290 STUDIES OF NATURE, 



There is no fuch thing as carrying on trade, to 

 any advantage, with the Negros, the Tartars, the 

 Americans, and the Eafl-Indians, but through 

 the medium of red cloths. The teftimonies of 

 travellers are unanimous refpefting the preference 

 univerfally given to this colour. Of this I could 

 produce proofs innumerable, were I not afraid of 

 being tedious. 1 have indicated the univerfality 

 of this tafte, merely in the view of demonftrating 

 the falQiood of the philofophic axiom which af- 

 ferts, that taftes are arbitrary, or, which amounts 

 to the fame thing, that there are in Nature no 

 laws for beauty, and that our taftes are the effeds 

 of prejudice. The direâ: contrary of this is the 

 truth ; it is prejudice that corrupts our natural 

 taftes, which would othervvife be the fame over the 

 whole Earth. From a prejudice of this kind, 

 the Turks prefer green to every other colour, be- 

 caufe, according to the tradition of their Theolo- 

 gians, this was the favourite colour of Mahomety 

 and his defcendants alone, of all the Turks, have 

 the privilege of wearing the green turban. 



But from a (îmilar, though oppofire prejudice, 

 the Perfians, their neighbours, deipife green, be- 

 caufe they reject the traditions of thofe Turkilh 

 Theologians, and, accordingly, do not acknow- 

 ledge that confanguinity of their Prophet, being 

 followers of Ali, 



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