Our Sentiments, or moral Feelings, fays he, are, as it were, the Ideas of the Heart: our taftes and inclinations being the affemblages or combinations of thofe feelings, in the fame manner as our opinions, and the propofitions expreffive of them, are of the feveral ideas of the head. The process of Reasoning or Argument forms a chain of propofitions, whose connection and dependance lead the Understanding to thofe conclufions which the force of evidence obliges it neceffarily to adopt. In the fame manner, the Paffions form a regular train of inclinations, whose united force prevails over the will, and neceffarily determines it to defire this or that mode of gratification. Hence, by a philofophical investigation of our moral fenfations, we may form a kind of fentimental fyftem; and, by tracing the paffions to their fource, and obferving their mutual dependencies and connee tions, may fo regulate their operation, as to make them productive of our happiness; in fubjecting them to the rules of right reason, and directing them to the benevolent purposes of humanity. Such is, in abstract, the substance of this work; which our Correfpondent, who furnishes this account, obferves, is much less confiderable for its bulk, than for the many ingenious thoughts it contains. The Author, fays he, has moft fuccessfully carried on this analogy between our feelings and our ideas, or our moral and intellectual fenfe of things, and, in marking the conformity between our appetites and our opinions, has happily applied the art of reasoning to the paffions; a fpecies of Philofophy peculiarly adapted to the Ladies, to whom the Author recommends the study of his Principles. Some of the fair sex, fays the Author, pique themfelves on their knowlege in the fciences, and abftrufe parts of Philofophy; but female understandings fhould be embellifhed only with the qualities of the heart; and therefore the Ladies fhould confine themfelves to the cultivation of the study of such only. Formed by Nature, and intended by Providence, fays he, to furnish the State with fubjects, and to educate them in their earlieft infancy, when it is neceflary to fow and cultivate in their tender breafts, the feeds of virtue, they should regard all other ftudies as improper, that tend to take off their minds from this important object. This, continues he, is the philofophy of their province; which will teach them to fubftitute a rational and cordial affection, in the place of a blind impetuous instinct. In In illuftrating the principles of this philofophy, the Author obferves, that a fimple idea is the image of a being, mode, or fubftance present to the mind; whereas our fentiments, or feelings, are, properly speaking, the emotions of the will to embrace or reject any object, according as the impreffion it makes on us is agreeable or difagreeable. Our feelings, like our ideas, continues he, are fimple, complex, and abftracted; fingular, particular, and univerfal. Thus an emotion of regard occafioned by the appearance of a beautiful object, if it arife only from its form, is a fimple fenfation: if a love for fuch an object not only arise from the gracefulness of perfon, but also from a sense of the good qualities of the heart, and the accomplishments of the underftanding, it is complex. Again, a regard for no particular object, but for a lovely form, or beauty in general, is what our Author calls an abstract sensation. There is Cydalife. She admires fome of those Gentlemen who are polite enough to allow her more beauty than her looking-glafs does: if fhe has a paffion for one only, it is fingular; if for two, three, or more, it is particular; but if the only pleases herself with the conversation of men in general, it is univerfal. A fimple emotion of regard is not at firft a fixed paffion; as a point is not a line: but, as the latter is only a continuity of points, fo a train of tender sensations forms a determined inclination. The emotions may retain their fimplicity in this case, from the firft to the laft of the growing paffions. They may also, on the other hand, become very complex and compounded, through a mixture of jealoufy, fear, vanity, &c. Again, an affemblage of moral fenfations, without order or connection, forms what we ufually call humour and caprice; to which your pretty fellows, and handfome women, are, of all creatures, the most subject: their hearts being as ill-formed as their heads; the emotions of the one, and the vagaries of the other, equally whimsical and ridiculous. Thus doth our Author proceed in illuftrating the principles of his Ladies Philofophy; but our Correfpondent has not thought fit to follow him any farther. L'Art L'Art de Peindre, Poëme avec des Reflexions fur les differentes parties de la Peinture. Par M. Watelet, affocie Libre de l'Academie royale de Peinture & de Sculpture. 1760. Or, The Art of Painting, a Poem: With Reflections on the different Branches of that Art.. Ainting has been more than once indebted to her fifter Art, for a pleafing defcription and illuftration of her charms. The Latin Poems of du Frefnoy and Marfy, on the theory and practice of this art, are well known: nor is the much later Italian one of Tiepolo without admirers among his countrymen. A poem was alfo published in the French language a few years ago, entitled La Peinture: but this was not of the didactic kind. Mr. Watelet's performance is efteemed, by many of his countrymen, as inferior to none of the above-mentioned, in point of poetical merit, and much fuperior to them all in what relates to the inftruction of the Painter. It is divided into four Cantos. The firft prefents a general idea of Painting, and the feveral distinct branches of that art; in which the Poet follows the most approved Writers on the subject': it treats alfo of the nature of Designing. The fubject of the fecond Canto is Colouring: of the third, the Pittorefque, and of the fourth, the Poetic Invention. But our Readers will be better pleased, perhaps, with the Poet's own account of his defign. Le Premier chant reprefente une idée generale de l'art de la Peinture, qui doit fans-doute fon exiftence au defir d' imiter ce qui paroît digne d'imitation.-La divifion des parties qui conftituent cet art, s'offre enfuite, & cette divifion eft celle qu'ont établie les meilleurs Auteurs, qui ont traite de la Peinture. Le Deffein eft l'imitation des formes des corps; elle devoit précéder la couleur, parce qu'on peut etudier & imiter les formes des corps, independamment de leurs couleurs. Le Deffein a donc obtenu le premiet rang dans l'ordre de mes chants, & la couleur occupe le fecond. Aprés le Deffein & la Couleur, qui appartiennent plus á la pratique de l'art de peindre qu' á fa theorie, j'ai traité les parties dans lesquelles l'efprit & l'ame ont autant de ( part que les yeux & la main. Ainfi le troifiéme chant eft • confacré á l'ordonnance que les Peintres appellent Invention Pittorefque, & le quatrième à l' expreffion qu'ils connofffent fous celui d' invention Poetique. Cette derniere APP. VOL. XXIII. ⚫ partie, Mm partie, connue des ames fenfibles, etoit fans contredit la plus difficile à traiter. Quels préceptes donner, en effet, fur ce qui ne peut pas fe démontrer? Comment regler le vol rapide du genie qui doit atteindre le but, au même inftant qu'il l'a fixé? J'etois arêtté par cette réflection capable d'intimider, lorfque le mouvement qui agit fans-celle dans tous les êtres, fe préfenta a moi comme le caractère le plus noble des Ouvrages de la Nature, & par consequent comme la fource où l'Artifte de génie doit puifer toutes les beautés de l'expreffion. Je me fuis arrêté à ce fentiment, & renonçant à la marche didactique, je n'ai fait du quatriéme Chant, qu'une fuite d'images relatives à cette idee.' Again, the Author ftill more concifely comprizes the subject of his Poem in this verse. Les Forms, les Couleurs, les Plans, et les Effets. The Poem begins with the following poetical addrefs. Ce Concours de tes dons, cet accord, cet ensemble: Immortal attribut de la Divinite, Dont l'effet eft l'amour, & le nom la beauté. As a fpecimen of his didactic ftyle, take alfo the following. It faut avant tout, par des foins plus aufléres, De nos refforts fecrets devoiler les myfterés ; Des efprits réunis la mobile puiffance Le gonfle, & l'accourcit du tiers de fa longueur : But, notwithstanding Mr. Watelet appears to be extremely well acquainted with the beauties of his favourite art, we cannot help thinking, that he fometimes follows too implicitly the the maxims of others, to the difadvantage of his own judgment. Thus, because Fresnoy says. "Prima figurarum, ceu princeps Dramatis, ultro Mr. Watelet expreffes the fame fentiments in the following lines. Tel aux yeux du Théâtre, un principal Acteur Qu'a frapper nos regards, elle foit la premiere, We will venture to affirm, however, that this rule of placing the principal figure in the middle of the piece, notwithstanding it has been fucceffively adopted by feveral Writers on the fubject, has no foundation in the true art of difpofition: nor has it even been generally followed by the greatest Artists: as every Connoiffeur must acknowlege, from the slightest reflection, on their most admired performances. Indeed, Zanotti, an ingenious Italian Writer, who publifhed a treatife on Painting about four years ago, exprefsly fays, in his chapter on Difpofition, that altho' the principal figure fhould be fo advantageoufly placed, that it fhould immediately strike the eye, yet it is not neceflary that it should be placed in the center of the piece. In his last Canto, Mr. Watelet makes a comparison between the most celebrated Poets and Painters, in the following lines. Et vous de nos fecrets fublimes Interpretes, Apprenez aux Mortels empreffes fur vous traces Le pouvoir du génie & le charme des graces. We leave it to the Connoiffeurs to determine how far the Poet's imagined fimilarity of genius, between these celebrated perfonages, be juft. La Lais Philofophe, Ou Memoires de Madam D***, et fes Difcours à M. de Voltaire, fur fon impieté, fa mauvaise conditite, et fa Folie. 12mo. á Bouillon. 1760. That is, |