494 ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. BookV, 



idea of a whole, and its dependent parts, without which, as 1 have ob- 

 ferved, there can be no beauty *. 



On the other hand, the Greek nation appears to have been the na- 

 tion of the greateft genius that ever exifted ; inlbmuch, that the tine 

 arts may be faid to be wholly theirs. For, though from other coun- 

 tries, and particularly from Egypt, they learned the mechanic arts, 

 fcience's, government, religion, and police, it is evident to me that the 

 fine arts were all of their own growth. For, thqugh the Egyptians 

 pradifed mufic, painting, and fculpture, it was but in a low degree, 

 without that grace and beauty which can intitle them to the appel- 

 lation oijine arts. 



It appears, therefore, that in our fpecies, as in other fpeclefes 

 of animals, the excellency of it is confined to certain races of the ani- 

 jpal, in certain countries of the earth, not difFufed over the whole fpe- 

 cies. And it is only by imitating thofe men, whom heaven has 

 thought proper, in this manner, to feledt from the reft of the fpecies, 

 that other men can attain, in any great degree, to this higheft perfec- 

 tion of human nature. 



And here I conclude this part of my work, in which I ex- 

 hibit a face of nature quite different from that which is prefented 



by 



• The Chinefe have that faculty, which nature nppearsto have beftowed univerfally 

 upon the whole fpecies, 1 mean the faculty of imitation ; for, in their paintings, they 

 imitate nature very exa£lly- But they liave no notion of what the French call la belle 

 naturcy by uhich we are to underftand that ideal beauty which gives the perfeftion to 

 all the produ(flions of the fine arts- We fhould imagine that we faw in their paintings a 

 tafte for the wild and the grotefque, and a variety of fcenery and landfcape, that ap. 

 pears to us wonderful. But travellers tell us, that thefe are landfcapes really to be 

 feen in their country- And, particularly, thofe houfes that we fee nitched in rocks» 

 often very high, with fteep winding paths up to them, Mr Bel], in his travels through 

 Tartary into China, tells us, are very frequently feen in the mountainous parts of their 

 country* 



