( 263 ) 



beautiful to take his tail from him, than it 



would make a man to clap a tail to him*. 



With regard indeed to the natural beauty of a 

 horfe's tail, we want little reafoning on the 

 fubje(5t. In conjund:ion with his mane, it 



gives him dignity. It hides his ftraddling 



buttocks ; which is a decency in nature, we 



fliould admire, rather than deflroy. It 



forms a contrafl among the legs. The four 

 equal legs of every animal are it's greateft de- 

 formity ; and their famenefs of courfe gives 

 the painter the moft trouble in the management 

 of them. In many of her forms indeed, where 

 nature does not feem to aim at beauty, flie 

 negledts this economy : but a5 if ilie meant 

 the horfe for one of her moft elegant produc- 

 tions, Ihe has provided for him in this refpedl 

 alfo, by giving him a graceful flow of hair, 

 which hiding fometimes one leg and fome- 

 times another, introduces a pleaiing contrail 



among them all. The accidental motion 



alfo of the tail gives it peculiar beauty -, both 

 when the horfe moves it himfelf ; and when it 

 waves in the wind. The beauty of it indeed 



* See lord Monboddo on that fubjed. 



S 4 to 



