74 ANTIFNT MKT A PHYSICS. Book II. 



we confider that, in this life, it dwells in body, and in the fame body 

 is joined with our : nimal mind, which has lb many bodily appetites 

 and dehres, :iud is the feat of fo much paffion and perturbation. And 

 there are two of our paflions which arife from the intelledt itfelf; I 

 mean vanity and ambition: For both thefe are neceffarily conneited 

 with a fenfe of the beautiful^ which, as I have faid in more than 

 one place, is eflential to intelled:. Now, no vain man defires 

 fame or appliufe, except for a thing that he thinks is beautiful and 

 praife worthy : The ambitious man, who defires power and pre- 

 eminence, undoubtedly thinks that in thefe there is dignity and 

 beauty : It is well known that a wealthy man is vain of his 

 wealth, and confequently muft think that there is fomething fine 

 and beautiful in it: Even the luxurious nian, who lays out fo 

 much money in furniftiing his table with the greatcfl; delicacies of 

 catin^^ and drinking, is not prompted to be at that cxpence, fo much 

 by his fenfual appetites as by his vanity, which makes him think 

 that there is great beauty in fuch a table, and in all the appur- 

 tenances of it; and it is chiefly for the fame reafon that men 

 lay out fo much money in fine houfes, fine gardens, and fine equi- 

 pages. When, therefore, we confider how prevalent this fenfe of 

 the beautiful is in human nature, and what influence it has upon us, 

 even, as I have fliown, in things the mod minute and trifling*; and 

 when we further confider that it is eflential to that part of our com- 

 pofition which diftinguiihes us from other animals, I mean intelli- 

 gence ; — We fhould not be furprifed, that a weak intelled, fuch as 

 ours, {hould very often have wrong opinions concerning what is 

 beautiful and praife-worthy ; nor is there any thing but religion or 

 philofophy which can give us true notions upon that ilibjed. 



CHAP. 



■* Vol. V. p. i^T. 



