239 



cr a Venus de Medicis, cannot be made by 

 means of rules and qualities, yet they could 

 not be made in opposition to them. 



Lastly, if it appear, that those qualities 

 which are supposed to constitute the beau- 

 tiful, are in all objects chiefly found to exist 

 at that period, when nature has attained, 

 but not passed, a state of perfect comple- 

 tion, we surely have as clear, and as certain 

 principles on this, as on many other sub- 

 jects, where little doubt is entertained. 



Whether our notions of the sublime, are 

 more or less clear and settled than those of 

 beauty, with which it has been so closely 

 brought into comparison, I will not pretend 

 to determine ; there seems, however, to be 

 this difference between them: those objects 

 which call forth our wonder, are rare ; and 

 their rarity is indeed one cause of their ef- 

 fect ; the term sublime, is therefore less fre- 

 quently misapplied. Those, on the other 

 hand, which create our pleasure, are com- 

 paratively common, and familiar ; and as 

 we are apt to give tthe name of beauty to 

 all object* which give us pleasure, however 



