Among the learned it has long been a contefted, and remains ftill an undecided question, whether Nature or Art contribute moft toward excellence in writing and discourse. Various may be the opinions with respect to the manner, in which Art can most effectually furnish aid for fuch a purpofe; and it were prefumption to affert, that rhetorical rules, how just soever, are fufficient to form an orator. Private application and study, fuppofing natural genius to be favourable, are certainly fuperiour to any fystem of publick inftruction. But, though rules and instructions cannot effect every thing which is requifite, they may be of confiderable use. If they cannot infpire genius, they can give it direction and affiftance. If they cannot make barrenness fruitful, they can correct redundancy. They prefent proper models for imitation; they point out the principal beauties which ought to be studied, and the chief faults which ought to be avoided; and consequently tend to enlighten Taste, and to conduct Genius from unnatural deviation's into its proper channel. Though they are incapable of producing great excellencies; they may at least serve to prevent confiderable mistakes.

In the education of youth, no object has ap peared more important to wife men in every age, than to excite in them an early relish for the

entertainments of Tafte. From thefe to the difcharge of the higher and more important duties of life the tranfition is natural and easy. Of those minds, which have this elegant and liberal turn, the most pleafing hopes may be entertained. On the contrary, entire insensibility to eloquence, poetry, or any of the fine arts, may justly be confidered as a bad symptom in youth; and supposes them inclined to low gratifications, or capable of being engaged only in the common pursuits of life.

Improvement of Tafte feems to be more or lefs connected with every good and virtuous difpofition. By giving frequent exercise to the tender and humane paffions, a cultivated tafte increafes fenfibility; yet at the fame time it tends to foften the more violent and angry emotions.

Ingenuas didiciffe, fideliter artes

Emollit mores, nec finit effe feros.

Thefe polish'd arts have humaniz'd mankind,
Soften'd the rude, and calm'd the boisterous mind.

Poetry, Eloquence, and Hiftory continually exhibit to our view thofe elevated fentiments and high examples, which tend to nourish in our minds publick spirit, love of glory, contempt of external fortune, and admiration of every thing, truly great, noble and illuftrious.

Lectures on Rhetorick,

ABRIDGED.

TASTE.

TASTE is " the power of receiving pleasure

"or pain from the beauties or deformities of Nature "and of Art." It is a faculty common in fome degree to all men. Through the circle of human nature, nothing is more general, than the relish of Beauty of one kind or others of what is orderly, proportioned, grand, harmonious, new, or fprightly. Nor does there prevail lefs generally a difrelish of whatever is grofs, difproportioned, diforderly, and difcordant. In children the rudiments of Tafte appear very carly in a thousand inftances; in their partiality for regular bodies, their fondness for pictures and statues, and their warm attachment to whatever is new or aftonishing. The most stupid peasants receive pleasure from tales and ballads, and are delighted with the beautiful appearances of nature in the earth and heavens. Even in the deferts of America, where human nature appears in its most uncultivated.ftate, the favages have their ornaments of dress, their war and their death fongs, their harangues and their orators. The principles of Taste must therefore be deeply founded in the human mind. To have fome difcernment of Beauty is no less effential to man, than to poffefs the attributes of speech and reason.

Though no human being can be entirely devoid of this faculty, yet it is poffeffed in very different degrees. In fome men only faint glimmerings of Tafte are vifible; the beauties, which they relish are of the coarseft kind; and of these they have only a weak and confused impreffion; while in others Tafte rifes to an acute difcernment, and a lively enjoyment of the most refined beauties.

This inequality of Taste among men is to be af cribed undoubtedly in part to the different frame of their natures; to nicer organs, and more delicate internal powers, with which fome are endued beyond others; yet it is owing ftill more to culture and education. Tafte is certainly one of the most improva ble faculties of our nature. We may easily be convinced of the truth of this affertion by only reflecting on that immenfe fuperiority, which education and improvement give to civilized above barbarous nations in refinement of Tafte; and on the advantage, which they give in the fame nation to thofe, who have studied the liberal arts, above the rude and illiterate vulgar.

Reafon and good fenfe have fo extenfive an influence on all the operations and decisions of Tafte, that a completely good Tafte may well be confidered, as a power compounded of natural fenfibility to beauty and of improved underftanding. To be fatisfied of this, we may obferve, that the greater part of the productions of Genius are no other than imitations of nature; reprefentations of the characters, actions, or manners of men. Now the pleasure we experience from fuch imitations or representations is founded on mere Tafte; but to judge, whether they be proper

ly executed, belongs to the understanding, which compares the copy with the original.

In reading, for inftance, the Eneid of Virgil, a great part of our pleasure arifes from the proper conduct of the plan or ftory; from all the parts being joined together with probability and due connexion; from the adoption of the characters from nature, the correfpondence of the fentiments to the characters, and of the ftyle to the fentiments. The pleasure,

which is derived from a poem fo conducted, is felt or enjoyed by Taste, as an internal fenfe; but the difcovery of this conduct in the poem is owing to reafon; and the more reafon enables us to discover fuch propriety in the conduct, the greater will be our pleasure. The constituents of Tafte, when brought to its most perfect state, are two, Delicacy and Correctness.

Delicacy of Tafte refers principally to the perfection of that natural fenfibility, on which Taste is founded. It implies those finer organs or powers, which enable us to discover beauties, that are concealed from a vulgar eye. It is judged of by the fame marks, that we employ in judging of the delicacy of an external fenfe. As the goodness of the palate is not tried by ftrong flavours, but by a mixture of ingredients, where, notwithstanding the confufion, we remain fenfible of each; fo delicacy of internal Tafte appears by a quick and lively fenfibility to its finest, most compounded, or moft latent objects.

Correctness of Tafte refpects the improvement this faculty receives through its connexion with the underftanding. A man of correct taste is one, who is never imposed on by counterfeit beauties; who carries always in his own mind that ftandard of good fenfe,