26 HISTORY or 



and, when he saw for the first time, he was so far 

 from judging of distances, that he supposed his 

 eyes touched every object that he saw, in the 

 same manner as his hands might be said to feel 

 them. The objects that were most agreeable to 

 him were such as were of plain surfaces and re- 

 gular figures ; though he could as yet make no 

 judgment whatever of their different forms, nor 

 give a reason why one pleased him more than 

 another. Although he could form some idea of 

 colours during his state of blindness, yet that was 

 not sufficient to direct him at present; and he 

 could scarcely be persuaded that the colours he 

 now saw were the same with those he had for- 

 merly conceived such erroneous ideas of. He 

 delighted most in green ; but black objects, as if 

 giving him an idea of his former blindness, he 

 regarded with horror. He had, as was said, no 

 idea of forms ; and was unable to distinguish one 

 object from another, though never so different. 

 When those things were shewn him which he 

 had been formerly familiarized to by his feeling, 

 he beheld them with earnestness, in order to re- 

 member them a second time ; but, as he had too 

 many to recollect at once, he forgot the greatest 

 number ; and for one he could tell, after seeing, 

 there was a thousand he was totally unacquainted 

 with. He was very much surprised to find that 

 those things and persons he loved best were not 

 the most beautiful to be seen ; and even testified 

 displeasure in not finding his parents so handsome 

 as he conceived them to be. It was near two 

 months before he could find that a picture resem- 



