of men by a most
rueful figure of one chained down to a rock by the brute force and bias
and methodical hammer-stroke of the merely practical Arts, and by the
merciless Necessities or Fates of present time; and so having his very
heart torn piece by piece out of him by a vulturous hunger and sorrow,
respecting things he cannot reach, nor prevent, nor achieve. So, again,
they describe the sentiment and pure soul-power of Man, as moving the
very rocks and trees, and giving them life, by its sympathy with them;
but losing its own best-beloved thing by mere venomous accident: and
afterwards going down to hell for it, in vain; being impatient and
unwise, though full of gentleness; and, in the issue, after as vainly
trying to teach this gentleness to others, and to guide them out of
their lower passions to sunlight of true healing Life, it drives the
sensual heart of them, and the gods that govern it, into mere and pure
frenzy of resolved rage, and gets torn to pieces by them, and ended;
only the nightingale staying by its grave to sing. All which appearing
to be anything rather than helpful or encouraging instruction for
beginners, we shall, for the present, I think, do well to desire these
enigmatical teachers to put up their pipes and be gone; and betaking
ourselves in the humblest manner to intelligible business, at least set
down some definite matter for decision, to be made a first
stepping-stone at the shore of this brook of despond and difficulty.

38. Most masters agree (and I believe they are right) that the first
thing to be taught to any pupil, is how to draw an outline of such
things as can be outlined.

Now, there are two kinds of outline--the soft and hard. One must be
executed with a soft instrument, as a piece of chalk or lead; and the
other with some instrument producing for ultimate result a firm line of
equal darkness; as a pen with ink, or the engraving tool on wood or
metal.

And these two kinds of outline have both of them their particular
objects and uses, as well as their proper scale of size in work. Thus
Raphael will sketch a miniature head with his pen, but always takes
chalk if he draws of the size of life. So also Holbein, and generally
the other strong masters.

But the black outline seems to be peculiarly that which we ought to
begin to reason upon, because it is simple and open-hearted, and does
not endeavor to escape into mist. A pencil line may be obscurely and
undemonstrably wrong; fal