To avoid a sameness which may arise from the too frequent repetition of the same reasonings, and of illustrations of the same nature, I will not enter very minutely into every particular that regards beauty, as it is founded on the disposition1 of its quantity, or its quantity itself. In speaking of the magnitude of bodies there is great uncertainty2, because the ideas of great and small are terms almost entirely3 relative to the species of the objects, which are infinite. It is true, that having once fixed4 the species of any object, and the dimensions common in the individuals of that species, we may observe some that exceed, and some that fall short of, the ordinary standard: those which greatly exceed are, by that excess, provided the species itself be not very small, rather great and terrible than beautiful; but as in the animal world, and in a good measure in the vegetable world likewise, the qualities that constitute beauty may possibly be united to things of greater dimensions; when they are so united, they constitute a species something different both from the sublime5 and beautiful, which I have before called fine; but this kind, I imagine, has not such a power on the passions, either as vast bodies have which are endued6 with the correspondent qualities of the sublime; or as the qualities of beauty have when united in a small object. The affection produced by large bodies adorned7 with the spoils of beauty, is a tension continually relieved; which approaches to the nature of mediocrity. But if I were to say how I find myself affected8 upon such occasions, I should say that the sublime suffers less by being united to some of the qualities of beauty, than beauty does by being joined to greatness of quantity, or any other properties of the sublime. There is something so overruling in whatever inspires us with awe9, in all things which belong ever so remotely to terror, that nothing else can stand in their presence. There lie the qualities of beauty either dead or unoperative; or at most exerted to mollify the rigor10 and sternness of the terror, which is the natural concomitant of greatness. Besides the extraordinary great in every species, the opposite to this, the dwarfish11 and diminutive12, ought to be considered. Littleness, merely as such, has nothing contrary to the idea of beauty. The humming-bird, both in shape and coloring, yields to none of the winged species, of which it is the least; and perhaps his beauty is enhanced by his smallness. But there are animals, which, when they are extremely small, are rarely (if ever) beautiful. There is a dwarfish size of men and women, which is almost constantly so gross and massive in comparison of their height, that they present us with a very disagreeable image. But should a man be found not above two or three feet high, supposing such a person to have all the parts of his body of a delicacy13 suitable to such a size, and otherwise endued with the common qualities of other beautiful bodies, I am pretty well convinced that a person of such a stature14 might be considered as beautiful; might be the object of love; might give us very pleasing ideas on viewing him. The only thing which could possibly interpose to check our pleasure is, that such creatures, however formed, are unusual, and are often therefore considered as something monstrous15. The large and gigantic, though very compatible with the sublime, is contrary to the beautiful. It is impossible to suppose a giant the object of love. When we let our imagination loose in romance, the ideas we naturally annex16 to that size are those of tyranny, cruelty, injustice17, and everything horrid18 and abominable19. We paint the giant ravaging20 the country, plundering21 the innocent traveller, and afterwards gorged22 with his half-living flesh: such are Polyphemus, Cacus, and others, who make so great a figure in romances and heroic poems. The event we attend to with the greatest satisfaction is their defeat and death. I do not remember, in all that multitude of deaths with which the Iliad is filled, that the fall of any man, remarkable23 for his great stature and strength, touches us with pity; nor does it appear that the author, so well read in human nature, ever intended it should. It is Simoisius, in the soft bloom of youth, torn from his parents, who tremble for a courage so ill suited to his strength; it is another hurried by war from the new embraces of his bride, young and fair, and a novice24 to the field, who melts us by his untimely fate. Achilles, in spite of the many qualities of beauty which Homer has bestowed25 on his outward form, and the many great virtues26 with which he has adorned his mind, can never make us love him. It may be observed, that Homer has given the Trojans, whose fate he has designed to excite our compassion27, infinitely28 more of the amiable29, social virtues than he has distributed among his Greeks. With regard to the Trojans, the passion he chooses to raise is pity; pity is a passion founded on love; and these lesser30, and if I may say domestic virtues, are certainly the most amiable. But he has made the Greeks far their superiors in the politic31 and military virtues. The councils of Priam are weak; the arms of Hector comparatively feeble; his courage far below that of Achilles. Yet we love Priam more than Agamemnon, and Hector more than his conqueror32 Achilles. Admiration33 is the passion which Homer would excite in favor of the Greeks, and he has done it by bestowing34 on them the virtues which have but little to do with love. This short digression is perhaps not wholly beside our purpose, where our business is to show that objects of great dimensions are incompatible35 with beauty, the more incompatible as they are greater; whereas the small, if ever they fail of beauty, this failure is not to be attributed to their size.
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1
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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2
uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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3
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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4
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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5
sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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6
endued
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| v.授予，赋予（特性、才能等）( endue的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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7
adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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8
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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9
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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10
rigor
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| n.严酷，严格，严厉 | |
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11
dwarfish
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| a.像侏儒的，矮小的 | |
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12
diminutive
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| adj.小巧可爱的，小的 | |
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13
delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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14
stature
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| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
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15
monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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16
annex
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| vt.兼并，吞并；n.附属建筑物 | |
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17
injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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18
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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19
abominable
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| adj.可厌的，令人憎恶的 | |
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20
ravaging
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| 毁坏( ravage的现在分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫 | |
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21
plundering
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| 掠夺，抢劫( plunder的现在分词 ) | |
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22
gorged
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| v.（用食物把自己）塞饱，填饱( gorge的过去式和过去分词 )；作呕 | |
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23
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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24
novice
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| adj.新手的，生手的 | |
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25
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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26
virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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27
compassion
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| n.同情，怜悯 | |
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28
infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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29
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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30
lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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31
politic
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| adj.有智虑的；精明的；v.从政 | |
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32
conqueror
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| n.征服者，胜利者 | |
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33
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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34
bestowing
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| 砖窑中砖堆上层已烧透的砖 | |
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35
incompatible
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| adj.不相容的，不协调的，不相配的 | |
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