Fight in truth, in virtue, in fimplicity, may be faid to have a tafte for it. And, not to be charmed with fuch qualities; or to approve their oppofites; to be infenfible of harmony; to relish grofs buffoonery; to prefer bad pictures to good, and finical ornament to manly fimplicity, are proofs of bad taste; as difregard to truth, and indifference to virtue, are, of both a bad tafte, and a bad heart.

Secondly; As Elegance, Sublimity, Beauty, and the other qualities here mentioned as objects of tafte, are all good and agreeable; we might, by trufting to the definition, be led to fuppofe, that Tafte, being an inlet to pleasure only, is not connected with painful emotions. But, in the works of human art, it is the office of Tafte, to discern, not only what is excellent, but also what is faulty; and to be delighted with the one, and diffatisfied with the other, according as that approaches to perfection, and this deviates from it. To read Blackmoré and Milton with the fame relifh, or the fame indifference; or, while we admire the latter, not to be difgufted with the former, would be a fign of bad tafte, or of total infenfibility. A good natured critick may confine his remarks to the beauties of his author: but, if he have true difcernment, it is impoffible for him not to perceive, and be of fended with, the blemishes.

Since, then, that fort of mental fagacity, which we call Tafte, is too complex to be characterized in a fhort definition; I proceed to enumerate thofe faculties or talents, which muft be united in the perfon who poffeffes it.

Το

To be a person of taste, it seems neceffary, that one have, first, a lively and correct imagination; fecondly, the power of diftinct apprehenfion; thirdly, the capacity of being easily, ftrongly, and agreeably affected, with fublimity, beauty, harmony, exact imitation, &c.; fourthly, Sympathy, or Senfibility of heart; and, fifthly, Judgment, or Good Senfe, which is the principal thing, and may not very improperly be faid to comprehend all the reft.

I. Good taste implies Lively Imagination. This talent qualifies one, for readily understanding an author's purpofe; tracing the connection of his thoughts; forming the fame views of things which he had formed; and clearly conceiving the feveral images or ideas that the artist defcribes or delineates.

In this refpect, the minds of different men are differently conftituted. Some can enter into a defcription of what they have feen, or of what is familiar; and follow an author's train of thought, when he lays down a plan, and proceeds accordingly: but are not able to comprehend fuch thoughts or images as are uncommon; or to mark thofe delicacies of connection, which give furprife, or which imitate the defultory operations of enthusiasm, or any other ardent paffion. Yet thefe delicate tranfitions are among the chief beauties of poetry. The philofopher lays down a plan, and follows it; his bufinefs being only, to inftruct. But the orator fometimes, and the poet frequently, conceals his plan, and makes you expect fomething different from what he intends; because his aim is, to pleafe, by working upon your paffions, and

fancy:

fancy which is never more effectually done, than when he exhibits what is at once natural and furprising. In the end of Virgil's fecond Georgick, the praifes of a country life are, by the poet's management, clofely connected with the former part of the book, which treats of trees and vines: but the connection is not obvious to every eye; and they, who do not fee it, blame the author for his want of method. The fame delicate contrivance appears in the end of the first Georgick: where, from the precepts of agriculture, he makes a nice though natural transition to the prodigies that attended the death of Julius Cefar, and thence to the calamities of civil war; after which, he refumes with equal art the fubject of agriculture, and fo concludes the book.

The language of enthufiafim, and of all thofe paffions that ftrongly agitate the foul, is naturally incoherent; and may appear even extravagant to thofe, who cannot enter into the views of the speaker, or form an idea of what is paffing in his mind. Hence, in the odes of Pindar, and in fome of the odes of Gray, which imitate the language of enthusiasm, many readers complain, that they are often at a lofs to difcover connection between the contiguous fentiments; while others, not more learned perhaps, find no difficulty in conceiving the progrefs of ideas, that lead thefe authors from one thought or image to another, The latter, furely, are the only perfons qualified to judge of thofe odes: and this qualification they feem to derive from their fuperiour liveliness of fancy. In a word, the imagination of a critick muft, in refpect of vivacity, be able to keep pace with that of the

authors,

authors, whom he affumes the privilege of judging, or wishes to read with the true relish. Their powers of invention it is not neceffary that he poffefs: but, in readily apprehending or imagining every thing they are pleased to set before him he cannot be in any degree inferiour, without being in the fame degree an incompetent judge. If we are unable to conceive a poet's imagery, or enter into his fentiments, we underftand him as little, as if we were ignorant of his language.

The greatest liveliness of imagination will, however, avail but little, if it is not corrected and regulated by the knowledge of nature, both external or material, and internal or moral. Without this, there cannot be Tafte; because one cannot difcern, whether the productions of art be natural or unnatural; that is, whether they be good or bad. In acquiring that knowledge of nature, which is neceffary to tafte, a man needs not defcend to the minutia of natural history; but he must contemplate all the ftriking appearances of the world around him, furveying them in thofe picturefque attitudes, in which they moft powerfully captivate the mind, and awaken the paffions,

As means of promoting in young perfons a tafte for the beauties of external nature, I have in another place recommended frequent perufals of the best descriptive poets, particularly Virgil, Spenfer, and Thomfon; together with fome practice in drawing. I may now add, that Homer, Milton, and Shakespeare will improve

Effay on Poetry and Mufick. Part i. chap. 2.

that

that tafte, and at the fame time make them acquainted with Moral nature, that is, with human paffions and characters; which, however, as Horace intimates *, cannot be thoroughly understood, but by careful obfervation of men and manners, as they appear in the active fcenes of real life.

Liveliness of imagination, though a natural gift, is not unfufceptible of improvement. By studying the works of nature and art; by travelling into foreign countries, and converfing with people of different profeffions, capacities, and manners; by exploring new fcenes of the inanimate world, mountains, vallies, and plains, whether diftinguished by their wildness or regu larity, by their beauty or grandeur; the memory may be stored with new ideas, which, if properly arranged and afcertained, will give vigour to all the mental powers, and to imagination among the rest. Milton is faid to have quickened his fancy, by reading the old romances. And Leonardo da Vinci recommends it to the painter, to go into decayed buildings, and obferve the ftains on the broken and mouldy walls, where an eye accustomed to look at fuch things will frequently difcern figures resembling clouds, battles, uncommon attitudes, draperies, ludicrous faces, and the like: agreeably to which idea, a pamphlet has been published †, to fhow, how, from a few random strokes of a pencil dipped in Indian ink, hints may be obtained for the invention of landfcapes. Every thing,

Ar. Poet. verf. 317.

+An Effay to facilitate the inventing of Landscapes. London 1759.

indeed,