Men should guard against this Mischief with great Care.  A Genius once squandered away by neglect, is not easily to be recovered. Tacitus assigns a very proper Reason for this. “[K]Such is the Nature, saith he, of Humane Infirmity, that Remedies cannot be applied, as quick as Mischiefs may be suffered; and as the Body must grow up by slow Degrees, but is presently destroyed; so you may stifle a Genius much more easily than you can recover it.  For you’ll soon relish Ease and Inactivity, and be in Love with Sloth, which was once your Aversion.”  This can hardly fail of raining the best Capacity, especially, if from a neglect of severer Business, Men run into a Dissolution of Manners, which is the too common Consequence.  The greatest Minds have thus been often wholly enervated, and the best Parts buried in utter Obscurity.

[K] Natura infirmitatis humanae, tadiora sunt remedia quam mala; & ut corpora lente augescunt, cito extinguuntur, sic ingenia studiaque oppresseris, facilius quam revocaveris; subit quippe ipsius inertiae dulcedo, et invisa primo desidia postremo amatur.  Tacit.  Vit.  Agricol. c. 3.

Though the Rules of Art may be of great Service to improve a Genius, it is very prejudicial, in many Cases, to fetter it self with these Rules, or confine itself within those Limits which others have fixed.  How little would Science have been improv’d, if every new Genius, that applies himself to any Branch of it, had made other Mens Light, his ne plus ultra, and resolved to go no farther into it, than the Road had been beaten before him.  No doubt there were Men of as good natural Abilities in the Ages before the Revival of Learning, as there have been since.  But they were cramped with the Jargon of a wordy and unintelligible Philosophy, and durst not give themselves the Liberty to think in Religion, without the Boundaries fixed by the Church, for fear of Anathemas, and an Inquisition.  Till those Fetters were broken, little Advance was made, for many Ages together, in any useful or solid Knowledge.  In truth, every Man who makes a new Discovery, goes at first by himself; and as long as the greatest Minds are Content to go in Leading-strings, they will be but upon a Level with their Neighbours.

On the other Hand, Capacities of a lower size must be obliged to more of Imitation.  All their Usefulness will be spoiled by forming too high Models for themselves.  If they will be of Service, they must be content to keep the beaten Road.  Should they attempt to soar too high, they will only meet with Icarus’s Fate.  A common Genius will serve many common Purposes exceeding well, and render a Man conspicuous enough, tho’ there may be no distinguishing Splendor about him to dazzle the Beholders Eyes.  But if he attempts any Thing beyond his Strength, he is sure to lose the Lustre which he had, if he does not also weaken his Capacity, and impair his Genius into the Bargain.  So just in all Cases is the Poet’s Advice to Writers.