An Inquiry into the Original of Our Ideas of Beauty and Virtue

Section IV. Of Comparative or Relative Beauty

42 u s e c t i o n i v u Of Relative or Comparative Beauty. I. If the preceding Thoughts concerning the Foundation of absolute Beauty be just, we may easily understand wherein relative Beauty consists . All Beauty is relative to the Sense of some Mind perceiving it; but what we call relative is that which is apprehended in any Object, commonly consider’d as an Imitation of some Original: And this Beauty is founded on a Conformity, or a kind of Unity between the Original and the Copy. The Original may be either some Object in Nature, or some establish’d Idea; for if there be any known Idea as a Standard, and Rules to fix this Image or Idea by, we may make a beautiful Imitation. Thus a Statuary, Painter, or Poet, may please us with an Hercules, if his Piece retains that Grandeur, and those marks of Strength,andCourage,which we imagine in that Hero. 1 And farther, to obtain comparative Beauty alone, it is not necessary that there be any Beauty in the Original; the Imitation of absolute Beauty may indeed in the whole make a more lovely Piece, and yet [41] an exact Imitation shall still be beautiful, tho the Original were intirely void of it: Thus the Deformitys of old Age in a Picture, the rudestRocks or Mountains in a Landskip, if well represented, shall have abundant Beauty, tho perhaps not so great as if the Original were absolutely beautiful , and as well 㛳2 represented.㛳 II. The same Observation holds true in the Descriptions of the Poets either of natural Objects or Persons; and this relativeBeautyiswhatthey should principally endeavour to obtain, as the peculiar Beauty of their Comparative Beauty. Description in Poetry. section iv 43 Works. By the Moratae Fabulae, or the h ⁄jh of Aristotle, we are not to understand virtuous Manners 㛳3 in a moral Sense㛳, but a just Representation of Manners or Characters as they are in Nature; and that the Actions and Sentiments be suited to the Characters of thePersonstowhom they are ascrib’d in Epick and Dramatick Poetry. PerhapsverygoodReasons may be suggested from the Nature of our Passions, to prove that a Poet should 㛳4 not㛳 draw 㛳5 his Characters perfectly Virtuous㛳; these Characters indeed abstractly consider’d might give more Pleasure, and have more Beauty than the imperfect ones which occur in Life with a mixture of Good and Evil: But it may sufficeatpresenttosuggestagainst this Choice, that we have more lively Ideas of imperfect Men with all their Passions, [42] than of morally perfect Heroes, such as really never occur to our Observation; and of 㛳6 which㛳 consequently we cannot judge exactly as to their Agreement with the Copy. And further, thro Consciousness of ourownState,wearemorenearlytouch’dandaffected by the imperfect Characters; since in them we see represented, in the Persons of others, the Contrasts of Inclinations, and the Struggles between the Passions of Self-Love and those of Honour and Virtue,which weoftenfeelinourownBreasts.ThisisthePerfectionof Beautyforwhich Homer is justly admir’d, as well as for the Variety of his Characters. III. Many other Beautys of Poetry may be reduc’d under this Class of relative Beauty: The Probability is absolutely necessary to make usimagine Resemblance; it is by Resemblance that the Similitudes, Metaphors and Allegorys are made beautiful, whether either the Subject or the Thing compar’d to it have Beauty or not; the Beauty indeed is greater, when both have some original Beauty or Dignity aswellasResemblance: and thisisthe foundationof theRuleof studyingDecencyinMetaphors and 㛳8 Similys㛳 as well as Likeness. The Measures and Cadence are instances of Harmony, and come under the head of absolute Beauty. [43] IV. We may here observe a strange Proneness in our Minds to make perpetual Comparisons of all things which occur to our Observation, even 㛳9 those which would seem very remote㛳. There are certain Resemblances in the Motions of all Animals upon like Passions, which easily Probability, 㥋7 Simily㥋, Metaphor. Proneness to compare. 44 treatise i found a Comparison; but this does not serve to entertain our Fancy: Inanimate Objects have often such Positions as resemble those of the human Body in various Circumstances; these Airs or Gestures of the Body are Indications of 㛳10 certain㛳 Dispositions in the Mind, so that our very Passions and Affections as well as other Circumstances obtain a Resemblance to natural inanimate Objects. Thus a Tempest at Sea is often an Emblem of...