SECT. XVI. 6. OF INSTINCT. i 7J 



which at this time directs him to the object of his 

 new paflion. 



Sentimental love, as diflinguifhed from the ani- 

 mal paffion of that name, with which it is frequent- 

 ly accompanied, confifts in the defire or fenfation 

 of beholding, embracing, and faluting a beautiful 

 objeft. 



The character iftic of beauty therefore is that it is 

 the object of love ; and though many other objects 

 are in common language called beautiful, yet they 

 are only called fo metaphorically, and ought to be 

 termed agreeable. A Grecian temple may give us 

 the pleafurable idea of fublimity, a Gothic temple 

 may give us the pleafurable idea of Variety, and a 

 modern houfe the pleafurable idea of utility ; mufic 

 and poetry may infpire our love by afibciation of 

 ideas ; but none of thefe, except metaphorically, 

 can be termed beautiful ; as we have no wifh to 

 embrace or falute them. 



Our perception of beauty confifts in our recogni- 

 tion by the fenfe of vifion of thofe objects, firft, 

 which have before infpired our love by the pleafure, 

 which they have afforded to many of our fenfes : as 

 to our fenfe of warmth, of touch, of fmell, of tafte, 

 hunger and thirft ; and, fecondly, which bear any 

 analogy of form to fuch objects. 



When the babe, foon after it is born into this 

 cold world, is applied to its mother's bofom ; its 

 fenfe of perceiving warmth is firft agreeably affect- 

 ed ; next its fenfe of fmell is delighted with the 

 odour of her milk; then its tafte is gratified by the 

 flavour of it : afterwards the appetites of hunger 

 and of thirft afford pleafure by the pofleflion of their 

 objects, and by the iubfequent digeftion of the ali- 

 ment ; and, laftly, the fenfe of touch is delighted 

 by the foftnefs and fmoothnefs of the milky foun- 

 tain, the fource of fuch varietv of happinefs. 



N 2 All 



