CHAP. V.

Of Sight.

PART I. adapted than others to express the sentiments of the mind; and the expression and intelligence of those sentiments by the features, particularly by the eyes, is not acquired, but constitutional and inherent in our natures. In this way animals communicate their sentiments to each other; and in this way men communicate their sentiments to animals, and to young children; who all understand, or rather feel the language of the looks, as far as they express anger or approbation, loathing or desire, menace or conciliation, long before they can have formed any determinate ideas, by the association of which they could become acquainted with the respective meanings of these several modes of expression.

am, therefore, persuaded, that, in the case here stated, the preference would, without hesitation, be given to her, whose features were best adapted to express mild and pleasing sentiments; and, if there was no difference between them in this respect, to her whose colour made the most agreeable impression on the eye: for I readily assent to the great artist that a man, in this predicament, could form no judgment of symmetry, grace, elegance, or any other beauty of form. Grace is, indeed, perceived by mental sympathy; but, nevertheless, the exercise of mental sympathy, in this instance, is as much through the

association of ideas, as the operation of the un- PART I. derstanding, by which we discover symmetry; as will be hereafter explained.

25. Both colours and forms, however, so far as they exhibit pleasing masses of light and shadow to the eye, are beautiful in animals, as well as in other productions of the creation; and, consequently, may render one animal more beautiful than another, considering its beauty as addressed to the sense of seeing only. We cannot, indeed, determine whether or not a particular animal be beautiful in its kind without having seen many of that kind; for this is a result of comparison: but we can readily decide which is most beautiful of two animals of different kinds; or which is beautiful, and which is ugly, though we have seen but one of each kind, I never saw but one zebra, and one rhinoceros; and yet I found no difficulty in pronouncing the one to be a very beautiful, and the other a very ugly animal; nor have I ever met with any person that did.

26. We continually find, however, the most decided differences, and even direct oppositions of opinion, concerning the respective beauty of different animals of the same species, not only between different individuals, but between whole classes and generations of men. Ask a modern grazier what constitutes a beautiful bull, and he

CHAP. V.

Of Sight.

CHAP. V.

PART I. will tell you, a small neat head, a round neck, a large long and straight body, supported by very short Of Sight. and slender legs. But how different is such an animal from him

"cui turpe caput, cui plurima cervix; Et crurum tenus a mento palearia pendent *."

Long palearia or dewlaps are also enumerated among the beauties of the bull that captivated Europat; and perhaps, not only a painter, but any impartial and uninformed person might agree with the princess and her poet: but, to the real judge of horned cattle, there can scarcely be a greater deformity. The case is that the poet and the painter are looking for those forms and proportions, which are best adapted to exhibit ease, elegance, and dignity of gesture and action, and pleasing varieties of light and shade; while the grazier is only calculating the quantity of eatable and nutritive flesh, which the animal, in the least possible time, and with the least possible quantity of food, may bring into the shambles; and this consideration forms the scale of his preference. Habit, however, has taught him to think the forms and proportions, upon which he can calculate to most advantage, real and essential beauties; and to hold in the utmost +Ovid. Metamorph.

Georgic. iii. 52.

contempt the taste and judgment of any person, PART I. who should doubt their being so. The beauties

CHAP. V.

of ease, elegance, and dignity are equally ad- Of Sight. dressed to the mind, and independent of organic sense; as will be more fully shown hereafter: wherefore who shall presume to decide that the one are more truly and properly beauties, than the other? The beauties of light, shade, and colour are all that affect the eye, or make any impression upon organic sense and perception; wherefore, as far as mere visible beauty is meant, a water spaniel of the kind which Weenix so often painted, and of which Golzius has made so fine a print, seems to me to be a still more beautiful animal than a zebra; or, perhaps, than any existing: for his long curling hair affords more play and variety of light and shadow; and the brown and white colours, with which that hair is diversified, are distributed into irregular masses instead of regular stripes; and irregularity is certainly on ingredient of beauty, so far as it affects the organs of sense only; whence painters delight not only in irregular trees, but irregular buildings, and buildings irregularly mixed with trees; which afford more varieties of tint, and a more luxuriant play of light and shadow, than any regular combination of parts can produce; though these

G

PART I. may be required by the understanding in other instances.

CHAP. V.

Of Sight.

27. We must not, however, attempt to apply these principles of abstract beauty to the charms of the other sex, or imagine that we can prove or illustrate them by instances drawn from that source for though the person, hypothetically stated above to be restored to sight, would give the preference in beauty to the female, whose colour made the most agreeable impression on his eye, provided there was no difference in expression to influence his choice, yet this preference would be of a very cold kind, and utterly void of all the warmth of sexual desire. It would also be guided by principles totally different from those, which direct the choice of men, who have been accustomed to employ the sense of vision, as the criterion of their sexual predilections: for such a person would not be able to distinguish the blush of modesty or glow of sensibility, from the redness caused by intemperance, or morbid inflammation: nor would the delicate fairness, or cadaverous whiteness of a skin make any other impressions respectively upon his feelings, than the same different degrees or modifications of the same tint, seen in other substances. All the fascinating attractions of these charms of the sex