GERMAN SCHOOL. 00000000 FUGER. coo PRIV.

DIE

COLLECTION.

VIRGINIA.

The Romans having invested the right of governing and making laws, into the hands of ten magistrates, elected annually, and to whom was given the name of Decemviri; Appius Claudius Crassinus, the first among them took possession of the whole authority; he even endeavoured to make an abuse of it to satisfy the passion he had conceived for Virginia, a young plebeian maiden, who was as virtuous as she was beautiful.

Not succeeding in his efforts to seduce her, he sought to have her taken off by Claudius, one of his confidents, who pretended that the was the daughter of one of his female slaves. Appius pronounced judgment in his favour; when Virginius, seeing no means to protect his daughter from infamy, approached her, seized a knife and plunged it in her heart; then turning towards the tribunal, he exclaimed: « By this » innocent blood, Appius, I devote thy head to the infernal gods. He immediately opened his way through the crowd, and got to the city gates.

1

Numitorius, Virginia's uncle, and Icilius her bethrothed, came forwards and raised the victim, who had fallen in her nurse's arms. Such is the scene represented by Fuger, a skilful painter of Vienna. The composition is grand and offers no confusion.

This picture forms part of the collection of Count de Friezes, at Vienna; it has beeu engraved in mezz-tinto by Pichler.

Width, 2 feet 8 inches; height, 2 feet 2 inches.

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