B L I 



B L 1 



in it with greater affiduity after he became blind ; and, which 

 he thought next to impoffible to be performed without fighti 

 that he profefTed geometry, and defcribed his diagrams fo ac- 

 curately to his fcholars, as to enable them to draw eveiy line 

 in us proper dircdlion."" Jcrom relates a more remarkable 

 inftance of Didymus in Alexandria, who, " though blind 

 from his infancy, and therefore ignorant of the lettei'S, ap- 

 peared fo great a miracle to the world, as not only to learn 

 logic, but geometry alfo to perfection, which feems (he 

 adds) the moft of any thing to require the help of lltiht." 

 Profeffor Saunderfon, who was deprived of his light by the 

 fmall pox, when he was only twelve months old, feems to 

 have acquired moft of his ideas by the fenfe of feeling ; and 

 though he could not diftinguifh colours by that fenfe, 

 which, after repeated trials, he faid, was pretending to im- 

 poffibililies, yet he was able with the greatert exaclnefs to 

 difcriminate the minuteft difference of rough and fmooth in 

 a furface, or the leait defect of polifh. In a fet of Roman 

 medals he could diilinguifh the genuine from the falfe, 

 though they had been counterfeited in fuch a manner, as to 

 ' deceive a connoilTeur who judged of them by the eye. His 

 fenfe of feehng was fo acute, that he could perceive the 

 leall variation in the ilate of the air ; and it is faid, that in 

 a garden where oblervations were made on the fun, he took 

 notice of every cloud that interrupted the obfervation, al- 

 moft as juftlr asthofe who could fee it. He could tell when 

 any thing was held near his face, or when he paffed by a 

 tree at no great diftance, provided the air was calm, and 

 there was little or no wind : this he did by the different 

 pulfe of air upon his face. He pofTcffcd a fenfibihty of 

 hearing to fuch a degree, that he could dillingnifti even the 

 fifth pait of a note ; and by the quicknefs of this fenfe he 

 not only difcriminatcd perfons with whom he had once con- 

 verfed fo long as to fix in his memory the found of their 

 voice, but he could jv.dge of the fize of a room into which 

 he was introduced, and of his diftance frorli the wall ; and 

 if he had ever walked over a pavement in courts, piazzas, 

 Eic. which reflected a found, and was afterwards condufted 

 thither again, he could exactly tell in what part of the walk 

 he was placed, merely by the note which it founded. See 

 Saunderson. 



Sculpture and painting are arts which, one would ima- 

 gine, are of very difficult and almofl: imprafticable attain- 

 ment to bhnd perfons ; and yet inftances occur, which Ihew 

 that they are not excluded from the pleafiug creative and 

 extenfive regions of fancy. We have known cafes in which 

 the formand features of the face have been delineated wholly 

 by the touch, and in which it has been moulded with the 

 utmoft exaftnefs. De Piles (Cours de Peint. p. 329.) 

 mentions a blind fculptor, who thus took the likenefs of 

 the duke de Bracciano in a dark cellai", and made a marble 

 ftatue of king Charles I. with great juftnefs and elegance. 

 However unaccountable it may appear to the abflracl philo- 

 fophers, yet nothing is more certain in faft, than that a 

 blind man may, by the infpiration of the mufes, or rather 

 by the efforts of a cultivated genius, exhibit in poetry the 

 moft: natural images and animated defcriptions even of vifible 

 objefts, without dcfervedly incurring the charge of plagia- 

 rifm. We need not recur to Homer and Milton for atteila- 

 tions to this fatt ; they had probably been long acquainted 

 with the vifible world before they had loft their fight ; and 

 their defcriptions might be animated with all the rapture 

 and enthufiafm which originally fired their bofomE, when 

 the grand and delightful objefts delineated by them were 

 immediately beheld. We are furniftied with inftances 

 in which a fimilar energy and tranfport of defcription, at 

 leaft in a very confiderable degree, have been exhibited by 



thofe on whofe minds vifible objefts were never impreffed, 

 or have been entirely obliterated. Dr. Blacklock affords a 

 furprifinir inftance of this kind ; who, though he had loft 

 his fight before he was fix months old, not only made liim- 

 felf matter of various languages, Greek, Latin, Italian, and 

 French, but acquired the reputation of an excellent poet, 

 whofe performances abound with appropriate images and 

 animated defcriptions. See Blacklock. 



Another inftance, which deferves being recorded, is that 

 of Dr. Henry Moyes in our own country, who, though 

 blind from his infancy, by the ardour and affiduity of his 

 application, and by the energy of native genius, not only 

 made incredible advances in mcchanieal operations, in mufic, 

 and in the languages, but acquired an extenfive acquaint- 

 ance with geometry, optics, algebra, aftronomy, chemiiiry, 

 and all other branches of natural philofophy. From the 

 account of Dr. Moyes, who occafionally read lectures on 

 philofophical chemifti-y at Manchefter, delivered to the 

 Manchefter fociety by Dr. Bew, it appears, that mechanical 

 exercifes were the favourite employment of his infant years ; 

 and that at a very early age he was fo well acquainted with 

 the ufe of edge-tools, as to b« able to conftruct little wind- 

 mills, and even a loom. By the found, and the different 

 voices of the perfons that were prefent, he was direfted in 

 his judgment of the dimenfions of the room in which they 

 were affembled ; and in this refpeft he determined with fuch 

 a degree of accuracy, as feldom to be millaken. His me- 

 mory was fingularly retentive ; fo that he was capable of 

 recognizing a perfon on his firft fpeaking, though he had 

 not been in company with him for two years. He deter- 

 mined with furprifing exaftnefs the ftature of thofe with 

 whom he converfed, by the direction of their voices ; and 

 he made tolerable conjectures concerning their difpofitions, 

 by the manner in which they conducted their converfation. 

 His eyes, though he never recolleftcd his having feen, were 

 not totally infenfible to intenfe light ; but the rays refrafted 

 through a prifm, when fufficiently vivid, produced diftin- 

 guiftiable effects upon them. The red produced a dilagree- 

 able fenfation, which he compared to the touch of a faw. 

 As the colours declined in violence, the harftmefs leffened, 

 ur'il the green afforded a fenfation that was highly pleafing 

 to him, and which he defcribed as conveying an idea fimilar 

 to that which he gained by running his hand over fmoolh 

 poliflied furfaces. Such furfaces, meandering ftreams, and 

 gentle declivities, were the figures by which he expreffed 

 his ideas of beauty ; rugged rocks, irregular points, and 

 boifterous elements, furniffied him with expreffionsfor teiror 

 and difguft. He excelled in the charms of converfation ; 

 was happy in his allufions to vifual objefts ; and difcou.-fed 

 on the nature, compofition, and beauty of colours, with 

 pertinence and precihon. This inftance, and fome othevs 

 which have occurred, feem to furniffi a prefumption, that 

 the feeling or touch of bhnd perfons mav be fo improved, 

 as to enable them to perceive that texture and difpofition of 

 coloured furfaces by which fome niys of hght are reflefted 

 and others abforbcd, and in this manner to diftinguifh 

 colours. But the fadt is ftiU undecided ; and farther trials 

 are neceffary, in order to fet afide high autliorities to the 

 contrary', and abfohitely to decide it. Dr. Reid, in his 

 " Inquiry into the Human Mind on the Principles of Com- 

 mon Senfe" (ch. vi. 4 2.), deduces evidence from acknow- 

 ledged fafts, as well as reafoning, in order to fhew, that 

 there is very little of the knowledge acquired by fight, that 

 may not be communicated to a man born blind. One who 

 never faw the light m.ay be learned and knowing in every 

 fcience, even in optics ; and may make difcoveries in every 

 branch of philofophy. He may underitand as much as 

 4 H 2 another 



