself. No private and independent study of ancient ecclesiastical documents will ever supply the place of trustworthy guidance in the work towards which so many are now prompted, of forming some distinct idea of the general tone and spirit of the Church both in the earlier and later stages of its progress. For though the present argument turns principally upon the question of the earlier ages of Christianity, no suspicion must be entertained of a wish to contrast those ages with the times which followed them, as if fraught with any exclusive or even especial interest to the Christian student. The history of the Church from first to last is a phenomenon which may well excite wonder, even where it fails to command awe. What other system, power, or empire, can be named, whose annals reach over so

2 N

vast a period? What so insignificant in its beginnings, so immense in its developments ? What that comes

before us with such a bold assertion of Divine authority, which lays claim to so many supernatural interpositions in its favour, and whose past triumphs and actual position seem to offer, even at first sight, so startling a confirmation of its august pretensions?

Yet English divines and literati have as yet done comparatively little towards enabling the less learned or less disengaged of their countrymen to regard this wonderful fact in all its bearings. The history of the Church, indeed, so far as it falls upon the line of the later Roman annals, has been treated with an abundance of learning and ability by the celebrated author of the Decline and Fall;" but, whatever may be the value, in a Christian point of view, of Gibbon's work as the testimony of an adversary, it is plainly no substitute for what is here recommended,-a complete, consecutive, and religious history of the Church. Nor is Mr. Milman's undertaking, honourable as it is to his talents and industry, and beyond question the nearest approach, as far as it has yet proceeded, to the work here supposed, calculated to supply the deficiency in question. At all events, the comparative obscurity, after some years existence, of a work so eminent in merits of a certain kind, and upon a subject of such general interest at the present moment, as the "History of Christianity," appears to shew that the Christian public of England is very unwilling to accept even high literary excellence, learning singularly varied and unaccompanied by a particle of pedantry, philosophical reflection in union with great playfulness of fancy, and power of composition especially calculated to recommend any subject upon which it is exercised, as a compensation for scrupulous reverence towards the written Word, and a concurrence with received modes of interpreting its sacred contents.

The only remaining work in our language which pretends to the character of an ecclesiastical history is Milner's "Church of Christ;" a book far too superficial, discursive, and full of unauthorised theories, to deserve the name. In saying this, it is far

from being intended to undervalue Milner's work, which no one can read without much interest, and no one can quit without feelings of deep respect for its amiable author. But it is no disparagement to any writer to deny him the praise of a successful historian of the Church. Rather, in the absence of any quarter among ourselves in which such praise could be bestowed without wearing the appearance of satire, we may well feel grateful to those who have endeavoured, even in a popular and sketchy way, like Milner, to convey an idea of the wonders which the Gospel has wrought upon the face of the earth, and yet more upon the hearts of its most consistent professors.

In this dearth of native contributions to one important branch of literature, theological students have been driven upon foreign countries to satisfy their need. And thus, while the Calvinistic party in our Church has always espoused Milner, the celebrated work of Mosheim has hitherto been the text-book with what is called the more orthodox school. Mosheim's book is the direct opposite to Milner's. With far more of learning than Milner, his work exhibits far less of the appearance of piety and thoughtfulness. Where Milner is discursive, he is painfully matter-of-fact; and even Milner's erroneous theories, maintained, at least, with ingenuity, are a relief by comparison with his utter want of ethical tone.

The translation of Fleury, which has given rise to these remarks, is an attempt to supply, likewise from a continental source, this great and acknowledged vacuum in the ecclesiastical literature of our own country. Fleury, unlike Gibbon, is a Christian, and a religious man; and whereas Mr. Milman almost seems to speak without due reverence of some of the Scripture miracles, Fleury receives, not them only, but the miracles of the Church in addition. Scepticism, at least, or irreligion, cannot be imputed to him, even by an enemy; and undoubtedly the line of credulity (as it may be called) falls in better with the present and growing temper of the Church of England than that of doubt, though it is not questioned that something of a medium between these extremes would be still