Chap. VII. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 131 



All our other Defires and Pa/fions belong to the Animal Nature : 

 For they are either the defire of bodily pleafures, or of the means of 

 enjoying thefe ; or they are affeQions of the Mind, fuch as are 

 common to us with the Brutes. 



And thus it appears that Beauty is the fole delight of our Intellec- 

 tual part, — the fource of the pleafure of arts and fciences, — the foun- 

 dation of all our Virtues, — and of our Vices too, fuch as Anger and 

 Revenge, Vanity, Envy, Contempt, and Derifion. 



If it be afked, Why Beauty pleafes us ? the anfwer is. That it 

 pleafes us becaufe it is Beauty ; or, in other words. It is the ultimate 

 caufe of the pleafure : And, in this refpe£t, it is the fame with the 

 Pleafures of Senfe, which pleafe us for no other rcafon but becaufe 

 they are Pleafures of Senfe. And the fame may be faid of thofe 

 pleafures which arife from natural afFedion and fociety. 



If it be farther afked. What is the final Caufe of Beauty giving 

 us fo much pleafure ? I anfwer. That the goodnefs of the Author 

 of Nature has thought proper to annex to the exercife of all our fa- 

 culties a certain pleafure. This is the cafe of all the Energies of the 

 Animal Life ; and it would have been very extraordinary, if, to our 

 nobleft energy, and to the exercife of our higheft faculty, no plea- 

 fure had been annexed. 



It may alfo be afked. Why Beauty is made to confifl in Syflem, 

 and nothing elfe ? To this the anfwer is obvious, from what has 

 been already obferved. That Beauty being a pleafure of the Intelledl, 

 it could not have been perceived by Intellect in any other way. 



I will conclude this Chapter with obferving, that, as the Syftem 

 of the Univerfe muft be not only the greateft but the moft perfect 



R 2 that 



