381 



the playful and intricate forms of vegetation, mixed 

 with the plain, solid, and distinct masses of stone, 

 hfcve on the eye. 



P. 163. 1. 10. As a further illustration of what Sir Joshua 

 Reynolds has said upon the subject of imitation 

 arid originality, I will mention an example taken 

 from an art in which he Was not very conversant. 

 If ever there was a truly great and original genius 

 in any art, Handel was that genius in music ; and 

 yet, what may seem no slight paradox, there never 

 was a greater plagiary. He seized, without scru- 

 ple or concealment, whatever suited his purpose ; 

 but as those sweets which the bee steals from a 

 thousand flowers, by passing through its little la- 

 boratory, are converted into a substance peculiar 

 *to itSelf, and which no other art can effect, — so, 

 whatever Handel stole, by passing through the 

 powerful laboratory of his mind, and mixing with 

 his ideas, became as much his own as if he had 

 been the inventor. Like the bee, too, by his 

 manner of working, he often gave to what was 

 unnoticed in its original situation, something of 

 high and exquisite flavour, To Handel might 

 well be applied, what Boileau, with more truth 

 than modesty, says of himself — 



!Et meme en imitant toujours original. 



J\ 205. 1. 7. A passage from Plutarch was pointed out to 

 me as extremely illustrative of the bad effect of a 



