to
water-mills, such as we have in England; but in Holland, not such a
structure as a water-mill, with water-power; the water-mills there
are only _draining mills_, such as we have in Lincolnshire, Norfolk,
&c. Surely the noise and movement of a windmill would ill accord with
the confinement of any lady, especially the mother of so glorious a
fellow as _Rembrandt_. For the honour of such association I hope you
will not omit my name in the work, for I painted three pictures of
that precious relic.

"Yours, &c.

"E. W. COOKE."

[Illustration: INTERIOR OF THE MILL OF REMBRANDT'S FATHER]

[Illustration: EXTERIOR OF THE SAME]

The mill now known as the one possessed by Rembrandt's father is built
of stone, with an inscription, and "_Rembrandt_," in gold letters, over
the door. The one etched by his eminent son is a wooden structure, which
must have long since fallen into decay. As they are both interesting,
from association of ideas, I have given etchings of them.

The mother of Rembrandt was Neeltje Willems Van Zuitbroek, whose
portrait he has etched. As he was an only child, his parents were
anxious to give him a good education, and therefore sent him to the
Latin school at Leyden, in order to bring him up to the profession of
the law; but, like our own inimitable Shakspere, he picked up "small
Latin and less Greek." Having shown an early inclination for painting,
they placed him under the tuition of Jacob Van Zwaanenburg, a painter
unmentioned by any biographer; he afterwards entered the studio of Peter
Lastman, and finally received instruction from Jacob Pinas. The two
last had visited Rome, but, notwithstanding, could have given little
instruction to Rembrandt, as their works show no proof of their having
studied the Italian school to much purpose. After receiving a knowledge
of a few rules, such as they could communicate, he returned home, and
commenced painting from nature, when he laid the foundation of a style
in art unapproached either before his time or since. In 1627 he is said,
by Houbraken, to have visited the Hague, when, by the price he received
for one of his pictures, he discovered his value as an artist. The
neighbourhood of the Rhine was now given up for the city of Amsterdam,
where he set up his easel in the year 1628, under the patronage of the
Burgomaster Six, and other wealthy admirers of the fine arts.

Rembrandt's first works, like all the early work