( 263 ) 



beautiful to take his tail from him, than it 



would make a man to clap a tail to him *. 



With regard indeed to the natural beauty of a 

 horfe's tail, we want little reafoning on the 

 fubjetL In conjunction with his mane, it 



gives him dignity. It hides his flraddling 



buttocks ; which is a decency in nature, we 



fhould Admire, rather than deftroy. It 



forms a contrail among the legs. The four 

 equal legs of every animal are it's greateft de^ 

 formity ; and their famenefs of courfe gives 

 the painter the moft trouble in the management 

 of them. In many of her forms indeed, where 

 nature does not feem to aim at beauty, me 

 neglects this economy : but as if fhe meant 

 the horfe for one of her moft elegant produc- 

 tions, fhe has provided for him in this refpec"l 

 alfo, by giving him a graceful flow of hair, 

 which hiding fometimes one leg and fome- 

 times another, introduces a pleating contraft 



among them all. The accidental motion 



alfo of the tail gives it peculiar beauty ; both 

 when the horfe moves it himfelf j and when it 

 waves in the wind. The beauty of it indeed 



* See lord Monboddo on that fubjeft. 



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