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inferior? an animal that has the ufe of hands, and fpeech, and reafon, is the definition of a man: the painter has a language in common with the reft of his fpecies, and one fuperadded peculiar to himself, and exercifes his hands, and rational faculties to the utmoft ftretch of human nature; certainly he is not lefs honourable for excelling in all the qualities of a man as diftinguished from a brute. Thofe employments are fervile, and mechanical, in which bodily ftrength, or ability, is only, or chiefly required, and that becaufe in fuch cafes the man approaches more to the brute, or has fewer of those qualities that exalt mankind above other animals; but this confideration. turns to the painter's advantage: here is indeed a fort of labour, but what is purely human, and for the conduct of which the greatest force of mind is neceffary.

To be employed at all will not be thought lefs honourable than indolence, and inactivity: but perhaps, though for a gentleman to paint for his pleasure without any reward is not unworthy of him, to make a profeffion of, and take money for this labour of the head and hand is the difhonourable circumftance, this being a fort of letting himself to hire to whofoever will pay him for his trouble. Very well! and is it more unbecoming for a man to employ himself fo as that he shall thereby be enabled to enjoy more himself, or be more useful to his family, or to whomfoever elfe he fees fit, than fo as it shall turn to lefs account, or none at all? And as to letting ourselves to hire, we painters are content to own this is really the cafe; and if this has fomething low and fervile in it, we must take our place amongst men accordingly. But here we have this to comfort us, we have good company, that is, all those that receive money for the exercise of their abilities of body or mind. And if a man looks abroad in the world, he may obferve a great many of these ; they are in the courts of princes, and of judicature, in camps, in churches, in conventicles, in the ftreets, in our houfes; they abound everywhere; fome whereof are paid for each particular piece

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of fervice they do, and others have yearly falaries, and perquifites, or vails; but this alters not the cafe.

Nor is it difhonourable for any of us to take money: he that ftipulates for a reward for any fervice he does another, acts as a wife man, and a good member of the fociety: he gives what is pleasant, or useful to another, but confidering the depravity of humane nature, trufts not to his gratitude, but fecures himfelf a return; and money being in effe&t every thing that is purchafeable, he takes that as chufing for himself what pleasure or conveniency he will have; as he to whom he performs the fervice alfo does when he employs him.

Thus painters, as the reft busy themselves, and make advantage to themselves, as well as to others, of their employments; they let themselves out to hire much alike; and one is a more honourable way than another in proportion to the kind, and degree of abilities they require, and their usefulness to mankind. What rank a painter (as fuch) is to hold amongst these money-takers, I fubmit to judgment, after what I have faid has been confidered; and I hope it will appear, that they may be placed amongst thofe whom all the world allow to be gentlemen, or of honourable employments, or profeffions.

And in fact by the politeft people, and in the best ages, paft, as well as prefent, the art has been much efteemed, and painters have liv'd in great reputation, and fome of them with much magnificence; nor has thofe of the fublimeft quality thought them unworthy of confiderable additional honours, and amongst the reft of their converfation, and friendship: of which I might give many inftances.

'Tis true, the word painter does not generally carry with it an idea equal to that we have of other profeffions, or employments not fuperior to it the reafon of which is, that term is appropriated to all forts or pretenders to the art, which being numerous, and for the most part very deficient, (as it must needs happen, fo few having abi

lities and opportunities equal to fuch an undertaking) thefe confequently have fallen into contempt; whether upon account of fuch deficiency, or the vices or follies which were in part the occafions, or effects of it; and this being vifible in a great majority, it has diminished the idea commonly applied to the term I am speaking of; which, therefore, is a very ambiguous one, and ought to be confidered as fuch, if it be extended beyond this, that it denotes one practising fuch an art, for no body can tell what he ought to conceive farther of the man, whether to rank him amongft fome of the meaneft, or equal to the most confiderable amongst men.

To conclude: to be an accomplished painter, a man muft poffefs more that one liberal art, which puts him upon the level with those that do that, and makes him fuperior to thofe that poffefs but one in an equal degree: he must be alfo a curious artificer, whereby he becomes fuperior to one who equally poffeffes the other talents, but wants that. A Rafaelle, therefore, is not only equal, but fuperior to a Virgil, or a Livy, a Thucydides, or a Homer.

What I now advance may appear chimerical: in that cafe I only defire it may be confidered, whether it is not a neceffary confequence of what went before, and was, and must be granted. This I alfo infift upon as my right, if any thing elfe appears to be exaggerated for my own part, I write as I think.

I thought fit to do juftice to the art of Painting in the first place; and before I entered upon the rules to be observed in the conduct of a picture, to tell the painter what qualities he himself ought to have. To which I will add (but not as the leaft confiderable) that as his profeffion is honourable, he fhould render himfelf worthy of it by excelling in it; and by avoiding all low, and fordid actions, and converfation; all base, and criminal paffions; his business is to exprefs great, and noble fentiments: let him make them familiar to him, and his own, and form himfelf into as bright a character as any he can draw. His art is of a vast extent, and he ftands in need

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