Lett. 6. Grounds, the croffing Lines, the Difpofition of the Walks, the Arrangement of the Trees, and the Conveniency of the Shades and Arbours, the Propriety of the Statues, and perceives the Symmetry refulting from the Whole. But here's Company coming up; I must leave you: Adieu, my Friend! May you be happy as your reasonable Wishes can make you, or, if you can trust them, thofe of

Yours, &c.

LETTER

Lett. 7.

LETTER SEVENTH.

SA

AY you fo, Sir! Never ftirred from your Clofet for two whole Days-No, not to make an Excurfion cross the Meadow to I-y C-b! Well, Heaven grant the Charm may not foon lofe its Virtue, but continue to operate, until you have truly tafted the delightful Entertainment of well-directed Study, and be throughly convinced, that it is a manly thing to facrifice a little fleeting Pleasure in the Pursuit of genuine Knowledge. Moft willingly would I fatisfy your growing Curiofity: But as for an Explication of these fame Plates, prefixed to the several Sections of the ENQUIRY, I must ingenuously plead Ignorance; and will venture to fay, that few People can give a just one, but the first Inventor of the original Drawings, who can alone ascertain his own Ideas on fo vague a Subject as Mythology. But you fhall be very welcome to my Conjectures about fome of them; on which I have beftowed fome Time and Attention, with that pleafing Curiofity you now begin to feel in your turn, in fearching for the Meaning of an Allegory. Some of these Conjectures may perhaps be right-and others, I make not the least doubt, very wide of the real Intention of the first Defign. For all Compofitions in Painting-and emblematical Pieces more

than

Lett.

7. than any, give unbounded Scope to the Fancy. Don't you remember how long a Company of Sages, and fome of them truly learned, ftared upon that beautiful Cartoon of Julio Romano's Marriage of Pfyche, in the Duke of M's great Gallery? And the extravagant Gueffes Mr. H- made at Julian's Feaft of the Gods, painted by honest VARRIO, in the Stair-cafe of Hampton-Court? I found my Conjectures chiefly

upon

the Connection of the Story represented in the Plate, with the Subject of the Section whose Front it adorns; for the Infcriptions of the Plates at the End of the Book only puzzled and led me aftray. For inftance, the fourth Plate bears for its Infcription, A SACRIFICE, The OATH-Now with the ftrictest Attention, I cannot find the Vestige of an Oath throughout the whole Section. I conceive therefore that the Representations in the Plates are either taken from the general Design of the Sections to which they are prefixed; or from fome principal Part; fome remarkable Fact related, or fome Principle advanced, upon which the Subject poffibly turns. The Defign of the first Section is plainly to prove the various Influence which Soil and Climate have upon their feveral Productions ;-and particularly, as the Curious love to speak of late, upon animal-Plants, I mean their Natives of the human Species.

THE Point of View therefore of the firft Plate directs your Eye to a stately Temple, the In

fcription

scription of whose Portal bears, that it was facred Lett. 7. to CERES and the SEASONS: or, in other words, to EARTH the univerfal Mother, and to the various Influences of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, in its various Climes. Four beautiful female Figures follow one another into the Temple. The Chaplet on the Head and Feftoon in the Hands of the first bespeak the Spring, by which the Ancients began their Year: The Sheaf and Sickle, and a faintifh Look discover the fultry Summer: Harvest is known by her Garland of Grapes and Horn of Plenty and shivering Winter by her Coverings and Pan of Coals. A Section of the Zodiac cuts the Sky behind them, intended, I judge, to thew upon what the Succeffion of the Seasons depends. But the Figure in this Plate that gave me most pleasure, is the fine venerable old Man who fits in the Corner, fo ftudious and full of Attention in forming a human Creature, which he has almost finished, and obferving thoughtful, whether it wants not yet another Touch of his all-framing Hand. PROMETHEUS it must be; both from the Subject of his Story, and from the Torch lying at his Feet-but which, by the by, ought to have been the Reed in which he ftole celeftial Fire from the Wheel of the Sun's Chariot, and thievifhly conveyed it from Heaven to animate his new-made terreftrial Creature, for which he was punished as you now know. HOWEVER

Lett. 7.

HOWEVER ingenious this Part of the Defign may feem, I am of opinion, that it errs against the known Law of Compofition, That all the Figures, especially in little Pieces, fhould be employed in one Action: Unless you fay that the Formation of Man is the Action in which both the Earth, the Seasons, and Prometheus are all engaged; which may indeed be understood, but is by no means the apparent Attitude of the Seasons in the Draught. Be that as it will, the Idea fo clearly conveyed by the Representation of this Man-moulder, makes me eafily pardon a moderate Trefpafs upon a Rule of Defign. In a Play, I can bear with the Scene's shifting, (contrary to one of the facred Unities) from an Antichamber to a Garden, or from Pall-Mall to the Park, tho' my Fancy turns refty, and refuses to follow our admired dramatic Poet over Seas from Venice to Cyprus, or from Spain to Conftantinople. These are too unconscionable Strides for my profaic Imagination: But a Licence modeftly used may be tolerated, if it makes amends by its Inftruction or Entertainment, The Defign of this first Section, is to fhew the Power of Soil and Climate; and that Power exerted in the Formation of Man, who is to be infpired with a celestial Flame; for which we have a Temple facred to EARTH and the SEASONS; and behind them a human Creature forming, to be enlivened with Fire ftole from Heaven.

Now,