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more precise and distinct idea of beauty 

 "has been given in an essay, the early splen- 

 dor of which, not even the full meridian 

 blaze of its illustrious author has been able 

 to extinguish ; but the picturesque, consi- 

 dered as a separate character, has never 

 yet been accurately distinguished from the 

 sublime, and the beautiful ; though as no 

 one has ever pretended that they are syno- 

 nymous, (for it is sometimes used in con- 

 tradistinction to them) such a distinction 

 must exist. 



Mr. Gilpin, from whose very ingenious 

 and extensive observations on this subject 

 I have received great pleasure and in- 

 struction, appeal's to have adopted this 

 common acceptation, not merely as such, 

 but as giving an exact and determinate 

 idea of the word; for he defines picturesque 

 objects to be those " which please from 

 " some quality capable of being illus- 

 " trated in painting*," or, as he again 



* Essay on Picturesque Beauty, page 1 , 



