Murines, a delicious sweet wine, medicated with spices, and the usual drink of the ladies of antiquity.

Murillo (Bartholomew-Stephen), a celebrated painter, was born at Pilas near Seville, in 1613. Having shown a very early inclination to painting, he was instructed by his uncle John del Castillo, an artist of some note, whose subjects were fairs and markets; in which style Murillo painted several pictures, while he continued with that master; but his principal knowledge in the art was derived from Velazquez, who directed his studies, and frequently retouched his designs. Many writers assert, that he studied at Rome, and improved himself extensively in that city. But Velazco, a Spanish author, affirms that he never was in Italy; but arrived at the excellence he possessed by copying the works of Titian, Rubens, and Vandyck, which were at Madrid, and the Escorial; and also by studying after the antique statues, which are in the Royal collections. However, he became an excellent painter, and was employed by the king of Spain to execute several historical pictures, which raised his reputation through every province of his own country. Those paintings being afterwards sent to Rome as a present to the pope, the Italians were so much pleased with his performances, that they called him a second Paul Veronese. In Spain he designed and finished several grand altar pieces, for the churches and convents at Madrid, Seville, Cordova, Cadiz, and Granada; and some of his compositions are in the churches of Flanders. But notwithstanding his genius, taste, and abilities, qualified him to execute subjects of history with general applause; yet his favourite subjects were beggar-boys, as large as life, in different actions and amusements; which he usually designed after nature, and gave them a strong and good expression. His original pictures of those subjects have true merit, and are much esteemed, many of them being admitted into the most capital collections of the English nobility; but of those, there are abundance of copies, which, to the dishonour of the artist, are sold as originals to injudicious purchasers. He died in 1685.