The Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1818-1824, 1823-11-18

discovers new ideas is often 0nly iaborou'
workman. who extracts the marble from tic
quarry. Tie man who has the sklli ~ give
to those IDEAS the most happy and elegant eK,
preston is ike the sculptor, whos from .
shapeles stone, can produce Venus or an
Apciio.
Still, however, the first rank among liter.
airy men must belong exclusively 10 those az.
thors who are at once the creators 81 thier
ideas aud their expressions. The genius OF
such men Is imperishable. Carried 10 the
highest point Of elevation, which human pow
srs Cannot snrpass, aud despair 10 attain, il
has marked the boundaries Of the art. They
are hike those lofty rocks round the sides Of
which the waters Of the ocean swell and play
their eHorts only serving to mark the differ
ent heights of the waves, which have never
touched their SUBMITS.
| These are literary men par excellence, and
to them belongs the true glory but, unfor.
tnnaielF. il too frequently happens that glory
| is their only reward.
NIft.e nsan OF genius, who dedicates his
whole life 20 some great work, mas not been
favored BY fortune, II is absolutely inevitable
that he mnst live in misery. Although. bis
labOurs are daily, yet, as his work cannot be
ipruduced in detail, the reward Of his exertion
| is not also daily, his wants, In the mean time
being daily renewed. This it is which con-
strains men of superior talents TO descend 70
literary speculations-For the heirs Of no
bic family, who,to maintain the honour Of their
Dame, form matrimonial alliances beneath
them, from motives Of interest and that. as
they think tey may enrich their lands with
the produce of dunghill.
The governors of the world have some
times redeemed genius from this slavery but
this happens rarely, and not TO all, nor is il
difficult to explain why. The chief of state,
to encourage the artists, must have taste
for the arts and, moreover, the artist must
labour either according TO his taste or for bis
interest. Augustus, although he only wrote
some obscene verses himself, loved good poe
| try, and enriched Horace and Virgil. But
was it solely because they wrote good poetry
Was il not also because those verses served
his political purposes, aud excused his gov
eminent 1t may be conceived that Angus
tus would have left in utter poverty more
than one sublime poet who did not consecrate
his Tyre TO him; and that he was perfectly in
different about those who were Indifferent a.
bout him. 10 modern times, La Fcntaine
was not treated BY Louis XIV. as were Ra-
cine or Boieau.
4 Besides, men Of genius are net always
known to princes and, if they be, how sci
dom are they appreciated. How few persons,
great or small, will take the trouble TO form
an opinion how few are able to do So Men
who have not even courage enough to amuse
themselves have certainly not enough TO en-
counter the fatigue Of reading. Il costs
them less trouble 10 speak, after those whc
I have studied, than to study, that they NAV
speak after themselves. A great lord, hear
ing Ariostos poem praised, charged bis secre-
tary TO read it, and TO give him an account Of
lit. Palaces are filled with such great lords
and with secretaries who have no other stu
dies than the antechambers
/ Il would not counsel useless hberalities,
even at time when the public prosperity
would seem to allow Of them; but, if the glo-
nv of the fine arts is one branch Of the glory
of state, the head of state should bestow
bis rewards upon all those by whom that glo-
nv il supported and extended. They are due
to the men who have done, who do, and who
will do, this
The work is composed Of similar essays.
occasionally interspersed With lighter anec-
dotes and scraps.