Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE LAST INSTRUCTIONS TO A PAINTER ABOUT THE DUTCH WARS, 1667. After two sittings, now our Lady State, To end her picture, does the third time wait; But ere thou fall'st to work, first, Painter, see, If t ben't too slight grown or too hard for thee. Canst thou paint without colours? Then 'tis right: For so we too without a fleet can fight. Or canst thou daub a sign-post, and that ill ? 'Twill suit our great debauch, and little skill. Or hast thou marked how antique masters limn The alley-roof with snuff of candle dim, 10 Sketching in shady smoke prodigious tools? 'Twill serve this race of drunkards, pimps, and foots. But if to match our crimes thy skill presumes, As the Indians draw our luxury in plumes, Or if to score out our compendious fame, With Hooke then through your microscope take aim, Where, like the new Comptroller, all men laugh, To see a tall louse brandish a white staff; Else shall thou oft thy guiltless pencil curse, Stamp on thy pallet, not perhaps the worse. 20 9.—Antique, Perhaps a quibble on "antic." 14.—Feather paintings. The painter so long having vexed his cloth, Of his hound's mouth to feign the raging froth, His desperate pencil at the work did dart; His anger reached that rage which passed his art; Chance finished that, which art could but begin, And he sat smiling how his dog did grin ; So may'st thou perfect by a lucky blow, What all thy softest touches cannot do. Paint then St. Albans full of soup and gold, The new Court's pattern, stallion of the old ; 30 Him neither wit nor courage did exalt, But Fortune chose him for her pleasure's sail. Paint him with drayman's shoulders, butcher's mien, Membered like mule, with elephantine chin. Well he the title of St. Albans bore, For never...