at Naples, whither he retired for the recovery of his health, brought a diftemper upon him, of which he died in 1609. As in his life he had imitated Raphael in his works, fo he feems to have copied that great master in the caufe and manner of his death: it being too common, fays an ingenious writer, for men, who excel in the fine arts, to be fubject to the amorous paffion. Giorgione was not exempt from it. He fell extremely in love with a young beauty at Venice, who was no less charmed with him, and submitted to be his mistress. She fell ill of the plague; but not fufpecting it to be fo, admitted Giorgione to her bed, where the infection feizing him, they both died Rotunda at Rome: two verfes of it are admirable. De Piles, P. 3. in in 1511, he years of age. being about thirty-three Several great poets have alfo been a little remarkable for the warmth of their paffions. Alcæus was fo amorous (fays Scipio Gentilis) that he compares himfelf to a hog, who whilft he is eating one acorn, devours another with his eyes: "So is it with me (fays he) whilft I enjoy one girl, I am wifhing for another." He was much addicted to the Greek vice, the love of boys. The name of his favourite was Lycus, of whom Horace fpeaks in the following paffage. Qui ferox bello, tamen inter arma, Sive jactatam religaret udo Litore navim, Liberum, & Mufas, Veneremque, & illi Et Lycum, nigris oculis, nigroque O decus O decus Phobi, & dapibus fupremi Rite vocanti. Ode xxxii. lib. z. Anacreon, the Greek poet, is faid also to have been in love with the fair Cleobulus, whom he had like to have killed when a child, in the arms of his nurse, by rudely jostling of her as he reeled one day through the ftreets, when he was in liquor; and not content with this he abufed the child with fcurrilous language the nurse wifhed he might one day commend him as much as he had then abused him. Her wishes were fulfilled, for Cleobulus grew to a beautiful youth, and Anacreon falling in love with him, wrote feveral verfes in his praise. Alcman Alcman, a lyric poet, who flourished in the 27th Olympiad, was a man of very amorous conftitution; he is accounted the father of love-verses, and is faid to have first introduced the cuftom of finging them in public. To these few inftances I cannot but add a very remarkable one mentioned by the duke de Sully, which fhews a moft admirable imagination, attended with the moft terrible paffions. When that minifter, in 1603, fet out on an embaffage for the court of England, he was attended by a numerous retinue of the principal gentlemen in France amongst the reft Mr. Servin prefented his young fon to him; at the fame time earnestly begging the duke, that he would ufe his beft endeavours to make make him an honeft man. This request gave Sully a great curiofity to fearch into his character; and he gives the following ftriking account of him. His genius, fays he, was fo lively, that nothing could escape his penetration; his apprehenfion was fo quick, that he understood every thing in an inftant; and his memory fo prodigious, that he never forgot any thing. He was mafter of all the branches of philofophy, the mathematics, particularly fortification and defigning. Nay, he was fo thoroughly acquainted with divinity, that he was an excellent preacher, when he pleased, and could manage the controverfy for, or against the proteftant religion, with the greatest ability. He not only underftood the Greek, Hebrew, and other learned languages, but all the jargons of |