while the leaves; and bullrush-like ornaments of their head-dress, render
them very singularly striking personages. To the right, Joseph of Arimathea
is bargaining for the body of Jesus; the finger of one hand placed against
the thumb of the other telling the nature of the action admirably.

Below this subject, in the centre, is St. Paul preaching at Athens. One of
the figures, listening to the orator with folded arms, might have given the
hint to Raphael for one of _his_ figures, in a similar attitude, introduced
into the famous cartoon of the same subject. Before St. Paul, below, a
woman is sitting--looking at him, and having her back turned to the
spectator. The head-dress of this figure, which is white, is not
ungraceful. I made a rude copy of it; but if I had even coloured like * * *
I could not have done justice to the neck and back; which exhibited a tone
of colour that seemed to unite all the warmth of Titian with all the
freshness of Rubens. In the foreground of this picture, to the right, St.
Peter and St. Paul are being led to execution. There is great vigour of
conception and of touch (perhaps bordering somewhat upon caricature) in the
countenances of the soldiers. One of them is shewing his teeth, with a
savage grin, whilst he is goading on the Apostles to execution. The
headless trunk of St. Paul, with blood spouting from it, lies to the left;
the executioner, having performed his office, is deliberately sheathing his
sword. The colouring throughout may be considered perfect. We now come to
the remaining, or third compartment. This exhibits the interment of St.
Paul. There is a procession from a church, led on by the Pope, who carries
the head of the Apostle upon a napkin. The same head is also represented as
placed between the feet of the corpse, in the foreground. There is a clever
figure, in profile, of a man kneeling in front: the colouring of the robe
of a Bishop, also kneeling, is rich and harmonious. A man, with a glory
round his head, is let down in a basket, as from prison, to witness the
funeral. But let me not forget to notice the head of an old man, in the