Poke Eo A CB. ue 
lected in his Cabinets, but feveral extraordinary Productions of Nature. Auguttus the 
late King of Poland was alfo a great Encourager of natural Knowledge, and had ga~ 
thered a large Colleétion of natural Productions from moft Parts of the World. 
T. bey who draw after Nature, on account of Natural Eiftary, feould represent things 
Sifily and according to Nature, and not firive to exalt or raife her above herfelf; for 
by fo doing, inftead of inftructing, they will lead the World into Errors; nor can the 
Works of two Authors on the fame Subject ever agree. The hiftorical Painter, ofpeci= 
ally he that would reprefent the Fiétions of the Poets, may take greater Liberties, and 
fiudy by all Methods to elevate his Subject by adding the highe/? Strokes EE Nod 
to pleafe the Eye, and raife in the Mind Ideas equal to the Hiftorian or Poet he would 
reprefent : Yet every one who reads Natural Hiftory, and fees Figures and Deferiptions 
of things in Nature, fuppofes they are, or ought to bave been immediately drawn and de- 
feribed from Nature. But no experienced Man, when be bebolds an hiftorical Piece, 
Juppyfes the Figures there drawn, are like to thofe they are intended to reprefent either 
in Feature or Perfon, any farther than in general the Hiftorian or Poet may have told 
us, that one Man was a graceful Perfon, another a little crooked or deformed, which 
Accidents a Painter has liberty to carry to what Degree of Perfection or Imperfettion 
he can conceive, provided alway he doth not contraditt the Letter of his Hifiorian. But — 
in drawing after Nature a moft religious and ferupulous Strittne/s is to be obferved, and 
by this means only we can demonfirate, that Nature 1s or 1s not the fame through all 
Times. If Natural Hiftorians, or they who draw for them, would carefully obferve 
thefe Rules, fome of them might perbaps produce Figures that would be deemed perfect 
by the knowing Naturalifts of thefe Times, and efcape their Cenfure ; then might they, 
Jike the celebrated Statues of the antient Greeks and Romans, pafs down as Models to 
future Ages; as things jujily and truly (SS Nature ;. but thefe things are rather 
to be W ifbed for than expected. 
jt is ‘time to fay fomething, by way of Apology, for the following Defcriptions of 
‘Birds L have been collecting for more than Twenty Years, and have been for @ good 
part of the Time employ d by many curious Geatlemen i London to draw fuch rare fo- 
reign Birds as t bey were poffe/sd of, aud never negletied to take Droughis of had 
wit 
