Sect. XVI. 7. 1. OF INSTINCT. 109 



is firft agreeably affected'; next its fenfe of fmell is delighted 

 with the odour of her milk , then its tafte is gratified by the fla- 

 vour of it ; afterwards the appetites of hunger and of thiril afford 

 pleafure by the pofTeflion oi their objects, and by the fubfequent 

 digeftion of the aliment ; and, kftiy, the fenfe of touch is de- 

 lighted by the foftwefs and fmoothnefs of the milky fountain, 

 the fource of fuch variety of happinefs. 



All thefe various kinds of pleafure at length become afibciated 

 with the form of the mother's bread ; which the infant embra- 

 ces with its hands, preffes with its lips, and watches with its 

 eyes; and thus acquires more accurate ideas of the form of irs 

 mother's bofom, than of the odour and flavour or warmth* 

 which it perceives by its other fenfes. And hence at our ma- 

 turer years, when any object of virion is prefented to us, which 

 by its waving or fpiral lines bears any fimilitude to the form of 

 the female bcfom, whether it be found in a landfcape with foft 

 gradations of riling and descending furface, or in the forms of 

 fome antique vafes, or in other works of the pencil or the chifTel, 

 we feel a general glow of delight, which feems to influence all 

 our fenfes ; and, if the object be not too large, we experience an 

 attraction to embrace it with our arms, and to falute it with our 

 lips, fis we did in our early infancy the bofom of our mother. And 

 thus we find, according to the ingenious idea of Hogarth, that 

 the waving lines of beauty were originally taken from the tem- 

 ple of Venus. 



This animal attraction is love ; which is a fenfation, when 

 the object is prefent ; and a defire, when it is abfent. Which 

 conftitutes the pureil fource of human felicity, the cordial drop 

 in the otherwife vapid cup of life, and which overpays mankind 

 for the care and labour, which are attached to the pre-eminence 

 of his fituation above other animals. 



It fhould have been obferved, that colour as well as form fome- 

 times enters into our idea of a beautiful object, as a good conu 

 plexion for inftance, becaufe a fine or fair colour is in general 

 a fign of health, and conveys to us an idea of the warmth of the 

 object ; and a pale countenance on the contrary gives an idea 

 of its being cold to the touch. 



It was before remarked, that young animals ufe their lips to 

 diftinguiih the forms of things, as well as their fingers, and 

 hence we learn the origin of our inclination to falute beautiful 

 objects with our lips. For a definition of Grace, fee Clafs III. 

 I. 2. 4. 



VII.. There are two ways by which we become acquainted 

 with the paifions of others : firft, by having obferved the effects 

 ox them., as of fear or anger, on our own bodies, v c know at 



fight 



