previously　gathered　and　deposited　in　the　memory。　　Nothing　can　come　of　nothing。　　He　who　has　laid　up　no　materials　can　produce　no　combinations。
  A　student　unacquainted　with　the　attempts　of　former　adventurers　is　always　apt　to　overrate　his　own　abilities；　to　mistake　the　most　trifling　excursions　for　discoveries　of　moment；　and　every　coast　new　to　him　for　a　new…found　country。　　If　by　chance　he　passes　beyond　his　usual　limits；　he　congratulates　his　own　arrival　at　those　regions　which　they　who　have　steered　a　better　course　have　long　left　behind　them。
  The　productions　of　such　minds　are　seldom　distinguished　by　an　air　of　originality：　　they　are　anticipated　in　their　happiest　efforts；　and　if　they　are　found　to　differ　in　anything　from　their　predecessors；　it　is　only　in　irregular　sallies　and　trifling　conceits。　　The　more　extensive　therefore　your　acquaintance　is　with　the　works　of　those　who　have　excelled　the　more　extensive　will　be　your　powers　of　invention；　and　what　may　appear　still　more　like　a　paradox；　the　more　original　will　be　your　conceptions。　　But　the　difficulty　on　this　occasion　is　to　determine　who　ought　to　be　proposed　as　models　of　excellence；　and　who　ought　to　be　considered　as　the　properest　guides。
  To　a　young　man　just　arrived　in　Italy；　many　of　the　present　painters　of　that　country　are　ready　enough　to　obtrude　their　precepts；　and　to　offer　their　own　performances　as　examples　of　that　perfection　which　they　affect　to　recommend。　　The　modern；　however；　who　recommends　HIMSELF　as　a　standard；　may　justly　be　suspected　as　ignorant　of　the　true　end；　and　unacquainted　with　the　proper　object　of　the　art　which　he　professes。　　To　follow　such　a　guide　will　not　only　retard　the　student；　but　mislead　him。
  On　whom；　then；　can　he　rely；　or　who　shall　show　him　the　path　that　leads　to　excellence？　　The　answer　is　obvious：　　Those　great　masters　who　have　travelled　the　same　road　with　success　are　the　most　likely　to　conduct　others。　　The　works　of　those　who　have　stood　the　test　of　ages　have　a　claim　to　that　respect　and　veneration　to　which　no　modern　can　pretend。　　The　duration　and　stability　of　their　fame　is　sufficient　to　evince　that　it　has　not　been　suspended　upon　the　slender　thread　of　fashion　and　caprice；　but　bound　to　the　human　heart　by　every　tie　of　sympathetic　approbation。
  There　is　no　danger　of　studying　too　much　the　works　of　those　great　men；　but　how　they　may　be　studied　to　advantage　is　an　inquiry　of　great　importance。
  Some　who　have　never　raised　their　minds　to　the　consideration　of　the　real　dignity　of　the　art；　and　who　rate　the　works　of　an　artist　in　proportion　as　they　excel；　or　are　defective　in　the　mechanical　parts；　look　on　theory　as　something　that　may　enable　them　to　talk　but　not　to　paint　better；　and　confining　themselves　entirely　to　mechanical　practice；　very　assiduously　toil　on　in　the　drudgery　of　copying；　and　think　they　make　a　rapid　progress　while　they　faithfully　exhibit　the　minutest　part　of　a　favourite　picture。　　This　appears　to　me　a　very　tedious；　and　I　think　a　very　erroneous；　method　of　proceeding。　　Of　every　large　composition；　even　of　those　which　are　most　admired；　a　great　part　may　be　truly　said　to　be　common…place。　　This；　though　it　takes　up　much　time　in　copying；　conduces　little　to　improvement。　　I　consider　general　copying　as　a　delusive　kind　of　industry；　the　student　satisfies　himself　with　the　appearance　of　doing　something；　he　falls　into　the　dangerous　habit　of　imitating　without　selecting；　and　of　labouring　without　any　determinate　object；　as　it　requires　no　effort　of　the　mind；　he　sleeps　over　his　work；　and　those　powers　of　invention　and　composition　which　ought　particularly　to　be　called　out　and　put　in　action　lie　torpid；　and　lose　their　energy　for　want　of　exercise。
  It　is　an　observation　that　all　must　have　made；　how　incapable　those　are　of　producing　anything　of　their　own　who　have　spent　much　of　their　time　in　making　finished　copies。
  To　suppose　that　the　complication　of　powers；　and　variety　of　ideas　necessary　to　that　mind　which　aspires　to　the　first　honours　ill　the　art　of　painting；　can　be　obtained　by　the　frigid　contemplation　of　a　few　single　models；　is　no　less　absurd　than　it　would　be　in　him　who　wishes　to　be　a　poet　to　imagine　that　by　translating　a　tragedy　he　can　acquire　to　himself　sufficient　knowledge　of　the　appearances　of　nature；　the　operations　of　the　passions；　and　the　incidents　of　life。
  The　great　use　in　copying；　if　it　be　at　all　useful；　should　seem　to　be　in　learning　to　colour；　yet　even　colouring　will　never　be　perfectly　attained　by　servilely　copying　the　mould　before　you。　　An　eye　critically　nice　can　only　be　formed　by　observing　well…coloured　pictures　with　attention：　　and　by　close　inspection；　and　minute　examination　you　will　discover；　at　last；　the　manner　of　handling；　the　artifices　of　contrast；　glazing；　and　other　expedients；　by　which　good　colourists　have　raised　the　value　of　their　tints；　and　by　which　nature　has　been　so　happily　imitated。
  I　must　inform　you；　however；　that　old　pictures　deservedly　celebrated　for　their　colouring　are　often　so　changed　by　dirt　and　varnish；　that　we　ought　not　to　wonder　if　they　do　not　appear　equal　to　their　reputation　in　the　eyes　of　unexperienced　painters；　or　young　students。　　An　artist　whose　judgment　is　matured　by　long　observation；　considers　rather　what　the　picture　once　was；　than　what　it　is　at　present。　　He　has　acquired　a　power　by　habit　of　seeing　the　brilliancy　of　tints　through　the　cloud　by　which　it　is　obscured。　　An　exact　imitation；　therefore；　of　those　pictures；　is　likely　to　fill　the　student's　mind　with　false　opinions；　and　to　send　him　back　a　colourist　of　his　own　formation；　with　ideas　equally　remote　from　nature　and　from　art；　from　the　genuine　practice　of　the　masters　and　the　real　appearances　of　things。
  Following　these　rules；　and　using　these　precautions；　when　you　have　clearly　and　distinctly　learned　in　what　good　colouring　consists；　you　cannot　do　better　than　have　recourse　to　nature　herself；　who　is　always　at　hand；　and　in　comparison　of　whose　true　splendour　the　best　coloured　pictures　are　but　faint　and　feeble。
  However；　as　the　practice　of　copying　is　not　entirely　to　be　excluded；　since　the　mechanical　practice　of　painting　is　learned　in　some　measure　by　it；　let　those　choice　parts　only　be　selected　which　have　recommended　the　work　to　notice。　　If　its　excellence　consists　in　its　general　effect；　it　would　be　proper　to　make　slight　sketches　of　the　machinery　and　general　management　of　the　picture。　　Those　sketches　should　be　kept　always　by　you　for　the　regulation　of　your　style。　Instead　of　copying　the　touches　of　those　great　masters；　copy　only　their　conceptions。　　Instead　of　treading　in　their　footsteps；　endeavour　only　to　keep　the　same　road。　　Labour　to　invent　on　their　general　principles　and　way　of　thinking。　　Possess　yourself　with　their　spirit。　　Consider　with　yourself　how　a　Michael　Angelo　or　a　Raffaelle　would　have　treated　this　subject：　　and　work　yourself　into　a　belief　that　your　picture　is　to　be　seen　and　criticised　by　them　when　completed。　　Even　an　attempt　of　this　kind　will　rouse　your　powers。
  But　as　mere　enthusiasm　will　carry　you　but　a　little　way；　let　me　recommend　a　practice　that　may　be　equivalent；　and　will　perhaps　more　efficaciously　contribute　to　your　advancement；　than　even　the　verbal　corrections　of　those　masters　themselves；　could　they　be　obtained。　What　I　would　propose　is；　that　you　should　enter　into　a　kind　of　competition；　by　painting　a　similar　subject；　and　making　a　companion　to　any　picture　that　you　consider　as　a　model。　　After　you　have　finished　your　work；　place　it　near　the　model；　and　compare　them　carefully　together。　　You　will　then　not　only　see；　but　feel　your　own　deficiencies　more　sensibly　than　by　precepts；　or　any　other　means　of　instruction。　　The　true　principles　of　painting　will　mingle　with　your　thoughts。　　Ideas　thus　fixed　by　sensible　objects；　will　be　certain　and　definitive；　and　sinking　deep　into　the　mind；　will　not　only　be　more　just；　but　more　lasting　than　those　presented　to　you　by　precepts　only：　　which　will；　always　be　fleeting；　variable；　and　undetermined。
  This　method　of　comparing　your　own　efforts　with　those　of　some　great　master；　is　indeed　a　severe　and　mortifying　task；　to　which　none　will　submit；　but　such　as　have　great　views；　with　fortitude　sufficient　to　forego　the　gratifications　of　present　vanity　for　future　honour。　When　the　student　has　succeeded　in　some　measure　to　his　own　satisfaction；　and　has　felicitated　himself　on　his　success；　to　go　voluntarily　to　a　tribunal　where　he　knows　his　vanity　must　be　humbled；　and　all　self…approbation　must　vanish；　requires　not　only　great　resolution；　but　great　humility。　　To　him；　however；　who　has　the　Ambition　to　be　a　real　master；　the　solid　satisfaction　which　proceeds　from　a　consciousness　of　his　advancement　（of　which　seeing　his　own　faults　is　the　first　step）　will　very　abundantly　compensate　for　the　mortification　of　present　disappointment。　　There　is；　besides；　this　alleviating　circumstance。　　Every　discovery　he　makes；　every　acquisition　of　knowledge　he　attains；　seems　to　proceed　from　his　own　sagacity；　and　thus　he　acquires　a　confidence　in　himself　sufficient　to　keep　up　the　resolution　of　perseverance。
  We　all　must　have　experienced　how　lazily；　and　consequently　how　ineffectually；　instruction　is　received　when　forced　upon　the　mind　by　others。　　Few　have　been　taught　to　any　purpose　who　have　not　been　their　own　teachers。　　We　prefer　those　instructions　which　we　have　given　ourselves；　from　our　affection　to　the　instructor；　and　the