6o STUDIES OF NATURE. 



pitol, the Venus pudica, and the Apollo of the Vai» 

 tican ? In what animals have they ftudied thofe 

 divine expreffions ? 



I am thoroughly perfuaded^, as I have faid al- 

 ready, that there is not a fingle beautiful touch in 

 a figure, but what may be allied to fome moral 

 fentiment, relative to virtue and to Deity. The 

 traits of uglinefs might be, in like manner, referred 

 to fome vicious affedlion, fuch as jealoufy, avarice, 

 gluttony, or rage. In order to demonftrate to our 

 Philofophers, how far they are wide of the mark, 

 when they attempt to make the pafTions the only 

 moving principles of human life, I wiQi they could, 

 be prefented with the expreflion of all the paflions, 

 colleded in one fingle head; for example, the 

 wanton and obfcene leer of a courtezan, with the 

 deceitful and haughty air of an ambitious courtier; 

 and accompanied with an infufion of fome touches 

 of haired and envy, which are negative ambitions. 

 A head which fliould unite them all would be 

 more horrid than that of Aleditja ; it would be a, 

 likcnefs of Nero. 



Every paffion has an animal charadcr, as John- 

 Baptijle Porta excellently obferved. But every 

 virtue, too, has it's animal charadler; and never is 

 a phyfionomy more interefting than when you di- 

 ftinguiûi in it a ceîeftial affedion confliéling with 



an 



