356 



ed even that one sentence, if Lacy had not 

 so frequently repeated it" 



" That one sentence/' said Mr. Hamil- 

 ton, " constitutes the whole of their attack, 

 and their defence ; and I am glad you have 

 mentioned it, as it has been thought to 

 contain some argument; but the sophistry 

 of it is so easily pointed out, that you will 

 hardly conceive how it can have imposed 

 on any one. You will observe, that in the 

 first member of this little sentence, beauty 

 is employed to signify whatever pleases, 

 without regard to the manner ; for they do 

 not profess to adopt any particular defini- 

 tion, or limitation of . the word ; and con- 

 sequently it may include whatever is grand, 

 or picturesque: but then, in the second 

 member, picturesque is used as something 

 contrasted to beauty, which thus, by im- 

 plication, is confined t> one peculiar set of 

 pleasing objects. Now, if the meaning 

 were expressed in wods that did not ad- 

 mit of ambiguity, the sophistry would ap- 

 pear at once ; for this it would stand — - 



