may be made to pafs at pleafure either for a good one or a bad one. If I may be permitted in this place to add an observation, it shall be an obfervation founded upon many years experience. I have often heard declamations against the prefent race of men; declamations against them, as if they were the worst of animals; treacherous, falfe, felfifh, envious, oppreffive, tyrannical, &c. &c. This (I fay) I have often heard from grave declaimers, and have heard the fentiment delivered with a kind of oracular pomp.-Yet I never heard any fuch declaimer fay (what would have been fincere at leaft, if it had been nothing more) "I prove my affertion by an example, where I cannot err; I affert "myfelf to be the wretch I have been juft " de.cribing." So far from this, it would be perhaps dangerous to ask him, even in a gentle whifper You have been talking, with much confidence, about certain profligate beings Are you certain, that you yourfelf are not one of the number?" I hope I may be pardoned for the following anecdote, although compelled, in relating it, to make myfelf a party. Sitting once in my library with a friend, a worthy but melancholy man, I "read him, out of a book, the following paige- "In our time it may be fpoken more truly than of old, that virtue is gone; the "church is under foot; the clergy is in "error; the devil reigneth, &c. &c. My "friend interrupted nie with a figh, and "faid, Alas! how true! How juft a pic"ture of the times!-I afked him, of what "times-Of what times! replied he with * emotion; can you fuppofe any other but "the prefent? were any before ever fo bad, to corrupt, fo, &c.?-Forgive me "(taid 1) for flopping you-the times I am reading of are older than you imagine; the fentiment was delivered about "four hundred years ago; its author Sir "John Mandeville, who died in 1371." As man is by nature a focial animal, good-humour feems an ingredient highly neceffary to his character. It is the falt which gives a feafoning to the feaft of life; and which, if it be waiting, furely renders the feat incomplete. Many caufes contribute to impair this amiable quality, and nothing perhaps more than bad opinions of mankind. Bad opinions of mankind naturally lead us to Mifanthropy. If thefe bad opinions go farther, and are applied to the univerfe, then they lead to fomething worse, for they lead to Atheism. The me lancholy and morofe character being thus infenfibly formed, morals and piety fink of courfe; for what equals have we to love, or what fuperior have we to revere, when we have no other objects left than those of hatred or of terror? It should feem then expedient, if we value our better principles, nay, if we value our own happinefs, to withstand fuch dreary fentiments. It was the advice of a wife man" Say not thou, what is the caufe that the former days were better than these? For thou doft not inquire wifely concerning this." Eccl. vii. 10. Things prefent make impreffions amazingly fuperior to things remote; fo that, in objects of every kind, we are easily miftaken as to their comparative magnitude. Upon the canvass of the fame picture a near sparrow occupies the space of a diftant eagle; a near mole-hill, that of a diftant mountain. In the perpetration of crimes there are few perfons, I believe, who would not be more fhocked at actually feeing a fingle man aflaffinated (even taking away the idea of perfonal danger) than they would be shocked in reading the maffacre of Paris. The wife man, juft quoted, wishes to fave us from thefe errors. He has already informed us—" The thing that hath been, is that which fhall be; and there is no new thing under the fun. Is there any thing whereof it may be faid, See, this is new? It hath been already of old time, which was before us." He then fubjoins the cause of this apparent novelty-"things pafl, when they return, appear new, if they are forgotten; and things prefent will appear so, thould they too be forgotten, when they return." Eccl. i. 9. ii. 16. This forgetfulnefs of what is fimilar in events which return (for in every returning event fech fimilarity exifls) is the forgetfulefs of a mind uninftructed and weak; a mind ignorant of that great, that providential circulation, which never ceafes for a moment through every part of the univerfe. It is not like that forgetfulness which I once remember in a man of letters; who when, at the conclufion of a long life, he found his memory began to fail, faid chearfully- Now I fhall have a 66 pleasure I could not have before; that of "reading my old books, and finding them "all new." There There was in this confolation fomething philofophical and picafing. And yet perhaps it is a higher philofophy (could we attain it) not to forget the paft, but in contemplation of the past to view the future; fo that we may fay, on the wort profpects, with a becoming refignation, what Eneas faid of old to the Cumean Prophetess, Virgin, no fcenes of ill To me, or new, or unexpected rife; Æn. VI. 103, 104, 105. In fuch a conduct, if well founded, there is not only fortitude, but piety: Fortitude, which never finks, from a confcious integrity; and Piety, which never refifts, by reterring all to the Divine Will. Harris. § 216. The Character of the Man of Bufness often united with, and adorned by that of the Scholar and Philofopher. Philofophy, taking its name from the love of widom, and having for its end the investigation of truth, has an equal regard both to practice and fpeculation, in as much as truth of every kind is fimilar and congenial. Hence we find that fome of the moft illustrious actors upon the great theatre of the world have been engaged at times in philofophical fpeculation. Pericles, who governed Athens, was the difciple of Anaxagoras; Epaminondas spent his youth in the Pythagorean fchool; Alexander the Great had Ariftotle for his preceptor; and Scipio made Polybius his companion and friend. Why need I mention Cicero, or Cato, or Brutus? The orations, the epiftles, and the philofophical works of the firft, fhew him fufficiently converfant both in action and contenipla tion. So eager was Cato for knowledge, even when furrounded with bufinefs, that he ufed to read philofophy in the fenatehoufe, while the fenate was affembling; and as for the patriot Brutus, though his life was a continual fcene of the moit important actions, he found time not only to tudy, but to compofe a Treatife upon Virtue. When there were gone, and the worft of times fucceeded, Thrafea Pætus, and Helvidius Prifcus, were at the fame period both fenators and philofophers; and appear to have fupported the fevereft trials of ty rannic oppreffion, by the manly system of the Stoic moral. The beft emperor whom the Romans, or perhaps any nation, ever knew, Marcus Antoninus, was involved during his whole life in bufinefs of the lat confequence; fometimes confpiracies forming, which he was obliged to diffipate; formidable wars arifing at other time, when he was obliged to take the field. Yet during none of thefe periods did he forfake philofophy, but fill perfifted in meditation, and in committing his thoughts to writing, during moments, gained by ftealth from the hurry of courts and campaigns. our own country, we shall find Sir Thomas If we defcend to later ages, and fearch More, Sir Philip Sidney, Sir Walter Ra leigh, Lord Herbert of Cherbury, Milton, Algernon Sidney, Sir William Temple, and many others, to have been all of them eminent in public life, and yet at the fame time confpicuous for their speculations and literature. If we look abroad, examples of like characters will occur in other coustries. Grotius, the poet, the critic, the philofopher, and the divine, was employed by the court of Sweden as ambaffador to France; and De Witt, that acute but upfortunate ftatefman, that pattern of parimony and political accomplishments, was an able mathematician, wrote upon the Elements of Curves, and applied his algebra with accuracy to the trade and com merce of his country. And so much in defence of Philofophy, against thofe who may poffibly undervalue her, because they have fucceeded without her; thofe I mean (and it must be confest they are many) who, having spent their whole lives in what Milton calls the "buy hum of men," have acquired to themselves habits of amazing efficacy, unafifled by the helps of fcience and erudition. Tofuch the retired ftudent may appear an awkward being, because they want a juft ftandard to meafure his merit. But let them recur to the bright examples before alledged; let them remember that these were eminent in their own way; were men of action and bufinefs; men of the world; and yet did they not difdain to cultivate philofophy, nay, were many of them perhaps indebted to her for the fplendor of their active character. This reafoning has a farther end. It juftifies me in the addrefs of thefe phi lofophical arrangements, as your Lord. It may not perhaps be unentertaining to your Lordship to fee in what manner the Preceptor of Alexander the Great arranged his pupil's ideas, fo that they might not caufe confufion, for want of accurate difpofition.' It may be thought alio a fact worthy your notice, that he became acquainted with this method from the venerable Pythagoras, who, unless he drew it from remoter fources, to us unknown, was, perhaps, himself its inventor and original teacher. Harris. 217. The Progreffions of Art difgustful, the Completion beautiful. Fables relate that Venus was wedded to Vulcan, the goddess of beauty to the god of deformity. The tale, as fome explain it, gives a double reprefentation of art; Vaican thewing us the progreflions of art, and Venus the completions. The progreflions, fuch as the hewing of fione, the grinding of colours, the fufion of metals, thefe all of them are laborious, and many times difguttful; the completions, fuch as the temple, the palace, the picture, the ftatue, thefe all of them are beauties, and juftly call for admiration. Now if logic be one of thofe arts, which help to improve human reafon, it mat neceffarily be an art of the progrefLive character; an art which, not ending with itself, has a view to fomething farther. If then, in the fpeculations upon it, it should appear dry rather than elegant, fevere rather than pleafing, let it plead, by way of defence, that, though its importance may be great, it partakes from its very nature (which cannot be changed) more of the deformed god, than of the beautiful goddess. Ibid. beauty, let us now proceed to fingle out the particular fpecies or kinds of beauty; and begin with elegance of perfon, that fo wonderfully elevates the human character. Elegance, the most undoubted offspring and visible image of fine tafte, the moment it appears, is univerfally admired: men difagree about the other conftituent parts of beauty, but they all unite without hesitation to acknowledge the power of elegance. The general opinion is, that this mot confpicuous part of beauty, that is perceived and acknowledged by every body, is yet utterly inexplicable, and retires from our fearch when we would discover what it is. Where fhall I find the fecret retreat of the graces, to explain to me the elegance they dictate, and to paint, in vifible colours, the fugitive and varying enchantment that hovers round a graceful perfon, yet leaves us for ever in agreeable fufpence and confufion? I need not feek for them, madam; the graces are but emblems of the human mind, in its lovelieft appearances; and while I write for you, it is impofüible not to feel their influence. Perfonal elegance, for that is the objeft of our prefent enquiry, may be defined the image and reflection of the grandeur and beauty of the invifible foul. Grandeur and beauty in the foul itself are not objects of fenfe; colours cannot paint them, but they are united to fentiments that appear vifible; they beltow a noble meaning and importance of attitude, and diffute inexpreflible lovelines over the peion. When two or more paffions or fentiments unite, they are not fo readily dif tinguished, as if they had appeared feparate; however, it is easy to obferve, that the complacency and admiration we feel in the prefence of elegant perfons, is made up of refpect and affection; and that we are difippointed when we fee fuch perfons act a bafe or indecent part. Thefe fymptoms plainly fhew, that perfonal elegance appears to us to be the image and reflection of an elevated and beautiful mind. In fome characters, the grandeur of foul is predominant; in hom beauty is majestic and awful. In this ftyle is Mifs F. In other characers, a foft and attracting grace is more confpicuous: this later kind is more pleating, for an obvious reafon. But elegance elegance cannot exist in either alone, without a mixture of the other; for majefty without the beautiful, would be haughty and difgufting; and eafy acceffible beauty would lofe the idea of elegance, and become an object of contempt. The grandeur and beauty of the foul charm us univerfally, who have all of us implanted in our bofoms, even in the midft of mifery, paffions of high defcent, immenfe ambition, and romantic hopes. You may conceive an imprifoned bird, whofe wild notes, prompted by the approach of fpring, gave her a confuled notion of joy, although the has no diftinct idea of airy flights and fummer groves; fo when man emerging from wretchednefs affumes a nobler character, and the elevation of the human genius appears openly, we view, with fecret joy and delightful amazement, the fure evidence and pledge of our dignity: the mind c tches fire by a train that lies within itfelf, and expands with confcious pride and merit, like a generous youth over the images of his country's heroes. Of the fortened and engaging part of elegance, I thall have occafion to fpeak at large hereafter. Perfonal elegance or grace is a fugitive luftre, that never fettles in any part of the body, you fee it glance and dilappear in the features and motions of a graceful perfon; it ftrikes your view; it hines like an exhalation: but the moment you follow it, the wandering flame vanishes, and immediately lights up in fomething elfe: you may as well think of fixing the pleafing delufion of your dreams, or the colours of a diffolving rainbow. You have arifen early at times, in the fumirer feason, to take the advantage of the cool of the morning, to ride abroad. Let us fuppofe you have mistaken an hour or two, and just got out a few minutes before the rifing of the fun. You fee the fields and woods that lay the night before in obfcurity, attiring themfelves in beauty and verdure; you fee a profufion of brilliants fhining in the dew; you fee the ftream gradually admitting the light into its pure bofom; and you hear the birds, which are awakened by a rapture, that comes upon them from the morning. If the eaftern fky be clear, you fee it glow with the promife of a Hume that has not yet appeared; and if it be overcaft with clouds, you fee tho clouds ftained by a bright red, bordered with gold or filver, that by the changes appear volatile, and ready to vanish. How various and beautiful are thofe appearances, which are not the fun, but the diftant effects of it over different objects. In like manner the foul flings inexprelible charms over the human perfon, and actions; but then the caufe is lefs known, because the foul for ever fhines behind a cloud, and is always retired from our fenfes. You conceive why elegance is of a fugitive nature, and exifts chiefly in motion: as it is communicated by the prin ciple of action that governs the whole perfon, it is found over the whole bly, and is fixed no where. The curious eye with eagerness purfues the wandering beauty, which it fees with furprize at every turn, but is never able to overtake. It is a waving flame, that, like the reflection of the fun from water, never fettles; it glances on you in every motion and difpofition of the body; its different powers through attitude and motion feem to be collected in dancing, wherein i plays over the arms, the legs, the breaft, the neck, and in thort the whole frame: but if grace has any fixed throne, it is in the face, the refidence of the foul, where you think a thousand times it is just issuing into view. Elegance affumes to itfelf an empire equal to that of the foul; it rules and infpires every part of the body, and makes ufe of all the human powers; but it par ticularly takes the paffions under its charge and direction, and turns them into a kind of artillery, with which it does infinite execution. The paffions that are favourites with the graces are modefty, good nature, particularly when it is heightened by a fmall colouring of affection into fweetness, and that fine languor which feems to be formed of a mixture of ftill joy and hope. Surprize, fhame, and even grief and an ger, have appeared pleafing under proper reftrictions; for it mult be obferved, that all excefs is fhocking and difagree. able, and that even the most pleafing paffions appear to most advantage when the tincture they cat over the counte nance is enfeebled and gentle. The paf fions that are enemies to the graces are, impudence, affectation, ftrong and harb degrees of pride, malice and aufterity. There There is an union of the fine paffions, but fo delicate that you cannot conceive ary one of them feparate from the reft, called fenfibility, which is requifite in an elegant deportment; it chiefly refides in the eye, which is indeed the feat of the paffions. I have spoken of the paffions only as they are fubfervient to grace, which is the object of our prefent attention. The face is the mother-country, if I may call it fo, or the habitation of grace; and it vifits the other parts of the body only as diflant provinces, with fome little partiality to the neck, and the fine bafis that fupports it; but the countenance is the very palace in which it takes up its reficence; it is there it revels through its various apartments: you fee it wrapped in clouded majefty upon the brow; you difcover it about the lips hardly rifing to a fmile, and vanishing in a moment, when it is rather perceived than feen; and then by the most engaging viciffitades, it enlivens, flames, and diffolves in the eye. You have, I fuppofe, all along obferved, that I am not treating of beauty, which depends on different principles, but of that elegance which is the effect of a delicate and awakened tafte, and in every kind of form is the enchantment that attracts and pleafes univerfally, even with cat the affiftance of any other charm; whereas without it no degree of beauty is carming. You have undoubtedly feen women lovely without much beauty, and Landfome without being lovely; it is gracefulness caufes this variation, and throws a luftre over difagreeable features, as the fun paints a fhowery cloud with the colours of the rainbow. I before remarked, that the grace of every elegant perfon is varied agreeable the character and difpofition of the perion it beautifies; I am fenfible you readily conceive the reafon. Elegance is the natural habit and image of the foul beaming forth in action; it must therefore be exprefled by the peculiar features, air, and difpofition of the perfon; it mutt ande from nature, and flow with eafe and A propriety that diftinguishes it. The mitation of any particular perfon, however graceful, is dangerous, left the affectation appear; but the unftudied elegance of nature is acquired by the example and converfation of feveral elegant perfons of different characters, which peo ple adapt to the import of their own geftures, without knowing how. It is alfo becaufe elegance is the reflection of the foul appearing in action, that good ftatues, and pictures drawn from life, are laid before the eye in motion. If you look at the old Gothic churches built in barbarous ages, you will fee the ftatues reared up dead and inanimate against the walls. I faid, at the beginning of this little. difcourfe, that the beauty of dreis refults from mode or fashion, and it certainly does fo in a great measure; but I must limit that affertion by the following obfervatior, that there is alfo a real beauty in attire that does not depend on the mode: thofe robes which leave the whole perfon at liberty in its motions, and that give to the imagination the natural proportions and fymmetry of the body, are always more becoming than fuch as reftrain any part of the body, or in which it is lost or disfigured. You may easily imagine how a pair of ftays laced tightly about the Minerva we admired, would opprefs the fubline beauty of her comportment and figure. Since perfons of rank cannot chufe their own drefs, but muit run along with the prefent fashion, the fecret of dreffing gracefully muft confift in the flender variations that cannot be obferved to defert the fashion, and yet approach nigher to the complexion and import of the countenance, and that at the fame time allows to the whole body the greatest poffible freedom, eafe, and imagery: by imagery I mean, that as a good painter will fhew the effect of the mufcles that do not appear to the eye, fo a person skilful in drefs will difplay the elegance of the form, though it be covered and out of view. As the talle of drefs approaches to perfection all art disappears, and it feems the effect of negligence and inttinctive inattention; for this reafon its beau ties arife from the manner and general air rather than from the richness, which laft, when it becomes too grofs and oppreffive, deftroys the elegance. A brilliancy and parade in drefs is therefore the infallible fign of bad taste, that in this contraband manner endeavours to make amends for the want of true elegance, and bears a relation to the heaps of ornament that encumbered the Gothic buildings. Apelles obferving an Helen painted by one of his fcholars, that was overcharged with a rich drefs, "I find, young man,' fald |