“No gift but in the very plentitude Of its perfection, goes maimed, misconstrued, By wickedness or weakness: still some few Have grace to see thy purpose, strength to mar Thy work with no admixture of their own.” * * * * * ... “Show beauty’s May, ere June Undo the bud’s blush, leave a rose to cull --No poppy neither! Yet less perfect-pure, Divinely precious with life’s dew besprent. Show saintliness that’s simply innocent Of guessing sinnership exists.” Among the less serious works, _Pacchiarotto_ tells the story of a reformer-painter, suffering at the hands of the people who opposed him. With a decidedly humorous treatment, rollicking verse, and impossible rhymes, Browning carried on the poem to its conclusion of a fling at the critics of his own verse. _Filippo Baldinucci_ simply retells a rather amusing story, quite distinct from any serious consideration of the painter as an artist, with an added conclusion which Browning imagined for himself. In like manner, _Beatrice Signorini_ consists of a poetized version of some very personal history, which Browning took from Baldinucci. The husband of Beatrice, who was the painter Romanelli, fell in love with Artemisia Genteleschi, and having painted her portrait, showed it to his wife. She immediately destroyed it, Romanelli approved her spirit, and ever after loved her more. VI. CONFORMITY TO HISTORY.--A few instances of departure from historical facts are found in the poems on painting, though it is really remarkable that they were not less accurate, written as they were at a time when the history of painting had been so slightly investigated. Such errors as existed are usually the result of mistakes in the sources Browning followed, though these were the best in their day, rather than from carelessness on his part. Some very recent investigators assert that Browning unduly exaggerated the character of Andrea’s wife, in _Andrea del Sarto_. However, no less an authority than W. M. Rossetti insists that he was essentially true to the facts in representing her. Others insist that he was somewhat unfair in the general impression which he gives of Andrea. At least he has not changed the facts materially in this particular case; and if any liberty has been taken, from a poetic standpoint it is well taken. There are several slight errors in _Fra Lippo Lippi_. For example, Guidi (Masaccio) is now known to have been the master, not the pupil of Lippi, and the picture in Sant’ Ambrogio was probably not the expiation of a prank.