The Works of Sir Thomas Browne, Volume 2Browne, Thomas, Sir
Religion
The Works of Sir Thomas Browne, Volume 2
Browne, Thomas, Sir
Christianity; Ethics; Religion and medicine
escape the curse of deformity: there concurring no stationary colour,
and sometimes not any unto Beauty.
The Platonick contemplators reject both these descriptions founded upon
parts and colours, or either: as _M. Leo_ the Jew hath excellently
discoursed in his Genealogy of Love, defining beauty a formal grace,
which delights and moves them to love which comprehend it. This grace
say they, discoverable outwardly, is the resplendor and Ray of some
interiour and invisible Beauty, and proceedeth from the forms of
compositions amiable. Whose faculties if they can aptly contrive their
matter, they beget in the subject an agreeable and pleasing beauty; if
over-ruled thereby, they evidence not their perfections, but run into
deformity. For seeing that out of the same materials, _Thersites_ and
_Paris_, Beauty and monstrosity may be contrived; the forms and
operative faculties introduce and determine their perfections. Which in
natural bodies receive exactness in every kind, according to the first
_Idea_ of the Creator, and in contrived bodies the phancy of the
Artificer. And by this consideration of Beauty, the Moors also are not
excluded, but hold a common share therein with all mankind.
Lastly, In whatsoever its _Theory_ consisteth, or if in the general, we
allow the common conceit of symmetry and of colour, yet to descend unto
singularities, or determine in what symmetry or colour it consisted,
were a slippery designation. For Beauty is determined by opinion, and
seems to have no essence that holds one notion with all; that seeming
beauteous unto one, which hath no favour with another; and that unto
every one, according as custome hath made it natural, or sympathy and
conformity of minds shall make it seem agreeable. Thus flat noses seem
comely unto the Moor, an Aquiline or hawked one unto the _Persian_, a
large and prominent nose unto the Romane; but none of all these are
acceptable in our opinion. Thus some think it most ornamental to wear
their Bracelets on their Wrests, others say it is better to have them
about their Ancles; some think it most comely to wear their Rings and
Jewels in the Ear, others will have them about their Privities; a third
will not think they are compleat except they hang them in their lips,
cheeks, or noses. Thus _Homer_ to set off _Minerva_, calleth her
γλαυκῶπις, that is, gray or light-blew eyed: now this unto us seems far
less amiable then the black. Thus we that are of contrary complexions
accuse the blackness of the Moors as ugly: But the Spouse in the
_Canticles_ excuseth this conceit, in that description of hers, I am
black, but comely. And howsoever _Cerberus_, and the furies of hell be
described by the Poets under this complexion, yet in the beauty of our
Saviour blackness is commended, when it is said, his locks are bushie
and black as a Raven. So that to inferr this as a curse, or to reason it
as a deformity, is no way reasonable; the two foundations of beauty,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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