to ingratiate himself into the favour of Margaret of Austria, governess of the Low Countries, he composed a treatise "On the Excellence of Women;" but the persecution he met with from the monks, prevented him from publishing it; and obliged him to go over to England, where he wrote a Commentary upon St. Paul's Epistles.. In the year 1515, he read lectures at Pavia: his stay there, however, was short, and in 1518, we find him employed at Metz, as syndic, advocate, and counsellor for that city. Here having defended a countryman against an accusation of witchcraft, and advanced some opinions which rendered him peculiarly obnoxious to the priests, he retired to Cologne in the year 1520, leaving without regret, a city, which those turbulent inquisitors had rendered averse to all polite literature and real merit. He left his own country in 1521, and went to Geneva, where his income being inconsiderable, he removed to Fribourg, in Switzerland. The year following he went to Lyons, and obtained a pension from Francis I. who appointed him physician to his mother; but in this station he did not long continué, for towards the end of the year 1525, he had the mortification of being informed he was struck off the list. The cause of his disgrace was, that having received orders from his mistress, to examine by astrology, what success would attend the affairs of France, he freely expressed his dislike, that she should employ him in such idle curiosities. He now resolved to remove to the Low Countries, but could not effect his purpose, without a passport; which, in consequence of the misrepresentations of his enemies, he could not obtain till July, 1528, when he proceeded to Antwerp. In 1529, he had invitations from Henry, king of England, and also from other European princes; but he at last, chose to accept the office of historiographer to the emperor, which appointment he obtained by means of Marga-ret of Austria. Her death, however, happened soon after, and this circumstance might in some measure, be said to have been the life of Agrippa; for as he expresses himself, when speaking of this woman, “I now understand what great danger I was in here; the monks so far influenced the princess, who was of a superstitious turn, that had not her sudden death prevented it, I should undoubtedly have been tried for offences against the majesty of the Cowl, and the sacred honour of the monks; crimes, for which I should have been accounted no less guilty, and no less punished, than if I had blasphemed the christian relè gion." That Agrippa was a man of the most splendid talents, is not denied by any, but the inflexibility of his temper, and the candid manner in which he exposed the bigotry and superstition of the priests of his time, exposed him to the necessity of frequent migrations, and even repeatedly to a temporary confinement in prison; in which, however, in consequence of the interference of his powerful and more enlightened friends, he was never allowed to continue long at a time. Mr. Bayle says, that Agrippa lived and died in the Romish communion; but Sextus Senensis asserts, that he was a Lutheran, Agrippa, in some passages of his letters, does indeed treat Luther with harsh epithets; however, in the nineteenth chapter of his Apology, he speaks in so favorable a manner of him, and with such contempt of his chief adversaries, that it is likely Sextus Senensis's assertion was founded upon that passage. Agrippa was accused of having been a magician and sorcerer, and in compact with the devil; but we shall not offer such an affront to the understandings of our readers, as to aim at clearing him from this imputation. However, as Mr. Bayle says, if he was a conjuror, his art availed him little, for he was often in danger of wanting bread. His writings, which were numerous, were chiefly upon theological subjects; but as it is probable there are none of them now extant, it would be unnecessary to mention them particularly. There was, however, an edition of his works printed at Lyons 1550, in 3 vols. octavo. AIKMAN (WILLIAM), the only son of William Aikman of Carney, Esq. advocate in Forfarshire, Scotland, was born on the 24th October, 1682. His father wishing him to follow the profession of a lawyer, gave him an education suitable to these views: but the strong predilection of the son to the fine arts, entirely frustrated the expectations of the father; for he was no sooner at liberty to decide for himself, than he determined to abandon the study of the law and to attach himself to that of painting alone. Poetry, painting and music, have, with justice, been called sister-arts. The fine feelings of the human mind, are the objects on which they all are intended to operate: and it seldom happens that any person excels much in one of these arts, who is not likewise an admirer of the others. Mr. Aikman was fond of poetry, and was particularly delighted with those unforced strains, which, proceeding from the heart, are calculated to touch the congenial feelings of sympathetic minds. It was this propensity, which attached him so warmly to Allen Ramsay, the Doric bard of Scotland, with whom, though an older man than himself, he formed an intimate acquaintance when at college, which constituted a principal part of his happiness at that time, and of which he always bore the tenderest recollection. It was the same delicate bias of mind, which, at a future period of his life, attached him so warmly to Thompson, who unknown and unprotected by others, at that time stood in need of, and obtained the warmest patronage of Aikman, who perhaps considered it as one of the most fortunate occurences in his life, that he had it in his power to introduce this young poet of nature to Sir Robert Walpole. Thomson could never forget this kindness, and when he had the misfortune, too soon to lose this warm friend and kind protector, he bewailed the loss in strains, which, for justness of thought and genuine pathos of expression, will, perhaps be allowed to equal any thing he had ever written. Mr. Aikman having for some time prosecuted his studies in Britain, found that, to complete them, it would be necessary to go into Italy, to form his taste on the fine models of antiquity; and as he perceived that the profession he was to follow, could not permit him to manage properly his paternal estate, he thought proper to sell it and settle all family claims upon him, that he might thus be at full liberty to act as circumstances might require. In the year 1707, he went to Italy, and having resided chiefly at Rome for three years, and taken instructions from the principal artists of that period, he chose to gratify his curiosity by travelling into Turkey. He went first to Constantinople and from thence to Smyrna. After continuing for some time in that country, he again visited Rome, where he pursued his favorite studies till the year 1712, when he returned to his native country. There he' followed his profession of painting for some time, applauded by the descerning few, though the public, too poor at that period to be able to purchase valuable pictures, were unable to give adequate encouragement to his superior merit. John, Duke of Argyle, who equally admired the artist and esteemed the man, at length prevailed on Mr. Aikman to move with his family to London, in the year 1723, thinking this the only theatre where his talents could be properly displayed. There, under the auspices of the Duke of Argyle, he formed habits of intimacy with the first artists, particularly with Sir Godfrey Kneller, whose studies and dispositions of mind were very congenial to his own. In this society he soon became honoured and patronized by people of the first rank, with many of whom he was in the habits of intimacy, particularly with the Earl of Burlington. For him he painted, among others, a large picture of the royal family of England, which was deemed one of his best pieces, and is now in the possession of the Duke of Devonshire. Towards the close of his life, he painted many other pictures of people of the first rank and fashion in England, many of which, at full length, are to be seen at Bleckling in Norfolk, the seat of the Earl of Buckinghamshire and these, with the royal family above named, were his best works. Mr. Aikman married Maria Lawson, daughter of Mr. Lawson of Cairnmuir, in Tweedale, by whom he had one son named John, who died at his house in London, 14th January, 173 1. Mr. Aikman himself, having died soon after, the remains of both were removed to Edinburgh and interred in the same grave, in the Grey Friars churchyard. The following epitaph, written by Mr. Malley, who was one of Mr.Aikman's most intimate friends, was engraven on their tomb, but is now so much obliterated, as to be scarcely legible. Dear to the good and wise, dispraised by none, By virtue as by nature close ally'd, The painter's genius, but without the pride Worth unambitious, wit afraid to shine, Honour's clear light, and friendship's warmth divine. The son fair rising, knew too short a date, Allan Ramsey and Mr. Thompson, likewise paid a poetical tribute to the memory of their departed friend. In his style of painting Mr. Aikman seems to have aimed at imitating nature in her pleasing simplicity: his lights are soft, his shades mellow, and his colour. |