ARTS. 



versification be the least, what are then 

 the greater qualities which constitute the 

 poel ? The question is easily answered : 

 those very qualities, which, in a greater or 

 less uegixe, are requisite to the forma- 

 tion of an elegant speaker or writer, on 

 almost any subject, whether in prose or 

 verse, with the exception of those of pro- 

 found or abstruse science. And indeed 

 the different specit-s of prose writers 

 have, from time to time, made muc.i en- 

 croachments on what is perhaps more 

 peculiarly the province of poetry ; and 

 the poets have, as it were in revenge, 

 adopted so many of those subjects whicli 

 belong more properly to prose ; that the 

 chief difference now remaining between 

 the two parties seems to. be, that the lat- 

 ter express their thoughts through the 

 medium of metre or rh) me, and the for- 

 mer without that ornament. Who will 

 deny the title of poet to the authors of 

 Telemachus and the Death of Abel ? And 

 who will deny, that some of those trea- 

 tises which have employed the ingenuity 

 of poets, under the title of didactic poems, 

 would better have attained the object of 

 instruction and conviction to the reader, 

 had they been written in the energetic " 

 prose of a Bacon, a Swift, or a Johnson ? 



That a similitude between poetry and 

 painting, as before mentioned, really sub- 

 sists, there can be little doubt ; nor would 

 it be difficult to point out instances of 

 productions in each of these arts, as well 

 as of music, so resembling in character, as 

 to seem, as it were, different emanations 

 from one spirit, end alike calculated to 

 excite kindred sensations in the breast of 

 the hearer or spectator. But, however 

 close the comparison might have been at 

 the period when that comparison was first 

 made, when each art was, in fact, applied 

 to effect similar purposes, though through 

 different means, it is certain that, since 

 the objects of their pursuit have become 

 more varied and extended, the propriety 

 of the comparison between them has pro- 

 portionably diminished. 



But if, instead of contenting ourselves 

 with retracing the old parallel of poetry 

 with painting, we were to take a wider 

 range, and consider the arts of design as 

 a mode of conveying ideas, or as analo- 

 gous to language or writing in general, 

 such an enquiry might lead us to a just 

 appreciation of their importance, by ex- 

 hibiting a comprehensive view of the ex- 

 tent of their powers, and of the modes of 

 applying those powers, as means for the 

 attainment of any desired end. 



The arts of design we may then consi- 

 der as a language, by which, though all 



things cannot be expressed, many at least 

 may, in a stronger and clearer manner 

 than can be effected by any other. And 

 it is scarcely necessary to add, that all 

 those arts or sciences, to the comprehen- 

 sion or practice of which lineation or mo- 

 delling is requisite, are more or less de- 

 pendent on design. 



The arts of design, or those dependent 

 on design, may be divided into three 

 great classes : arts, simply useful or ne- 

 cessary ; arts, whose object it is to unite 

 elegance with utility ; and arts, whose 

 aim is more decidedly to elevate the hu- 

 man mind, by an appropriate choice of 

 the most grand and beautiful objects. 



Design, so far as it is requisite for the 

 common purposes of life, as building 

 dwelling-houses, planning convenient fur- 

 niture, forming canals, raising aqueducts, 

 &c. is a useful, or indeed a necessary art. 

 Without design, by which the explanato- 

 ry figures are furnished, the first princi- 

 ples of geometry and the mathematics, 

 the foundation of so large a portion of 

 human knowledge would be unintelligi- 

 ble. Without design, we should be igno- 

 rant of the situations and bearings of dif- 

 ferent countries ; without the assistance 

 of maps and charts, the pilot would be 

 ignorant what course to steer ; nay, the 

 compass itself may be termed the off- 

 spring of design. By her means, without 

 the constant recurrence to dissection, the 

 physician and surgeon are instructed in 

 the various situations and appearances of 

 the bones, veins, nerves, muscles, and 

 every other part of the human frame ; and, 

 by her assistance, the visible sympto?ns of 

 disorders can be accurately described, 

 when words would have been inadequate 

 to the task. 



If we consider design as applicable to 

 those arts, sciences, or manufactures, 

 whose object it is to combine utility and 

 instruction with ornament and amuse- 

 ment, we shall find her province not less 

 extended. The chair, the sofa, the table, 

 and the lamp, no longer confined to the 

 purposes of mere necessity, present them- 

 selves, adorned with all the graces of 

 Grecian art, at once the instruments of 

 our comfort, and the embellishment of 

 our apartments. By means of design, we 

 are transported to foreign climes ; we be- 

 hold their buildings, processions, dresses, 

 &c. : with her assistance, the traveller is 

 enabled to teach us their customs and 

 manners, and instruct us in the process 

 of their manufactures ; the deepest re- 

 cesses of the earth are laid before us, and 

 the whole animal creation, with the won- 



