156 APPENDIX. 



characters, and not of Epic. Thus at leaft I have fhewn, that 

 in the moft perfect Poem, which is that of Virgil, a per- 

 fect idea was required and followed j and, confequently, that 

 all fucceeding Poets ought rather to imitate him, than even 

 Homer. 1 will now proceed, as I promifed, to the author of this 

 book : He tells you, almoft in the firft lines of it, that ' the 

 chief end of Painting is to pleafe the eyes j and it is one great 

 end of Poetry to pleafe the mind." Thus far the parallel of 

 the Arts holds true; with this difference, that the principal 

 end of Painting is to pleafe, and the chief defign of Poetry is 

 to inftrucl:. In this, the latter feems to have the advantage of 

 the former. But if we confider the Artifts themfelves on 

 both fides, certainly their aims are the very fame ; they would 

 both make fure of pleafing, and that in preference to inftruc- 

 tion. Next, the means of this pleafure is by deceit : One 

 impofes on the fight, and the other on the underflandrng. 

 Fi&ion is of the eflence of Poetry as well as of Painting ; there 

 is a refemblance in one, of human bodies, things and actions, 

 which are not real j and in the other, of a true ftory by a fic- 

 tion. And as all ftories are not proper fubjects for an Epic 

 Poem or a Tragedy, fo neither are they for a noble Picture. 

 The fubjeds both of the one and of the other ought to have 

 nothing of immoral, low, or filthy in them; but this being 

 treated at large in the bock itfelf, I wave it, to avoid repe- 

 tition. Only I muft add, that, though Catullus, Ovid, and 

 others, were of another opinion, that the fubjecl: of Poets, and 

 even their thoughts and exprefiions might be loofe, provided 

 their lives were chafte and holy, yet there are no fuch licences 

 permitted in that Art, any more than in Painting to defign 

 and colour obfcene nudities. Vita proba eft, is no excuie ; for 

 it will fcarcely be admitted, that either a Poet or a Painter 

 can be chafte, who give us the contrary examples in their 



Writings 



