All  proportions,  every  arrangement  of  quantity,  is
alike  to  the  understanding,  because  the  same  truths
result  to  it  from  all ;  from  greater,  from  lesser,  from
equality  and  inequality.  But  surely  beauty  is  no
idea  belonging  to  mensuration ;  nor  has  it  anything
to  do  with  calculation  and  geometry.  If  it  had,  we
might  then  point  out  some  certain  measures  which
we  could  demonstrate  to  be  beautiful,  either  as  simply
considered,  or  as  related  to  others  ;  and"  we  could
call  in  those  natural  objects,  for  whose  beauty  we
have  no  voucher  but  the  sense,  to  this  happy  stand-
ard, and  confirm  the  voice  of  our  passions  by  the
determination  of  our  reason.  But  since  we  have  not
this  help,  let  us  see  whether  proportion  can  in  any
sense  be  considered  as  the  cause  of  beauty,  as  hath
been  so  generally,  and,  by  some,  so  confidently  af-
firmed.    If  proportion  be  one  of  the  constituents  of


168       ON  THE  SUBLIME  AND  BEAUTIFUL.
beauty,  it  must  derive  that  power  either  from  some
natural  properties  inherent  in  certain  measures,
which  operate  mechanically;  from  the  operation  of
custom ;  or  from  the  fitness  which  some  measures
have  to  answer  some  particular  ends  of  conveniency.
Our  business  therefore  is  to.  inquire,  whether  the
parts  of  those  objects,  which  are  found  beautiful  in
the  vegetable  or  animal  kingdoms,  are  constantly  so
formed  according  to  such  certain  measures,  as  may
serve  to  satisfy  us  that  their  beauty  results  from  those
measures,  on  the  principle  of  a  natural  mechanical
cause  ;  or  from  custom  ;  or,  in  fine,  from  their  fitness
for  any  determinate  purposes.  I  intend  to  examine
this  point  under  each  of  these  heads  in  their  order.
