§ 87. DECAY OF ART. 321 



Egyptians, Indians, or Eomans less enthusiastic in their re- 

 ligion than the Greeks ? and were they more religious at 

 Eome in the Augustan age than during the Eepublic ? It is 

 not given to every people, nor to every age, to arrive at 

 excellence ; though they may have the same enthusiasm and 

 the same religious notions. Art and taste will decay in spite 

 of these ; and the most enthusiastic Christian, or the most 

 superstitious Pagan, will not then attain to the same elevated 

 expression, or the same excellence in art. 



Protestants may not have the same number of personages 

 they would wish to represent, and they may not have the 

 same variety of legends ; but the Bible and Testament sub- 

 jects are equally open to them ; and when we see the works 

 of their sculptors from Denmark, England, and America, we 

 find that in one very important branch of high art they attain 

 to an equal excellence with any people of modern times. 

 Again, the most elevated sentiment is required for sacred 

 music. Is this too denied to Protestants ? if so, how came it 

 to be displayed in its most exquisite and powerful form by 

 those unrivalled composers who were Protestants ? Here 

 again they are not wanting in those feelings which are most 

 , required for attaining to excellence. And why is art not as 

 flourishing now in Italy, and other Eomanist countries, as 

 formerly ? It is not because " the world has become Pro- 

 testant;" but because art, having reached its culminating 

 point, declined, as it had done before in Pagan times. 



The external forms and customs of some religions have 

 encouraged art, by requiring paintings and sculptures for 

 sacred buildings ; and the best statues have been those made 

 for Greek temples. Eeligion has thus been a promoter of 

 art, but not necessarily its sole promoter. It is also true that 

 enthusiasm and feeling are necessary for the highest ex- 

 cellence in it ; and that religion affords much of both these 

 elements of success; but they are not confined to it; nor 



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