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or familiar objects; for if these be not agreeable as well as their meaning, the emblem upon the whole will not be relished. A room in a dwelling-house containing a monument to a deceafed friend, is dedicated to Melancholy: it has a clock that ftrikes every minute, to fignify how fwiftly time paffes-upon the monument, weeping figures and other hackney'd ornaments commonly found upon tomb-ftones, with a ftuffed raven in a corner-verfes on death, and other ferious fubjects, infcribed all around. The objects are too familiar, and the artifice too apparent, to produce the intended effect.*

The ftatue of Mofes ftriking a rock from which water actually iffues, is alfo in a falfe tafte; for it is mixing reality with reprefentation. Mofes himfelf may bring water out of the rock, but this miracle is too much for his ftatue. The fame objection lies against a cascade where the ftatue of a water-god pours out of his urn real water.

I am more doubtful whether the fame objection lies against the employing ftatues of animals as fupports, that of a negro, for example, fupporting a dial, ftatues of fifh, fupporting a bafon of water, Termes fupporting a chimney-piece; for when a ftone is ufed as a fupport, where is the incongruity, it will be faid, to cut it into the form of an animal? But leav ing this doubtful, another objection occurs, That fuch defigns muft in fome meafure be difagreeable, by the appearance of giving pain to a fenfitive being.

It is obferved above of gardening, that it contrib utes to rectitude of manners, by inspiring gaiety and benevolence. I add another obfervation, That both gardening

In the city of Mexico, there was a palace termed the house of af filion, where Montezuma retired upon lofing any of his friends, or up. on any public calamity. This houfe was better adjufled to its deflita tion it infpired a fort of horror: all was black and difmal: fmall windows fhut up with grates, lcarce allowing paffage to the light.

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gardening and architecture contribute to the fame end, by infpiring a tafte for neatnefs and elegance. In Scotland, the regularity and polifh even of a turnpike-road has fome influence of this kind upon the low people in the neighbourhood. They become fond of regularity and neatnefs; which is difplayed, first upon their yards and little inclofures, and next within doors. A tafte for regularity and neatness thus acquired, is extended by degrees to drefs, and even to behaviour and manners. The author of a history of Switzerland, describing the fierce manners ⚫ of the Plebeians of Bern three or four centuries ago, continually inured to fuccefs in war, which made them infolently aim at a change of government in order to establish a pure democracy, obferves, that no circumftance tended more to fweeten their manners, and to make them fond of peace, than the public buildings carried on by the fenate for ornamenting their capital; particularly a fine town-house, and a magnificent church, which to this day, fays our author, stands its ground as one of the finest in Europe.

CHAP.

CHA P. XXV.

Standard of Tafte.

“THAT

"THAT there is no disputing about taste,”

meaning taste in its figurative as well as proper fenfe, is a faying fo generally received as to have become a proverb. One thing even at firft view is evident, that if the proverb hold true with respect to taste in its proper meaning, it must hold equally true with refpect to our other external fenfes : if the pleafures of the palate difdain a comparative trial, and reject all criticifm, the pleasures of touch, of fmell, of found, and even of fight, muft be equally privileged. At that rate, a man is not within the reach of cenfure, even where he prefers the Saracen's head upon a fign-poft before the best tablature of Raphael, or a rude Gothic tower before the finest Grecian building; or where he prefers the fmell of a rotten carcafs before that of the most odoriferous flower, or difcords before the moft exquifite harmony.

But we cannot ftop here. If the pleasures of external fenfe be exempted from criticifm, why not every one of our pleafures, from whatever fource derived? if tafte in its proper fenfe cannot be difputed, there is little room for difputing it in its figurative fenfe. The proverb accordingly comprehends both; and in that large fenfe may be refolved into the following general propofition, That with refpect to the perceptions of fenfe, by which fome objects appear agrecable, fome difagreeable, there is not fuch a thing as a good or a bad, a right or a wrong; that every man's tafte is to himself an ultimate ftandard without ap

peal;

peal; and confequently that there is no ground of cenfure against any one, if fuch a one there be, who prefers Blackmore before Homer, selfishness before benevolence, or cowardice before magnanimity.

The proverb in the foregoing examples is indeed carried very far: it feems difficult, however, to fap its foundation, or with fuccefs to attack it from any quarter for is not every man equally a judge of what ought to be agreeable or difagreeable to himfelf? doth it not feem whimfical, and perhaps abfurd, to affert, that a man ought not to be pleafed when he is, or that he ought to be pleased when he is not?

This reafoning may perplex, but will never afford conviction every one of tafte will reject it as falfe, however unqualified to detect the fallacy. At the fame time, though no man of tafte will affent to the proverb as holding true in every cafe, no man will affirm that it holds true in no cafe: objects there are, undoubtedly, that we may like or diflike indifferently, without any imputation upon our taste. Were a philofoper, to make a fcale for human pleasures, he would not think of making divifions without end; but would rank together many pleasures arifing perhaps from different objects, either as equally conducing to happinefs, or differing fo imperceptibly as to make a feparation unneceffary. Nature hath taken this course, at leaft it appears fo to the generality of mankind. There may be fubdivifions without end; but we are only fenfible of the groffer divifions, comprehending each of them various pleafures equally affecting to these the proverb is applicable in the ftrictcft fenfe; for with refpe&t to pleasures of the fame rank, what ground can there be for preferring one before another? if a preference in fact be given by any individual, it cannot proceed from tafte, but from cuftom, imitation, or fomne peculiarity of mind.

Nature,

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Nature, in her scale of pleafures, has been sparing of divisions: fhe hath wifely and benevolently filled every divifion with many pleasures; in order that individuals may be contented with their own lot, without envying that of others. Many hands muft be employed to procure us the conveniences of life; and it is neceffary that the different branches of bufinefs, whether more or lefs agreeable, be filled with hands a tafte too refined would obftruct that plan; for it would crowd fome employments, leaving others, no lefs ufeful, totally neglected. In our prefent condition, lucky it is that the plurality are not delicate in their choice, but fall in readily with the occupations, pleafures, food and company, that fortune throws in their way; and if at firft there be any difpleafing circumftance, cuftom foon makes it easy.

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The proverb will hold true as to the particulars now explained; but when applied in general to every fubject of taste, the difficulties to be encountered are infuperable. We need only to mention the difficulty that arifes from human nature itfelf; do we not talk of a good and a bad tafte? of a right and a wrong tafte? and upon that fuppofition, do we not, with great confidence, cenfure writers, painters, architects, and every one who deals in the fine arts? Are fuck criticisms abfurd, and void of cominon fenfe? have the foregoing expreflions, familiar in all languages and among all people, no fort of meaning? This can hardly be; for what is univerfal, muít have a foundation in nature. If we can reach that foundation, the ftandard of tafte will no longer be a fecret.

We have a fenfe or conviction of a common nature, not only in our own fpecies, but in every fpecies of animals and our conviction is verified by experience; for there appears a remarkable uniform

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