boy
struggles in his arms--the rolling eyes, the distorted features, the
spasmodic limbs are at once terrible and pitiful to look on.

Such is the profound, the heart-moving significance of this wonderful
picture. It is, in truth, a fearful approximation of the most opposite
things; the mournful helplessness, suffering, and degradation of human
nature, the unavailing pity, are placed in immediate contrast with
spiritual light, life, hope--nay, the very fruition of heavenly rapture.

It has been asked, who are the two figures, the two saintly deacons, who
stand on each side of the upper group, and what have they to do with the
mystery above, or the sorrow below? Their presence shows that the whole
was conceived as a vision, or a poem. The two saints are St. Lawrence
and St. Julian, placed there at the request of the Cardinal de' Medici,
for whom the picture was painted, to be offered by him as an act of
devotion as well as munificence to his new bishopric; and these two
figures commemorate in a poetical way, not unusual at the time, his
father, Lorenzo, and his uncle, Giuliano de' Medici. They would be
better away; but Raphael, in consenting to the wish of his patron that
they should be introduced, left no doubt of the significance of the
whole composition--that it is placed before worshippers as a revelation
of the double life of earthly suffering and spiritual faith, as an
excitement to religious contemplation and religious hope.

In the Gospel, the Transfiguration of our Lord is first described, then
the gathering of the people and the appeal of the father in behalf of
his afflicted son. They appear to have been simultaneous; but painting
only could have placed them before our eyes, at the same moment, in all
their suggestive contrast. It will be said that in the brief record of
the Evangelist, this contrast is nowhere indicated, but the painter
found it there and was right to use it--just the same as if a man should
choose a text from which to preach a sermon, and, in doing so, should
evolve from the inspired words many teachings, many deep reasonings,
besides the one most obvious and apparent.

But, after we have prepared ourselves to understand and to take into our
heads all that this wonderful picture can suggest, considered as an
emanation of the mind, we find that it has other interests for us,
considered merely as a work of Art. It was the last picture which came
from Raphael's hand; he was painting on it wh