PREFACE. 



Xlll 



of so illustrious a panegyrist, than those 

 of his own age. 



If there were no other means of seeing 

 with the eyes of painters, than by acquir- 

 ing the practical skill of their hands, the 

 generality of mankind must of course gi ve 

 up the point ; but luckily, we may gain no 

 little insight into their method of consider- 

 ing nature, and no inconsiderable share of 

 their relish for her beauties, by an easier 

 process — by studying their works. This 

 study, has one great advantage over most 

 others ; there are no dry elements to strug- 

 gle with. Pictures, as likewise drawings 

 and prints, have in them what is suited to 

 all ages and capacities: many of them, 

 like- Swift's Gulliver's Travels, display the 

 most fertile and brilliant imagination, 

 joined to the most accurate judgment and 

 selection, and the deepest knowledge of 



