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For as a painter by a knowledge of figure and colour can paint a

cobbler without any practice in cobbling, so the poet can

delineate any art in the colours of language, and give harmony

and rhythm to the cobbler and also to the general; and you know

how mere narration, when deprived of the ornaments of metre, is

like a face which has lost the beauty of youth and never had any

other. Once more, the imitator has no knowledge of reality, but

only of appearance. The painter paints, and the artificer makes a

bridle and reins, but neither understands the use of them-the

knowledge of this is confined to the horseman; and so of other

things. Thus we have three arts: one of use, another of

invention, a third of imitation; and the user furnishes the rule

to the two others. The flute-player will know the good and bad

flute, and the maker will put faith in him; but the imitator will

neither know nor have faith-neither science nor true opinion can

be ascribed to him.