SECT. XVI.

DELICACY.

N air of robuftness and strength

ANs very of to ftrength

is very prejudicial to beauty. An appearance of delicacy, and even of fragility, is almost effential to it. Whoever examines the vegetable or animal creation, will find this obfervation to be founded in nature. It is not the oak, the afh, or the elm, or any of the robuft trees of the foreft, which we confider as beautiful; they are aweful and majestic; they infpire a fort of reverence. It is the delicate myrtle, it is the orange, it is the almond, it is the jeffamine, it is the vine, which we look on as vegetable beauties. It is the flowery species, foremarkable for its weakness and momentary duration, that gives us the livelieft idea of beauty, and elegance. Among animals; the greyhound

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is more beautiful than the mastiff; and the delicacy of a gennet, a barb, or an Arabian horse, is much more amiable than the ftrength and stability of some horses of war or carriage. I need here fay little of the fair fex, where I believe the point will be eafily allowed me. The beauty of women is confiderably owing to their weaknefs, or delicacy, and is even enchanced by their timidity, a quality of mind analogous to it. I would not here be understood to say, that weakness betraying very bad health has any fhare in beauty; but the ill effect of this is not because it is weaknefs, but because the ill ftate of health which produces fuch weakness alters the other conditions of beauty; the parts in fuch a cafe collapse; the bright colour, the lumen purpureum juventa is gone; and the fine variation is loft in wrinkles, fudden breaks, and right lines.

SECT.

SECT. XVII.

Beauty in COLOUR.

S to the colours ufually found in

A beautiful bodies; it may be fome

what difficult to ascertain them, because

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in the feveral parts of nature, there is
an infinite variety. However, even in
this variety, we may mark out some-
thing on which to fettle. First, the
colours of beautiful bodies muft not be
dusky or muddy, but clean and fair. Se-
condly, they must not be of the strong-
eft kind. Those which feem most ap-
propriated to beauty, are the milder of
every fort; light greens; foft blues;
weak whites; pink reds; and violets.
Thirdly, if the colours be ftrong and vi-
vid, they are always diverfified, and the
object is never of one ftrong colour; there
are almost always fuch a number of
them (as in variegated flowers) that the
ftrength

ftrength and glare of each is confiderably abated. In a fine complexion, there is not only fome variety in the colouring, but the colours, neither the red nor the white are strong and glaring. Befides, they are mixed in fuch a manner, and with fuch gradations, that it is impoffible to fix the bounds. On the fame principle it is, that the dubious colour in the necks and tails of peacocks, and about the heads of drakes, is so very agreeable. In reality, the beauty both of shape and colouring are as nearly related, as we can well fuppofe it poffible for things of fuch different natures to

be.

SECT.

SE C T. XVIII.

RECAPITULATION.

N the whole, the qualities of beauty, as they are merely fenfible qualities, are the following. First, to be comparatively fmall. Secondly, to be smooth. Thirdly, to have a variety in the direction of the parts; but fourthly, to have those parts not angular, but melted as it were into each other. Fifthly, to be of a delicate frame without any remarkable appearance of ftrength. Sixthly, to have its colours clear and bright; but not very strong and glaring. Seventhly, or if it fhould have any glaring colour, to have it diverfified with others. These are, I believe, the properties on which beauty depends; properties that operate by nature, and are lefs liable to be altered by caprice, or

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