134 ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book III. 



does, to excel in the gifts which nature has bellowed upon him, par- 

 ticularly in running, and has pleafure in fo excelling. 



Thus, I think, I have proved, that an author who denies that man 

 has this fenfe, degrades, in fome refpect, his fpecies below the horfe; 

 jior can I account for any man maintaining fuch an opinion, other- 

 wife than by fuppofmg that he is confcious that he has no fuch fenfe, 

 and therefore very naturally fuppofes that others likewife have it 

 not. 



The reader may think, that, having faid fo much of the Beauti- 

 ful in other parts of my writings, particularly in the fecond volume 

 of this work, (Book fecond), where I have given a philofophical de- 

 finition of it*, which is more than £iny author, antient or modern, 

 has done or attempted to do, except Ariftotle, (and he has done it, as 

 I have obferved, not in his philofophical works, but in his Poetics f ), 

 it was unnecelTary that I fhould have enlarged fo much upon it 

 here. But, as it is eflential to intelled, which cannot be conceived 

 without it, and whofe only enjoyment is the contemplation of the 

 Beautiful, and as it is more univerfal among men than any other 

 pafTion or affedion, producing not only whatever is great or good 

 among them, but almoft every action proceeding from deliberation 

 and choice, and fuch as can be called the adion of an intelledual 

 creature, I thought, that, as the very exiftence of it was denied, I could 

 hardly fay too much upon the fubjed, more efpecially as it has not 

 been treated of by any modern philofopher, as far as I know, except 

 by Mr Payley, who denies the exiftence of it, in his book upon 



Morals; 

 * Vol. 2. of tills work, p. 107. 



■\ It appears by the Life of Ariftotle, written by Diogenes Laertius, that he wrote a 

 book upon the fubje^t, a-s^i K«A«f; in which, no doubt, a very accurate and philofophical 

 definition of it would be given. But tJiis book, as well as many oihcr books of Arif- 

 totle, is unfortunately loft. 



