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Show 238 THE CODE OF TERPSICHORE. without hesitation, to realize whatever ideas may fire the fancy; boldly enter upon your designs, at the same time be guided by prudence and judgment, and success will, in all probability, attend you. T o attain celebrity, it is necessary to possess a certain sensibility of soul, which is instantly struck, moved, and interested by surrounding objects, and which is ever alive to the least emotion; without that kind of sensibility which raises in the mind a sort of enthusiastic energy, we cannot attain renown. It too frequently happens that an ardent desire to equal our superiors, or to produce things which may honour or perpetuate our memory, springs within Us, in proportion as we find ourselves capable of accomplishing the desired object, and we are rarely deceived. The mere desire of doing something praiseworthy inspires us with a certain extent of power. Vanity and envy also may suggest a wish to equal, or even surpass, the works of genius; but there is not then the same foundation for such pretensions. If ordinary and uninstructed artists continue in their ridiculous attempts, they will become rivals only to L e Moin<5, w h o pretended to equal the heroic poetry of the ancients with his ridiculous verses; or Borghese, who undertook to write a poem which should suspass that of Tasso. Let your application be continual; meditate on and analyze your productions ; reflection and examination lead to perfection. Compare your own works with those of others which are generally acknowledged to be truly beautiful; nothing can be more beneficial than comparison. A spirit of remark and review (so necessary to dramatic authors) should accompany all your studies, if you wish to render your imitations of nature perfect. Let the rules of art curb the impetuosity of your imagination, whose flights frequently transport us beyond the bounds of reason and |