Human creatures are born into the world with various
dispositions. According to the memorable saying of Themistocles,
One man can play upon a psaltery or harp, and another can by
political skill and ingenuity convert a town of small account,
weak and insignificant, into a city noble, magnificent and great.

It is comparatively a very little way that we can penetrate into
the mysteries of nature.

Music seems to be one of the faculties most clearly defined in
early youth. The child who has received that destination from
the hands of nature, will even in infancy manifest a singular
delight in musical sounds, and will in no long time imitate
snatches of a tune. The present professor of music in the
university of Oxford contrived for himself, I believe at three
years old, a way for playing on an instrument, the piano forte,
unprompted by any of the persons about him. This is called
having an ear.

Instances nearly as precocious are related of persons, who
afterwards distinguished themselves in the art of painting.

These two kinds of original destination appear to be placed
beyond the reach of controversy.

Horace says, The poet is born a poet, and cannot be made so by
the ingenuity of art: and this seems to be true. He sees the
objects about him with an eye peculiarly his own; the sounds that
reach his ear, produce an effect upon him, and leave a memory
behind, different from that which is experienced by his fellows.