I am a native of Switzerland--do you think I should
study in Italy?--and, above all, is it worth while?" "Young man," said
Reynolds, "were I the author of these drawings, and were offered ten
thousand a year _not_ to practice as an artist, I would reject the
proposal with contempt." This very favorable opinion from one who
considered all he said, and was so remarkable for accuracy of judgment,
decided the destiny of Fuseli; he forsook for ever the hard and
thankless _trade_ of literature--refused a living in the church from
some patron who had been struck with his talents--and addressed himself
to painting with heart and hand.

FUSELI'S SOJOURN IN ITALY.

No sooner had Fuseli formed the resolution of devoting his talents to
painting, in 1770, than he determined to visit Rome. He resided in Italy
eight years, and studied with great assiduity the pictures in the
numerous galleries, particularly the productions of Michael Angelo,
whose fine and bold imagination, and the lofty grandeur of his works,
were most congenial to his taste. It was a story which he loved to tell
in after life, how he lay on his back day after day, and week after
week, with upturned and wondering eyes, musing on the splendid ceiling
of the Sistine chapel--on the unattainable grandeur of the great
Florentine. During his residence abroad, he made notes and criticisms on
everything he met with that was excellent, much of which he subsequently
embodied in his lectures before the Royal Academy. His talents,
acquirements, and his great conversational powers made his society
courted; and he formed some valuable acquaintances at Rome,
particularly among the English nobility and gentry, who flocked there
for amusement, and who heralded his fame at home. He also sent some of
his choice drawings, illustrating Shakspeare and Milton, to the annual
exhibitions of the Royal Academy. In 1778, he left Italy and returned to
England, passing through Switzerland and his native city.

FUSELI'S "NIGHTMARE."

Soon after his return to England, Fuseli painted his "Nightmare," which
was exhibited in 1782. It was unquestionably the work of an original
mind. "The extraordinary and peculiar genius which it displayed," says
one of his biographers, "was universally felt, and perhaps no single
picture ever made a greater impression in this country. A very fine
mezzotinto engraving of it was scraped by Raphael Smith, and so popular
did the print become, that, although Mr. Fu