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hinted, have fo extenfive an influence on all the operations and decifions of tafte, that a thorough good taste may well be confidered as a power compounded of natural fenfibility to beauty, and of improved understanding. In order to be fatisfied of this, let us obferve, that the greater part of the productions of genius are no other than imitations of naturerepresentations of the characters, actions, or manners of men. The pleasure we receive from fuch imitations, or representations, is founded on mere tafte but to judge whether they be properly executed, belongs to the understanding, which compares the copy with the original.

In reading, for inftance, fuch a poem as the Æneid, a great part of our pleasure arifes from the plan or story being well conducted, and all the parts joined together with probability and due connexion -from the characters being taken from nature, the fentiments being fuited to the characters, and the ftyle to the fentiments. The pleafure which arifes from a poem fo conducted, is felt or enjoyed by tafte, as an internal fenfe: but the difcovery of this conduct in the poem is owing to reafon; and the more that reafon enables us to difcover fuch propriety in the conduct, the greater will be our pleafure. We are pleased, through our natural sense of beauty. Reafon fhows us why, and upon what grounds we are pleafed. Wherever, in works of taste, any resemblance to nature is aimed at-wherever there is any reference of parts to a wholeor of means to an end, as there is indeed in almoft every writing and difcourfe, there the understanding must always have a great part to act.

Here then is a wide field for reafon's exerting its powers, in relation to the objects of taste, particularly with respect to composition and works of genius; and hence arifes a fecond and a very confiderable fource of the improvement of taste, from the

application of reafon and good fenfe to fuch productions of genius. Spurious beauties, fuch as unnatural characters, forced fentiments, affected ftyle, may pleafe for a little but they pleafe only because their oppofition to nature and to good fenfe has not been examined, or attended to. Once show how nature might have been more justly imitated or reprefented-how the writer might have managed his fubject to greater advantage-the illufion will prefently be diffipated, and thefe falfe beauties will please no more.

From these two fources, then, first, the frequent exercise of tafte, and next, the application of good fenfe and reason to the objects of taste, taste as a power of the mind receives its improvement. In its perfect state, it is undoubtedly the refult both of nature and of art. It fuppofes our natural sense of beauty to be refined by frequent attention to the moft beautiful objects, and at the fame time to be guided and improved by the light of the underftanding.

I must be allowed to add, that as a found head, fo likewife a good heart, is a very material requifite to juft tafte. The moral beauties are not only in themselves fuperior to all others, but they exert an influence, either more near or more remote, on a great variety of other objects of tafte. Wherever the affections, characters, or actions of men are concerned (and thefe certainly afford the nobleft fubjects to genius), there can be neither any juft or affecting defcription of them, nor any thorough feeling of the beauty of that defcription, without our poffeffing the virtuous affections. He, whofe heart is indelicate or hard, he who has no admiration of what is truly noble or praifeworthy, nor the proper fympathetic fenfe of what is foft and tender, must have a very imperfect relifh of the highest beauties of eloquence and poetry.

The characters of tafte, when brought to its most improved state, are all reducible to two, delicacy and correctnefs.

Delicacy of taste respects principally the perfection of that natural fenfibility on which tafte is founded. It implies thofe finer organs or powers, which enable us to difcover beauties that lie hid from a vulgar eye. One may have strong fenfibility, and yet be deficient in delicate tafte. He may be deeply impressed by fuch beauties as he perceives; but he perceives only what is in fome degree coarse, what is bold and palpable; while chafter and fimpler ornaments efcape his notice. In this ftate, taste generally exists among rude and unrefined nations. But a perfon of delicate tafte both feels ftrongly, and feels accurately. He fees diftinctions and differences where others fee none; the most latent beauty does not escape him; and he is fenfible of the smallest blemish. Delicacy of tafte is judged of by the fame marks that we ufe 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; in like manner, delicacy of internal tafte appears, by a quick and lively fenfibility to its finest, most compounded, or most latent objects.

Correctnefs of tafte refpects chiefly the improvement which that faculty receives through its connexion with the understanding. A man of correct tafte is one who is never impofed on by counterfeit beauties-who carries always in his mind that ftandard of good fenfe, which he employs in judging of every thing. He estimates with propriety the comparative merit of the feveral beauties which he meets with in any work of genius; refers them to their proper claffes; affigns the principles, as far as they can be traced, whence their power

of pleasing flows and is pleafed himself precifely in that degree in which he ought, and no more.

It is true, that these two qualities of tafte, delicacy and correctnefs, mutually imply each other. No taste can be exquifitely delicate without being correct; nor can be thoroughly correct, without being delicate. But ftill a predominancy of one or other quality in the mixture is often vifible. The power of delicacy is chiefly feen in difcerning the true merit of a work; the power of correctness, in rejecting false pretensions to merit. Delicacy leans more to feeling; correctness more to reafon and judgment. The former is more the gift of nature; the latter, more the product of culture and art. Among the ancient critics, Longinus poffeffed moft delicacy; Ariftotle moft correctnefs. Among the moderns, mr. Addifon is a high example of delicate tafte; dean Swift, had he written on the fubject of criticifm, would perhaps have afforded the example of a correct one.

Having viewed tafte in its moft improved and perfect state, I come next to confider its deviations from that ftate, the fluctuations and changes to which it is liable; and to enquire, whether, in the midst of these, there be any means of diftinguishing a true from a corrupted taste. This brings us to the most difficult part of our task. For it must be acknowledged, that no principle of the human mind is, in its operations, more fluctuating and capricious than tafte. Its variations have been fo great and frequent, as to create a fufpicion with fome, of its being merely arbitrary-grounded on no foundation, afcertainable by no ftandard, but wholly dependent on changing fancy; the confequence of which would be, that all ftudies or regular enquiries concerning the objects of taste, were vain. In architecture, the Grecian models were long esteemed the most perfect. In fucceeding ages, the Gothic

architecture alone prevailed, and afterwards the Grecian tafte revived in all its vigour, and engroffed the public admiration. In eloquence and poetry, the Afiatics at no time relifhed any thing but what was full of ornament, and fplendid in a degree that we should denominate gawdy; whilft the Greeks admired only chafte and fimple beauties, and defpifed the Afiatic oftentation. In our own country, how many writings that were greatly extolled two or three centuries ago, are now fallen into entire difrepute and oblivion? Without going back to remote inftances, how very different is the tafte of poetry which prevails in Great Britain now, from what prevailed there no longer ago than the reign of king Charles II. which the authors too of that time deemed an Auguftan age when nothing was in vogue but an affected brilliancy of wit; when the fimple majefty of Milton was overlooked, and Paradife Loft almoft entirely unknown; when Cowley's laboured and unnatural conceits were admired as the very quinteffence of genius; Waller's gay sprightlinefs was mistaken for the tender fpirit of love poetry; and fuch writers as Suckling and Etheridge were held in efteem for dramatic compofition?

The question is, what conclufion we are to form from fuch inftances as the fe? Is there any thing that can be called a standard of tafte, by appealing to which we may diftinguish between a good and a bad tafte? Or is there in truth no fuch diftinction; and are we to hold that, according to the proverb, there is no difputing of tastes; but whatever pleafes is right, for that reafon that it does pleafe? This is the question, and a very nice and subtile one it is, which we are now to difcufs.

I begin by obferving, that if there be no fuch thing as any standard of tafte, this confequence muft immediately follow, that all taftes are equally

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