fuch as arife from poetry, painting, fculpture, mufic, gardening, and architecture. This ef pecially is the duty of the opulent, who have leifure to improve their minds and their feelings. The fine arts are contrived to give pleafure to the eye and the ear, difregarding the inferior fenfes. A tafte for thefe arts is a plant that grows naturally in many foils; but, without) culture, fcarce to perfection in any foil: it is fufceptible of much refinement; and is, by proper care, greatly improved. In this refpect, a tafte. in the fine arts goes hand in hand with the moral fenfe, to which indeed it is nearly allied: both of them difcover what is right, and what is wrong: fafhion, temper, and education, have an influence to vitiate both, or to preferve them pure and untainted neither of them are arbitrary nor local; being rooted. in human nature, and governed by principles common to all men. The defign of the prefent undertaking, which afpires not to morality, is, to examine the fenfitive branch of human nature, to trace the objects that are naturally agreeable as well as thofe that are naturally dif agrecable; and by thefe means to difcover, if we can, what are the genuine principles of the fine arts. The man who afpires to be a critic in these arts muft pierce Aill deeper: he muft acquire

acquire a clear perception of what objects are lofty, what low, what proper or improper, what manly, and what mean or trivial. Hence a foundation for reafoning upon the taste of any individual, and for paffing fentence upon it ; where it is conformable to principles, we can pronounce with certainty that it is correct; otherwife, that it is incorrect, and perhaps whimfical. Thus the fine arts, like morals, become a rational fcience; and, like morals, may be cultivated to a high degree of refine

ment.

Manifold are the advantages of criticifm, when thus ftudied as a rational feience. In the first place, a thorough acquaintance with the principles of the fine arts, redoubles the pleafure we derive from them. To the man who refigns himfelf to feeling without interpofing any judgment, poetry, mufic, painting, are mere paftime. In the prime of life, indeed, they are delightful, being fupported by the force of novelty, and the heat of imagination: but in time they lofe their relifh; and are generally neglected in the maturity of life, which difpofes to more ferious and more important occupations. To thofe who deal in criticifm. as a regular feiecne, governed by juft principles, and giving fcope to judgment as well as to fancy, the fine arts are a favourite entertainment;

and

and in old age maintain that relifh which they produce in the morning of life.*

In the next place, a philofophic inquiry into the principles of the fine arts, inures the refecting mind to the moft enticing fort of logie the practice of reasoning upon fubjects so agreeable, tends to a habit, and a habit ftrengthening the reafoning faculties, prepares the mind for entering into fubjects more intricate and abftract. Toiave in that refpect, a juft conception of the importance of criticism, we need but reflect upon: the ordinary method of education; which, after fome years spent in acquiring languages, hurries us, without the leaft preparatory difcipline, into the most profound philofophy. A more effectual method to alienate the tender mind from abtract fcience, is beyond the reach of invention and accordingly, with respect to fuch fpeculations, our youth generally contract a fort of hobgoblin terror, feldom if ever fubdued. Those who apply to the arts are trained in a very different manner they are led, ftep by step, from the cafier parts of the operation, to what are more difficult; and are not permitted to make a new motion, till

they

"Though logic may fubfift without rhetoric or poetry, yet fo neceffry to the fe laft is a found and correct logic, that withous it they are no better than warbling trifles." Hermes, p. 6.

they are perfected in thofe which go before. Thus the fcience of criticifm may be confidered as a middle link, connecting the different parts of education into a regular chain. This fcience furnisheth an inviting opportunity to exercifè the judgment we delight to reafon upon fubjects that are equally pleafant and. familiar: we proceed gradually from the fimpler to the more involved cafes; and in a due courfe of difcipline, cuftom, which improves all our faculties, beftows acutenefs on that of reafon, fufficient to unravel all the intricacies of philofophy.

Nor ought it to be overlooked, that the reafonings employed on the fine arts are of the fame kind with thofe which regulate our conduct. Mathematical and metaphyfical reafon-. ings have no tendency to improve our knowledge of man; nor are they applicable to the common affairs of life but a just tafte of the fine arts, derived from rational principles, furnifhes elegant fubjects for converfation, and prepares us for acting in the focial ftate with dignity and propriety.

The fcience of rational criticifm tends to improve the heart no lefs than the understanding. It tends, in the first place, to moderate the felfifh affections: by fwectening and harmonizing the temper, it is a ftrong antidote to the tur

bulence

bulence of paffion, and violence of purfuit: it procures to a man fo much mental enjoyment, that, in order to be occupied, he is not tempted to deliver up his youth to hunting, gaming, drinking; nor his middle age to ambition; nor his old age to avarice. Pride and envy, two, difguftful paffions, find in the conftitution no enemy more formidable than a delicate and difcerning tafte: the man upon whom nature and culture have beftowed this bleffing, delights in the virtuous difpofitions and actions of others he loves to cherifh them, and, to publish them to the world: faults and failings, it is true, are to him no lefs obvious; but these he avoids, or removes out of fight, because they give him pain. On the other hand, a man void of tafte, upon whom even ftriking beauties make but a faint impreffion, indulges pride or envy without control, and loves to brood over errors and blemishes. In a word, there are other paffions, that upon occafion, may difturb the peace of fociety more than thofe mentioned; but not another paflion is fo unwearied an antagonist to the fweets of focial intercourfe:

pride

*If any youth of a fplendid fortune and English education flumble perchance upon this book and this paffage, he will pronounce the latter to be empty declamation. But if he can be prevailed upon to make the experiment, he will find much to his fatisfaction, every article well founded.