XXIII. Elegance and Speciousness XXVII. The Sublime and Beautiful compared PART IV. VI. 263 How Pain can be a cause of Delight VII. Exercise necessary for the finer Organs, VIII. Why things not dangerous sometimes produce a passion like Terrour IX. Why Visual Objects of great dimensions X. Unity, why requisite to Vastness XI. The artificial Infinite XII. The Vibrations must be similar 265 266 XIII. The effects of Succession in visual objects explained XVIII. Th Effects of Blackness moderated XIX. The physical Cause of Love XX. Why Smoothness is Beautiful 302 305 INTRODUCTION. ON TASTE. ON a superficial view, we may seem to differ very widely from each other in our reasonings, and no less in our pleasures: but notwithstanding this difference, which I think to be rather apparent than real, it is probable that the standard both of reason and taste is the same in all human creatures. For if there were not some principles of judgment as well as of sentiment common to all mankind, no hold could possibly be taken either on their reason or their passions, sufficient to maintain the ordinary correspondence of life. It appears indeed to be generally acknowledged, that with regard to truth and falsehood there is something fixed. We find people in their disputes continually appealing to certain tests and standards, which are allowed on all sides, and are supposed to be established in our common nature. But there is not the same obvious concurrence in any uniform or settled principles which relate to taste. |