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28 



OF TASTE. 



BOOK I. 



CHAPTER III. 



OF THE COMBINATION OF THE ELEMENTARY MODIFICATIONS 

 OF MATTER FORMING DIFFERENT KINDS AND DEGREES OF 

 BEAUTY, OR PLEASING COMBINATION. 



Those qualities of matter which have been noticed seldom or 

 never exist separately, but are combined with each other in 

 different proportions. Colour, or motion, cannot exist without 

 form, nor smell without substance. These combinations are 

 fitted to excite strong or weak sensations or emotions upon the 

 sense of taste, and according as these are pleasing or disagree- 

 able, we denominate the combinations which produce them 

 beautiful, disagreeable, or deformed. We receive different 

 degrees of pleasure from different kinds of combinations ; and 

 consequently we ascribe to objects, or scenes, different de- 

 grees of beauty. To endeavour to discriminate the most 

 material of these different beauties, or as they may be called 

 elementary qualities of perfect beauty, is the purpose of this 

 chapter. It may be remarked, that most of our disputes about 

 taste belong to this branch of the subject ; and the reason 

 seems to be, that writers on taste do not agree as to what kind 

 of beauty they expect to find in the object or scene under con- 

 sideration. 



