426 On the Beautiful in the Grecian Statues. 
dominant passion but benevolence, but even 
benevolence itself would be tame and insipid, 
if it excluded every other passion. It would 
not be suited to the field of human action and 
human sympathy, and could not invite our sym~ 
pathy in return. The only influence, of passion 
that can be delineated with an attention to perfect 
beauty is that which admits the expression of 
every passion; butof each according toits worth 
and dignity, and the power which each inits place 
and rank ought to have over the form and coun- 
tenance; and that face which bears the expres-, 
sion of this temperament and proportion will be, 
so far as respects the influence of mind, the most: 
beautiful, wovonl 
But even in the expression of the passions, the 
male and female standard will differ, nor-can 
the temperament required in the one, be expected 
in the other, That mildness and placidness of 
countenance, which is the lovely picture ofa gentle 
female mind, would not give the promise of a 
masculine mind, nor answer to our standard of 
masculine beauty; and though the morality of 
mind will not submit her rule to any examples 
of human Jife,. and will without hesitation pro- 
nounce that countenance and figure to be de- 
formed, on which the violent and intemperate 
passions have stamped their character; yet in 
the imitations of man as he is, the very imitation 
