they became less afhamed of their repulfes; and, inftead of hiding their difgrace in retirement, began to befiege the gates of the palace, and obstruct the entrance of fuch as they thought likely to be more careffed. The decifions of PATRONAGE, who was but half a Goddefs, had been fometimes erroneous; and though he always made hafte to rectify her miftakes, a few inftances of her fallibility encouraged every one to appeal from her judgment to his own and that of his companions, who are always ready to clamour in the common cause, and elate each other with reciprocal applaufe.

HOPE was a steady friend to the difappointed, and IMPUDENCE incited them to accept a fecond invitation, and lay their claim again before PATRONAGE, They were again, for the most part, fent back with ignominy, but found HOPE not alienated, and IMPUDENCE more refolutely zealous; they therefore contrived new expedients, and hoped at last to prevail by their multitudes, which were always increasing, and their perfeverance, which HoPE and IMPUDENCE forbad them to relax.

PATRONAGE having been long a ftranger to the heavenly affemblies, began to degenerate towards terrestrial nature, and forget the precepts of JUSTICE and TRUTH. Inftead of confining her friendship to the SCIENCES, fhe suffered herself, by little and little, to contract an acquaintance with PRIDE the fon of FALSEHOOD, by whose embraces she had two daughters, FLATTERY and CAPRICE. FLATTERY was nurfed by LIBERALITY, and CAPRICE by FORTUNE, without any affiftance from the leffons of the SCIENCES.

PATRONAGE

PATRONAGE began openly to adopt the fentiments and imitate the manners of her husband, by whose opinions fhe now directed her decifions with very little heed to the precepts of TRUTH; and as her daughters continually gained upon her affections, the SCIENCES loft their influence, till none found much reason to boast of their reception, but those whom CAPRICE or FLATTERY conducted to her throne.

The throngs who had fo long waited, and so often been difmiffed for want of recommendation from the SCIENCES, were delighted to fee the power of those rigorous Goddeffes tending to its extinction. Their patroneffes now renewed their encouragements. HOPE fmiled at the approach of CAPRICE, and IMPUDENCE was always at hand to introduce her clients to FLATTERY.

PATRONAGE had now learned to procure herself reverence by ceremonies and formalities, and, inftead of admitting her petitioners to an immediate audience, ordered the antechamber to be erected, called among mortals, the Hall of Expectation. Into this hall the entrance was eafy to those whom IMPUDENCE had configned to FLATTERY, and it was therefore crowded with a promifcuous throng, affembled from every corner of the earth, preffing forward with the utmost eagerness of defire, and agitated with all the anxieties of competition.

They entered this general receptacle with ardour and alacrity, and made no doubt of speedy access, under the conduct of FLATTERY, to the prefence of PATRONAGE. But it generally happened that they were here left to their deftiny, for the inner doors

were

were committed to CAPRICE, who opened and fhut them, as it seemed, by chance, and rejected or admitted without any fettled rule of distinction. In the mean time, the miferable attendants were left to wear out their lives in alternate exultation and dejection, delivered up to the sport of SUSPICION, who was always whispering into their ear designs against them which were never formed, and of Envy, who diligently pointed out the good fortune of one or other of their competitors. INFAMY flew round the hall, and scattered mildews from her wings, with which every one was ftained; REPUTATION followed her with flower flight, and endeavoured to hide the blemishes with paint, which was immediately brushed away, or separated of itself, and left the ftains more visible; nor were the fpots of INFAMY ever effaced, but with limpid water effused by the hand of TIME from a well which sprung up beneath the throne of TRUTH.

It frequently happened that SCIENCE, unwilling to lofe the ancient prerogative of recommending to PATRONAGE, would lead her followers into the Hall of Expectation; but they were foon difcouraged from attending, for not only ENVY and SUSPICION inceffantly tormented them, but IMPUDENCE Confidered them as intruders, and incited INFAMY to blacken them. They therefore quickly retired, but feldom without fome spots which they could fcarcely wafh away, and which fhewed that they had once waited in the Hall of Expectation.

The reft continued to expect the happy moment, at which CAPRICE fhould beckon them to approach; and endeavoured to propitiate her, not with Homerical

harmony,

harmony, the reprefentation of great actions, or the recital of noble fentiments, but with soft and voluptuous melody, intermingled with the praifes of PATRONAGE and PRIDE, by whom they were heard at once with pleasure and contempt.

Some were indeed admitted by CAPRICE, when they leaft expected it, and heaped by PATRONAGE with the gifts of FORTUNE; but they were from that time chained to her footstool, and condemned to regulate their lives by her glances and her nods; they feemed proud of their manacles, and feldom complained of any drudgery, however fervile, or any affront, however contemptuous; yet they were often, notwithstanding their obedience, feized on a fudden. by CAPRICE, divested of their ornaments, and thrust back into the Hall of Expectation.

Here they mingled again with the tumult, and all, except a few whom experience had taught to feek happiness in the regions of liberty, continued to fpend hours, and days, and years, courting the smile of CAPRICE by the arts of FLATTERY; till at length new crowds preffed in upon them, and drove them forth at different outlets into the habitations of DisEASE, and SHAME, and POVERTY, and DESPAIR, where they paffed the reft of their lives in narratives of promises and breaches of faith, of joys and forrows, of hopes and disappointments.

The SCIENCES, after a thousand indignities, retired from the palace of PATRONAGE, and having long wandered over the world in grief and diftrefs, were led at last to the cottage of INDEPENDENCE, the daughter of FORTITUDE; where they were taught by PRUDENCE and PARSIMONY to fupport themfelves in dignity and quiet.

NUMB. 92. SATURDAY, February 2, 1751.

IT

has been long obferved, that the idea of beauty is vague and undefined, different in different minds, and diverfified by time or place. It has been a term hitherto used to fignify that which pleases us we know not why, and in our approbation of which we can justify ourselves only by the concurrence of numbers, without much power of enforcing our opinion upon others by any argument, but example and authority. It is, indeed, fo little fubject to the examinations of reafon, that Pafchal fuppofes it to end where demonftration begins, and maintains, that without incongruity and abfurdity we cannot fpeak of geometrical beauty.

To trace all the fources of that various pleasure which we afcribe to the agency of beauty, or to dif entangle all the perceptions involved in its idea, would, perhaps, require a very great part of the life of Ariftotle or Plato. It is, however, in many cafes, apparent that this quality is merely relative and comparative; that we pronounce things beautiful because they have fomething which we agree, for

what