solutely impossible?-But if it were not, I must own, I should prefer the title of the ancient philosopher, viz. a Citizen of the World, to that of an Englishman, a Frenchman, an European, or to any other appellation whatever.

ESSAY XII.

AMIDST the frivolous pursuits and pernicious dissipations of the present age, a respect for the qualities of the understanding still prevails to such a degree, that almost every individual pretends to have a Taste for the Belles Lettres. The spruce prentice sets up for a critic, and the puny beau piques himself upon being a connoisseur. Without assigning causes for this universal presumption, we shall proceed to observe, that if it was attended with no other inconvenience than that of exposing the pretender to the ridicule of those few, who can sift his pretensions, it might be unnecessary to undeceive the public, 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 taste can be acquired, without the least assistance of literature, by reading modern poems, and seeing modern plays, what person will deny himself the pleasure of such an easy qualification? Hence the youth of both sexes are debauched to diversion, and seduced from much more profitable occupations into idle endeavours after literary fame; and a superficial false Taste, founded on ignorance and conceit, takes

possession

possession of the public. The acquisition of learning, the study of nature, is neglected as superfluous labour; and the best faculties of the mind remain unexercised, and indeed unopened, by the power of thought and reflection. False Taste will not only diffuse itself through all our amusements, but even influence our moral and political conduct: for what is false Taste, but want of perception to discern propriety, and distinguish beauty?

It has been often alledged, that Taste is a natural talent, as independent of Art as strong eyes, or a delicate sense of smelling; and without all doubt the principal ingredient in the composition of Taste, is a natural sensibility, without which it cannot exist; but it differs from the senses in this particular, that they are finished by Nature; whereas Taste cannot be brought to perfection without proper cultiva tion: for Taste pretends to judge not only of Nature, but also of Art; and that judgment is founded upon observation and comparison.

What Horace has said of Genius is still morę applicable to Taste.

Naturâ fieret laudabile carmen, an arte,
Quæsitum est. Ego nec studium s ne divite venâ,

Nec rude quid prosit video ingenium: alterius sic
Altera poscit opem res, & conjurat camiè.

HOR. ART. POET.

'Tis long disputed, 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 strain,
Are useless both; but when in friendship join'd,
A mutual succour in each other find.

FRANCIS.

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

BB 3

and

and observation, will nought avail, without the as sistance of Nature:

Illud tamen imprimis testandum est, nihil præcepta atque artes valere, nisi adjuvante natura.

Yet even though Nature has done her part, by implanting the seeds of Taste, great pains must be taken, and great skill exerted, in raising them to a proper pitch of vegetation. The judicious Tutor must gradually and tenderly unfold the mental faculties of the Youth committed to his charge. He must cherish his delicate perception; store his mind with proper ideas; point out the different channels of observation; teach him to compare objects; to establish the limits of right and wrong, of truth and falsehood; to distinguish beauty from tinsel, and grace from affectation; in a word, to strengthen and improve by culture, experience and instruction, those natural powers of feeling and sagacity, which constitute the faculty called Taste, and enable the professor to enjoy the delights of the Belles Lettres.

We cannot agree in opinion with those, 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 Taste and Criticism. Every day's experience convinces us of the contrary. Of two Youths educated under the same Preceptor, instructed with the same care, and cultivated with the same assiduity, one shall not only comprehend, but even anticipate the lessons of his Master, by dint of natural discernment; while the other toils in vain to imbibe the least tincture of instruction. Such indeed is the distinction between Genius and Stupidity, which every man has an opportunity of seeing among his friends and acquaintance. Not that we ought too hastily to

decide

decide upon the natural capacities of children, before we have maturely considered the peculiarity of dis position, and the bias by which Genius may be strangely warped from the common path of education. A youth, incapable of retaining one rule of grammar, or of acquiring the least knowledge of the classics, may nevertheless make great progress in mathematics; nay he may have a strong genius for the mathematics, without being able to comprehend a demonstration of Euclid; because his mind conceives in a peculiar manner, and is so intent upon contemplating the object in one particular point of view, that it cannot perceive it in any other. We have known an instance of a boy, who, while his master 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 system of his own, discovered a series of curious theorems, and even applied his deductions to practical machines of surprising construction. Besides, in the education of youth, we ought to remember that some capacities are like the pyra præcocia; they soon blow, and soon attain to all that degree of maturity which they are capable of acquiring; while on the other hand there are geniuses of slow growth, that are late in bursting the bud, and long in ripening. Yet the first shall yield a faint blossom and insipid fruit; whereas the produce of the other shall be distinguished and admired for its well-concocted juice and exquisite flavour. We have known a boy of five years of age surprise every body by playing on the violin in such a manner as seemed to promise a prodigy in music. He had all the assistance that art could afford; by the age of ten his genius was at the an; yet after that period, notwithstanding the most intense application, he never gave the least signs of improvement. BB 4

At

At six he was admired as a miracle of music; at six and twenty he was neglected as an ordinary fidler. The celebrated Dean Swift was a remarkable instance in the other extreme. He was long considered as an incorrigible dunce, and did not obtain his degree at the University but ex speciali gratia: yet when his powers began to unfold, he signalized himself by a very remarkable superiority of genius. When a youth therefore appears dull of apprehension, and seems to derive no advantage from study and instruction, the tutor must exercise his sagacity in discovering whether the soil be absolutely barren, or sown with seed repugnant to its nature, or of such a quality as requires repeated culture and length of time to set its juices in fermentation. These observations however relate to Capacity in general, which we ought carefully to distinguish from Taste. Capacity implies the power of retaining what is received; Taste is the power of relishing or rejecting whatever is offered for the entertainment of the imagination. A man may have capacity to acquire what is called Learning and Philosophy; but he must have also sensibility before he feels those emotions, with which Taste receives the impressions of beauty.

Natural Taste is apt to be seduced and debauched by vicious precept and bad example. There is a dangerous tinsel in false Taste, by which the unwary mind and young imagination are often fascinated. Nothing has been so often explained, and yet so little understood, as simplicity in writing. Simplicity in this acceptation has a larger significa tion than either the άo of the Greeks, or the simplex of the Latins; for it implies beauty. It is the aλó as dú of Demetrius Phalerus the simplex munditiis of Horace and expressed by one word, naiveté in the French language. It is in fact no other than beautiful nature, without affectation or

extraneous