culties, that are more becoming in YOUTH, than AGE: Such as a fluent and luxuriant Speech; which is commended in a YOUNG Man; but not in an OLD Man. Thus Cicero fays of Hortenfius Idem manebat, neque idem decebat, The Third is of fuch, as take, too high a Strain at first setting out, and. are endued with a Magnanimity, above, what an Advanc'd Age is able to fupport: As was Scipio Africanus, of whom Livy faith: Ultima primis cedebant.

XLIII. Of BEAUTY.

VIR

IRTUE is like a Rich Jewel, which is best, plain Set. And certainly, Virtue fhews beft in a Body that is Comely, tho' not of Delicate, Features: And that hath rather Dignity of Prefence, than BEAUTY of Afpect. Neither is it almoft feen, that very BEAUTIFUL Perfons are of great Virtue; as if Nature had labour'd rather, not to Err, than to produce any thing,

Excellent. Therefore they are good Company, but not of exalted Spirits: And study rather Accomplishment, than -Virtue. But this holds not always. For Auguftus Cæfar, Titus Vefpafian, Philip le Belle of France, Edward the Fourth of England, Alcibiades of Athens, Ifmael the Perfian, were very Great Men, and, nevertheless, very BEAUTIFUL. IN

IN BEAUTY, Feature is before Com-plexion; and decent and agreeable Motion, even beforé Feature. That is the choice and belt Part of BEAUTY, which a Picture cannot express; no, nor the Life it felf, at first Sight. There is no excellent BEAUTY that has not fome Difproportion in the Make,o i ji IT is hard to fay, whether Apelles, or Albert Durer, was the greatest Trifler: One of which was for making a Perfon according to Geometrical Proportions: The Other, by taking the best Parts out of divers Faces, fet himself to make one Excellent. Such Pictures, I think, would please no Body, but the Painter that made them. Not but that I think

a

a Painter may make a better Face than ever was: But he must do it by a kind of Felicity or Chance, (as a Mufician that maketh an excellent Air in Mufick) and not by Rule.

A Man fhall fee Faces, which, if you examine Part by Part, you fhall scarce find one Part that you can approve feparately: And yet all together they are pleasing enough. If it be true, that the principal Part of BEAUTY confifts in decent Motion, certainly it is no Wonder, that Perfons in Years should seem fometimes more Amiable than Younger Men: According to that of Euripides: Pulchrorum Autumnus Pulcher. For it is impoffible, that a Young Man fhould obferve Decency in all Things, unlefs perchance you take in Youth it felf to fupply the Place of Decency.

BEAUTY is like Summer-Fruits, which are easily corrupted, and last not long: And, for the most Part, it ufhers in a diffolute Youth, and a penitent Old Age: Notwithstanding, if it light well, it makes Virtues thine, and Vices blush. XLIV.

XLIV. Of DEFORMITY.

DE

EFORMED PERSONS are commonly revenged of Nature: For as Nature has been unkind to them; fo they, on the other hand, are cross to Nature; being most of them (as the Scripture faith) void of Natural Affeetion.

10 00

CERTAINLY, there is a Confent between the Body and the Mind: And where Nature erreth in the One, She ventureth in the Other. Vbi peccat in uno, periclitatur in altero. But becaufe there is in Man an Election touching the Frame of his Mind, and a Neceffity in the Frame of his Body; the Stars of Natural Inclination are fometimes obfcured by the Sun of Virtue and Difcipline. Therefore it is good to speak of DEFORMITY, not as a Sign, which fometimes deceives; but as a Caufe, which feldom faileth of the Effect.

WHO

4

WHOSOEVER hath any Thing in his Person that induces Contempt, has a perpetual Spur in himself, to rescue himself from Scorn: Therefore DEFOR MED Perfons are ever extreme Bold: First, as in their own Defence, as being exposed to Scorn: But in Process of Time, by an acquir'd Habit. Again, DEFORMITY whets Industry; an Industry especially of this Kind, to fearch and pry carefully into the Defects and Infirmities of Others, that they may have fomewhat to Repay. Furthermore, in their Superiors, it quenches Sufpicion and Jealousy towards them; as Perfons, that they think they may fafely defpife. And it lays their Competitors and Emulators afleep; as never dreaming of their Promotion to Honours, till they fee them in Poffeffion. So that, upon the Matter, in great Wits, DEFORMITY opens the Way to Rifing.

KINGS in Antient Times, (and at this present in fome Empires) were wont to put great Truft in Eunuchs:

For