193 



notion and representation of beauty, sepa- 

 rate from strength and size, had taken place. 

 I may here observe, that the most admired 

 statue of Venus now existing, and the allow- 

 ed model of female beaut} 7 , is rather below 

 the common standard ; a circumstance 

 which, as far as it goes, seems to fa-* 

 vour Mr. Burke's idea, that beautiful ob- 

 jects are comparatively small.* But, what* 



* There is a passage in Virgil which might be quoted, 

 in opposition to what I have just observed : it is where 

 JEneas describes the appearance of Venus to him, at the 

 moment when he is going to kill Helen — - 



?' Alma parens confessa Deam, qualisque videri 

 f Caelicolis, et quanta solet." 



This, however, seems to refer to the proportion of dei- 

 fies in respect to each other ; for it is clear, from the pas- 

 sage itself, that this was an unusual manner of appearing, 

 and that upon most occasions, her stature was no larger 

 than that of women in general. I may add, too, that it 

 was a moment of great importance : she wished to make 

 an immediate and awful impression on iEneas, and to pre- 

 vent him from doing a deed very unworthy of a hero, and par- 

 ticularly of her son. She was also to appear on the same 

 theatre with Juno and Pallas; who, though invisible to 

 mortals in general, may be supposed to have been in their 

 i)\\n celestial forms, and their full stature. 



