Annotations
to
The Works of Sir Joshua Reynolds,!
edited by Edmond Malone. London, 1798
TITLE PAGE
This Man was Hired to Depress Art This is the opinion of Will Blake my Proofs of
this Opinion are given in the following Notes
Degrade first the Arts if you'd Mankind degrade,
Hire Idiots to Paint with cold light & hot shade:
Give high Price for the worst, leave the best in disgrace,
And with Labours ofIgnorance fill every place.
Begin Page 636
[BACK OF TITLE PAGE]
Having spent the Vigour of my Youth & Genius under the Opression of Sr Joshua &
his Gang of Cunning Hired Knaves Without Employment & as much as could
possibly be Without Bread, The Reader must Expect to Read in all my Remarks on
these Books Nothing but Indignation & Resentment While Sr Joshua was rolling in
Riches Barry was Poor &
[independent]
Energy>Mortimer was
[despised
&
Mocked]
a Madman>
[I now despise &
Mock in turn although Suffring Neglect]<&
only Portrait Painting applauded &
rewarded by the Rich & Great.>Reynolds & Gainsborough Blotted & Blurred one
against the other & Divided all the English World between them Fuseli Indignant
The Arts & Sciences are the Destruction of Tyrannies or Bad Governments Why
should A Good Government endeavour to Depress What is its Chief & only Support
The advantages proceeding from the Institution of a Royal Academy.
The Foundation of Empire is Art & Science Remove them or Degrade them & the
Empire is No More--Empire follows Art & Not Vice Versa as Englishmen suppose
On peut dire que la Pape Leon Xme en encourageant les Etudes donna les armes
contre lui-meme. J'ai oui dire a un Seigneur Anglais qu'il avait vu une Lettre du
Seigneur Polus, ou de La Pole, depuis Cardinal, a ce Pape; dans laquelle, en Ie
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