John de St. John's Bridal Night, is another excellent painting. He has given the Bride all the fondness and beauty of a Venus, but has made her more than the Goddess, by shewing that the height of conjugal love, could not remove her natural modesty. Her handmaids are leading her into her bed-chamber; but, when she discovers her husband ready to receive her, modesty overcomes her, and prevents her advancing. The longing Bridegroom invites her with the most ardent affection, and, with a smile of tenderness, seems amused with her coyness. She returns his smile, but with a kind of denial; and yet seems wishing to comply, but cannot persuade herself to approach him. Her Friends are encouraging her, and the old Nurse is growing angry at the delay. But I am presuming to be particular. I therefore pass over the rest of the paintings, and come to the statues and busts, which are ranged on bases, at regular distances, along the walls. At the east end, there is a Horse, whose head and body excel any thing of the kind I ever beheld; but the legs are modern, and do not seem to belong to him. Were only the head and neck of Leda exposed, all mankind would allow her to be the finest piece of sculpture ever produced: but, whilst we give the Sculptor every credit for his execution, we are provoked at finding him guilty of many inconsistencies. I should not have said so much of this statue, but that you, like myself, might have been deceived by the good nature of those well-meaning, but shallow writers, who, struck with its first appearance, did not examine farther. Ganymede is, indeed, an admirable statue; and his Eagle is much superior to Leda's Swan. Pomona seems really walking, and with a lightness equal to the ease of her person. As there is no superlative difficulty in forming a figure where no passion is particularly expressed, I will not dwell on Minerva, Bacchus, Apollo, Narcissus, &c. &c. &c. notwithstanding the pleasure I enjoy in admiring them. The busts contain the heads of all the Roman Emperors, and of some of their wives. The whole is closed by a famous wild boar, and the group of Laocoon. Parallel to each of the two long sides of the Gallery, there is a set of apartments, included in what is commonly called the Gallery of Florence. The first on the east side, contains a most admirable Ganymede, a country God, and a few more beautiful statues and basso relievos. The principal subjects of the latter, are, the Rape of Europa, and Mark Anthony's Oration on opening Cæsar's Will. The next, called the Cabinet of Coins and Medals, contains, as well as those articles and some few busts, two basso-relievo figures of Mars and Venus, in paste exactly like porphyry; and also seven pictures, three of which are Mosaic: those of St. Peter and St. Paul are reckoned remarkably fine.