232 



form of nature, or the medium or centre of 

 its various forms, in any other sense than 

 that which I have supposed. 



Beauty, then, according to this supposi- 

 tion, may, In respect to form, and particu- 

 larly the human form, be considered as the 

 -centre or medium between the extremes of 

 every kind ; but this perfect central form, 

 so far from being common or general, has 

 very rarely been found to exist in any one 

 individual : to discover,- to abstract, and 

 separate it from all existing forms, required 

 numberless and repeated trials, observa- 

 tions, and refinements. These were made 

 during a considerable period of time by the 

 Grecian artists : and though they could sel- 

 dom find that central form in the whole of 

 any one individual, they found it in parti- 

 cular parts sufficiently exact for them to 

 copy from ; with such corrections, perhaps, 

 as the abstract ideas they had formed, though 

 without ever losing sight of nature, might 

 suggest.* By putting these most perfect 



* Phrync seems to be an exception ; as she is said to 

 Jiavebeen the model of the Gnidian Venus of Praxiteles, 

 »nd of the Venus Anadyomene of Apelles : nor is it men" 



