( 226 ) 



After all, perhaps the chief virtue of this 

 deception may confift in exhibiting the 

 beauties of nature in a new lizht. Thus when 

 we clofe one eye, and look through the lid 

 of the other half fhut, we fee only the general 

 eff'eSl of objed:s j and the appearance is new, 

 and pleali ng : or when we floop to the ground, 

 and fee the landfcape around us with an 

 inverted eye, the effeft is plealing for the 

 fame reafon. We are pleafed alfo, when we 

 look at objed:s through ilained glafs. It is 

 not, that any of thefe modes of vifion is fupe- 

 rior, or even equal to the eye in it's natural 

 ftate j it is the novelty alone of the exhibition, 

 that pleafes If the mirror have any pecu- 

 liar advantage, it confiflis perhaps in not re- 

 quiring the eye to alter it's focus ; which it 

 muft do, when it furveys the views of na- 

 ture — the diftance requiring one focus, and the 

 fore-ground another. This change of the focus, 

 in theory at leaft, (I doubt whether in practice) 

 may occaiion fome confuiion. In the mirror 

 we furvey the whole under one focus. 



On the other hand, the mirror has at leaft 

 one difadvantage. Objedts are not prefented 

 with that depth, that gradation, that rotundity 

 6f dijianccy if I may may fo fpeak, which na- 

 ture 



