I have at last got into the Chigi palace. The Duchess of Devonshire was there the same day,
and
| WRITING THE WORK ON SALVATOR ROSA. | 165 |
Done by Salvator Rosa no more Than by Jacky Poole or
Lord Glandore. |
From Croker’s ill-natured lines on one of our poor friend J. Atkinson’s plays. The Philosopher, not like any print I ever saw of Rosa, and there is no other picture in the palace or in Rome even reported to be a portrait of him.
The Duchess also
took Camacini to the capitol to see the Magi, called
Salvator Rosa’s; our verdict,
a vile performance, not worth sixpence, and
certainly not done by Rosa,—and appeal against this
if you please. There are two magnificent and genuine pictures of his here, one
in the Colonna Palace, Prometheus chained
to the Rock, and the Vulture devouring him, horribly well
done. The other is an altar-piece in the church of St. John, Dei Fiorestini;
namely, the Martyrdom of Sts. Cosmos and
Damian on the pile, but the fire, instead of burning
them, by a miracle, burns their persecutors, which it would not have done, had
such unbelievers as you and Sir Charles
been on the pile; and old Sardinia would willingly have you both on such a pile
if he could, and en attendant, he burns your Italy whenever he can lay hold of a copy. I
wish the old rascal and the two Ferdinands, Naples and Spain, were to
suffer martyrdom,—but I should be content to hang or throw into the
sea,—not liking torture. I saw the librarian this day, at the Vatican,
and he swears as hard as any
| 166 | LADY MORGAN'S MEMOIR. |
Now you have got all the information which Rome can produce on the subject, so go to press as fast as you can. We shall remain in dear Rome another month; if you answer this, direct—Venice, poste restante. I shall not be more than three weeks going there, from hence, and that will just give time for you to receive this, and for us to hear you are well, wicked, and radical as ever.
