Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 1.djvu/21

 yiii The 9 R E F A C &

AN Art and a Science, therefore, only differ as lefs and more pure: A Science is a Syftem of Deductions tnade by Reafon alone, undetermin'd by any thing foreign or extrinfic to it-felf : An Art, on the contrary, requirrs a number of Data and Poftulata to be furnilri'd from without, and never goes any length, but at every turn it needs new ones. 'Tis the Knowledge or Perception of thefe Data that in one Senfe conftitutes the Art ; the reft that is, the dodrinal Part, is of the nature of Science ; which attentive Reafon alone will defcry.

AN Art, in this light, appears to be a Portion of Science, or general Knowledge, confider'd, not in it-felf, as Science but with relation to its Circumftances, or Appendages. In a Science, the Mind looks directly back- wards and forwards, to the Premifes and Conclufions : in an Art we alio look laterally, to the concomitant Cir- cumftances. A Science, in effed, is that to an Art, which a Stream running in a dired Channel, without regard to any thinw but it-felf and its own progrefs ; is to the fame Stream turn'd out of its proper Courfe, and running in a different one difpos'd into Cafcades, Jets, Cifterns, Ponds, &c. and ferving to water Gardens, turn Mills" and other particular Purpofes. In which cafe, the Progrefs of the Stream is not confidered with regard to i't-felf, but only as it concerns the Circumftances of the Works : every one of thefe Works, nay each part thereof, are fo many Data, which modify the Courfe of the Stream, and vary it from its original Habitude. 'Tis eafy to trace the Progrefs of the former, from its Rife to its Mile ; in regard it flows confequenthlly : But a Man ever fo well acquainted with this, will never be able, of himfclf, to difcover that of the Second, for want of Acquaintance with the Circumftances, which his Reafon can never find out, in regard they depend on the Genius, Humour and Caprice of the Engineer who laid the Defign.

THESE are fo many different Characters, or Conditions of Art and Science : But diere is a Difference between 'em prior to any of thefe, and of which thefe are only Confequenccs. The Origin of 'em all lies higher, in the Principle of Adion or Operation above fpecified ; namely, as the Miad is either adive or paffive therein. With regard to this ; thofe Things may be faid to belong to Science "which we only fee, or perceive ; which flow from the Nature and Conftitution of Things, by the idle Agency offthe Author thereof ; fubfervient only to His general Purpofes, exclufive of any immediate Agency or Intervention of Ours : And, on the contrary, thofe Things belong to Art, wherein fuch Science or Perception is further modified and circumftan-

tiated in our Mind, and direded and applied by us, to particular Purpofes and Oc.cafions of our own. From

hence arife the fevcral Differences abovemention'd : For the Matters of Art are only Perfonal, as they are according to the Meafure of the Artift's natural Faculties, in refped of Quantity and Degree ; and to the Complexion and Caft of his moral Faculties, in refped of their Quality. The Perception, even of Matters of Art, is of the Nature of Science : fo that thus far the two agree : And their Difference only commences from the fuperinducing a further Modification, in the Matter of fuch Perception ; and the giving it a new Diredion to fome particular End. By means hereof, it becomes invefted with a new Set of Conditions and Circum- ftances, wholly perfonal ; as being all framed and adapted to the particular View and Aim of the Artift, (which is the mere Refult of his particular Difpofition, Humour, Manner of thinking, Situation, Occafion, CSV.) and conduded according to his particular degree of Knowledge, and Addrefs ; which is the Effed of a particular Set of Objeds, and a particular Organifm of Body. In a word, in Art there is a moral View or Modve fuperadded to the natural Science, or Perception ; which Motive is the proper Principle, or primum Mobile of Art : Perception is its Matter ; and fome Member of the Body its Organ or Inftrument. And from fuch new Principle, &c. arife a new Set of fecundary Perceptions, analogous to the natural and primary ones. The whole, therefore, ends in this, That Science arifes from a natural Principle, Art from a moral one ; or even, as moral Matters are alfo in one Senfe natural, Science may be faid to be of divine Original ; Art, of human.

FROM this View may appear the deficiency of that eftablifhed Definition of ' Art ; An eft habitus mentis cum reSa ratione operativus ; A habit of the Mind operative according to right Reafon : which is evidently taken from a partial Consideration of the Subjed. If it be the Cliarader or Condition of Art to proceed according to right Reafon ; then, the more and purer this Reafon, the more perfed the Art. But, in a great part of the Arts, Reafon appears to have very little to do -, and the lefs, as thofe Arts are in greater Purity

and Perfedion Thus it is in Poetry ; a Man that would undertake an Ode, or an Epic Poem on the

ftrength of his Reafon, would be miferably out : All his Efforts would never carry him above the humble Sphere of Verification, where he muft be contented to wait for an Impulfe of another kind. So far is Reafon from leading the way, that it can fcarce follow at a diftance, fo as to keep in fight. The Principle of Mo- tion is evidently fomething other than Reafon ; otherwife, the greateft Philofophers would be the beft Poets, and vice versa. On the contrary, moft of us know of People very weak in Reafon, who yet are powerful in Poetry : The Poetical Talent we have feen follow fome People to Bedlam, others it has conveyed thither ; and, which is ftill more, fome People have firft found it there. Poetry is found an Appendage of one kind of Lunacy, and accordingly pafles among Phyficians for a Symptom thereof ; nor is it to be queftion'd, but, upon a Computa- tion, Moorfields might number double the Poets with any other Spot of the like Dimenfions in the Kingdom. — Let not this pafs as any Refledion upon the Poets : A Spice of Madnefs is not fo unreputable a thing as fome imagine; and a Man that is feated on that Bench, finds himfelf in the beft Company in theWoild. Some of the greateft Philofophers, Poets, Prophets, and Legislators ; I might have faid Divines, Fathers, and Afce- ticks too, of all Ages, are confeffedly his Affeffors. 'Tis remarkable with what Refped and Awe the Antients treated People fufpeded to be touch'd : The very Names they call'd 'em by import the utmoft Veneration, and place 'em, as it were, at the Threfhold of Jupiter *. One of their moft common Appellations, Numine afflali, is at the fame time the moft juft and philofophical that can be thought of. In effed, a Share of Fury and Enthufiafm, is held by them a fine qua non, a Circumftance abfolutely necefiary to become any thing extra- ordinary ; and hence fo many Proverbial Expreffions to that Purpofe : " No great Genius fine aliqua mixtura, " dementia ; No great Man fine aliquo afjiatu Divino, &c." — We may add, that the Poets themfelves have an hundred times exprefly attributed all their greater, and happier Thoughts, to Enthufiafm, Extafy, and Fury ; and they do it implicitly almoft in every Piece they write : it being their ftanding Pradice, to take a formal leave of Reafon, at firft fetting out, and call a Mufe for their future Guide : which, to talk out of the Poe- tical Style, is as much as to fay, They refign themfelves over to the Condud of G.:nius and Imagination, which they now find ftrong and prevalent in 'em. Thus infpired, a new Scene of Objeds arifes ; Caftles on Caftles : They fee things invifible to other Eyes, that is, the Phenomena of their own Fancy, which exift no where elfe. For tho what one Man's Reafon perceives, all others, equally good and perfed, will perceive ; even tho it have no Exiftence but what diat Perception gives it : yet it is not fo with Imagination, which is a perfonal Thing, arifmg from the particular Difpofition or Organifm, which is different in every t\vb Perfons ; whereas Reafon fprings from the general one, which is the fame in the whole Species. — From fuch prevalency of the Imagination, arifes what we call Poetry, nO'IEglg, q. d. making, feigning, inventing; which is common

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