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" custom, or some association of ideas ; 

 " and that in creatures of the same species, 

 " beauty is the medium or centre of all its 

 " various forms/' 



Such are Sir Joshua Reynolds's opinions 

 on the subject of beauty, and such his criti- 

 cisms on those of others. With respect to 

 the latter, I imagine that, though by un- 

 dulation of a curve, and direction of a line, 

 he may only allude to Hogarth's line of 

 beauty, yet by gradation of magnitude he 

 must have meant nearly what Mr. Burke 

 calls gradual variation ; and, indeed, it is 

 most probable that his ridicule is pointed 

 against the whole system of distinct, visible 

 qualities of beauty. 



The only way in which one can hope to 

 vanquish such an adversary as Sir Joshua, 

 is to oppose him to himself— his practice to 

 his theory — 



Ut nemo Ajacem poterit superare, nisi Ajax. 



Certainly no painter has made a more con- 

 stant and judicious use of the principle of 

 undulating lines, and gradual variation; and 

 the acknowledged grace and beauty of his 



