tanding of human character, with infinite playfulness and
tenderness of fancy; but, as drawings, they are almost unendurably out
of harmony, violent blacks in one place being continually opposed to
trenchant white in another; and, as is almost sure to be the case with
bad harmonists, the local colour hardly felt anywhere. All German work
is apt to be out of harmony, in consequence of its too frequent
conditions of affectation, and its wilful refusals of fact; as well as
by reason of a feverish kind of excitement, which dwells violently on
particular points, and makes all the lines of thought in the picture to
stand on end, as it were, like a cat's fur electrified; while good work
is always as quiet as a couchant leopard, and as strong.

I have now stated to you all the laws of composition which occur to me
as capable of being illustrated or defined; but there are multitudes of
others which, in the present state of my knowledge, I cannot define, and
others which I never hope to define; and these the most important, and
connected with the deepest powers of the art. Among those which I hope
to be able to explain when I have thought of them more, are the laws
which relate to nobleness and ignobleness; that ignobleness especially
which we commonly call "vulgarity," and which, in its essence, is one of
the most curious subjects of inquiry connected with human feeling. Among
those which I never hope to explain, are chiefly laws of expression, and
others bearing simply on simple matters; but, for that very reason, more
influential than any others. These are, from the first, as inexplicable
as our bodily sensations are; it being just as impossible, I think, to
explain why one succession of musical notes[264] shall be noble and
pathetic, and such as might have been sung by Casella to Dante, and why
another succession is base and ridiculous, and would be fit only for the
reasonably good ear of Bottom, as to explain why we like sweetness, and
dislike bitterness. The best part of every great work is always
inexplicable: it is good because it is good; and innocently gracious,
opening as the green of the earth, or falling as the dew of heaven.

But though you cannot explain them, you may always render yourself more
and more sensitive to these higher qualities by the discipline which you
generally give to your character, and this especially with regard to the
choice of incidents; a kind of composition in some sort easier than the
artis