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fets children to fleep better than absolute reft; there is indeed scarce any thing at that age, which gives more pleasure than to be gently lifted up and down; the manner of playing which their nurses use with children, and the weighing and fwinging.ufed afterwards by themfelves as a favourite amufement, evince this very fufficiently. Most people must have obferved the fort of fenfe they have had on being fwiftly drawn in an eafy coach on a smooth turf, with gradual afcents and declivities. This will give a better idea of the beautiful, and point out its probable cause better, than almost any thing elfe. On the contrary when one is hurried over a rough, rocky, broken road, the pain felt by these fudden inequalities fhews why fimilar fights, feelings, and founds, are so contrary to beauty: and with regard to the feeling, it is exactly the fame in its effect, or very nearly the fame, whether, for instance, I move my hand along the furface of a body of a certain fhape, or whether fuch a body is moved along my hand. But to bring this analogy of the fenfes home to the eye: if a body prefented to that fenfe has fuch a waving furface, that the rays of light reflected from it are in a continual infenfible deviation from the strongest to the weakest (which is always the cafe in a furface gradually unequal), it must be exactly similar in its effects on the eye and touch; upon the one of which it operates directly, on the other indi

rectly.

rectly. And this body will be beautiful if the lines which compofe its furface are not continued, even fo varied, in a manner that may weary or diffipate the attention. The variation itself must be continually varied.

SECT. XXIV.

CONCERNING SMALLNESS.

To avoid a fameness which may arise from the too frequent repetition of the fame reasonings, and of illuftrations of the fame nature, I will not enter very minutely into every particular that regards beauty, as it is founded on the difpofition of its quantity, or its quantity itself. In fpeaking of the magnitude of bodies there is great uncer tainty, because the ideas of great and fmall are terms almost entirely relative to the species of the objects, which are infinite. It is true, that having once fixed the species of any object, and the di menfions common in the individuals of that fpecies, we may obferve fome that exceed, and fome that fall fhort of, the ordinary standard: those which greatly exceed, are by that excefs, provided the fpecies itself be not very small, rather great and terrible than beautiful; but as in the animal world, and in a good measure in the vegetable world likewife, the qualities that conftitute beauty may poffibly be united to things of greater dimenfions;

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fions; when they are fo united, they constitute a fpecies fomething different both from the fublime and beautiful, which I have before called Fine; but this kind, I imagine, has not fuch a power on the paffions, either as vaft bodies have which are endued with the correfpondent qualities of the fublime; or as the qualities of beauty have when united in a small object. The affection produced by large bodies adorned with the spoils of beauty, is a tenfion continually relieved; which approaches to the nature of mediocrity. But if I were to say how I find myfelf affected upon fuch occafions, I fhould fay, that the fublime fuffers lefs by being united to fome of the qualities of beauty, than beauty does by being joined to greatness of quantity, or any other properties of the fublime. There is fomething fo over-ruling in whatever infpires us with awe, in all things which belong ever fo remotely to terrour, that nothing elfe can ftand in their prefence. There lie the qualities of beauty either dead or unoperative; or at most exerted to mollify the rigour and sternnefs of the terrour, which is the natural concomitant of greatnefs. Befides the extraordinary great in every fpecies, the oppofite to this, the dwarfish and diminutive ought to be confidered. Littlenefs, merely as fuch, has nothing contrary to the idea of beauty. The humming-bird, both in fhape and colouring, yields to none of the winged fpecies, of which he is the

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leaft;

leaft; and perhaps his beauty is enhanced by his fmallness. But there are animals, which when they are extremely fmall are rarely (if ever) beautiful. There is a dwarfifh fize of men and women, which is almost constantly fo grofs and maffive in comparifon of their height, that they prefent us with a very difagreeable image. But fhould a man be found not above two or three feet high, fuppofing such a person to have all the parts of his body of a delicacy fuitable to fuch a fize, and otherwife endued with the common qualities of other beautiful bodies, I am pretty well convinced that a perfon of fuch a stature might be confidered as beautiful; might be the object of love; might give us very pleafing ideas on viewing him. The only thing which could poffibly interpofe to check our pleasure is, that fuch creatures, however formed, aré unusual, and are often therefore confidered as fomething monftrous. The large and gigantick, though very compatible with the fublime, is contrary to the beautiful. It is impoffible to suppose a giant the object of love... When we let our imagination loofe in romance, the ideas we naturally annex to that fize are thofe of tyranny, cruelty, injustice, and every thing horrid and abominable. We paint the giant ravaging the country, plundering the innocent traveller, and afterwards gorged with his half-living flefh; fuch are. Polyphemus, Cacus,cand others, who make fo great a figure in

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romances

romances and heroick poems. The event we attend to with the greatest fatisfaction is their defeat and death. I do not remember, in all that multitude of deaths with which the Iliad is filled, that the fall of any man remarkable for his great ftature and ftrength touches us with pity; nor does it appear that the author fo well read in human nature, ever intended it fhould. It is Simoifius, in the foft bloom of youth, torn from his parents, who tremble for a courage fo ill fuited to his ftrength; it is another hurried by war from the new embraces of his bride, young, and fair, and a novice to the field, who melts us by his untimely fate. Achilles, in fpite of the many qualities of beauty, which Homer has bestowed on his outward form, and the many great virtues with which he has adorned his mind, can never make us love him. It may be obferved, that Homer has given the Trojans, whofe fate he has designed to excite our compaffion, infinitely more of the amiable focial virtues than he has diftributed

among his Greeks. With regard to the Trojans, the paffion he chooses to raife is pity; pity is a paffion founded on love; and thefe leffer, and if I may fay domestick virtues, are certainly the moft amiable. But he has made the Greeks far their fuperiours in politick and military virtues, The councils of Priam are weak; the arms of Hector comparatively feeble; his courage far below that

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