82 NOTES, 



picture as the point of diftance requires, which would be too 

 near for the eye to comprehend the whole picture ; whereas, 

 if the point of diflance is removed fo far as the fpectator may 

 be fuppofed to ftand in order to fee commodioufly, and take 

 within his view the whole, the figures behind would then 

 fuffer under no fuch violent diminution. Du Piles, in his 

 note on this paf&ge, endeavours to confirm Frefnoy in his 

 prejudice, by giving an inftance which proves, as he imagines, 

 the uncertainty of the art. He fuppofes it employed to de- 

 lineate the Trajan Pillar, the figures on which, being, as he 

 fays, larger at the top than the bottom, would counteract the 

 effects of perfpective. The folly of this needs no comment. 

 I fhall only obferve, by the by, that the fact is not true, the 

 figures on that pillar being all of the fame di mentions. R., 



NOTE XXI. VERSE 162. 

 Yet deem not t Youths, that Perfpeffiive can give 

 Tbofe charms complete, by which your works jhall live. 

 I plead guilty to the charge in the preceding note. I have 

 tranilated the paffage, as if the text had been ad Comple- 

 mentum Graphidos, inftead of auf, and confequently might 

 have been thus conftrued : " Perfpective cannot be faid to be 

 " a fure rule or guide to the complete knowledge of Paint- 

 " ing, but only an afnftance, 6tc." This J did to make the 

 pofition more confonant to truth, and I am pleafed to find 

 that it agrees much better with Sir Joihua's Annotations than 

 the original would have done. Du Piles, in the former part 

 of his note, (which I know not for what reafon Mr. Dryden 

 omitted) fays thus : " It is not in order to reject Perfpective, 

 " that the Author fpeaks thus ; for he advifes it elfewhere in 

 "his Poem*, as a ftudy abfolutely neceflary. Neverthelefs, 



" I 



I fuppofe he alludes "to the jo9th line. 



In Georaetrali prius arte parumper adulti. 



