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Joseph Addison. The Spectator No. 409. Thursday, June 19, 1712. Muso contingere cuncta lepore.

[De rerum natura, To grace each subject with wit] ucr. !ratian "er# o$ten recommen%s the &ine Taste, ['] as the utmost (er$ection o$ an accomplishe% Man. )s this *or% arises "er# o$ten in +on"ersation, , shall en%ea"our to gi"e some )ccount o$ it, an% to la# %own -ules how we ma# .now whether we are possesse% o$ it, an% how we ma# ac/uire that $ine Taste o$ *riting, which is so much tal.e% o$ among the (olite *orl%. Most anguages ma.e use o$ this Metaphor, to e0press that &acult# o$ the Min%, which %istinguishes all the most conceale% &aults an% nicest (er$ections in *riting. *e ma# be sure this Metaphor woul% not ha"e been so general in all Tongues, ha% there not been a "er# great +on$ormit# between that Mental Taste, which is the 1ubject o$ this (aper, an% that 1ensiti"e Taste which gi"es us a -elish o$ e"er# %i$$erent &la"our that a$$ects the (alate. )ccor%ingl# we $in%, there are as man# Degrees o$ -e$inement in the intellectual &acult#, as in the 1ense, which is mar.e% out b# this common Denomination. , .new a (erson who possesse% the one in so great a (er$ection, that a$ter ha"ing taste% ten %i$$erent 2in%s o$ Tea, he woul% %istinguish, without seeing the +olour o$ it, the particular 1ort which was o$$ere% him3 an% not onl# so, but an# two 1orts o$ them that were mi0t together in an e/ual (roportion3 na# he has carrie% the 40periment so $ar, as upon tasting the +omposition o$ three %i$$erent 1orts, to name the (arcels $rom whence the three se"eral ,ngre%ients were ta.en. ) Man o$ a $ine Taste in *riting will %iscern, a$ter the same manner, not onl# the general 5eauties an% ,mper$ections o$ an )uthor, but %isco"er the se"eral *a#s o$ thin.ing an% e0pressing himsel$, which %i"ersi$# him $rom all other )uthors, with the se"eral &oreign ,n$usions o$ Thought an% anguage, an% the particular )uthors $rom whom the# were borrowe%. )$ter ha"ing thus $ar e0plaine% what is generall# meant b# a $ine Taste in *riting, an% shewn the (ropriet# o$ the Metaphor which is use% on this 6ccasion, , thin. , ma# %e$ine it to be that &acult# o$ the 1oul, which %iscerns the 5eauties o$ an )uthor with (leasure, an% the ,mper$ections with Disli.e. ,$ a Man woul% .now whether he is possesse% o$ this &acult#, , woul% ha"e him rea% o"er the celebrate% *or.s o$ )nti/uit#, which ha"e stoo% the Test o$ so man# %i$$erent )ges an% +ountries, or those *or.s among the Mo%erns which ha"e the 1anction o$ the (oliter (art o$ our +ontemporaries. ,$ upon the (erusal o$ such *ritings he %oes not $in% himsel$ %elighte% in an e0traor%inar# Manner, or i$, upon rea%ing the a%mire% (assages in such )uthors, he $in%s a +ol%ness an% ,n%i$$erence in his Thoughts, he ought to conclu%e, not 7as is too usual among tasteless -ea%ers8 that the )uthor wants those (er$ections which ha"e been a%mire% in him, but that he himsel$ wants the &acult# o$ %isco"ering them. 9e shoul%, in the secon% (lace, be "er# care$ul to obser"e, whether he tastes the %istinguishing (er$ections, or, i$ , ma# be allowe% to call them so, the 1peci$ic. :ualities o$ the )uthor whom he peruses3 whether he is particularl# please% with i"# $or his Manner o$ telling a 1tor#, with 1allust $or his entering into those internal (rinciples o$ )ction which arise $rom the +haracters an% Manners o$ the (ersons he %escribes, or with Tacitus $or his %ispla#ing those outwar% Moti"es o$ 1a$et# an% ,nterest, which gi"e 5irth to the whole 1eries o$ Transactions which he relates. 9e ma# li.ewise consi%er, how %i$$erentl# he is a$$ecte% b# the same Thought, which presents it sel$ in a great *riter, $rom what he is when he $in%s it %eli"ere% b# a (erson o$ an or%inar# !enius. &or there is as much Di$$erence in apprehen%ing a Thought cloathe% in +iceros anguage, an% that o$ a common )uthor, as in seeing an 6bject b# the ight o$ a Taper, or b# the ight o$ the 1un.

,t is "er# %i$$icult to la# %own -ules $or the )c/uirement o$ such a Taste as that , am here spea.ing o$. The &acult# must in some %egree be born with us, an% it "er# o$ten happens, that those who ha"e other :ualities in (er$ection are wholl# "oi% o$ this. 6ne o$ the most eminent Mathematicians o$ the )ge has assure% me, that the greatest (leasure he too. in rea%ing ;irgil, was in e0amining <neas his ;o#age b# the Map3 as , /uestion not but man# a Mo%ern +ompiler o$ 9istor#, woul% be %elighte% with little more in that Di"ine )uthor, than in the bare Matters o$ &act. 5ut notwithstan%ing this &acult# must in some measure be born with us, there are se"eral Metho%s $or +ulti"ating an% ,mpro"ing it, an% without which it will be "er# uncertain, an% o$ little use to the (erson that possesses it. The most natural Metho% $or this (urpose is to be con"ersant among the *ritings o$ the most (olite )uthors. ) Man who has an# -elish $or $ine *riting, either %isco"ers new 5eauties, or recei"es stronger ,mpressions $rom the Masterl# 1tro.es o$ a great )uthor e"er# time he peruses him3 5esi%es that he naturall# wears himsel$ into the same manner o$ 1pea.ing an% Thin.ing. +on"ersation with Men o$ a (olite !enius is another Metho% $or impro"ing our =atural Taste. ,t is impossible $or a Man o$ the greatest (arts to consi%er an#thing in its whole 40tent, an% in all its ;ariet# o$ ights. 4"er# Man, besi%es those !eneral 6bser"ations which are to be ma%e upon an )uthor, $orms se"eral -e$lections that are peculiar to his own Manner o$ Thin.ing3 so that +on"ersation will naturall# $urnish us with 9ints which we %i% not atten% to, an% ma.e us enjo# other Mens (arts an% -e$lections as well as our own. This is the best -eason , can gi"e $or the 6bser"ation which se"eral ha"e ma%e, that Men o$ great !enius in the same wa# o$ *riting sel%om rise up singl#, but at certain (erio%s o$ Time appear together, an% in a 5o%#3 as the# %i% at -ome in the -eign o$ )ugustus, an% in !reece about the )ge o$ 1ocrates. , cannot thin. that +orneille, -acine, Moliere, 5oileau, la &ontaine, 5ru#ere, 5ossu, or the Daciers, woul% ha"e written so well as the# ha"e %one, ha% the# not been &rien%s an% +ontemporaries. ,t is li.ewise necessar# $or a Man who woul% $orm to himsel$ a $inishe% Taste o$ goo% *riting, to be well "erse% in the *or.s o$ the best +ritic.s both )ncient an% Mo%ern. , must con$ess that , coul% wish there were )uthors o$ this .in%, who besi%e the Mechanical -ules which a Man o$ "er# little Taste ma# %iscourse upon, woul% enter into the "er# 1pirit an% 1oul o$ $ine *riting, an% shew us the se"eral 1ources o$ that (leasure which rises in the Min% upon the (erusal o$ a noble *or.. Thus although in (oetr# it be absolutel# necessar# that the >nities o$ Time, (lace an% )ction, with other (oints o$ the same =ature, shoul% be thoroughl# e0plaine% an% un%erstoo%3 there is still something more essential to the )rt, something that ele"ates an% astonishes the &anc#, an% gi"es a !reatness o$ Min% to the -ea%er, which $ew o$ the +ritic.s besi%es onginus ha"e consi%ere%. 6ur general Taste in 4nglan% is $or 4pigram, Turns o$ *it, an% $orce% +onceits, which ha"e no manner o$ ,n$luence, either $or the bettering or enlarging the Min% o$ him who rea%s them, an% ha"e been care$ull# a"oi%e% b# the greatest *riters, both among the )ncients an% Mo%erns. , ha"e en%ea"oure% in se"eral o$ m# 1peculations to banish this !othic Taste, which has ta.en (ossession among us. , entertaine% the Town, $or a *ee. together, with an 4ssa# upon *it, in which , en%ea"oure% to %etect se"eral o$ those $alse 2in%s which ha"e been a%mire% in the %i$$erent )ges o$ the *orl%3 an% at the same time to shew wherein the =ature o$ true *it consists. , a$terwar%s ga"e an ,nstance o$ the great &orce which l#es in a natural 1implicit# o$ Thought to a$$ect the Min% o$ the -ea%er, $rom such "ulgar (ieces as ha"e little else besi%es this single :uali$ication to recommen% them. , ha"e li.ewise e0amine% the *or.s o$ the greatest (oet which our =ation or perhaps an# other has pro%uce%, an% particulari?e% most o$ those rational an% manl# 5eauties which gi"e a ;alue to that Di"ine *or.. , shall ne0t 1atur%a# enter upon an 4ssa# on the (leasures o$ the ,magination, which, though it shall consi%er that 1ubject at large, will perhaps suggest to the -ea%er what it is that gi"es a 5eaut# to man# (assages o$ the $inest *riters both in (rose an% ;erse. )s an >n%erta.ing o$ this =ature is entirel# new, , /uestion not but it will be recei"e% with +an%our.

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