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Mr propricty in lhofe which are accelrory. On lhe o·
Iher hand, a ferions :lnd imponanl fubjd\ admils nut
"'ueh ornamCnlj nor a fubjcll lhal of itrclf is eXlrcmely
bWlliful : and a fubjea lhal fills lhe mind "ilh ilS lofli·
n~fs aud grAndcur, al'pcm be/! in adrefs alwgelhcr plain .
To a perfon of;¡ arrearance, gorgeous appare!
is IlnCuitable j which, belirles lhe incongl nilY, has abad
elTell j for by connr.n il OIOWS lhe meannc(s of appear·
ance in lhe nrongd! lighl. Sweetncfs of look and mano
ner, r~quires GmplicilY of drefs joincu Wilh lhe grealtn
eleganre. A Ualely and majenic air requires (umpluous
apparcl, which oughl nOl 10 begludy, nor crouded Wilh
Jiu le ornamenlS. A womao of confummale beauly can
bm /0 be highly adorned, aod yellhows beP. in a plaio
¿tef, :
-------For lovcline(s
Needs nOl lhe foreign aid of ornament,
BUI ;s when unadorn'd, adorn'd lhe mono
'fh,m¡,.'J AUlu/lJn , 208.
'Congruily regulates nOl only lhe qnanlily of orna·
menl, bUl al(o lhe kind. The ornamtnts lhal embelliOI
a dancing.roomonght to be all of them gayo Nó pie·
tllre is proper for a church, but whal has religion for ilS
fubjec1. AII the ornaments upon a lhieJd oughl to relale
to war j and Virgil, Wilh greal judgmeol, confines lhe
carvings npon lhe /hicld of IEneal 10 lhe militar, hifio·
ryof lhe Romans: bUl lhis beauly is omlooked by Ho·
Olerj for lhe bulk of lhe (cutplure upon lhe Ihield of A·
chilb, is of lhe am of peace in general, and of joy and
in panicular : lhe aUlhor ofTelemaehus belrays
the fame inattenlioo, in de(cribing lhe Ihield of lhat
young hero.
In jQdging of propriely "ilh regard to ornaments, n
mun mend, nOI only la lhe nalure of lhe fubjeét lhat is
to b~ adorned, bUl al(o tOlhe circumfiances in which il
is placed: lhe ornamenlS lhat are proper for a ball, "ill
appear not altogelher fa decent at public worlhip j and
lhe fame per(oo onghl to drefs dilTerendy for a marriage.
fcafi and for a buriaJ.
NOlhiog is more intimalely relaled 10 aman, than his
fentimenls, words. and aétions j and lherefore IVe re·
quire here lhe firillell conformilY. When we "nd " hal
we lhus require, IVe have' a li"e1y (en(e of propriety :
when we Gnd lile conlrary, our (enfe of impropriety is
not lef, lively. H.nce the unim(al difiane of afftlta.
tinn, whkh conGfis in m~king a Ihew of greater delicacy
and refinement lhan is fuiled eilher 10 lhe charaéter or
c¡rcumfi~nces of lhe per(on.
Congruily and propriety, where·ever perceived, ap'
pear agreeable j and e' ery agreeable ohjell producelh in
lhe mind a pleafant emolioo : incongruilY and impropri.
el y, on lhe olher hand, are difagrecable j and of cOllrCe
produce painful emotions. The(e emolions, whether
plcafant or painful, fomt'limes vaniOI Wilhout any con(c–
qncnce j bUl more freqnently occaGon olher cmolion,
" hi o we procecd la exemplify. '
\'lllen any Ilight incongruilY is perceived, in an m i.
denl~1 combin;llion of pe, fon! or Ihings, as of <nEcrs
in a fi~.ge· coach, or of individuals dining al an o,dinary;
the painflll emolinn of incongruity, afler a mOlUenmy
eXI!!cnc., vamfhclh WilhoUI prodllcing any clf\~. Bul
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this is not lhe caCe o( propriety and illlpropriely: volun·
lary a{¡s, wh~lher words or deeds, are impllled la lhe
aUlhor j when proper, we reward him Wilh our elleem j
when improper, \Ve punilh hilll Wilh Ollr contemp!. Lel
liS fuppofe, for example, a generous allion fU;led la lhe
chmller of lhe aUlhor, which rai(cs in him and in every
fpCtqalor the plca(ant emolion of propriely: this emotion
generales in lhe aUlhor both fdf·efieem and joy j lhe
former whcn he conuden his relalion to lhe aétion, an~
the lamr when heconGders lhe good opinion lhat olhers
will enlenain of him: the fame emolion of propriely
producelh in lhe fpeélalors efieem for the aUlhor of lhe
allion j and when lhey lhink of lhemfelves, il al(o pro·
ducelh, by means of contrafi, an emolion of hUOlilily.
To difcover lhe elT,lIs of an unfuitable 'létion, we mul!
inverl each of Ihefe circumfiances: lhe painful emolion
of improprielY generales in the aUlhor of lhe:tlion bOl.h
humililyand Ihame j the former wben he coonders biS
rel.lion 10 lbe allion, and lhe laner when he conndm
what otoers \ViII lhink of him) lhe fame emotion of iro·
propriely producelh in lhe fpeétators contempt for lhe
aUlhor of lhe allioo; and it alfo producelh, by mean! of
contrafi, when lhey think of themfdves, ao emolion of
felf·efieem. Here then are many dilTerent emolions, de·
rived from lhe flme allioo conGdered io dirrerenl views
by diITerent per(ons j a machine provided witb maoy
fprings, and nOl a linle complicaled. Propriely of ac·
lion, it would feem, js a chief favourile of nature, wheo
fuch care and folici lude is befiowcd upon it. It is 001
left 10 OUT own choice j but, like junice, is required at
our hands; and, like jufiice, is inforced by n~lUral .re.
wards and punilhmenl!: aman cannot, Wilh tmpuoUY,
do any lhing unbecoming or improFer j he fulfers Ihe
chafiifement of conlempt inAilled by olhers, a?d of fuame
inflilled by him(elf. Au apparatus fo comphcated, Ind
fo "ngolar, ought la rou(e our anenlion: fa! nalure
dOlh nOlhing in vain j and we may conclude wuh gre~t
certainty, lhal this curious brancb of the humaoconlb·
1mion is intended for fome valuable purpofe. .
A grofs improprielY is punifued Wilh contempt and 10'
dignadon, which are veOled againl! the offender by cor·
re(ponJing external expreflions: nor is even lbe fllgbtell
improprielY fuffered to pafs "ilhout fome de~ree of ~oo·
lCOlpt. BlIllhere are improprieties, of theOlghler k~nd,
lbal provoke I~ugoter j of which we haveexamples wllh·
out end, in the blunders and ab(urdilies of our olVn fpe'
cies : fuch impropriclies receive a dilTerent punilhrocnt,
as wiJI appear by IVhat follows. T~e emolions 0r con'
tempt and of laughter occaGoned by ao improprttlY of
tois kind, uniling inlimately in t~e mind of lhe fpeaalo r ,
are exprelfed eXlernally by a peculiar forl of lauglt, lerm'
ed a laugh 01 derifoll or feorn. An imp.rop~ l.~t
tllus oot onlycontempl bUI laughter, IS dln\Og~1I •
ed by lhe epilhet of ridiculOUJ j and a laugh of denGon
or fcorn is lhe punilhmenl provided for il by nalurtd
Nor ought il 10 e(cape obfervation, lhat lVe ~re fa fono
of inAléting lhis puniOIOlent, as 10 e.xtr~ II
el'cn againll crealures of an inrerior fpec,~s: ~:\loe s.~
turkycock fwdl illg ",ilh pride, and fi w\lh ~
playcd fealhcrs j a ridiculolls objell, whlch 10 agaym
is apl 10 profok~ a laugh of derifion. \Ve