s66 THEPHILOSOPHY 



The fenfations conveyed to the mind by tafle, like thofe of all the 

 fenfes, are either agreeable, difagreeable, or indifferent. The plea- 

 fiires arifing from this fenfe are not only great, but highly ufeful 

 to every animal. The fenfe itfelf, however, is comparatively grofs ; 

 for, in fraelling, hearing, and feeing, fenfations are excited by ema- 

 nations or undulations proceeding from bodies at great diftances 

 from the animals who perceive them. But, in tailing, the object 

 muft be brought into actual contact with the tongue before its qua- 

 lities can be difcovered. How this proportionally grofs fenfe fhould 

 have been feledted, and figuratively applied to the general percep- 

 tion of every thing beautiful and fublime, whether in Nature or in 

 art, it is difficult to determine. The inquiry, however, would not 

 be incurious, whether men who have an obtufe fenfe of tailing ma- 

 terial fubftances are likewife deficient in the perception of beauty 

 and deformity. 



Though the fenfe of tafte varies in fome Individuals, yet, like fi- 

 gurative tafte, the ftandard of agreeable and difagreeable, of pleafant 

 and painful, is almoft univerfally diffufed over mankind and the 

 brute creation. Every horfe, and every ox, when in a natural (late, 

 eat and reje£t the fame fpecies of food. Bui men in fociety, as well 

 as domeftic animals, are induced by habit, by neceffity, or by imita- 

 tion, to acquire a tafle for many difhes, and combinations of fub- 

 ftances, which, before the natural difcriminating fenfe is perverted, 

 would be lejeded with difguft. 



Some individuals of the human fpecies have an averfion to parti- 

 cular kinds of food, which are generally agreeable. This averfion 

 may be either original or acquired. I knew a child, who, from the 

 moment he was weaned, could never be induced to take milk of 

 any kind. Thefe original averfions muft be afcribed to fome pecu- 

 liar modification in the ftru£ture of the organ, or in the difpofition 



of 



