,,an ,,enquiry ,,concerning ,,the ,,principles ,,of ,,taste1 ,,and ,,of ,,the ,,origin ,,of ,,our ,,ideas ,,of ,,beauty1 ,,etc4 by ,frances ,reynolds #aghe ,with an ,introduction by ,james ,l4 ,clifford ,the ,augustan ,reprint ,society ,frances ,reynolds ,an ,enquiry ,concerning the ,principles of ,taste1 and of the ,origin of ,our ,ideas of ,beauty1 etc4 7#aghe7 ,with an ,introduction by ,james ,l4 ,clifford ,publication #bg ,los ,angeles ,william ,andrews ,clark ,memorial ,library ,university of ,california #aiea ,,general ,,editors ,h4 ,,richard ,,archer1 ,clark ,memorial ,library ,,richard ,c4 ,,boys1 ,university of ,michigan ,,edward ,,niles ,,hooker1 ,university of ,california1 ,los ,angeles ,,john ,,loftis1 ,university of ,california1 ,los ,angeles ,,assistant ,,editors ,w4 ,,earl ,,britton1 ,university of ,michigan ,,advisory ,,editors ,,emmett ,l4 ,,avery1 ,state ,college of ,washington ,,benjamin ,,boyce1 ,duke ,university ,,louis ,i4 ,,bredvold1 ,university of ,michigan ,,cleanth ,,brooks1 ,yale ,university ,,james ,l4 ,,clifford1 ,columbia ,university ,,arthur ,,friedman1 ,university of ,chicago ,,samuel ,h4 ,,monk1 ,university of ,minnesota ,,ernest ,,mossner1 ,university of ,texas ,,james ,,sutherland1 ,queen ,mary ,college1 ,london ,h4,t4 ,,swedenberg1 ,,jr41 ,university of ,california1 ,los ,angeles ,,introduction ,since the early nineteenth century it has been known that ,frances ,reynolds1 the sister of ,sir ,joshua1 was the author of an essay on taste1 which she had printed but did not publish4 ,yet persistent search failed to turn up a single copy4 ,it remained one of those lost pieces which every research scholar hoped someday to discover4 ,in #aice it appeared that the search was over4 ,among some manuscripts of ,mrs4 ,thrale-,piozzi1 long hidden in ,wales1 was found a printed copy of an anonymous ,enquiry ,concerning the ,principles of ,taste1 and of the ,origin of ,our ,ideas of ,beauty1 which seemed to be the lost essay4 ,the date was correct2 the ,enquiry was dedicated to ,mrs4 ,montagu2 it contained a quotation from ,dr4 ,johnson2 and1 best of all1 there was attached to the pamphlet a copy 7in an unidentified handwriting7 of ,johnson's well-known letter to ,miss ,reynolds concerning her essay4 ,only one thing stood squarely in the way of the identification4 ,james ,northcote in his ,life of ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds1 published in #ahah 7,,ii1 #aaf-ai71 after describing ,johnson's connection with the manuscript1 gives two pages of short excerpts4 ,most of the quotations are general statements such as ,dress is the strong indication of the moral character or ,the fine arts comprehend all that is excellent in the moral system1 and1 at the same time1 open every path that tends to the corruption of moral excellence4 ,unfortunately none of these excerpts appears directly in the ,enquiry4 ,although some of the ideas are similar1 the wording and specific details are different4 ,by no stretch of the imagination could they be considered to come from the same piece4 ,thus ,northcote blocked the solution of the mystery for nearly fifteen years4 ,recently1 however1 evidence has turned up which makes the attribution a certainty4 ,it is now obvious that ,northcote must have been mistaken in the source of his quotations4 ,writing as he did many years after the events he was describing1 ,northcote either had found a copy of the first draft of ,miss ,reynolds' essay1 or erroneously quoted from another anonymous piece which he assumed was by ,miss ,reynolds4 ,in any event he was not quoting from the final version which she wished the world to see4 ,the story of ,miss ,reynolds' attempts to publish her essay can at last be pieced together from various bits of evidence1 some hitherto unpublished4 ,just when the essay was written is uncertain4 ,all that we know is that a preliminary version was submitted to the rigorous criticism of ,dr4 ,johnson in #agha4 ,johnson1 who had corrected some of her verses in red ink the year before1 commented on #ba ,july #agha3 ,there is in these such force of comprehension1 and such nicety of observation as ,locke or ,pascal might be proud of4 ,this ,i say with intention to have you think that ,i speak my opinion4 ,they cannot however be printed in their present state4 ,many of your notions seem not very clear in your own mind1 many are not sufficiently developed and expanded for the common reader2 the expression almost every where wants to be made clearer and smoother4 ,you may by revisal and improvement make it a very elegant and curious work4#a ,but ,miss ,reynolds was not easily discouraged1 and ,johnson wrote again on #h ,april #aghb3 ,your work is full of very penetrating meditation1 and very forcible sentiment4 ,i read it with a full perception of the sublime1 with wonder and terrour1 but ,i cannot think of any profit from it2 it seems not born to be popular4 ,your system of the mental fabric is exceedingly obscure1 and without more attention than will be willingly bestowed1 is unintelligible4 ,the ,ideas of ,beauty will be more easily understood1 and are often charming4 ,i was delighted with the different beauty of different ages4 ,i would make it produce something if ,i could but ,i have indeed no hope4 ,if a ,bookseller would buy it at all1 as it must be published without a name1 he would give nothing for it worth your acceptance4#b ,in passing it might be pointed out that this letter has previously not been associated with ,miss ,reynolds' essay on taste1 largely because the available text of the letter has been so faulty4 ,where ,johnson wrote ,the ,ideas of ,beauty1 obviously referring to the second section of the ,enquiry1 ,croker1 followed by ,g4,b4 ,hill1 printed ,the plans of ,burnaby4 ,to this ,hill added a note2 ,burnaby1 ,i conjecture1 was a character in the book1 with the result that scholars have fruitlessly been searching ever since for the fictitious ,mr4 ,burnaby1 ,one more example of the dangers of using nineteenth-century transcripts6 ,evidently ,johnson's stringent objections temporarily halted her plans1 for we hear nothing more about the essay for two years4 ,meanwhile1 as appears from a later letter1 she showed it to ,bennett ,langton1 hoping in vain for his help4 ,nevertheless1 she was determined to go ahead and print the work1 even at her own expense4 ,johnson1 still counted upon for aid1 wrote to her on #ab ,april #aghd3 ,i am not yet able to wait on you1 but ,i can do your business commodiously enough4 ,you must send me the copy to show the printer4 ,if you will come to tea this afternoon we will talk together about it4#c ,on #cj ,april he commented further3 ,mr4 ,allen has looked over the papers and thinks one hundred copies will come to five pounds4 ,something1 however1 made her suspicious of his advice1 and on #bh ,may there came an end to ,johnson's connection with the matter4 ,he wrote3 ,i have returned your papers1 and am glad that you laid aside the thought of printing them4 ,but ,miss ,reynolds had no intention of permanently giving up her project4 ,instead she rewrote parts of the essay which had displeased her critics1 and shortly after ,johnson's death proceeded to have #bej copies privately printed1 with a dedication to ,mrs4 ,montagu4 ,with ,johnson gone1 ,the ,queen of the ,bluestockings must have appeared the next best patron4 ,that ,mrs4 ,montagu1 while no doubt flattered by the dedication1 was herself not overly enthusiastic about the essay may be gathered from a letter written to her by ,miss ,reynolds on #ab ,july #aghe4 ,miss ,reynolds began by insisting that the slightest hint of disapprobation on the part of ,mrs4 ,montagu would consign the work to oblivion2 then continued3 ,i never did entertain any desire to publish it1 tho ,i might to sell it4 ,and my desire of printing it1 originated from a motive which tho' vain ,i allow1 is an natural vanity ,i wishd to leave behind me a respectable memorial of my existence1 which ,i then flatterd myself this would be4 ,ten impressions or twenty at the most1 were all ,i wishd to have taken off4 ,why ,i had so many as #bej was because ,dr4 ,johnson advised me to print that number1 and to sell them1 to stand the sale of them was his expression1 but ,i must do ,dr4 ,johnson the justice to say1 that1 that advice was given me with a proviso that no person was in the secret but himself1 for on my informing him to the contrary1 he declined or seemd to decline the affair of getting them printed for me1 which ,i perceiving sent to him for the manuscript1 foolishly entertaining a slight suspicion which ,i much reproach myself for1 that some other motives besides the want of merit in the work had influenced this change of behaviour4 ,unluckily from the beginning ,i made too great allowance in its favour1 from an opinion ,i had con too of ,dr4 ,johnsons being strongly prejudiced against womens literary productions4 ,but ,i deceived myself4 ,he was sincere1 he judged justly of the work1 and his opinion exactly corresponded with yours6#d ,not that she regretted the cost of printing the #bej copies4 ,that was a minor consideration4 ,she concluded3 ,if ,i ever should shew it to any person it will be to ,mr4 ,langton1 from a motive of wishing him to see the alteration ,i have made in it for the better1 since he saw it1 and as it is also since ,dr4 ,johnson saw it1 and particularly that part he most objected to1 my belief that ,i had obviated that objection1 is another apology for my printing it4 ,to this ,mrs4 ,montagu returned a wordy and diffuse reply1 commenting that having for many years past left off all metaphysical studies1 she was not a competent judge of any work on subjects of that nature1 yet insisting that she doubted if contemporary readers would like it4 ,it was obvious that ,mrs4 ,montagu refused to be a party to further dissemination of the printed copies4 ,and there the matter rested for almost three more years4 ,the wish to have some of the copies read by the general public proved too strong1 and on #ae ,april #aghh ,miss ,reynolds wrote again to ,mrs4 ,montagu1 asking her aid in recovering a letter1 or transcription of a letter1 of ,johnson's3 ,it is of great importance to me the recovery of this letter particularly so as ,i perceive ,i must not presume to hope for the only patronage that could countervail the loss of ,dr4 ,johnsons1 should ,i ever be induced to publish the work4 ,i do not mean that ,i would publish the letter1 but that the testimony it conveys of ,dr4 ,johnsons approbation1 would be highly advantageous to me in the disposal of the copy to a ,bookseller1 indeed approbation is an improper ,word1 inadequate to the praises he bestows on the work1 ,i durst not repeat his expressions tho ,i well remember them4 ,some friendly strictures also the letter contained1 all these ,i remember ,i transcribed verbatim in a letter ,i sent to you in the beginning of the year #hb4 they begin ,many of your notions seem not to be very clear in your own imagination4444#e ,it was not until the next year that with the help of ,james ,northcote she finally made active preparations to have the work published4 ,as ,miss ,reynolds wrote to ,mrs4 ,montagu on #e ,february1 ,i forgot to say that ,mr4 ,nurse recommended ,mr4 ,northcote to a ,mr4 ,bladen in ,paternoster ,row for a ,publisher1 but ,i sent in the utmost haste to him to prevent his taking any steps towards so disgraceful a place as ,i imagine that to be so incongruous4#f ,in preparation for the new printing1 ,miss ,reynolds had further revised her essay1 and in order to enhance the value of the piece for general readers she decided to add three letters from ,johnson of which she chanced to have copies4 ,totally unconnected with the essay1 one was to ,sir ,joseph ,banks concerning the motto for his goat's collar2 the others concerned the unfortunate ,dr4 ,dodd4 ,but before going ahead she again asked the advice of her patroness4 ,mrs4 ,montagu replied3 ,i do not see that there is any objection to publishing the #c letters1 but ,i own ,i think ,dr ,johnson judges too lightly of the crime of forgery 444 ,i believe the tenderness of sentiment ,dr ,johnson expresses for ,dr ,dodd in his afflictions will do him honour in the eyes of the ,publick1 therefore as his friend you may with propriety publish the letters4#g ,mrs4 ,montagu concluded1 ,i wish some name that would do more honour to your work was to appear in the dedication1 but to be presented to the publick with such a mark of ,mrs ,reynolds' friendly regard1 will certainly be esteemed an honour4444 ,sometime between ,february and ,july #aghi the ,enquiry was reprinted1 this time by ,j4 ,smeeton 7copies of this version may be found in the ,bodleian ,library and the ,library of ,congress74 ,the terminal date for the reprinting is established by the fact that the three letters of ,johnson which were appended to the essay were reprinted without comment in the ,july issue of the ,european ,magazine4 ,just where ,miss ,reynolds secured copies of the ,johnson letters is not certain4 ,it is suggestive1 however1 that the letter to ,banks had originally been sent under cover to ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds and that ,sir ,joshua's copy is now among the ,boswell papers at ,yale ,university4 ,there would have been ample opportunity for ,frances ,reynolds also to have secured a copy4 ,and the letter to ,charles ,jenkinson of #bj ,june #aggg and to ,dr4 ,dodd of #bf ,june were of the sort that an enterprising lady might well have wheedled copies from the ,doctor4 ,the important point is that the inclusion of the letters in the #aghi printing of the ,enquiry provides incontrovertible proof of ,miss ,reynolds' connection with the piece4 ,for this second printing the entire pamphlet was reset1 with numerous minor changes of wording and punctuation1 but with no major alterations in meaning4 ,in general the textual improvements are such as a bluestocking lady might well wish to make4 ,it will be noted that on pages #be and #di of the copy here reproduced someone has made minor changes in wording in ink4 ,these corrections are made in the later printing4 ,moreover1 at the end of the #aghi version there is an errata list1 indicating three alterations from the #aghe text which were mistakes4 ,the ,dedication remained unchanged1 but the geometrical illustration was now placed facing the beginning of ,chapter ,i4 ,the ,enquiry was written in what is now recognized as one of the most exciting periods in the history of aesthetics1 the late eighteenth century being a crucial point in the gradual shift from absolute classical standards to the relative approaches of the next age4 ,most of the important thinkers of the day--,hume1 ,burke1 ,lord ,kames1 ,adam ,smith1 among others--were thinking deeply about the problem of taste4 ,and if ,miss ,reynolds' essay is not one of the most perceptive of the discussions1 it is at least one of the liveliest4 ,in brief1 the ,enquiry is what one might expect from an intelligent amateur1 from one not a professional writer1 yet one who has given much thought to the problems of aesthetics4 ,of course1 many of the ideas are derivative1 with echoes of the moral sense of ,hutcheson1 the line of grace of ,hogarth1 and the terrible sublime of ,burke4 ,the three divisions of the essay--the development of a mental system1 the origin of our ideas of ,beauty1 and the analysis of taste--follow the customary pattern of eighteenth-century discussions4 ,yet the piece is no slavish refurbishing of old phrases4 ,it is packed with fresh arguments and novel suggestions4 ,if these are not always completely coherent or logical1 they do represent original thinking4 ,twentieth-century readers may be astonished by some of the ideas3 witness the claim that ,negroes could never arrive at true taste1 because their eyes were so accustomed to objects diametrically opposite to taste4 ,as a further example of ,miss ,reynolds' occasionally muddled thinking there is the development of her initial assumption4 ,while the groundwork of man is perfection1 this perfection has been blemished and man is impelled to recapture it in the sublime4 ,yet instead of analyzing this impulse1 ,miss ,reynolds appears to take it for granted4 ,nor does she consider how perfection is to be achieved in taste1 preferring to conclude with a diatribe in the manner of ,rousseau on the depravity of the times and the corrupting effect of the arts4 7,for this and many of the following comments ,i am indebted to ,mr4 ,ralph ,cohen of the ,college of the ,city of ,new ,york47 ,the cause of some of the ambiguities in her discussion may perhaps be traced to a rather careless use of terms4 ,at one time instinct or impulsion1 the moral force driving man toward perfection1 is a potentiality developed by cultivation1 and at another a force that is created by cultivation4 ,although the sublime is the apex of her mathematically-definite program and is a moral quality attained by the few1 every human being has his point of sublimity in the idea of a ,supreme ,being4 ,on the one hand1 beauty is a preconceived idea in the human species2 on the other it is not preconceived1 but developed4 ,finally1 the rules of art are perceptions of moral virtue1 yet art which exhibits these rules can corrupt4 ,it is easy to pick flaws in ,miss ,reynolds' thinking1 for the lack of sustained logic which ,johnson early recognized is apparent at every turn4 ,yet for students of the history of ideas the ,enquiry contains much of interest4 ,as a painter1 ,miss ,reynolds throughout stresses the visual1 a concentration which leads her to several valuable insights4 ,she divides form into two categories1 masculine and feminine1 but makes a novel use of these ,ciceronian divisions4 ,all non-human objects--flowers1 animals1 etc4--are seen as exhibiting male or female attributes4 ,it might almost be said that with this anthropomorphic approach she is attempting to develop a philosophical basis for the pathetic fallacy4 ,furthermore1 if the human is used to measure beauty in the non-human1 the implication is that man1 not ,god1 is the measure of beauty4 ,by setting up man as the mediator between the material and the divine1 she points to the concentration in the next century on human values4 ,when discussing the ,enquiry in his book on the ,sublime1 ,samuel ,monk pointed out certain other tendencies which fore-shadow the coming ,romantic revolt4 ,this shift may also be noted in ,miss ,reynolds' extension of countenance1 the reflection of internal virtue1 to mean form1 and the extension of internal virtue to mean disposition1 object1 or content4 ,in developing this form-content division1 she stumbles on a key criticism of associationism3 ,from association of ideas1 any object may be pleasing1 though absolutely devoid of beauty1 and displeasing with it4 ,the form is then out of the question2 it is some real good or evil1 with which the object1 but not its form1 is associated4 ,this notion that associationism leads away from the work of art as such is a perceptive comment4 ,her notion that form and disposition 7or content7 must correspond in order to give aesthetic pleasure suggests1 though the terms are different1 certain of ,coleridge's basic ideas4 ,one other point might be stressed3 ,miss ,reynolds takes an extreme moralistic position toward the arts4 ,again and again it is insisted that taste and beauty are moral attributes1 not purely aesthetic concepts4 ,chapter ,,ii ends with the ringing statement3 ,of this ,i am certain1 that true refinement is the effect of true virtue2 that virtue is truth1 and good2 and that beauty dwells in them1 and they in her4 ,and the next chapter begins3 ,taste seems to be an inherent impulsive tendency of the soul towards true good4 ,on the other hand1 she sees that the arts are not to be encouraged because such encouragement is apt to lead to the destruction of moral virtue--the desire for fame and wealth4 ,the value of art as education is dismissed as of importance only to the few2 the dangers of encouragement will imperil the many4 ,though the arts are thus beneficial to the growing principles of taste1 respecting a few individuals1 it is well known that their establishment in every nation has had a contrary effect on the community in general4444 ,to conclude3 despite its many deficiencies ,frances ,reynolds' ,enquiry is worth reading4 ,it serves admirably to mirror the conflicting eighteenth-century theories out of which our own aesthetic concepts have been formed4 ,james ,l4 ,clifford ,columbia ,university ,notes to the ,introduction #a4 ,letters1 ,,ii1 #bbc-bd2 corrected from original letter in possession of ,professor ,f4,w4 ,hilles of ,yale ,university1 who has given invaluable aid in the present investigation4 #b4 ,letters1 ,,ii1 #bdi-ej1 corrected from the original by ,dr4 ,r4,w4 ,chapman4 #c4 ,copy in possession of ,mrs4 ,doreen ,ashworth1 ,windlesham1 ,surrey4 #d4 ,original in ,huntington ,library4 #e4 ,original in possession of ,mrs4 ,ashworth4 #f4 ,rough draft in possession of ,mrs4 ,ashworth4 #g4 ,original in possession of ,professor ,f4,w4 ,hilles4 ,,an ,,enquiry ,,concerning ,,the ,,principles of ,,taste1 ,,and ,,of ,,the ,,origin ,,of ,,our ,,ideas of ,,beauty1 c4 ,sunt certi denique fines1 ,quos ultra citraqu nequit consistere rectum4 ,,hor4 ,to ,mrs4 ,,montagu4 ,,madam1 ,were ,i not prompted by gratitude1 admiration1 and affection1 to dedicate to you the best produce of my abilities1 which ,i imagine this to be1 yet1 as the subject1 of which it particularly treats1 is moral excellence1 the universal voice of mankind1 with whom your very name is synonymous with virtue itself1 must plead my apology for taking this liberty4 ,besides1 madam1 it was natural for me1 as an author1 to with to avail myself of the advantage1 which this address affords me1 of prepossessing the minds of my readers with an example of that perfection to which all my arguments tend1 as a preparative1 or aid1 to their better comprehending my meaning4 ,the influence of virtue is every way beneficial6 ,your character1 not only secures me from all imputation of flattery1 but this public avowal of my admiration of its excellence conveys an honourable testimony of the consistency of my principles2 having endeavoured to inculcate1 that the love and esteem of true virtue is true honour4 ,and ,i may add1 that the sweet gratification ,i feel1 in the indulging the strongest and best propension of my nature1 in thus expatiating in its praise1 is true pleasure1 true happiness4 ,i am1 ,madam1 ,your obliged1 ,most obedient1 ,and most humble1 servant1 ,the ,,author4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,a ,,sketch of the ,,mental ,,system respecting our ,perceptions of ,taste1 c4 ,the mind of man1 introspecting itself1 seems1 as it were1 7in conjunction with the inscrutable principles of nature17 placed in the central point of the creation3 from whence1 impelled by her energetic powers and illumined by her light1 the intellectual faculties1 like rays1 shoot forth in direct tendency to their ultimate point of perfection2 and1 as they advance1 each individual mind imperceptibly imbibes the influence and light of each1 and is by this imbibition alone enabled to approach it4 ,but1 though the light of nature and of reason direct the human mind to perfection1 or true good1 yet1 being in its progress perpetually impeded by adventitious causes1 casual occurrences1 c4 c4 which induce false opinions of good and evil1 its progressive powers generally stop at a middle point between mere uncultivated nature and perfection1 a medium which constitutes what we call common sense1 and which1 in degree1 seems as distant from the perfection of the mental faculties as common form is from the perfection of form1 beauty4 ,illustration3 ,,sublimity4 ,,grace ,,beauty ,,truth ,,common ,,sense ,,common ,,form ,,nature ,on meditating on this subject1 and marking the progressive stages or degrees of human excellence1 the great leading general truths1 or mental rests1 as ,i may call them1 the common1 the beautiful1 the graceful1 and the sublime1 ,i have been naturally led to form a kind of diagrammatic representation of their respective distances1 c4 c4 which ,i present to my reader on the opposite page1 requesting him to refer to it now and then as he goes on1 in order to facilitate his comprehension of my meaning4 ,and here it may be necessary to premise1 that1 however whimsical and absurd this delineation may appear to my reader1 something analogous to the thought may be found in the works of many eminent philosophers1 particularly in those of ,bacon,a and of ,locke3,b the latter suggesting that the whole system of morality might be reduced to mathematical demonstration2 and the former1 in his treatise on the ,advancement of ,learning1 gives a description of the stages of science very much resembling my delineation of the stages of intellectual perfection1 or taste4 ,footnote ,a3 ,advancement of ,learning1 ,book #b;d4 ,footnote ,b3 ,essay on human ,understanding1 ,chap4 #c;d1 ,book the #dth1 and ,chap4 #abth1 same ,book1 ,sect4 #hth4 ,it could have been no dishonour to me to have been led by such conductors6 ,yet1 as the truth cannot dishonour me neither1 ,i must aver1 that my little system was projected1 and brought to the exact state it now is in1 without my having the least apprehension that any thing similar had been suggested before by any person whatever2 nor have ,i1 in consequence of the discovery ,i have lately made of the opinions of these respectable authors1 added or omitted a single thought in my treatise4 ,but to return from my digression4 ,in the exact center of my circle of humanity1 ,i have placed nature1 or the springs of the intellectual powers1 which tend1 in a straight line1 to its boundary2 and1 on its boundary1 ,i have placed demonstrable beauty and truth1 and the utmost power of rules2 and1 midway2 ,i have placed common sense and common form1 half deriving their existence from pure nature1 and half from its highest cultivation1 as far as art or rules can teach4 ,a conjunction which would itself be the perfection of humanity1 but that it is mixed with all that is not nature1 and all that is not art1 and thereby made mediocrity1 i4e4 common sense4 ,the intellectual powers1 arriving at the limit of my common circle1 i4e4 at the limit of the basis of my pyramidical system1 where ,i have placed the fixed proportions of beauty and of truth1 7if they progress17 mount up as a flame1 with undulating,a motion1 refining as they advance1 and terminate in the pinnacle1 or ultimate point1 sublimity2 forming in the imagination the figure of a pyramid1 or cone1 from the limit of whose base1 7on which1 as ,i have before observed1 ,i have placed demonstrable truth and beauty1 the utmost power of rules1 c47 from that limit up to the ultimate point of sublimity1 ,i call the region of intellectual pleasure1 genius1 or taste2 and in its center ,i place grace1 whose influence pervades1 cheers1 and nourishes1 every part of it1 an object which1 in this ideal region1 is similar in its situation and degree to that of common sense in the common or fundamental region4 ,grace seems to partake of the perception both of beauty and of sublimity1 as common sense partakes of nature and of art4 ,grace is the characteristic object or general form of the ideal region1 and its perception is the general limit of the powers of imagination or taste4 ,few1 very few1 attain to the point of sublimity2 the ne plus ultra of human conception6 the alpha and omega4 ,the sentiment of sublimity sinks into the source of nature1 and that of the source of nature mounts to the sentiment of sublimity1 each point seeming to each the cause and the effect2 the origin and the end6 ,footnote ,a3 ,i use that expression1 because it is the peculiar motion of grace as well as of a flame4 ,having thus drawn the outline of my pyramidical mental system1 ,i propose to expatiate a little on each point or stage throughout the great characteristic line of intellectual power4 ,the first point ,the exact center1 nature1 or the origin of our intellectual faculties1 admits of no investigation1 its idea1 as ,i have observed before1 loses itself in the sentiment of sublimity1 and we see nothing2 and therefore ,i pass on to an object which is perceptible1 the common general character of humanity1 exterior and inferior4 ,i have placed them on a line1 because their ideas are so analogous1 that they unite in one4 ,section #a4 ,common ,sense and common ,form4 ,perfection seems to be the ground-work both of common sense and of common form2 and1 what prevents each from being perfect1 is the adventitious blemishes1 the additions to1 and the diminutions from1 what is perfect1 making the too little and the too large4 ,but1 these defects being distributed in1 small portions throughout the general common form and common mind1 they constitute an object1 whether visible or intellectual1 between perfection and imperfection1 namely1 that of mediocrity1 neither exciting admiration nor disgust4 ,and1 as experience gives the general idea of the common and true appearance of the human form1 as well to the rustic as to the most enlightened philosopher1 so consequently does it enable him to see deformity1 or what is an unusual appearance in that form4 ,but1 though unusual defects seem to be evident to every eye1 it is only to the man of taste and nice discernment that the same degree of unusual beauties are equally perceptible2 which corresponds with my opinion1 that the ground-work of humanity is perfection1 and that its blemishes only tinge its pure white1 not discolour it so much1 but1 when held at a distance1 i4e4 in abstract idea1 it is still a white1 like a sheet of paper1 or cloth of the most perfect white1 regularly checkered over with a variety of figures of every colour1 and placed at a distance1 appearing to the eye a white1 a mezzo common white2 and1 as any unusual figure1 ,i mean unusually large and opaque1 on this mezzo ground1 would be more conspicuous than any of a greater degree of transparency or a more perfect white could be by an absence of any of the figures2 so any degree of deformity is1 more opposite to the general common form than beauty1 and any degree of insanity is more opposite to common sense than intellectual excellence4 ,and1 7to continue my allusion17 as those tints1 or blemishes1 which obscure the ground1 must be discharged to make a perfect white1 so must the artist1 in creating beauty1 discharge the blemishes that tinge and obscure the human form1 and which give it the character of mediocrity1 till the perfect white1 or total absence of defect1 or beauty1 result4 ,common sense seems to be diffusive truth1 and common form diffusive beauty2 and1 as this diffusion is always existing with us1 externally and internally1 it is no wonder that we should more easily perceive what is in opposition to it1 evil1 than what is in unison with it1 good4 ,on a line with common form and common sense ,i place common ease of body and of mind3 unfelt health1 unfelt good1 or that arising to the degree of satisfaction and content2 in fine1 whatever we call commonly good1 and requisite for the well-being of humanity4 ,section #b4 ,beauty and ,truth4 ,i mean that beauty which is demonstrable truth1 and that truth which is demonstrable beauty4 ,exactitude4 ,completion4 ,the just medium4 ,the satisfactory rest of the mind4 ,perfection4 ,a point1 indeed1 in which the mind cannot rest6 ,it must go forward or backward4 ,if the latter1 it relapses into the dominion of error2 if the former1 if assumes the charms of design1 or intention4 ,the artist1 arrived at the ultimate limit of rules1 or demonstrable truth1 stands1 as it were1 between the visible and invisible world2 between that of sense and intellect2 the common and the uncommon2 and his productions will be a conjunction of both4 ,he looks back through all the variety of common nature1 and reviews1 through the medium of truth and beauty1 the various objects it exhibits2 and on its spotless ground1 i4e4 the abstract idea of nature without defects1 can only exist in idea1 he arranges those objects1 objects1 so as they may best produce the effects he aims at in his art4 ,he does not attempt to obliterate any character in the common circle of nature2 but1 following her own oeconomy1 he endeavours1 by juxtaposition1 c4 to make each subservient to each in creating delight1 and giving beauty to the whole4 ,but1 to descend from the abstract general idea to the particular idea of beauty1 or idea of a particular form3 ,we discard every thing1 that is not beauty1 to compose beauty2 but every thing that is not beauty is not therefore deformity4 ,the wrong we see in each individual we do not call deformity3 when it is so1 it stands on the limit of the common circle1 in opposition to beauty4 ,from common form seem to originate beauty and deformity2 and1 as they recede from each other in opposite directions1 they become less and less like their parent1 common form1 but never totally unlike2 for it is their likeness to that form that constitutes the one beauty1 and the other deformity2 for1 were there no resemblance in deformity to the common form1 it would be a different species1 and no longer disgust2 and none in beauty1 it would no longer please4 ,there is no particular common form1 but which1 to create beauty1 an artist1 who studies the perfection of the human form1 must improve in some1 if not in every part2 to effect which1 considered as mere form only1 rules will suffice1 but1 considered as grace1 it must express a sentiment that no rules can give6 ,that all feel the same sentiment of admiration for that which they think the most perfect1 however the objects may differ1 has induced some to believe that beauty is an arbitrary idea1 and that it exists only in the imagination6 ,but does it follow1 that1 because it is not possible for the savage or the man of taste to judge of any object but as experience enables him to judge1 that therefore there is no preeminence in that form which is beauty to the one above that which is beauty to the other8 ,somewhere there must exist1 whether perceived or not1 the perfection1 or highest point of excellence of the human form respecting proportion2 and somewhere there must exist1 or does at times exist1 the highest excellence of its expression1 i4e4 the moral charm of the human countenance1 grace4 ,the artist1 who has only seen the beauty of his own nation1 will from that form his standard of perfection4 ,but1 when he comes to extend his enquiry1 when he has viewed the beauty of other nations1 particularly that form and that expression which the ,grecian artists 7who were probably on a line with the ,grecian philosophers7 modelled from their ideas of beauty6 he will quit his partiality for the beauty of his own country1 and prefer that of the ,grecian1 which ,i imagine is preferable to that of the whole world6 ,the only criterion to prove it so1 ,i mean its form1 would be to select from every nation the most perfect in it1 and from that number to choose the most perfect1 were this possible to be done1 respecting the external form of beauty3 it could not respecting the internal expression of beauty1 grace2 for who shall be the world's arbiter of the ne plus ultra of grace6 ,that the artists of all ages and of all nations have terminated their enquiries after beauty in that of the ,grecian form is the highest proof that can be given of its superior excellence to that of all the world6 ,common form1 as ,i have observed before1 is so much nearer beauty than deformity1 that it is1 in abstract idea1 the model to compose beauty of form from4 ,the universal appearance of nature is1 to every eye1 right1 fit1 faultless1 c4 therefore1 if every part of the copy be the same1 particularly1 ,i mean1 in the human form1 beauty of form must result4 ,the beauty of every part of the human body1 forming a perfect whole1 is analogous to an instrument of music in perfect concord1 and mere exactitude of proportion in its parts1 exclusive of the idea of mind1 would1 ,i imagine1 have no more effect upon the spectator than the mere concord of the strings of an instrument has on the hearer2 it amounts to no more than blameless right1 nor1 till influenced by sentiment1 can it go farther4 ,but1 as we are incapable of separating the idea of the human form from the human mind1 and as the touch of an instrument in perfect concord gives a presentiment of harmony1 so does the perception of the concordance of the parts of a beautiful form give a perception of grace4 ,the mind1 as ,i have observed before1 cannot rest in fixed perfection1 the ,spotless white2 and its natural transition from beauty must be into the region of grace4 ,section #c4 ,grace4 ,the principles1 which constitute grace1 genius1 or taste1 are one2 which is denominated grace in the object1 genius in the production of the object1 and taste in the perception of it4 ,the existence of grace seems to depend more upon the character of mental than of corporeal beauty4 ,all its motions seem to indicate and1 to be regulated by the utmost delicacy of sentiment6 ,i have placed it between the highest sentiment of the human mind1 sublmity1 that no rules can teach1 and the highest sentiment that rules can teach1 exact beauty1 the two extremes of the vrai reel and the vrai ideal4 ,grace seems1 as it were1 to hang between the influence of both2 the irregular sublime giving character and relief to the negative and determined qualities of beauty2 and beauty1 i4e4 truth1 confining within due bounds the eccentric qualities of sublimity1 forming1 both to sight and in idea1 orderly variety1 the waving line1 neither straight nor crooked4 ,the waving line is the symbol1 or memento1 as ,i may say1 of grace1 wherever it is seen in whatever form1 animate or inanimate2 and may be justly styled the line of taste or grace6 ,the perception of grace seems not to be intirely new nor intirely familiar to us2 but is1 as it were1 what we have had a presentiment of in the mind1 without examining it1 and which the graceful object1 or action1 c4 calls forth to our view4 ,being so much our own idea1 we like to behold it1 to dwell upon it2 and yet1 not being a familiar idea1 it creates a pleasing mild degree of admiration4 ,grace seems half celestial2 for all the virtues accompany1 indeed compose1 the perception2 for none1 ,i imagine1 can have a perception of grace that has none of the charms of virtue4 ,the sentiment of grace1 caused by the motion of beauty1 music1 poetry1 beneficence1 compassion1 c4 may be ranked as the highest intellectual pleasure the mind is capable of perceiving1 and brings with it a sort of undetermined consciousness of the delicacy of our own perceptions in making the discovery1 a degree of that glorying that ,longinus observes always accompanies the perception of the sublime4 ,you can no more define grace than you can happiness4 ,the mind cannot so stedfastly behold it as to investigate its real properties4 ,grace is indeed the point of happiness in the ideal region1 both because it arises spontaneously1 without effort1 c4 and because it seems partly within our own power1 and partly without it4 ,as common sense1 in my fundamental circle1 seems diffusive truth1 so grace1 in my ideal circle1 seems diffusive sublimity2 every perception of the former seems to be tinged1 as it were1 with the colour of the latter4 ,section #d4 ,sublimity4 ,where pure grace ends1 the awe of the sublime begins1 composed of the influence of pain1 of pleasure1 of grace1 and deformity1 playing into each other1 that the mind is unable to determine which to call it1 pain1 pleasure1 or terror4 ,without a conjunction of these powers there could be no sublimity4 ,those only who have passed through the degrees1 common sense1 truth and grace1 i4e4 the sentiment of grace1 can have a sentiment of sublimity4 ,it is the mild admiration of grace raised to wonder and astonishment2 to a sentiment of power out of our power to produce or control4 ,grace must have been as familiar to the intellect1 in order to discover sublimity1 as common sense in the common region must have been to the discovery of truth and beauty4 ,in fine1 genius1 or taste1 which is the sentiment of grace1 and which ,i have called the common sense of the ideal region1 can alone discover the true sublime4 ,it is a pinnacle of beatitude bordering upon horror1 deformity1 madness6 an eminence from whence the mind1 that dares to look farther1 is lost6 ,it seems to stand1 or rather to waver1 between certainty and uncertainty1 between security and destruction4 ,it is the point of terror1 of undetermined fear1 of undetermined power6 ,the idea of the supreme ,being is1 ,i imagine1 in every breast1 from the clown to the greatest philosopher1 his point of sublimity6 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,on the ,,origin of our ,,ideas of ,,beauty4 ,in proportion as the principles of beauty exist in the common form1 undetermined to the common eye1 so do they exist in common sense1 undetermined to the common mind4 ,it is cultivation that calls them into view1 gives them a determined form1 creates the object1 and the perception1 that ',truth and good are one1 ,and beauty dwells in them1 and they in her4' ,,akenside4 ,but1 though all truth resolves into one truth1 one beauty1 one good1 as all colours resolve into one light2 though the scientifical intellectual colours1 classes1 or leading principles of science1 the physical1 the moral1 the metaphysical1 c4 c4 resolve into intellectual light1 beauty1 or good2 it is1 ,i imagine1 the moral truth1 that is the characteristic truth of beauty3 for1 were we to analyse the pleasing emotions we feel at the sight of beauty1 we should1 ,i imagine1 find them composed of our most refined moral affections2 and hence the universal interesting charm of beauty4 ,and1 as those affections refine by culture1 hence the different degrees of the sentiments which beauty creates in the rustic1 and in the man of taste4 ,the former perceives only the physical charm of beauty1 the freshness of colour1 the bloom of youth1 c4 but1 to the man of taste1 the physical pleases only through the medium of the moral3 the body charms because the soul is seen2 beauty1 in his breast1 is the source from whence endless streams of fair ideas flow1 extending throughout the whole region of taste1 no object of which but is more or less related to the principles of human beauty4 ,but taste1 though a subject almost inseparable from that of beauty1 ,i must forbear to enlarge upon in this chapter1 as ,i propose to make it the particular subject of my next4 ,it is but at that period1 at which we begin to perceive the charms of moral virtue1 that we begin to perceive the real charms of beauty4 ,it is true1 a man may attain1 by experience1 the knowledge of its just proportions2 without that concomitant sentiment4 ,he may be unconscious of the characteristic moral charm resulting from the whole4 ,and an artist1 ,i imagine1 by the habitual practice of the rules which constitute beauty1 may produce forms which charm the moral sense of others1 without being conscious of it himself2 the utmost limit of the rules of the imitative arts being so intimately united with the intuitive principles of taste1 or refined moral sense1 that the mind in general cannot distinguish where the one ends or the other begins4 ,the artist1 who separates them1 leans on the second cause instead of the first4 ,as the strongest proof that the moral sense is the governing principle of beauty1 we may remark1 that the human form1 from infancy to old age1 has its peculiar beauty annexed to it from the virtue or affection that nature gives it1 and which it exhibits in the countenance4 ,the negative virtue1 innocence1 is the beauty of the child4 ,the more formed virtues1 benevolence1 generosity1 compassion1 c4 are the virtues of youth1 and its beauty4 ,the fixed and determined virtues1 justice1 temperance1 fortitude1 c4 compose the beauty of manhood4 ,the philosophic and religious cast of countenance is the beauty of old age4 ,now1 were any of these expressions misapplied1 i4e4 commuted1 they would disgust rather than please3 without congruity there could be no virtue2 without virtue1 no beauty1 no sentiment of taste4 ,and thus the beauty of each sex is seen only through the medium of the virtues belonging to each4 ,the beauty of the masculine sex is seen only through the medium of the masculine virtues2 the beauty of the feminine only through the medium of the feminine4 ,the moral sense gives each its distinct portion of the same virtues1 but draws a line which neither can pass without a diminution of their specific beauty4 ,the softness and mildness of the feminine expression would be displeasing in a man4 ,the robust and determined expression of the rigid virtues1 justice1 fortitude1 c4 would be displeasing in a woman4 ,however perfect the ,form1 if an incongruity that touches the well-being of humanity mingles with the idea1 the ,form will not afford the pleasing perception of beauty3 though the eye may be capable of seeing its regularity1 c4 so far is it from pleasing1 that it is the more disgusting from its semblance to virtue1 because that that semblance is a contradiction to her laws4 ,may it not be owing to these expressions1 so familiar to every eye1 that the general sense of good taste eternally exists8 ,they are the legible characters of human excellence1 no where visible but in the human countenance1 every observation of which improves and confirms the moral sentiment1 or image of beauty1 implanted by nature in the mind of man4 ,the origin of the idea of beauty is the same in every breast1 savage and civilized4 ,every nation's characteristic ,form or expression of beauty will be a representation1 or portrait1 of their characteristic virtue1 their happiness1 their good4 ,thus1 in the opinion of the wild savage1 that face or form will be the most beautiful that assimilates with his idea of savage virtues1 corporeal strength1 courage1 c4 perfections that are placed in bones and nerves3 as that of the most cultivated nations1 witness the ,grecians1 will indicate or portray the most refined mental virtues4 ,and hence we may conclude1 if there be any dignity1 any truth1 any beauty1 in virtue1 there must be a real difference1 superior and inferior characteristic power of pleasing in the exterior of the human form4 ,it is cultivation that gives birth to beauty as well as to virtue1 by calling forth the visible object to correspond with the invisible intellectual object4 ,in the face or form of an idiot1 or the lowest rustic1 there is no beauty2 and1 supposing a nation of idiots1 and that they never could improve in mental beauty1 they never could1 ,i imagine1 improve in corporeal1 even though their natural form was upon an equality with the rest of mankind2 for1 without sentiment1 they could not only be incapable of expressing any sentiment analogous to beauty1 but1 wanting the surrounding influence of a moral system1 i4e4 of the general influence of education on the exterior1 they could not suppress or veil a semblance incongruous with beauty4 ,what no person felt no person could teach4 ,in cultivated nations1 every precept for exterior appearance1 from the first rudiments of the dancing-master to the motion of grace1 has for its object mind1 that is1 a desire to impress upon the spectator a favourable idea of our mental character2 but1 passed the true point of cultivation1 they lose with the sentiment of mental excellence that of true beauty2 witness the exterior artificial appearance of humanity in a neighbouring nation1 which probably is on a par with the most uncultivated rustic4 ,the one does not enough for nature1 the other too much4 ,but1 as the former has an object before him1 to which nature herself directs him1 the other is receding from it2 and1 as it is more agreeable1 more easy1 and more natural1 to the human mind1 to learn than to unlearn1 ,i should sooner expect the most uncultivated nation1 the negro excepted1 to arrive at taste in true beauty than them4 ,the negro-race seems to be the farthest removed from the line of true cultivation of any of the human species2 their defect of form and complexion being1 ,i imagine1 as strong an obstacle to their acquiring true taste 7the produce of mental cultivation7 as any natural defect they may have in their intellectual faculties4 ,for if1 as ,i have observed1 the total want of cultivation would preclude external beauty1 the total want of external beauty would preclude the power of cultivation4 ,it appears to me inconceivable1 that the negro-race supposing their mental powers were upon a level with other nations1 could ever arrive at true taste1 when their eye is accustomed only to objects so diametrically opposite to taste as the face and form of negroes are6 ,our being used or not used to the object cannot make us perceive any similarity in the lineaments of their countenance to the lineaments1 if ,i may so say1 of our refined virtues and affections1 which alone constitute beauty2 and therefore ,i am induced to believe that they are a lower order of human beings than the ,europeans4 ,beauty is an assemblage of every human charm2 yet what we call the agreeable is often more captivating4 ,the agreeable1 in person1 is composed of beauties and defects1 as is the common form1 but differently composed4 ,the beauties and defects of the latter are blended into the idea of mediocrity2 those of the former are always distinct and perceptible1 contrasting each other1 they engage the attention1 and create a kind of pleasing re-creation to the mental faculties2 and1 in proportion as we can bring them to unite with our governing principles of pleasure1 they create affection1 which gives the person a more fascinating charm than beauty itself4 ,it is the mental character that is the moving principle of affection2 and any strong peculiarity1 that contradicts not the moral sense1 i4e4 that is not unnatural1 gives the object an accessary charm1 and raises the affection to passion4 ,the object is at once the common and the uncommon2 an union1 which constitutes all we call excellent1 all we admire6 ,the perception of the charms of the agreeable seem to be wrought up to excellence by the operation of our own powers4 ,we ourselves have blended its beauties and defects into the sentiment of beauty1 pleasure2 and hence1 probably1 the strength and durability of the passion which it creates4 ,beauty1 on the contrary1 is composed to our hands1 full1 perfect1 and intire2 its idea is also a compound of the common and the uncommon1 being at once like and unlike the general form2 but inherently it has no contrast1 and therefore affords no recreation1 no pleasing exercise1 to the mental faculties2 there is nothing to re-create1 nothing to wish2 and hence the instability of the passion which it inspires4 ,perfect beauty is1 like perfect happiness1 lost as soon as it is attained4 ,it is1 ,i imagine1 to the principles of the masculine and the feminine character1 that we owe the perception of beauty or taste1 in any object whatever1 throughout all nature and all art that imitates nature2 and1 in objects which differ from the human form1 the principles must be in the extreme1 because the object is then merely symbolical4 ,thus1 the meekness of the lamb1 and the high-spirited prancing steed2 the gentle dove1 and the impetuous eagle2 the placid lake1 and the swelling ocean2 the lowly valley1 and the aspiring mountain4 ,it is the feminine character that is the sweetest1 the most interesting1 image of beauty2 the masculine partakes of the sublime4 ,thus it will be found1 that1 in every object that is universally pleasing1 there exist principles which are analogous to those that constitute beauty in the human species2 and that its appearance does always1 in some degree1 move the affections1 though the mind may be unconscious of its similitude to any idea in which the affections are concerned4 ,but the test of the object's possessing the principles of beauty is when we are able to assimilate its appearance with some amiable interesting affection2 and1 according as that affection prevails in the breast of the spectator1 it will appear with an additional power of pleasing4 ,from association of ideas1 any object may be pleasing1 though absolutely devoid of beauty1 and displeasing with it4 ,the form is then out of the question2 it is some real good or evil1 with which the object1 but not its form1 is associated4 ,it is observable1 that those animals ,i have mentioned 7and ,i imagine all animals that are symbolical of our affections have the same7 have a double character of beauty1 or reference to the affection that is moved3 i4e4 their form and their disposition1 exactly corresponding with each other4 ,probably on that union depends their power of pleasing2 their form alone1 so different from human beauty1 could not sufficiently engage the attention1 or afford the interesting perception1 which the consistency of truth does1 in the intire of an object4 ,every object of taste has at least a double reference to mental pleasure1 whether the object1 in the philosophical scale of our perceptions1 belongs to those of sense or intellect4 ,thus1 the beauty of the rose would not certainly be so perceptible to us1 wanting its fragrance1 and1 with a nauseous smell1 would not probably be admitted1 as ,i may say1 into the rank of agreeableness1 though it is in reality a beautiful and pleasing object2 nor1 supposing the thistle1 or any other ugly flower1 possessed of the fragrance of the rose1 should we therefore think it an object of taste1 any more than we can think the form of an elephant beautiful1 though endued with almost intellectual beauty4 ,in the form and colour of flowers1 there appears to me a striking analogy to the character of human beauty4 ,they afford an ocular demonstration1 in the pleasure with which we contemplate their particular forms1 that the pleasure1 we receive from the beauty of the human form1 originates from mental character3 witness the charm of the infant1 innocence of the snow-drop1 of the soft elegance of the hyacinth1 c4 and1 on the contrary1 our dis-relish of the gaudy tulip1 the robust1 unmeaning1 masculine1 piony1 hollyhock1 c4 c4 ,it is1 ,i imagine1 from a resemblance to some pre-conceived idea of beauty in the human species1 that we are particularly pleased with the sight of one flower more than with another1 though the mind is unconscious of the cause4 ,and thus the pleasure1 caused by the apparent beauty of every object throughout the system of human perception1 is1 according to my sentiment of that pleasure1 the same intellectual principle1 moral good1 however diversified1 modified1 and diminished1 even to an unconsciousness or almost imperceptible degree of relation to it4 ,in fine1 the true principles of beauty1 in every object1 may be all resolved into the same principle4 ,but to conclude4 ,i have no more doubt that the principles of beauty are moral1 than that the principles of happiness are moral4 ,it is the perception of true beauty1 in its various modifications1 that makes up the sum of human happiness2 and hence the diversity of opinions concerning beauty1 but which1 however diverse1 are never contradictory1 but as mens opinions in morals are so2 for every view of beauty assimilates with some good1 and of course must be in unison4 ,if1 in the human system1 there exists a principle which constitutes true pleasure1 that principle must be that which constitutes human excellence2 and1 if the visible object which excites true pleasure must necessarily possess the principles of true pleasure1 then must every object1 which universally and invariably pleases1 be relative to the principle that constitutes human excellence1 morality4 ,whatever appears1 to each individual1 the most excellent in the human system1 at once constitutes his idea of happiness1 of morality1 and of beauty2 and all mankind1 ,i imagine1 would agree in the same idea1 had all the same opportunities of seeing and knowing what was excellent4 ,as ,i imagine the difference in national beauty is marked by the difference in national morals1 so1 of course1 must the difference of the opinions of individuals on the subject of beauty be4 ,in fine1 as the moral sense of mankind is coarse or refined1 so will be their taste of beauty4 ,of this ,i am certain1 that true refinement is the effect of true virtue2 that virtue is truth1 and good2 and that beauty dwells in them1 and they in her4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,on ,,taste4 ,taste seems to be an inherent impulsive tendency of the soul towards true good1 given by nature to all alike1 and which improves in its sentiment as the reasoning faculties improve in their knowledge of what is true good4 ,all the human faculties are1 as one may say1 constituents of the principle or faculty of taste4 ,but its perception seems to be shared between the judgement and the imagination3 to the former seems to belong the truth1 or good1 of an object of taste2 to the latter its beauty or grace2 and the stamina vit1 or radical principles of taste1 exist1 ,i imagine1 in the natural affections of the soul4 ,what the impulsive spring is1 which moves the affections invariably to perceive pleasure in the perception of good and beauty1 and disgust in the perception of evil or deformity1 ,i leave to my metaphysical readers to determine4 ,i am afraid to give it an appellation so incongruous to the general idea of taste1 as that of conscience4 ,yet1 however absurd it may appear1 ,i will venture to say1 that1 if my readers will give themselves the trouble to analyse the grateful sensation or sentiment1 we call taste i4e4 their sentiment of what is truly good1 beautiful1 right1 just1 ornamental1 honourable1 c4 c4 they will find it to originate from1 and end in1 some moral or religious principle4 ,indeed1 some objects 7the highest in the scale of our perceptions of excellence7 bring with them an immediate conviction of the truth of this assertion2 witness the devotional sentiment which the view of the main ocean inspires2 the rising and setting sun2 the contemplation of the celestial orbs1 c4 witness the noblest object of the creation1 when viewed in his highest character4 ,does not the perception of human excellence immediately relate to the source of all excellence8 ,the general diffusion of intellectual light1 throughout mankind1 constitutes rationality2 and the aggregated excellence1 or light of rationality1 constitutes morality4 ,it is1 ,i imagine1 in this second or purified light1 that taste begins to exist4 ,it is at this period of cultivation that the mind begins to perceive its true good2 that the natural affections rectify1 methodize1 and refine1 in a word1 become moral affections1 through whose medium1 i4e4 the moral sense1 the soul perceives every object of taste4 ,taste is intellectual pleasure1 an approving sense of truth1 of good1 and of beauty4 ,the latter seems the visible or ostensible principle of the two former1 and is that in which the universal idea of taste is comprised4 ,all are pleased with the sight of beauty2 but all are by no means sensible that the principles that make it pleasing1 that constitute a form beautiful1 are those1 or1 to be more intelligible1 relate to those1 that constitute man's highest excellence1 his first interest1 his chief good4 ,few1 indeed1 even among those who possess taste1 if they have not accustomed themselves to investigate its principles1 will readily conceive that they are thus deeply rooted in the mental frame4 ,indeed1 the generality of mankind seem rather to think that taste has no principles at all1 or1 if any1 that they begin and end with the prevailing mode1 fashion1 c4 of the times2 a notion which1 though in the highest degree absurd1 corroborates my opinion1 that the universal perception of taste 7the true and the false7 exists in the idea of honour4 ,the compound word1 or phrase1 le vrai idal1 universally adopted to denote an object of taste1 is the most exact and literal definition of its sentiment that can be conceived2 for it implies the union of the judgement and the imagination1 without which there could be no sentiment of taste4 ,the judgement1 as ,i observed1 perceives the truth of the object1 the imagination its beauty2 they may be said to relate to each other1 in the perception of an object of taste1 as a luminous polish does to the substance from whence it proceeds3 the substance can exist without its polish1 but the polish cannot exist without its substance4 ,the perception of taste seems to me1 if ,i may so express myself1 to be illusive1 but not erroneous2 in a word1 to exist in our idea of true honour1 i4e4 in the polish1 lustre1 or ornament1 of true virtue4 ,as the universal idea or sentiment of taste is honour1 so the universal object of its perception is ornament1 from the object1 whose excellence we contemplate as an ornament or honour to human nature1 to every object which in the slightest degree indicates the influence of that excellence4 ,take away the idea of that influence in the moral sphere1 and taste is annihilated2 and1 in the natural sphere1 take away the idea of divine influence1 and taste cannot exist4 ,every sentiment of taste1 as ,i observed before1 ultimately relates to the one or to the other of these principles2 indeed1 strictly speaking1 as the moral relates to the divine1 it may be said ultimately to do the same4 ,in the progress of civilization1 the polishing principle1 which ,i call taste1 is chiefly found in the highest sphere of life1 highest both for internal and external advantages1 wealth accelerates the last degree of cultivation1 by giving efficacy to the principles of true honour2 but it also accelerates its corruption1 by giving efficacy to the principles of false honour1 by which the true loses its distinction1 becomes less and less apparent1 nay1 by degrees1 less and less real4 ,wealth becoming the object of honour1 every principle of true taste must be reversed4 ,hence the dire polish of the obdurate heart1 repelling the force of nature4 ,hence avarice and profusion1 dissipation1 luxurious banqueting1 c4 supersede the love of oeconomy1 domestic comfort1 the sweet reciprocation of the natural affections1 c4 c4 ,hence the greatest evils of society3 the sorrows of the virtuous poor1 the spurns that patient merit of the unworthy takes1 in a word1 the general corruption of morals1 and1 of course1 of true taste6 ,the vulgar1 who are strangers to the internal principles of honour1 always annex their ideas of taste to the external appearances of the highest rank of life1 which being easily acquired1 particularly that of dress1 the prevalency of modes and fashions1 however absurd1 is universally adopted4 ,those of false taste adopt them to attract notice2 those of true taste1 to avoid it4 ,but1 at this present1 the difficulty of avoiding singularity in dress is1 ,i imagine1 much to be lamented by women of taste and virtue1 the prevailing mode of feminine attire being diametrically opposite to every principle of feminine excellence2 a melancholy proof of our being arrived at the last stage of depravity6 ,i could expatiate largely on this subject1 but it would be inconsistent with my plan1 which the reader may perceive1 throughout the whole work1 to be a mere outline only4 ,the three grand co-existing principles of taste1 virtue1 honour1 and ornament1 run through all its perceptions4 ,their triple union cannot be broken2 but taste is nominally distinguished by the one or the other1 according as its objects1 situations1 circumstances1 c4 vary4 ,ornament and honour seem the public character of taste2 virtue to be the private and domestic1 where1 though unperceived by the vulgar1 to the eye of taste,a she appears in her highest ornament1 highest honour4 ,footnote ,a3 ,truth can only judge itself4 ,,bacon4 ,taste seems to comprize three orders or degrees in its universal comprehension4 ,the first is composed of those objects which immediately relate to the divinity1 among which man claims the preeminence1 when viewed in his highest character3 witness the inexpressible charm which the natural virtuous affections of the soul inspire1 when moved by some strong impulse1 such as parental tenderness1 filial piety1 friendship1 c4 c4 c4 ,do they not unite the moral sentiment to the dvine8 ,the second is in the immediate external effects of true taste1 or moral virtue1 in the social sphere2 the order1 beauty1 and honour1 which every object derives from its influence2 and1 of course1 its sentiment must be intimately related to moral excellence4 ,the third and last degree is general ornament and honour1 appearing in fashions1 arts of decoration1 c4 c4 objects which seeming not immediately to affect the interests of humanity1 the taste they exhibit in this sphere appears as an uncertain light1 sometimes bright and sometimes obscured2 or rather as refracted rays of taste1 broken by the general love of novelty and superfluity2 two principles which1 though they are1 to a certain degree1 essential to exterior ornament1 and the sentiment of true taste1 are those in which taste always begins to corrupt4 ,to illustrate my meaning3 true ornament seems equally to partake of the idea of utility and superfluity1 and every sentiment of taste seems equally to partake of the idea of novelty and of custom2 for1 were the object perfectly familiar to us1 we should feel no degree of admiration1 without which we could feel no sentiment of taste2 and1 were it totally new1 unlike any thing we had ever seen1 it would excite wonder instead of admiration1 which is a sentiment as distant from taste as the love of fame is from the love of honour4 ,this sphere1 the last in my scale of the perceptions of taste1 and which borders upon every thing that is contrary to its laws1 is properly the sphere of ,fancy1 who seems an undisciplined offspring of ,taste2 sometimes sporting within the bounds of parental authority1 and sometimes beyond them4 ,fancy seems to bear the same affinity to ,taste as ,pleasure does to ,happiness4 ,every object of taste is relative to some principle of excellence from which it derives its power of pleasing2 of course1 the highest sentiment of taste must exist in the relative principle to our highest object of excellence4 ,true ornament is1 to the eye1 what eloquence is to the ear3 their principles throughout are one1 the truth or beauty of which exists in its exact relation or adaptation to the object it adorns1 constituting the just1 the true1 the beautiful1 objects1 or qualities1 which1 in the conscious eye of taste1 relate to moral beauty4 ,the perception of the first relation1 i4e4 the adaptation of any thing ornamental to the object it adorns1 may1 in a great measure1 be learned by habit and general observation2 but the higher relation1 the second concoction 7as one may say7 of its principles1 the moral relation1 is the immediate operation of taste4 ,ornament and harmonious sound are pleasing to the corporeal sense1 but1 when wanting a relative object1 please but for a short time2 and1 if incongruously joined to an object1 i4e4 to one with which it can have no relation1 will1 as soon as the understanding perceives the incongruity1 become a principle of disgust4 ,as the virtues differ1 in some degree1 as the character of the sexes differ1,a of course so must the sentiment of taste differ4 ,to the man ,i would give the laws of taste2 to the woman1 its sensibility4 ,the taste of the former seems more derived from reason2 that of the latter from instinct3 witness their impulsive maternal affection2 that inherent ornament of their sex1 modesty2 their tender susceptibility of the benevolent virtues1 pity1 compassion1 c4 c4 ,footnote ,a3 ,vide page #bc4 ,taste1 however1 is as far removed from mere instinct as from mere reason4 ,i only mean to say1 that the taste of the masculine character is rather on the side of reason1 or the understanding2 that of the feminine on the side of instinct1 and1 let me add1 imagination4 ,the taste of the one and of the other seems to differ as justice does from mercy1 as modesty from virtue1 as grace from sublimity1 c4 c4 ,and1 as exterior feminine grace is the most perfect visible object of taste1 the highest degree of feminine excellence1 externally and internally united1 must of course constitute woman1 the most perfect existing object of taste in the creation4 ,the cultivation of the social moral affections is the cultivation of taste1 and the domestic sphere is the true and almost only one in which it can appear in its highest dignity4 ,it is peculiarly appropriated to feminine taste1 and ,i may say it is absolutely the only one in which it can appear in its true lustre4 ,true taste1 particularly the feminine1 is retired1 calm1 modest2 it is the private honour of the heart1 and is1 ,i imagine1 incompatible with the love of fame4 ,in the present state of society1 taste seems to be equally excluded from the highest and from the lowest sphere of life4 ,the one seems to be too much encumbered with artificial imaginary necessities2 the other too much encumbered with the real and natural necessities of life1 to attend to its cultivation4 ,it is in the former that taste is universally thought to reside1 which is because the idea of taste is inseparable from that of honour4 ,it is that1 indeed1 in which the general taste of the nation is exhibited4 ,it is its face1 as ,i may say1 which expresses the internal character of the heart4 ,in this sphere1 namely1 the most exalted station of mankind1 what true taste it does exhibit is placed in the strongest point of view2 its contrary principles are also the same1 particularly so to those who have been rightly educated at a distance from it2 to such1 the wrong will instruct as much as the right2 but sure ,i am1 that it is not1 at this period1 the proper sphere for the infant mind to expand and improve in4 ,the wrong will be too familiar to the mind to disgust2 and the right1 which ,i imagine is chiefly confined to the records of taste in the fine arts1 will be too remote 7wanting the preparatory love of nature and virtue7 to please4 ,it is not1 ,i imagine1 from objects of excellence in the arts1 that the mind receives the first impressions of taste1 though from them the impressions1 we have already received1 may be strengthened and improved4 ,the truths they exhibit awaken the recollection of what has pleased us in nature2 and we exult in the confirmation of our judgement and taste on finding those objects represented1 by genius1 in their best and fairest light4 ,of course1 the excellence we perceive in the fine arts1 which is always relative to moral excellence1 must tend to the improvement of taste4,a ,footnote ,a3 ,l'esprit de l'homme est naturellement plein d'un nombre infini d'ides confuses du vrai1 que souvent il n'entrevoit qu' demi2 et rien ne lui est plus agrable1 que lorsqu'on lui offre quelqu'une de ces ides bien claircie et mise dans un beau jour4 ,,boileau1 ,prface4 ,but1 though the arts are thus beneficial to the growing principles of taste1 reflecting a few individuals1 it is well known that their establishment in every nation has had a contrary effect on the community in general2 for1 in proportion to the encouragement given them1 as that encouragement immediately promotes two of the most pernicious principles that can affect the human heart1 the most destructive of moral virtue1 namely1 the love of fame and the love of riches1 the general diffusion of corruption must ensue1 and of course the extinction of the natural principles of taste1 or relish of the human soul of what is truly beautiful1 truly honourable1 truly good4 ,to conclude4 ,i will not presume to say1 that a man without taste is without virtue2 but ,i think ,i may venture to say1 that it is only as he can have virtue without loving virtue1 that he can have virtue without having taste2 the definition of taste being1 according to my apprehension of its perception1 the love of virtue4 ,and1 as that love springs from1 and tends to1 the source of all virtue1 all good1 may ,i not add1 that it is but as a man can be religious without devotion1 that a man can be religious without taste8 the sentiment of devotion seeming to be1 an aggregation of our most virtuous1 most refined1 conscious1 energies of soul1 in the awful vertical point of sublimity4 ',from thee1 great ,god1 we spring1 to thee we tend1 ,path1 motive1 guide1 original1 and end6' ,,johnson4 ,,the ,,end4 ,william ,andrews ,clark ,memorial ,library3 ,university of ,california ,,the ,,augustan ,,reprint ,,society ,general ,editors ,h4 ,,richard ,,archer1 ,clark ,memorial ,library ,r4,c4 ,,boys1 ,university of ,michigan ,e4,n4 ,,hooker1 ,university of ,california1 ,los ,angeles ,,john ,,loftis1 ,university of ,california1 ,los ,angeles ,the society exists to make available inexpensive reprints 7usually facsimile reproductions7 of rare seventeenth and eighteenth century works4 ,the editorial policy of the ,society continues unchanged4 ,as in the past1 the editors welcome suggestions concerning publications4 ,all correspondence concerning subscriptions in the ,united ,states and ,canada should be addressed to the ,william ,andrews ,clark ,memorial ,library1 #bbje ,west ,adams ,blvd41 ,los ,angeles #ah1 ,california4 ,correspondence concerning editoral matters may be addressed to any of the general editors4 ,membership fee continues #b4ej per year4 ,british and ,european subscribers should address ,b4,h4 ,blackwell1 ,broad ,street1 ,oxford1 ,england4 ,publications for the fifth year #aiej-aiea 7,at least six items1 most of them from the following list1 will be reprinted47 ,,frances ,,reynolds 7873 ,an ,enquiry ,concerning the ,principles of ,taste1 and of the ,origin of ,our ,ideas of ,beauty1 c4 7#aghe74 ,introduction by ,james ,l4 ,clifford4 ,,thomas ,,baker3 ,the ,fine ,lady's ,airs 7#agji74 ,introduction by ,john ,harrington ,smith4 ,,daniel ,,defoe3 ,vindication of the ,press 7#agah74 ,introduction by ,ortho ,clinton ,williams4 ,,john ,,evelyn3 ,an ,apologie for the ,royal ,party 7#afei72 ,a ,panegyric to ,charles the ,second 7#affa74 ,introduction by ,geoffery ,keynes4 ,,charles ,,macklin3 ,man of the ,world 7#agha74 ,introduction by ,dougald ,mac,millan4 ,prefaces to ,fiction4 ,selected and with an ,introduction by ,benjamin ,boyce4 ,,thomas ,,sprat3 ,poems4 ,,sir ,,william ,,petty3 ,the ,advice of ,w4,p4 to ,mr4 ,samuel ,hartlib for the ,advancement of some particular ,parts of ,learning 7#afdh74 ,,thomas ,,gray3 ,an ,elegy ,wrote in a ,country ,church ,yard 7#agea74 7,facsimile of first edition and of portions of ,gray's manuscripts of the poem74 99 99 99 99 99 ,to the ,augustan ,reprint ,society ,subscriber's ,name and ,address3 ,william ,andrews ,clark ,memorial ,library #bbje ,west ,adams ,boulevard ,los ,angeles #ah1 ,california ,as ,,membership ,,fee ,i enclose for the years marked3 ,the current year #b4ej ,the current the #dth year #e4jj ,the current1 #crd1 #dth year #g4ej ,the current1 #bnd1 #crd1 #dth year #aj4jj ,the current1 #ast1 #bnd1 #crd1 #dth year #aa4ej 7,publications no4 #c #d are out of print7 ,make check or money order payable to ,,the ,,regents ,,of ,,the ,,university ,,of ,,california4 ,,note3 ,all income of the ,society is devoted to defraying cost of printing and mailing4 ,william ,andrews ,clark ,memorial ,library ,,publications ,,of ,,the ,,augustan ,,reprint ,,society ,first ,year 7#aidf-aidg7 #a4 ,richard ,blackmore's ,essay upon ,wit 7#agaf71 and ,addison's ,freeholder ,no4 #de 7#agaf74 #b4 ,samuel ,cobb's ,of ,poetry and ,discourse on ,criticism 7#agjg74 #c4 ,letter to ,a4,h4 ,esq42 concerning the ,stage 7#afih71 and ,richard ,willis' ,occasional ,paper ,no4 ,,ix 7#afih74 7,,out ,,of ,,print7 #d4 ,essay on ,wit 7#agdh71 together with ,characters by ,flecknoe1 and ,joseph ,warton's ,adventurer ,nos4 #abg and #acc4 7,,out ,,of ,,print7 #e4 ,samuel ,wesley's ,epistle to a ,friend ,concerning ,poetry 7#agjj7 and ,essay on ,heroic ,poetry 7#afic74 #f4 ,representation of the ,impiety and ,immorality of the ,stage7#agjd7 and ,some ,thoughts ,concerning the ,stage 7#agjd74 ,second ,year 7#aidg-aidh7 #g4 ,john ,gay's ,the ,present ,state of ,wit 7#agaa72 and a section on ,wit from ,the ,english ,theophrastus 7#agjb74 #h4 ,rapin's ,de ,carmine ,pastorali1 translated by ,creech 7#afhd74 #i4 ,t4 ,hanmer's 787 ,some ,remarks on the ,tragedy of ,hamlet 7#agcf74 #aj4 ,corbyn ,morris ,essay towards ,fixing the ,true ,standards of ,wit1 etc4 7#agdd74 #aa4 ,thomas ,purney's ,discourse on the ,pastoral 7#agag74 #ab4 ,essays on the ,stage1 selected1 with an ,introduction by ,joseph ,wood ,krutch4 ,third ,year 7#aidh-aidi7 #ac4 ,sir ,john ,falstaff 7pseud471 ,the ,theatre 7#agbj74 #ad4 ,edward ,moore's ,the ,gamester 7#agec74 #ae4 ,john ,oldmixon's ,reflections on ,dr4 ,swift's ,letter to ,harley 7#agab72 and ,arthur ,mainwaring's ,the ,british ,academy 7#agab74 #af4 ,nevil ,payne's ,fatal ,jealousy 7#afgc74 #ag4 ,nicholas ,rowe's ,some ,account of the ,life of ,mr4 ,william ,shakespear 7#agji74 #ah4 ,aaron ,hill's ,preface to ,the ,creation2 and ,thomas ,brereton's ,preface to ,esther4 ,fourth ,year 7#aidi-aiej7 #ai4 ,susanna ,centlivre's ,the ,busie ,body 7#agji74 #bj4 ,lewis ,theobald's ,preface to ,the ,works of ,shakespeare 7#agcd74 #ba4 ,critical ,remarks on ,sir ,charles ,gradison1 ,clarissa1 and ,pamela 7#aged74 #bb4 ,samuel ,johnson's ,the ,vanity of ,human ,wishes 7#agdi7 and ,two ,rambler papers 7#agej74 #bc4 ,john ,dryden's ,his ,majesties ,declaration ,defended 7#afha74 #bd4 ,pierre ,nicole's ,an ,essay on ,true and ,apparent ,beauty in ,which from ,settled ,principles is ,rendered the ,grounds for ,choosing and ,rejecting ,epigrams1 translated by ,j4,v4 ,cunningham4