of rubbish, the ruins perhaps of fome extensive building, or a large heap of ftones, which are fometimes feen collected together as a memorial of a battle or other remarkable event. Such

an object, which in miniature would be perfectly indifferent, makes an impreffion by its magnitude, and appears agreeable. And fuppofing it fo large, as to fill the eye, and to prevent the attention from wandering upon other objects, the impreffion it makes will be so much the deeper *.

But though a plain object of this kind be agreeable, it is not termed grand: it is not intitled to that character, unless, together with its fize, it be poffeffed of other qualities that contribute to beauty, fuch as regularity, proportion, order, or colour: and according to the number of fuch qualities combined with magnitude, it is more or lefs grand. Thus St Peter's church at Rome, the great pyramid of Egypt, the Alps towering above the clouds, a great arm of the fea, and above all a clear and ferene fky, are grand, because, befide their fize, they are beautiful in an eminent degree. On the other hand, an overgrown whale, having a difagreeable appearance, is not grand. A large building agreeable by its regularity and proportions, is grand, and yet a much larger building deftitute of regularity, has not the least tincture of grandeur. A fingle regiment in battle-aray,

See Appendix, Terms defined, $33,

makes

makes a grand appearance; which the furrounding crowd does not, though perhaps ten for one in number. Thus greatnefs or magnitude is the circumftance that diftinguishes grandeur from beauty. Agreeablenefs is the genus, of which beauty and grandeur are fpecies.

Next as to the emotion of grandeur, which duly examined will be found an additional proof of the foregoing doctrine. That this emotion is pleasant in a high degree, requires no other evidence but once to have seen a grand object; and if an emotion of grandeur be pleasant, its caufe or object, as observed above, must infallibly be agreeable in proportion.

The qualities of grandeur and beauty are not more diftinct, than the emotions are which thefe qualities produce in a fpectator. It is obferved in the chapter immediately foregoing, that all the various emotions of beauty have one common character of fweetnefs and gaiety. The emotion of grandeur has a different character: a large object that is agreeable, occupies the whole attention, and fwells the heart into a vivid emotion, which, though extremely pleafant, is rather serious than gay. And this affords a good reafon, for diftinguishing in language thefe different emotions. The emotions raised by colour, by regularity, by proportion, and by order, have fuch a refemblance to each other, as readily to come under one general term, viz. the emotion of beauty; but the emotion of gran

deur

deur is fo different from thofe mentioned, as to merit a peculiar name.

Though regularity, proportion, order, and colour, contribute to grandeur as well as to beauty, yet these qualities are not by far fo effential to the former as to the latter. To make out this propofition fome preliminaries are requifite. In the first place, the mind, not being totally occupied with a fmall object, can give its attention at the fame time to every minute part; but in a great or extensive object, the mind being to tally occupied with the capital and striking parts, has no attention left for thofe that are little or indifferent. In the next place, two fimilar objects appear not at all fimilar when viewed at different diftances: the fimilar parts of a very large object, cannot be seen but at different distances; and for that reafon, its regularity, and the proportion of its parts, are in fome measure loft to the eye; neither are the irregularities of a very large object, fo confpicuous as of one that is fmall. Hence it is, that a large object is not so agreeable by its regularity, as a finall object; nor fo difagreeable by its irregularities.

These confiderations make it evident, that grandeur is fatisfied with a lefs degree of regularity, and of the other qualities mentioned, than is requifite for beauty; which may be illuftrated by the following experiment. Approaching to a fmall conical hill, we take an accurate furvey of every part, and are fenfible of the slightest devia

tion from regularity and proportion. Suppofing this hill to be confiderably enlarged, fo as to make us less fenfible of its regularity, it will upon that account appear lefs beautiful. It will not however appear refs agreeable, because fome flight emotion of grandeur comes in place of what is loft in beauty. And at laft, when this hill is enlarged to a great mountain, the fmall degree of beauty that is left, is funk in its grandeur. Hence it is, that a towering hill is delightful, if it have but the flightest resemblance to a cone; and a chain of mountains not lefs fo, though deficient in the accuracy of order and proportion. We, require a small furface to be smooth; but in an extenfive plain, confiderable inequalities are overlooked. In a word, regulárity, proportion, order, and colour, contribute to grandeur as well as to beauty; but with a remarkable difference, that in paffing from fmall to great, they are not required in the fame degree of perfection. This remark ferves to explain the extreme delight we have in viewing the face of nature, when fufficiently enriched and diverfified with objects. The bulk of the objects in a natural landfcape are beautiful, and fome of them grand: a flowing river, a spreading oak, a round hill, an extended plain, are delightful; and even a rugged rock, or barren heath, though in themselves difagreeable, contribute by contraft to the beauty of the whole : joining to thefe, the verdure of the fields, the mixture of light

and

and shade, and the fublime canopy fpread over all; it will not appear wonderful, that fo extenfive a group of fplendid objects, fhould fwell the heart to its utmoft bounds, and raise the ftrongest emotion of grandeur. The fpectator is conscious of an enthusiasm, which cannot bear confinement, nor the strictness of regularity and order: he loves to range at large; and is fo inchanted with magnificent objects, as to overlook flight beauties or defects.

The fame obfervation is applicable in fome measure to works of art: in a fmall building, the flighteft irregularity is difagreeable; but in a magnificent palace, or a large Gothic church, irregularities are less regarded: in an epic poem we pardon many negligences, which would be intolerable in a fonnet or epigram. Notwithstanding fuch exceptions, it may be justly laid down for a rule, That in works of art, order and regularity ought to be governing principles: and hence the obfervation of Longinus*, "In "works of art we have regard to exact proportion; in those of nature, to grandeur and magnificence."

The fame reflections are in a good measure applicable to fublimity; particularly that, like grandeur, it is a species of agreeableness; that a beautiful object placed high, appearing more agreeable than formerly, produces in the fpectator

* Chap. 30.

a