mark of a gentleman; for let a man's birth be ever fo high, his ftation ever fo exalted, or his fortune ever fo large, yet if he is not free from national and other prejudices, I fhould make bold to tell him, that he had a low and vulgar mind, and had no just claim to the character of a gentleman. And in fact you will always find, that those are most apt to boaft of national merit, who have little or no merit of their own to depend on; than which to be fure nothing is more natural: the flender vine twists around the sturdy oak for no other reason in the world, but because it has not ftrength fufficient to fupport itself.

Should it be alledged in defence of national prejudice, that it is the natural and neceffary growth of love to our country, and that therefore the former cannot be deftroyed without hurting the latter, I answer, that this is a grofs fallacy and delufion. That it is the growth of love to our country, I will allow; but that it is the natural and neceffary growth of it, I abfolutely deny. Superftition and enthufiafm too are the growth of religion; but who ever took it in his head to affirm, that they are the neceffary growth of this noble principle? They are, if you will, the bastard sprouts of this heavenly plant, but not its natural and genuine branches, and may fafely enough be lopt off, without doing any harm. to the parent ftock: nay, perhaps, till once they are lopt off, this goodly tree can never flourish in perfect health and vigour.

Is it not very poffible that I may love my own country, without hating the natives of other countries that I may exert the most heroic bravery, the moft undaunted refolution, in defending its laws and liberty, without defpifing all the reft of the world as cowards and poltroons? Moft certainly it is; and if it were not-But what need I fuppofe what is abfolutely

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folutely impoffible?-But if it were not, I muft own, I fhould prefer the title of the ancient philofopher, viz. a Citizen of the World, to that of an Englishman, a Frenchman, an European, or to any any other appellation whatever.

ESSAY XII.

AMIDST the frivolous purfuits and pernicious diffipations of the prefent age, a refpect for the qualities of the understanding ftill prevails to fuch a degree, that almoft every individual pretends to have a Tafte for the Belles Lettres. The fpruce prentice fets up for a critic, and the puny beau piques himself upon being a connoiffeur. Without affigning caufes for this univerfal prefumption, we shall proceed to obferve, that if it was attended with no other inconvenience than that of expofing the pretender to the ridicule of thofe few, who can fift his pretenfions, it might be unneceffary to undeceive the publick, or to endeavour at the reformation of innocent folly, productive of no evil to the commonwealth. But in reality this folly is productive of manifold evils to the community. If the reputation of tafte can be acquired, without the leaft affiftance of literature, by reading modern poems, and feeing modern plays, what perfon will deny himself the pleasure of fuch an eafy qualification? Hence the youth of both fexes are debauched to diverfion, and feduced from much more profitable occupations into idle endeavours after literary fame; and a fuperficial falfe Tafte, founded on ignorance and conceit, takes

poffeffion

poffeffion of the publick. The acquifition of learning, the ftudy of nature, is neglected as fuperfluous labour; and the beft faculties of the mind remain. unexercifed, and indeed unopened, by the power of thought and reflection. False Tafte will not only diffufe itself through all our amufements, but even influence our moral and political conduct: for what is falfe Tafte, but want of perception to difcern pro priety and diftinguish beauty?

It has been often alledged, that Taste is a natural talent, as independent of Art as ftrong eyes, or a delicate fenfe of fmelling; and without all doubt the principal ingredient in the compofition of Tafte, is a natural fenfibility, without which it cannot exift; but it differs from the fenfes in this particular, that they are finished by Nature; whereas Tafte cannot be brought to perfection without proper cultivation for Tafte pretends to judge not only of Nature, but alfo of Art; and that judgment is founded upon obfervation and comparifon.

What Horace has faid of Genius is ftill more applicable to Tafte.

Natura fieret-laudațile carmen, an arte,

Quæfitum eft. Ego nec ftudiuen fine divite venâ,
Nec rude quid profit video ingenium: alterius fic
Altera pofcit opem res, & conjurat amicè.

HOR. ART. POET.

"Tis long difputed, whether poets claim
From Art or Nature their best right to fame;
But Art, if not enrich'd by Nature's vein,
And a rude Genius of uncultur'd ftrain,

Are ufelefs both ; but when in friendship join'd,
A mutual fuccour in each other find.

FRANCIS.

We have feen Genius fhine without the help of Art; but Taste must be cultivated by Art, before it will produce agreeable fruit. This however we muft till inculcate with Quintilian, that study, precept,

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and

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and obfervation, will nought avail, without the affiftance of Nature:

Illud tamen imprimis teftandum eft, nihil præcepta atque artes valere, nifi adjuvante naturâ.

Yet even though Nature has done her part, by implanting the feeds of Tafte, great pains must be taken, and great fkill exerted, in raising them to a proper pitch of vegetation. The judicious Tutor muft gradually and tenderly unfold the mental faculties of the Youth committed to his charge. He muft cherish his delicate perception; ftore his mind with proper ideas; point out the different channels of obfervation; teach him to compare objects; to eftablifh the limits of right and wrong, of truth and falfehood; to diftinguish beauty from tinfel, and grace from affectation; in a word, to ftrengthen and improve by culture, experience, and inftruction, those natural powers of feeling and fagacity, which conftitute the faculty called Tafte, and enable the profeffor to enjoy the delights of the Belles Lettres.

We cannot agree in opinion with thofe, who imagine that Nature has been equally favourable to all men, in conferring upon them a fundamental capacity, which may be improved to all the refinement of Tafte and Criticifm. Every day's experience convinces us of the contrary. Of two Youths educated under the fame Preceptor, inftructed with the fame care, and cultivated with the fame affiduity, one fhall not only comprehend, but even anticipate the leffons of his Mafter, by dint of natural difcernment; while the other toils in vain to imbibe the · leaft tincture of inftruction. Such indeed is the dif

tinction between Genius and Stupidity, which every man has an opportunity of feeing among his friends and acquaintance. Not that we ought too haftily to

decide upon the natural capacities of children, before we have maturely confidered the peculiarity of difpofition, and the bias by which Genius may be ftrangely warped from the common path of education. A youth incapable of retaining one rule of grammar, or of acquiring the leaft knowledge of the claffics, may nevertheless make great progrefs in mathematics; nay he may have a ftrong genius for the mathematics, without being able to comprehend a demonftration of Euclid; because his mind conceives in a peculiar manner, and is fo intent upon contemplating the object in one particular point of view, that it cannot perceive it in any other. We have known an inftance of a boy, who, while his mafter complained that he had not capacity to comprehend the properties of a right-angled triangle, had actually, in private, by the power of his genius, formed a mathematical fyftem of his own, difcovered a series of curious theorems, and even applied his deductions to practical machines of furprising conftruction. Befides, in the education of youth, we ought to remember, that fome capacities are like the pyra præcocia; they foon blow, and foon attain to all that degree of maturity which they are capable of acquiring; while on the other hand there are geniuses of flow growth, that are late in bursting the bud and long in ripening. Yet the firft fhall yield a faint bloffom and infipid fruit; whereas the produce of the other fhall be diftinguished and admired for its well-concocted juice and exquifite flaWe have known a boy of five years of age furprise every body by playing on the violin in fuch a manner as feemed to promife a prodigy in mufic. He had all the affiftance that art could afford; by the age of ten his genius was at the anus; yet after that period, notwithstanding the most intense application, he never gave the leaft figns of improvement. BB 4

vour.

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