"He examines his own mind, and perceives there nothing of that divine inspiration, with which, he is told, so many others have been favoured. He never travelled to Heaven to gather new ideas; and he finds himself possessed of no other qualifications than what mere common sense and a plain understanding can confer."
A Discourse Delivered to the Students of the Royal Academy [Discourses on Art]
From 1769 to 1772 Reynolds' lectures were delivered annually, with each discourse published shortly after its delivery. After 1772, the lectures were delivered biennially. The first seven discourses were collected and published together in 1778. In 1797, the first collected edition of all fifteen appeared, with a second edition issued in 1798. See the <a href="http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/23429?docPos=1">ODNB</a>.<br>
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Text from <u>A Discourse Delivered to the Students of the Royal Academy, on the Distribution of the Prizes, December 14, 1770, by the President.</u> (London: Printed for Thomas Davies, 1771). &lt;<a href="http://find.galegroup.com/ecco/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=ECCO&userGroupName=viva_uva&tabID=T001&docId=CW106272242&type=multipage&contentSet=ECCOArticles&version=1.0&docLevel=FASCIMILE">Link to ECCO</a>&gt;<br>
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See also Sir Joshua Reynolds, <u>Seven Discourses Delivered in the Royal Academy by the President</u> (London: T. Cadell, 1778). &lt;<a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=FS4GAAAAQAAJ">Link to Google Books</a>&gt;<br>
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Also reading at <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2176/2176-h/2176-h.htm">PGDP</a>.