Ends intended to be ferv'd by them; Of which there are Several, but all reducible to these two General ones, Pleasure, and Improve ment. I am forry the Great, and Principal End of the Art has hitherto been fo little Confider'd; I don't mean by Gentlemen only, or by Low, Pretended Connoiffeurs, But by those who ought to have gone higher, and to have Taught Others to have Followed them. 'Tis no Wonder if many who are accuftom'd to Think Superficially look on Pictures as they would on a Piece of Rich Hangings; Or if fuch as These, (and fome Painters among the reft) fix upon the Pencil, the Colouring, or perhaps the Drawing, and fome little Circumftantial Parts in the Picture, or even the just Representation of common Nature, without penetrating A trating into the Idea of the Painter, and the Beauties of the Hif tory, or Fable. I fay 'tis no wonder if this fo frequently happens when those whether Ancients or Moderns,who have wrote of Painting, in describing the Works of Painters in their Lives, or on other occafions have very rarely done any more; Or in order to give us a Great Idea of fome of the Beft Painters have told us fuch Silly Stories as that of the Curtain of Parrhafius which deceiv'd Zeuxis, of the fmall lines one upon the other in the Contention between Apelles and Protogenes, (as I remember, 'tis no matter of whom the Story goes) of the Circle of Giotto, and fuch like ; Trifles, which if a Man were never fo expert at without going many degrees higher he would not be worthy the name of a G Paint Painter, · much less of being remembred by Pofterity with Ho nour. 'Tis true there are fome Kinds of Pictures which can do no more than Please, as 'tis the Cafe of fome Kinds of Writings; but one may as well fay a Library is only for Ornament, and Oftentation, as a Collection of Pictures, or Drawings. If That is the Only End, I am fure 'tis not from any Defect in the Nature of the Things themselves. I repeat it again, and would inculcate it, Painting is a fine piece of Workmanship; 'tis a Beautiful Ornament, and as fuch gives us Pleasure; But over and above this We PAINTERS are upon the Level with Writers, as being Poets, Hiftorians, Philofophers and Divines, we Entertain, and Instruct equally with Them. This is true and manifeft beyond difpute whatever Mens Notions have been; To wake the Sonl by tender Strokes of Art, Mr. Pope. is the business of Fainting as well as of Tragedy. " There being Pictures of feveral Kinds, fome capable only of Pleafing, and Others also of Instructing, and Improving the Mind; which is the Nobler End, a Dif. ference ought to be made accordingly; Two Pictures may be equally Good, with refpect to the Rules of the Art, Equally Well Drawn, Colour'd, &c. but very Different with refpect to the Rank they ought to hold in our Eftimation: a Boor opening of Muffels, and a St. John may be One as well Painted as the Other, but G2 there ! there can be no Difpute when the Question is which of these two is Preferrable. So feveral of the Parts of Painting may be equally well in the fame Picture, but they are not Equally Confiderable in Themfelves; a Fine Pencil (for Example) is not comparable to a Fine In vention. When therefore we are to make a Judgment in what Degree of Goodness a Picture or Drawing is we should confider its Kind firft, and then its feveral Parts. A History is preferrable to a Landfcape, Sea-piece, Animals, Fruit, Flowers, or any other Still-Life, pieces of Drollery, &c.; the reafon is, the latter Kinds may Please, and in proportion as they do fo they are Estimable, and that is according to every one's Tafte, but they cannot Improve theMind, they ་་ |