the possession of gold and jewels to compare with delights like
these? And then, to unroll the portfolio and spread the silk, and to
transfer to it the glories of flood and fell, the green forest, the
blowing winds, the white water of the rushing cascade, as with a turn of
the hand a divine influence descends upon the scene. These are the joys
of painting.

_Wang Wei_ (Chinese, fifth century).

CXCIX

In the room where I am writing there are hanging up two beautiful small
drawings by Cozens: one, a wood, close, and very solemn; the other, a
view from Vesuvius looking over Portici--very lovely. I borrowed them
from my neighbour, Mr. Woodburn. Cozens was all poetry, and your drawing
is a lovely specimen.

_Constable._

CXCIXa

Selection is the invention of the landscape painter.

_Fuseli._

CC

Don't imagine that I do not like Corot's picture, _La Prairie avec le
fosse_; on the contrary we thought, Rousseau and I, that it would be a
pity to have one picture without the other, each makes so lively an
impression of its own. You are perfectly right in liking the picture
very much. What particularly struck us in the other one was that it has
in an especial degree the look of being done by some one who knew
nothing about painting but who had done his best, filled with a great
longing to paint. In fact, a spontaneous discovery of the art! These are
both very beautiful things. We will talk about them, for in writing one
never gets to the end.

_Millet._

CCI

TO ROUSSEAU

The day after I left you I went to see your exhibition.... To-day I
assure you that in spite of knowing your studies of Auvergne and those
earlier ones, I was struck once more in seeing them all together by the
fact that a force is a force from its first beginnings.

With the very earliest you show a freshness of vision which leaves no
doubt as to the pleasure you took in seeing nature, and one sees that
she spoke directly to you, and that you saw her through your own eyes.

Your work is your own _et non de l'aultruy_, as Montaigne says. Don't
think I mean to go through everything of yours bit by bit, down to the
present moment. I only wish to mention the starting point, which is the
important thing, because it shows that a man is born to his calling.

From the beginning you were the little oak which will grow into a big
oak. There! I must tell you once more how much it moved me to see all
this.

_Millet._

CCII

I don't