The Mosaic Workers Author:George Sand Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE MOSAIC WORKERS. CHAPTER I. " Believe me, Messer Jacopo, I am an unfortunate father. Nothing can console me for this disgrace. We live in a declining ag... more »e, and it is T who say so. The human race is degenerating. The spirit of good government is fading away in families. In my time, every one used to try at least to equal, if not to surpass his ancestors. Now, so long as a fortune can be obtained, no matter how, no one objects to any degree of self derogation. The noble becomes a merchant, the master a journeyman, the architect a mason, and the mason a mere labourer.—Holy Virgin where will this end ?" So spoke Messer Sebastian Zuccato, a painter, who, though now forgotten, was then highly esteemed as the founder of a school of painting, to the illustrious master, Jacques Robusti, better known now under the name of Tintoretto. " Ah! Ah 1" answered the master, who from habitual absence of mind, often answered with an excess of sincerity, " it is much better to be a good workman than a mediocre matter; a great artisan, than a vulgar artist." " Stop, stop, my good master," cried old Zuccato, a little piqued ; " whom are you styling a vulgar artist, a mediocre painter ?—the syndic of all the painters, the master of so many masters, who make the present glory of Venice, and form a sublime constellation, in which you yourself are one of the bright particular stars, but where my pupil Tiziana Vecelli shines with no less lustre." " Very well, Messer Sebastian," answered Tintoretto, coolly; "if such stars and such constellations enlighten the republic, if your school produces such masters, commencing by the sublime Titian, before whom I bow without jealousy, and without resentment, we cannot be living in such a declining age as you were mourning over just now." " Well w...« less