in Shape, at Twenty; in Expreffion, at Thirty; and in Grace, at Forty. So that the greatest Excellence of Beauty, at the highest Reckoning in each Part of it, would amount in all to One Hundred. There is probably no Inftance of the highest Excellence in all these Particulars, in any one Perfon. They who run very high in fome Articles, are often as deficient in others. If I was to ftate the Account, as to fome particular Ladies, who have been genesally allowed to be very great Beauties, I fhould affign to Lady L. B***, Eight for Color, Four for Shape, Twenty-five for Expreffion, and Ten for Grace; in all, Forty-feven; not quite half-way in the complete Sum of Excellence: To Mrs. A ***, Eight for Color, Seventeen for Shape, Fifteen for Expreffion, and Twenty for Grace; in all, Sixty Degrees of Excellence: And to Mrs. B***, Eight for Color, Ten for Shape, Twentyfive for Expreffion, and Thirty for Grace; in all, Seventy-three. And that is the highest Sum, that I could in Conscience allow to any Woman that I have ever yet feen. Extreme Deformity should be rated, under each Article, at the fame Numbers as the highest Excellence; and, in mixt Beauties, Deductions fhould be made for them, in the fame Manner as the Additions are for the former. Thus, for Example, Mrs. M***, for Color Six, Shape Fifteen; Expreffion Twenty, to be deducted; Grace Five; which will reduce her other Degrees of Excellence only to Six. Others Others would have no Share at all, in our prefent Subject; as falling, under each Article, to the Balance of Deformity. Thus Mrs. P***, bad Color Six, Shape ditto Four, Expreffion of bad Paffions Twenty-five, Ungracefulness Ten; which together make Forty-five, all on the wrong Side of the Question. I do not pretend, in all this, to have made my Calculations exactly; but rather to point out to you, what might be done by fuch as are more exact Judges of Beauty than I can pretend to be. The beft may be liable to fome little falfe Byas or other; but if their Calculations did not answer in every Point precifely to the Truth, they might at leaft come very near it. Thefe exact Judges indeed may not be fo frequently to be met with; for Judgment, as well as Beauty, is dealt out in very unequal Proportions to Mankind; and a very great Excellence in either, falls to the Lot of but a few. However, good Judgment is the more common of the Two; and, I believe, People in general are more capable of judging right of Beauty (at least, in fome Parts of it) than they are of most other Things. Yet there are a great many Caufes, apt to mislead the Generality in their Judgments of Beauty; and I fhall beg leave to enumerate fome of them. If the Affection is entirely engaged by any one Object, a Man is apt to allow all Perfections to that Perfon; and very little, in comparison, to any body elfe; or, if they ever commend others highly, it is for fome Circumftance in which they bear fome Refemblance to their favourite Object. People are very often mifled in their Judgments, by a Similitude either of their own Temper, or Perfonage, in others. It is hence, that a Person of a mild Temper is more apt to be pleased with the gent ler Paffions in the Face of his Mistress; and one of a very lively Turn would choose more of Spirit and Vivacity in his; that little People are inclined to prefer pretty Women, and larger People majestic ones; and fo on, in a great Variety of Inftances. This may be called falling in Love with ourselves, at Second-hand; and Self-love (whatever other Love may be) is fometimes fo falfe-fighted, that it may make the most plain, and even the most disagreeable Things feem beautiful and pleasing. I remember, at the Tryal of the Scotch Lords a few Years ago in Westminster-hall, a Pair of apish Lovers, that fat by each other; and gave no small Diverfion to a good Part of that large Company, before the Lords made their Appearance. They were perpetually turning their Heads toward each other, a good deal in the fame Manner, and at the fame Time; smiled together, grinned together, and laughed out together. All their Actions were pleaf ing ing to each other, though so very displeasing to every body else. Sometimes an Idea of Usefulness may give a Turn to our Ideas of Beauty; as the very fame Things are reckoned Beauties in a Coach-horse, which would be fo many Blemishes in a Race-horse. I have often thought fome Ladies a little too unguarded, as to this Particular. They feem to have the Polyphemus [1] Idea of Beauty; and talk as if it was a Maxim absolutely established in their Breafts, that nothing can be beautiful, unless it has fome Approach to the Gigantic. "Such a Man," fays Mrs. D***, "is really a pretty Fellow, [] When Ulyes, after having put out that Cyclops's Eye, tells him his real Name and Character; the Monster makes the following Exclamation: Ω πόποι, η μαλα δη με παλαιφαία θεσφαθ ̓ ἱκανει. Ος μοι έφη ταδε πανία τελευλησαθαι οπίσσω Oh Heav'ns! Oh Faith of ancient Prophecies! Long fince he menac'd, fuch was Heav'ns Command; And nam'd Ulyffes as the deftin'd Hand. I deem'd fome godlike Giant to behold ; Or lofty Herp, haughty, brave, and bold: Pope's Tranflat, B, ix, ver. 603. "though "though fo little;" without confidering, that he But the greatest and most general Misleader of our Judgments, in relation to Beauty, is Custom, or the different national Taftes for Beauty; which turn chiefly on the Two lower Parts of it, Color and Form. It was from the most common Shape of his Countrywomen that Rubens, in his Pictures, delights fo much in Plumpnefs; not to give it a worse Name. Whenever he was to represent the most beautiful Women, he is fure to give them a good Share of Corpulence. It feems as if nobody could be a Beauty with him, under Two Hundred Weight. His very Graces are all fat. But this may go much farther than mere Bulk; it will reach even to very great Deformities; which fometimes grow into Beauties, where they are habitual and general. One of our own Countrymen (who was a particularly handsome Man,) in his travelling over the Alps, was detained by a Fever in one of thofe Villages, where every grown Perfon has that Sort of Swellings in the Neck, which they call Goters; and of which I have seen some, very near as big as their Heads. The firft Sunday that he was a 2 e |