58 



of the political circumstances of countries, on the progress 

 and prosperity of the Jirie arts. The extremes of despotism 

 and anarchy operate alike: the one, by a jealous gloomy 

 control, uniformly acting; the other, by occasional licen- 

 tiousness, and bursts of popular fury, more sensibly violent 

 and tremendous. These aggressions on personal safet}', 

 property, freedom of speech, and superiority of talent, so 

 cruelly inimical to the Jine arts, proceed, in both cases, 

 from the same cause; 'from a sense of weakness, from an 

 apprehension of hostility, arising out of the consciousness 

 of deserving to have foes. Both governments, (if they de- 

 serve the name,) endeavour by the same means, (namely, 

 by terror) to obtain the same end, self-preservation: both 

 are equally prodigal of blood, ec^ually destructive of hu- 

 man nature and human happiness; of all that contributes 

 to embellish the former, and promote the latter. 



I proceed to consider the difference of climate. The va- 

 rieties of climate affect the j^hc arts: directly, by their in- 

 fluencing the temperament, disposition, national charac- 

 ter, and intercourse of society; and indirectly, by their 

 predisposing men, to concur or acquiesce in the establish- 

 ment of certain forms of government. 



As climates are distinguished* by degrees of latitude, 

 so are they, also, by those of sensibility. The different 

 effects of the same pieces and performances, on an English 

 and Italian audience, are surprising. This difference of 

 sensibility must have a striking effect on the growth and 

 progress of the Jine arts. Of course, the varieties of cli- 

 mate 

 * Montesquieu, 



