West," said Opie, "in the room, and another gentleman. First, her majesty came in; and I made a sad mistake in respect to her, till I saw her face, and discovered by her features that she was the queen. In a few minutes his majesty came hopping in. I suppose," said Opie, "because he did not wish to frighten me. He looked at the pictures and liked them; but he whispered to Mr. West--'tell the young man I can only pay a gentleman's price for them.'" The picture which his majesty bought was that of _A Man Struck by Lightning_. The price given was L10, with which Opie returned to the Doctor full of spirits. His friend, when he heard the story, said, "Why, John, thou hast only got L8. for thy picture." "Indeed, but I have though," cried Opie, "for I have got the L10. safe in my pocket." On this he showed him the money. "Aye," rejoined the Doctor, "but dost thou know his majesty has got the frame for nothing, and that is worth L2." "D--- it, so he has," cried Opie--"I'll go back and knock at the door, and ask for the frame; D--- it, I will." He was actually about to put his resolve into execution, till dissuaded by the Doctor. Popularity naturally followed this notice of royalty. The ladies, however, soon deserted him, as his likenesses were not flattering; for where Nature had been niggardly, Opie refused to be liberal. He afterwards became better acquainted with the art of pleasing them; a change which has been attributed to Mrs. Opie, who used to stand over him, and endeavour to make him sensible of the graces of the female form. It was in the year 1786, that Mr. Opie became known as an exhibitor at Somerset House; soon after which he aspired to academical honours, and ultimately attained the rank of Royal Academician, and afterwards succeeded Fuseli, in the professorship of painting. He was twice married, but at what period his first hymeneal union occurred we are not informed--it was inauspicious. His second marriage, which took place on May 8, 1798, was more fortunate; and in the society of the late Mrs. Opie, the amiable author of many beautiful and interesting literary compositions, he enjoyed a delightful relief from the toilsome duties of his profession. Mr. Opie was in the daily acquisition of wealth and fame, and rapidly advancing to the very zenith of popularity, when his mortal career was suddenly closed by death, on Thursday, April 9, 1807, in the forty-sixth year of his age. "As a portrait painter he has great claims to praise, particularly in his men, which are firm, bold, and freely delineated, and occasionally well coloured. His women are heavy, inelegant, and chiefly accompanied with a hardness that destroys all beauty." [Sidenote: Very high and strong light-house.] [Sidenote: St. Agnes' beacon.] [Sidenote: Birth-place of John Opie, the painter.] [Sidenote: First attempts at portrait painting.] [Sidenote: Genius fostered by Dr. Walcot.] [Sidenote: Anecdotes of Opie.] [Sidenote: Introduction to the King.]