ESSAY ON THE QUESTION 



" ARE THE ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF THE POLITE 

 " ARTS, IN ANY COUNTRY, CONNECTED WITH, 

 " AND DEPENDING ON, THE POLITICAL STATE OF 

 " THAT COUNTRY?" 



Illustrious acts high raptures do infuse, 

 And every conqueror creates a muse. 



WALLER. 



BY WILLIAM PRESTON, ESC^ M.R.LA. 



REAB, MARCH 4*, 1805. 



1 HE present question, proposed by the Royal Irish Aca- 

 demy, is grand and comprehensive j and includes various 

 discussions, bearing on, and influencing some of the most 

 important interests of society, and most interesting topics 

 of polite literature. At the same time it is very diificult 

 of solution, from the multitude of enquiries, to which it 

 leads, and the extent of literary research, which it demands. 

 I state these difficulties, not by way of enhancing the merit 

 of this Essay, but to bespeak the indulgence of the reader, 

 to its defects. 



It is not easy to return a precise answer to the present 

 question; because the theoretical tendency, and natural 



A 2 influence 



