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On the STUDY of the BELLES LETTRES.

Upon TASTE.

TH HE knowledge of history enables the poet not only to paint characters, but also to defcribe magnificent and interesting scenes of battle and adventure; not that the poet or painter ought to be reftrained to the letter of historical truth. History reprefents what has really happen.ed in nature: the other arts exhibit what might have happened, with fuch exaggeration of circumstance and feature, as may be deemed an improvement on nature: but this exaggeration must not be carried beyond the bounds of probability; and these, generally fpeaking, the knowledge of hiftory will afcertain. It would be extremely difficult, if not impoffible, to find a man actually exifting, whofe proportions should answer to thofe of the Greek statue, .diftinguifhed by the name of the Apollo of Belvedere; or to produce a woman fimilar in proportion of parts to the other celebrated piece,called the Venus de Medicis, .therefore, it may be truly affirmed, that they are not conformable to the real tandard of nature: nevertheless, every artist will own that they are the very archetypes of grace, elegance, and fymmetry; and every judging eye muft behold them with admiration, as improvements on the lines and lineaments of nature. The truth is, the fculptor or itatuary compofed the vårious proportions in nature, from a great number of different fubjects, every individual of which he found imperfect or defective in fome one particular, though beautiful in all the reft; and from these obfervations, corroborated by taste and judgment, he formed an ideal pattern according to which his idea was modelled, and produced in execution. Every body knows the story of Zeuxis, the famous painter of Heraclea, who, according to

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[Continued.]

Pliny, invented the chiaro ofcuro, or dispofition of light and fhade among the ancients, and excelled all his cotemporaries in the chromatique, or art of colouring. This great artist being employed to draw a perfect beauty in the character of Helen, to be placed in the temple of Juno, culled out five of the most beautiful damfels the city could produce, and selecting what was excellent in each, combined them in one picture, according to the predispofition of his fancy, fo that it fhone forth an amazing model of perfection *. In like manner, every man of genius, regulated by true tafte, entertains in his imagination an ideal beauty, conceived and cultivated as an improvement upon nature; and this we refer to the article of Invention. It is the bufinefs of art to imitate nature, but not with a fervile pencil; and to chufe thofe attitudes and difpofitions only, which are beautiful and engaging. With this view we must avoid all difagreeable profpects of nature, which excite the ideas of abhorence and difguft; for example, a painter would not find his account in exhibiting the refemblance of a dead carcafe half confumed by vermin, or of fwine wallowing in ordure, or of a beggar lousing himfelf on a dung-hill, though these scenes fhould be painted never fo naturally, and all the world must allow that the fcenes were taken from nature; because the merit of the imitation would be greatly over-balanced by the vile choice of the artist. There are, nevertheless, many fcenes of horror, which please in the reprefentation, from a certain interesting greatnefs, which we fhall endeavour to explain, when we come to consider the fublime. Were we to judge every production by the rigorous rules of nature, we

Præbete quæfo, inquit, ex iftis virginibus formofiffimas, dum pingo id quod pollicitus fum vobis, ut mutum in fimulacrum ex animali exemplo veritas transferatur. Ille autem quinque delegit. Neque enim putavit omnia quæ quærere ad venuftatem, uno in corpore fe reperire poffe; ideo quod nihil fimplici in genere omnibus ex partibus perfeâum natura expolivit. Cic. Lib. 2. de Inv. cap. 1.

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fhould reject the Iliad of Homer, the
Eneid of Virgil, and every celebrated
tragedy of antiquity and the prefent times;
'because there is no fuch thing in nature,
as a Hector or Turnus talking in hexame-
ter, or an Othello in blank-verfe : we
fhould condemn the Hercules of Sophocles,
and the Mifer of Moliere, because we
never knew a hero fo strong as the one,
or a wretch fo fordid as the other. But
if we confider poetry as an elevation of
natural dialogue, as a delightful vehicle for
conveying the noblest sentiments of heroifm
and patriot virtue, to regale the fenfe with
the founds of musical expreffion, while the
fancy is ravished with inchanting images,
and the heart warmed to rapture and ex-
tafy; we must allow that poetry is a per-
fection to which nature would gladly
afpire; and that though it furpaffes, it
does not deviate from her, provided the
characters are marked with propriety, and
fuftained with genius. Characters, there-
fore, both in poetry and painting, may be
a little overcharged or exaggerated with-
out offering violence to nature; nay, they
muft be exaggerated in order to be ftrik-
ing; and to preserve the idea of imitation,
from whence the reader and fpectator de-
rive in many instances their chief delight.
If we meet a common acquaintance in
the street, we fee him without emotion;
but fhould we chance to fpy his portrait
well executed, we are truck with pleaf-
ing admiration. In this cafe the pleafure
arifes intirely from the imitation.
every day hear unmoved the natives of
Ireland and Scotland fpeaking their ovn
dialects; but, fhould an Englishman
mimick either, we are apt to burst out
into a loud laugh of applaufe, being fur-
prifed and tickled by the imitation alone;
though, at the fame time, we cannot but
aliow that the imitation is imperfect.
We are more affected by reading Shake-
fpear's defcription of Dover cliff, and
Otway's picture of the old hag, than we
fhould be, were we actually placed on the
fummit of the one, or met in reality
with fuch a beldame as the other; be-
caufe in reading thefe defcriptions, we
refer to our own experience, and perceive
with furprise the jusiness of the imitations.
Bit if it is fo clofe as to be miftaken for

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nature, the pleasure then will cease, be-
cause the pipen or imitation no longer
appears. Ariftotle says, that all poetry and
mufic is imitation *, whether epic, tragic,
or comic, whether vacal or inftrumental,
from the pipe or the lyre. He obferves,
that in man there is a propensity to imi-
tate even from his infancy; that the first
perceptions of the mind are acquired by
imitation; and feems to think that the plen-
fure derived from imitation is the gratifica-
tion of an appetite implanted by nature. We
fhould rather think the pleasure it gives,
arifes from the mind's contemplating that
excellency of art, which thus rivals nature,
and seems to vie with her in creating fuch
a ftriking resemblance of her works.
Thus the arts may be justly termed imi-
tative, even in the article of invention:
for, in forming a character, contriving an
incident, and defcribing a scene, he must
Atill keep nature in view, and refer every
particular of his invention to her standard;
otherwife his production will be destitute
of truth and probability, without which
the beauties of imitation cannot fubfift. It
will be a monster of incongruity, fuch as
Horace alludes to, in the beginning of
his epiftle to the Pifos.

Humano capiti cervicem pictor equinam
Jungere fi velit, & varias inducere plumas
Undique collatis membris ; ut turpiter

atrum

Definat in pifcem, mulier formosa superne!
Spectatum admissi, risum teneatis amici.
Suppofe a painter to a human head
Should join a horse's neck, and wildlyspread
O'er limbs of different beafts abfurdly join'd;
The various plumage of the feather'd kind,
Or if he gave to view a beauteous maid,
Above the waift with every charm array'd;
Should a foul fifh her lower parts unfold;
Would you not laugh such pictures to be-
hold?

The magazine of nature fupplies all thofe images which compofe the most beautiful imitations. This the artist examines occafionally, as he would confult a collection of masterly sketches; and felecting particulars for his purpose, mingles the ideas with a kind of enthusiasm, or ri Seo which is that gift of heaven we call genius, and finally produces such

* Σποπεία δὴ καὶ ἡ τῆς τραγωδίας ποίησις, ἔτι δὲ κωμωδία καὶ ἡ διθυραμβοποιητική, καὶ ή αθλιτικής ή πλείση και καθαρισικής, πᾶσαι τογχανουσιν εἴσαι μιμῆς εἰς το συνολον. a whole,

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a whole, as commands admiration and applaufe.

The study of polite literature is generally fuppofed to include all the liberal arts of poetry, painting, sculpture, music, eloquence, and architecture. All thefe are founded on imitation: and all of them mutually assist and illuftrate each other. But as painting, fculpture, music, and architecture, cannot be perfectly attained without long practice of manual opera tion; we shall distinguish them from poetry and eloquence, which depend entirely on the faculties of the mind;, and on these last, as on the arts which immediately conftitute the Belles Lettres, employ our attention in the present enquiry: or, if it should run to a greater length than we propofe, it shall be confined to poetry alone; a fubject that comprehends in its full extent the province of taste, or what is called polite literature; and differs efféntially from eloquence, both in its end and origin. Poetry sprung from ease, and was confecrated to pleasure; whereas eloquence arose from neceffity, and aims at conviction. When we fay poetry fprang from eafe, perhaps we ought to except that species of it, which owed its rife to infpiration and enthusiasm, and properly belonged to the culture of religion. In the first ages of mankind, and even in the original state of nature, the unlettered mind must have been ftruck with fublime conceptions, with admiration and awe by those great phænomena, which, though every day repeated, can never be viewed without internal emotion. Those would break forth in exclamations, expreffive of the paffion produced, whether furprise or gratitude, terror or exultation. The rifing, the apparent course, the setting, and feeming renovation of the fun; the revolution of light and darkness; the splendour, change, and circuit of the moon; and the canopy of heaven, befpangled with stars, muft have produced expressions of wonder and adoration. "O glorious laminary! great eye of the world! fource of that light, which guides my steps! of that heat, which warms me when chilled with cold! of that influence which chears the face of nature! whither doft thru retire every evening with the fhades? Whence doft thou fpring every morning with renovated lustre, and never fading glory? Art not thou the raler, the creator, the

God, of all that I behold? I adore thee, as thy child, thy flave, thy fuppliant! 1 crave thy protection, and the continuance of thy goodness! Leave me not to perif with cold; or to wander solitary in utter darkness! Return, return, after thy wonted abfence: drive before thee the gloomy clouds that would obfcure the face of na ture. The birds begin to warble, and every animal is filled with gladness at thy approach: even the trees, the herbs, and the flowers, feem to rejoice with fresher beauties, and fend forth a grateful incenfe to thy, power, from whence their origin is derived!" A number of individuals, infpired with the fame ideas, would join in thefe orisons, which would be accompanied with correfponding gefilculations of the body. They would be improved by practice, and grow regular from repetition. The founds and' geftures would naturally fall into measured ca dence. Thus, the song and dance would' be produced'; and a system of worship being formed, the mufe would be conse crated to the purposes of religion. Hence thofe forms of thanksgivings, and litanies of fupplication, with which the religious rites of all nations, even the most batbarous, are at this day celebrated in every quarter of the known world. Indeed, this is a circumftance in which all nations furprisingly agree, How much foever they may differ in every other article of laws, customs, manners, and religion. The antient Egyptians celebrated the festivals of their god Apis, with hymns and dances: The fuperftition of the Greeks, partly derived from the Egyptians, abound ed with poetical ceremonies, fuch as choruffes and hymns, fung and danced at their apotheofes, facrifices, games, and' divinations: The Romans had their carmen feculare, and Salian priests, who, on certain festivals, fang and danced through the streets of Rome. The Ifraelites were famous for this kind of exultation; " And Miriam, the prophetefs, the fifter of Aaron, took a timbret in her hand, and all the women went out after her, with timbrels and with dances, and Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the Lord, &c." "And David danced bsfore the Lord with all his might." The pfalms compofed by this monarch; the fongs of Deborah and Ifaiah, are farther confirmations of what we have advanced. From the Phænians the Greeks bor

rowed

rowed the curfed Orthyan fong, when they facrificed their children to Diana. The poetry of the bards conftituted great part of the religious ceremonies among the Gauls and Britains; and the caroufels of the Goths were religious inftitutions, celebrated with fongs of triumph.

The Mahometan Dervife dances to the found of the flute, and whirls himself round until he grows giddy, and falls into a trance. Their Marabous

compofe

hymns in praife of Allah. The Chinese celebrate their grand feftivals with proceffions of idols, fongs, and instrumental mufic. The Tartars, Samoiedes, Laplanders, Negroes, even the Caffres called Hottentots, folemnize their worship (such as it is) with fongs and dancing; so that we may venture to fay, poetry is the univerfal vehicle in which all nations have expreffed their most fublime conceptions. [To be Continued.]

HISTORY OF CANADA. [Continued.]

Anno N the courfe of this year, the 1667. tribe of the Hurons Thionontatez, wearied of a wandering life, fixed their habitation at Michillimakinac, near the two points of land that form the ftreight, through which the Michigan communicates with the lake Huron. Father Marquette, under whofe aufpices they made this fettlement, obferves in his memoirs, that the navigation of thefe lakes is rendered very difficult by the irregularity of the tides, which in the neighbourhood of this colony, rife and fall once in four and twenty hours, at new and full moon, and fet always from the lake Huron into the Jake Michigan. This is very fenfibly perceived when the wind blows foutherly: in that cafe the ficats of ice are feen driving with the tide, at a furprising rate. Neverthelefs, this tide does not hinder the natural current of the Michigan and lake Superior from difembogueing themselves into the lake Huron. the ftreight, through which the lake Superior runs into the Huron, there are feveral fubmarine currents, fo ftrong as fometimes to carry away the fishing lines; whence it is conjectured that this great lake difcharges part of its waters into the Michigan by thefe fubterraneous canals, as the Cafpian, is faid to communicate with the Euxine fea and the Mediterranean: this is the more probable, as the lake Superior receives at least forty rivers, fome of which are as large and deep as the freight, confequently it must receive an infinite greater quantity of water than it difcharges, unle ́s we fuppofe it is furnished with fuch outlets. The fame fuppofition is applicable to the Michigan, which, befides the water of the great bay, receives a great number of

In

large rivers. That it has fubmarine difcharges befides its vifible outlet into the lake Huron, appears from this circumftance, that all the rocks found at a certain depth in the ftreight of the Fall of St. Mary, are perforated like fponges, and many hollowed in the form of grottoes; effects produced by those subaqueous currents.

In the beginning of this year, the Indians in this part of Canada were alarmed by a confiderable number of parhelia or mock funs, which they fuppofed to be the wives of the true fun, produced by way of fhew or parade to the inhabitants of the earth; but they were fucceeded by a very fevere froft, though the winter was of very fhort duration. In the latter end of the feafon, the Iroquois terminated a war, which they had main tained feveral years against the Andaftes and Chaoaanous, whofe tribes they utterly extinguished by incorporating all the prifoners with their own cantons; thus repairing the lofs of men sustained in the war, at the expence of their enemies.

[An. 1672] Mr. de Courcelles, perfuaded more than ever of the neceffity of oppofing a barrier against fuch a turbulent and dangerous people, whofe power and reputation every day increased, gave notice to their chiefs, that he had an affair of confequence to communicate, and that he would give them the meeting at Cuderakui. There they repaired in great numbers, and were fumptuously entertained, as well as enriched with prefents: then the general declared his intention to build a fort upon that fpot, where they might come and trade more conveniently with the French colonists. They did not immediately perceive that his defign

among the Miamis, and Joliet repaired to Quebec. When the riffs are once paffed, the river of Foxes rolls gently along through a charming country. The climate is delightful; the woods are in-. terfperfed with agreeable meadows, abounding with wild beafts, especially thofe wild cattle of the Illinois, covered with wool: divers fmall ftreams fall into the river of Foxes, the banks of which are covered with a kind of wild oats, which, in the autumn, attract a prodigious quantity of game. The woods abound with vines, which bear raifins, with plumbs, apples, and other kinds of fruit of good flavour, which might be greatly improved by cultivation. To the fouthward lies the country of the Mafcoutins, whem the French, from a mistake in the etymology, call the nation of fire; and they are in continual alliance with their neighbours the Kicapous: though, at this particular period, the terror of the Iroquois and the Sioux, had united thefe nations with the Miamis: and there were no lefs than three thousand warriors in the field. The Gofpel was preached to thefe people and the Outagamis, with little or no effe&t; though the miffionaries were kindly received, and found them much more humanized than the more northern Indians.

was no other than to keep them in awe with the neighbourhood of a fort, which might check their incurfions, and ferve as a magazine of provifion and ammunition, in cafe he fhould find it neceffary or convenient to have recourfe to arms. They feemed rather pleafed with the defign, which was accordingly put in execution next fpring by the count de Frontenac, who fucceeded him in his government. This new general was brave, penetrating, polite, and fruitful in refources; but, at the fame time, open to prejudices, imperious, and vindictive. In the mean time, Mr. Talon, having extended the empire of France a confiderable way to the North and Weft, undertook new difcoveries. He had received information from the Indians, of a great river in the weft, called Mechaffipi, and employed father Marquette, together with one Joliet, a burgher of Quebec, in an excurfion to that country, in order to afcertain whether the Mechaffipi ran into the South Sea, or into the Atlantic. They departed together from the bay of the lake Michigan; and embarking on the river of Foxes, traced it up with great difficulty almost to its fource. Then they travelled fome time by land, until they re-imbarked on the Suifconfing, and, fteering their courfe wefterly, found themselves in the Mechaffipi, in forty-two degrees and an half of north latitude. In falling gently down the ftream, they arrived at three villages of the Indians called Illinois, among whom they met with a very hospitable reception. The truth is, they dreaded the approach of a war with the Iroquois, who had lately made incurfions into their country; and they wanted to engage the alliance or good offices of the governorgeneral of Canada. Thefe Indians inhabited the country about three leagues below the place where the Miffouri runs into the Mechaffipi. The two travellers continued to fall down the river to the nation of the Akansas, about the thirtythird degree of latitude. Here their provifions beginning to fail, they did not choose to proceed farther, through an unknown country; efpecially as they - were by this time fully convinced, that the river difcharged itself into the gulph of Mexico. They therefore returned as they went, and parted at Chicagon on the Michigan. Marquette remained October, 1761,

[An. 1674.] During thefe tranfactions, Mr. de Frontenac, the new governor of New France, incurred the difpleasure of the clergy; quarrelled with Mr. de Chefneau, who had fucceeded M. Talon as intendant; and rendered himfelf odious to the people in general by his haughty and litigious difpofition. is predeceffor, in order to have a check upon the Iroquois cantons, had invited thofe favages to fettle the meadow of Magdalen, where a confiderable number fixed their habitation accordingly but as the foil would not bear that kind of grain, which thofe Indians ufe for provifion, a dearth enfued and the new colony was in danger of being abandoned entirely. With a view to prevent this misfortune, the miffionaries afked leave of the governor and intendant to remove this fettlement oppofite to the fall of St. Louis. The count de Frontenac took no notice of their request; but Mr. de Chesneau granted it, and the Indians were immediately transplanted. The count formed, and treated the intendant with the most outrageous infolence; but, in fpite of all 222

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