Tames Barry Esq; late Rr. From a Picture Painted by himself about the Yarry 83. Published by J.Asperne, at the Bible, Crown & Constitution, 32, Cornhill April 30,1806 A View of the House in which the late M, Barry resided, in Castle St Oxford Road. Published by JAsperne, at the Bible, Crown & Constitution, 32 Cornhill, 30 April 1806. JA EUROPEAN MAGAZINE, AND LONDON REVIEW, FOR APRIL 1806. MEMOIR OF JAMES BARRY, ESQ. [WITH A PORTRAIT.] AMES BARRY, Efq, the termination of whofe mortal career must be fresh in the recollection of our readers, was a native of Cork in Ireland, and born in the year 1742. In the fame city he had the advantage of a claffical education, and was designed for the profeffion of a catholic priest. This plan was probably abandoned in confequence of his prepoffeffion for that art, which might peculiarly have been called bis own. So early as in his nineteenth year, and unaififted by any direct initruction in the principles of painting, he planned and executed a picture which alone would have tranfmitted his name to pofterity,and the fate of which was almost as remarkable as that of it's author. The picture was founded on an old tradition relating to the firft arrival of St. Patrick, the apoftle of Ireland, on the fea coaft of Cathel; where the fame of his preaching reached the ears of the fovereign of that diftri&t, who, on further investigation, having fatisfied himfelf in the truth of Chriftianity, profeffed himself a difciple; hence he is admitted by St. Patrick to the facrament of baptifm: water being provided by his order, the King steps before the prieft, who disengaging his hand from the crofier, (which, according to the manner of the times, was armed at the lower extremity with a fpear,) in planting it to the ground, accidentally ftrikes the foot of his illuftrious convert. St. Patrick, abforbed in the duties of his holy office, and unconscious of what had happened, pours the water on his head. The monarch neither changes his pofture, nor fuffers the pain from the wound for a moment to interrupt the ceremony: the guards exprefs their attonithment in gestures, and one of them is prepared with his lifted battle-axe to avenge the injury by flaying the priest, while he is reftrained by another, who points to the unchanged afpect and demeanour of the Sovereign; the female attendants are engaged, fome kneeling in folemn admiration of the prieft, and others alarmed, and trembling at the effufion of the royal blood. The moment of baptifm, rendered fo critical and awful by the circumstance of the king's foot being pierced with the fpear, is that which Mr. Barry chose for the difplay of his art; and few ftories, it is prefumed, have been selected with greater felicity, or with greater fcope for the skill and ingenuity of the arit. The heroic patience of the king, the devotional abstraction of the Saint, and the mixed emotions of the spectators, form a combined and comprehenfive model of imitation, and convey a fuitable idea of the genius of one, who, felf-instructed, and at nineteen, conceived the execution of fo grand a defign. Having embodied the story on canvas, he proceeded forthwith to Dublin, and arrived there on the eve of an exhibition of pictures at the Society in that capital, which was the parent of that afterwards established in this coun. try for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce. Without recommendation, and accompanied only by a fiend and fchoolfellow, he obtained leave to have his picture exhibited. The general notice and appro bition which it received, were in the highest degree grateful to the ears of Mr. Barry, who was himself in the midst of the fpectators, though unknown; and in that moment he was repaid for all the labour of his performance. Curiofity fucceeded to the idle gaze of admiration; but as no one was able to give a fatisfactory answer to the inquiries fo loudly repeated for the author, the fubject might have remained for fome time longer in impenetrable obfcurity, had not Mr. Barry himself been impelled by an irrefiftible impulfe publicly to proclaim his propriety in that picture. His pretenfions, as might be expected, were treated with dildain, and Barry burst into tears of anger and vexation: but the infults which he received were the tribute due to the extraordinary merit of the painting, and must have proved an ample recompenfe to the author for his temporary mortification. Although no premium bed been offered that year by advertalement, yet the Dublin Society voted Mr. Barry zol., as a teftimony of his Kkz |