Analysis of Taste. 83 



expresses the sentiment occasioned by the novelty of our ideas; as in 

 common language we say, we are agreeably surprised at the unex- 

 pected meeting with a friend, which not only expresses the sentiment 

 of novelty, but also the pleasure from other agreeable ideas associated 

 with the object of it. 



It must appear from hence, that different persons must be affected 

 more or less agreeably by different degrees or quantities of novelty in 

 the objects .of taste; according to their previous knowledge of nature, 

 or their previous habits or opportunities of attending to the fine arts. 

 Thus before its nativity the fetus experiences the perceptions of heat 

 and cold, of hardness and softness, of motion and rest, with those 

 perhaps of hunger and repletion, sleeping and waking, pain and plea- 

 sure; and perhaps some other perceptions, which may at this early 

 time of its existence have occasioned perpetual trains of ideas. On 

 its arrival into the world the perceptions of light and sound must by 

 their novelty at first dissever its usual trains of ideas and occasion 

 great surprise; which after a few repetitions will cease to be disagree- 

 able, and only excite the emotion from novelty, which has not acquired 

 a separate name, but is in reality a less degree of surprise; and by 

 further experience the sentiment of novelty, or any degree of surprise, 

 will ceise to be excited by the sounds or sights, which at first excited 

 perhaps a painful quantity of surprise. 



It should here be observed, that as the pleasure of novelty is pro- 

 duced by the exertion of our voluntary power in comparing uncom- 

 mon objects with those which are more usually exhibited; this senti- 

 ment of novelty is less perceived by those who do not readily use the 

 faculty of volition, or who have little previous knowledge of nature, 

 as by very ignorant or very stupid people, or by brute animals; and 

 that therefore to be affected with this circumstance of the objects of 

 Taste requires some previous knowledge of such kinds of objects, and 

 some degree of mental exertion. 



Hence when a greater variety of objects than usual is presented 

 to the eye, or when some intricacy of forms, colours, or reciprocal 

 locality more than usual accompanies them, it is termed novelty if it 

 only excites the exertion of intuitive comparison with the usual order 

 <of nature, and affects us with pleasurable sensation; but is termed 



