into some heresy, answered, “What the Church believes.” “What does the
Church believe?” persisted his Satanic enemy. “What I believe,” replied
the cautious man. Again, the devil, “And what do you believe?” “What the
Church believes.” Whereupon the devil, being unable to convict him of
lax Churchism, left him to the mercy of the Pope, who, he knew, would
deal with him after his—gifts for _pious uses_.
If the pencil of the Artist be the adopted vehicle of thought, the
natural differences of character will be equally betrayed. Thus the
Romano-Cogitative Michael Angelo exhibited the thoughtful energy of his
mind in a fervid and exaggerated opinion of the fiercest passions, and
delighted in representations—not always the most refined—of scenes from
which most minds revolt, to which he even added a horror all his own.
The exaggerated action and muscular development of Michael Angelo’s
figures, the gigantic scale on which he preferred to draw them, and the
stupendous works which he unhesitatingly undertook, betray an energetic
and coarse mind, quite accordant with his Roman profile. The Greek-Nosed
Raffaelle, on the other hand, paid exclusive attention to beauty of
form, and the pourtraying of the gentler and more amiable sentiments,
especially of the female character. He was never betrayed into any
extravagancies of action or passion; but delighted to dwell on the
peaceful holiness and gentle sentiment of the Virgin Mother and the
Infant Jesus, or the graceful virtues of the female saints.
[Illustration:
HOBBES.
]
The major part of our illustrations being taken from purely literary
men, present Greco-Cogitative Noses. It is not our intention to descant
at length on persons whose works are well known, by name at least, to
every one, and whose lives were, for the most part, passed in the usual
monotonous tenour of those of literary men; but Bacon may be referred to
as an important corroborative instance of the shrewd, wily measures by
which the astute Greek prefers to further his ambition. Bacon as a man
presents such a lamentable contrast to Bacon as a philosopher, and the
wretched underhand means by which he attained eminence are so well
known, and so painful to dwell upon, that we refrain from doing more
than referring the reader to the facts for comparison with his profile.
Wretchedly inconsistent as his character appears, it is not inconsistent
with his Nose; and, perhaps, what are termed his inconsistencies, are
only a proof that the intellectual and moral powers are distinct, and
that the most profuse development of the former, cannot compensate for a
deficiency of the latter.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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