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courses, the most original and impressive 

 work that ever was published on his, 

 or possibly on any art. On the other 

 hand, nothing so contracts the mind, as a 

 little practical dexterity, unassisted and 

 uncorrected by general knowledge and ob- 

 servation, and by a study of the great 

 masters. An artist, whose mind has been 

 so contracted, refers every thing to the 

 narrow circle of his own ideas and execu- 

 tion, and wishes to confine within that 

 circle all the rest of mankind*. 



Before I enter into any particulars, I will 

 make a few observations on what I look 

 upon as the great general defect of the 

 present system ; not as opposed to the old 

 style, which I believe, however, to have 

 been infinitely more free from it, but con- 



* I remember a gentleman who played very prettily on 

 the flute, abusing all Handel's music ; and to give me every 

 advantage, like a generous adversary, he defied me to name 

 one good chorus of his writing. It may well be supposed 

 that I did not accept the challenge ; c'6toit bien l'embarras 

 des richesses : and indeed he was right in his own way of 

 considering them, for there is not one that would do well 

 for his instrument. 



