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ANALYSIS os BEAUTY.
It is well known on the other hand, that forms-ofgreat elegance often disgust the eye by being improperlyapplied. Thus twisted columns are undoubtedly orna-mental ; but as they convey an idea of weakness, theyalways displease, when they are improperly made use of&s supports to any thing that is bulky, or appearsheavy.
The bulks and proportions of objects are govern’d byfitness and propriety. It is this that has establish'd thesize and proportion of chairs, tables, and all forts ofutensils and furniture. It is this that has fix’d the di-mensions of pillars, arches, &c. for the support of greatweight, and so regulated all the'orders in architecture;as well as the sizes of windows and doors, 8cc. Thusthough a building were ever so -large, the steps of thestairs, the feats in the windows must be continued of theirusual heights, or they would lose their beauty with theirfitness Lnd in' ihlp-building the dimensions of everypart are confin’d and regulated by fitness for failing.When a vesiel fails Well, the sailors 'always call her abeauty i the two ideas have such a connexion j
The.general dimensions Of the ,parts of the humanbody are adapted thus to the uses they are design’d for.The trunk is the most capacious on account of thequantity of its . contents, and the' thighris larger than dieleg, because it has both the ‘leg and foot to move, theleg only the foot, &c. '
w A.
Fitness