to them is that they are mental, and cient artists studied the forms of inwill not, therefore, apply uncondition- ferior animals for the purpose of emally in a theory from which we set out bellishing the human. The bull and by abstracting association. lion have been recognised in the heads Nor can we go so far as to carry of Jupiter and Hercules. Mr Eastlake this idea of “life" into the theory of lays stress upon the necessity in colour. avoiding, in representing the human, "Colour,” says Mr Eastlake, “ viewed every characteristic of the brute; and under the ordinary effects of light and quotes Sir Charles Bell, who says, “I atmosphere, may be considered according hold it to be an inevitable consequence to the same general principles. It is of such a comparison, that they should first to be observed that, like forms, they discover that the perfection of the may or may not be characteristic, and buman form was to be attained by that no object would be improved by avoiding what was characteristic of means, however intrinsically agreeable, the inferior animals, and increasing the which are never its own. Next, as to the proportions of those features which idea of life : creatures exhibit the hues belong to man." with which nature has clothed them in greatest brilliancy during the period of This is doubtless well put ; but consummate life and health. Bright red, there is an extraordinary fact that which, by universal consent, represents seems to remove this characteristic the idea of life, (perhaps from its identity peculiarity from the idea of beauty, with the hue of the blood,) is the colour however it may add it to the idea of which most stimulates the organs of perfection. Man is the only risible sight.” animal: risibility may be said, there fore, to be his distinguishing mark. We doubt if any one colour, as we If so, far from attributing any beauty doubted of any one line, is the colour to it, even when we admit its agreeof beauty; and as to red representing ability, we deny its beauty,—we even life, possibly by resemblance to blood, see in it distortion. Painters universpeaking to the eye of Art, we should sally avoid representing it. They not say that redness is the best expo- prefer the nent of the beautiful flesh of human life. If so, it is most seen in earliest in- Some have thought the smile, so suc “ Santo, onesto, e grave ciglio." fancy, when it positively displeases. cessfully rendered by Correggio, the The young bird and young mouse create even disgust from this too vis- letting down of beauty into an inferior ible blood-redness. grace. What is beauty? is quite another taken by Mr Eastlake may be best Perbaps the sum of the view question from that of whether there is shown by a quotation :a line of beauty. Lines may be pleasing or displeasing, in a degree “We have now briefly considered the independent of the objects in which principal æsthetic attributes of the or. they happen to be. Lines that corre- ganic and inorganic world. We have spond in symmetry, as well as co traced the influence of two leading prinlours which agree in harmony, may character in form, and the visible evi ciples of beauty—the visible evidence of exist in disagreeable objects, leaving dence of the higher character of life. yet the question of beauty to be an. We have endeavoured to separate these swered; though beauty, whatever it from other auxiliary sources of agreeable is, may require this correspondence impressions-such as the effect of colours, of parts, this order, this sympathy in and the influences derived from the symmetry. memory of the other senses. Lastly, all Burke has separated the sublime these elements have been kept independfrom the beautiful. Mr Eastlake bas, ent of accidental and remote associations, we suppose intentionally, with a view since a reference to such sources of inte. to his ulterior object, in this fragment rest could only serve to complicate the omitted any such distinction. He question; and render the interpretation of nature less possible. may be the more judicious in this, as A third criterion remains ; it is appliBurke admits ugliness into his Sub- cable to human beings, and to them only. lime. Human beauty is then most complete, It has been supposed that the an- when it not only conforms to the arche typal standard of 'its species, when it contradiction to the subduing influence not only exhibits in the greatest perfec. of the sublime, it makes ourselves in tion the attributes of life, but when it some respects the superior, and pats most bears the impress of mind, control- us in good humour both with the ob. ling and spiritualising both.” “ The con- ject and ourselves. clusion which the foregoing considerations appear to warrant, may be now We are loath to quit this most inbriefly stated as follows :-Character is teresting subject. We thank Mr relative beauty-Life is the highest char- Eastlake for bringing it so charmingly acter— Mind is the highest life.' before us. We feel that our remarks We confess, in conclusion, that we have been very inadequate, both with are not yet disposed to admit, from regard to the nature of the subject, any thing we have read, that Burke's and as “ The Philosophy of the Fine “Sublime and Beautiful” is super- Arts" may seem to demand. But we seded. We can as readily believe that are aware that to do both justice the sublime and beautiful may be would require larger space than can reunited in one view, as that it is op- be here allowed, and an abler pen tional to separate them. The sublime than we can command. We almost and the beautiful both belong to us fear a complete elucidation of beauty as human beings, making their sensible is not within the scope of the human impressions all sources of pleasure, mind. It may be to us not from greatly differing in kind. It is inse- earth, but from above; and we are parable from our condition to have a not prepared to receive its whole sense of a being vastly superior to truth. Burke somewhere observes ourselves : sublimity has a reference that—"The waters must be troubled to that superior power over us, and to ere they will give out their virtues." ourselves, as subject to it: while it The allusion is admirable, and justifies renders us inferior, it lifts our minds disturbing discussions. On such a to the knowledge of the greater. subject, where the root of the matter Beauty, on the contrary, seems to look grows not on earth, it may be added, up to us for aid, support, or sympathy. in further allusion, that the stirring It thus flatters while it pleases, and, in hand should be that of an angel. INDEX TO VOL. LXIV. Acting in China, 89. Byron's address to the ocean, on, 499. Caged skylark, to a, 290. Canning, rupture of Castlereagh with, 620. Cape, sketches of the, 158. Caroline, queen, 331, 332, 334, et seq. Carpentaria, gulf of, expedition to, 68. Castlereagh, lord, memoirs of, 610. Catholic priesthood, proposed endowment Caxtons, the, Part IV. chap. ix., 40– chap. A., 41-chap. xi, 43-chay. 50—Part V, chap. xv., 171--chap. XV., Part VI. chap. xviii., 315chap. emigration to, 67–Mitchell's researches ib. -- chap. xxii., 320—chap. xxiii., 321 --chap. xxiv., 323-chap. xxv. 324– Part VII. chap. xxvi., 388 - chap. xxvii., 392—chap. xxviii., 395-chap. xxix., 396-chap. XXX., My father's first love, 397-chap. xxxi., Wherein my father continues his story, 400- about his denouement, 402 – chap. VIII. chap. XXXV., 672-chap. xxxvi., 674 chap. xxxvii., 677 chap. xxxviii., 680. Chartism, classes among whom prevalent, 269. in America, 35. Chartists, sympathy between, and the Chaucer as laureate, 224. Cheremisses, the, 87. Chesterfield, lord, 334. China, Erman's travels in, 88. Chuvasses, the, 87. Cibber, Colley, 230. Cinque Cento, the, 145. Cleghorn's ancient and modern art, re- view of, 145. on, 31. Cobden, Mr, reductions proposed by, 265, Entail, the law of, 1-bill, examination of the, 9. Ernest, letter from, 31. European revolutions, American thoughts Eusden, Lawrence, 229. Eusebius, letter to, on novels, 459. Eustathius, the romances of, 472. Excise bill, Walpole's, 336, et seq. Fashions in the 18th century, the, 551. Female poetesses, on, 641. Fielding's novels, on, 460, 466. Findhorn river, the, 96. lake's literature of the, 753. Fishing in Russia, 83. Fitzgerald, lord Edward, 615, 616. Crown security bill for Ireland, the, 283. Fleury, cardinal, 332. Fo, temple of, 89. Foote, Samuel, 550. Forty shilling franchise in Ireland, the, 611. Fox, caricatures of, 553. France, agriculture of, compared with that of England, 3-her law of real property, succession, &c., 6, 11-feeling State of, June 1848, 51—the present state of, and lessons from it, 476, 477 -pictures of, from Jérome Paturot, 687. tavern, 447-chap. II., The lovers, 450 Frankfort, appearance of the town of, 525 the, 375, 380, 515. Frederick William, character, policy, &c., of, 518, 519, 523. on shipping, 125—its failure, 264, 268 examination of its principles, 269, 409. 1755, 549— literature, recent, 557 — Fur trade of Siberia, the, 84. Gaming in England, rage for, 554. spective review, 190—part' II., The George II., life and times of, 327— his personal and public character, 329— German novels, modern, 190. 14-under George II., 327– the history Germany, objects of the revolutionary glimps 615-errors of the congress chara smaller states, 517- ireto rapid progress of the seq. movement, 518-objects of the demo- Jewish disabilities bill, the, 279-an John, the archduke, 520. Kaffirland, 158. Karr, M., and his writings, 560. King, lord chancellor, 339. Kock, Paul de, 571. Kosacks of the Ural, the, 81. La Famille Alain, the, 560. Lamb plant, the, 79. Land, the laws of, 1. , 349—chap. Laurels and laureates, 220. Laws of land, the, 1. Legend from Antwerp, a. Introduction, I., The tavern, 447-chap. II., The 453--chap. IV., The execution, 455. Leiningen, prince, 383. Lichnowsky, prince, 532–his murder,533. Life in the Far West, part II. 17-part III., 130—part IV., 293-part V., 429 591. London, state of, under George I., 545. Castlereagh by, reviewed, 610. Louis XV., character of, 332. 32. Maimachen, town of, 88. Manufactures, state of exports and im- - legislation of the session regarding, Martineau's Eastern life, review of, 185. Mery, M., the works of, 565. Mill's political economy, review of, 407. Mill, Mr, on the waste lands of Ireland Miseries of Ireland, the, and their reme- Mississippi scheme, the, 546. Mitchell, trial and condemnation of, 283. Mitchell's Australia, review of, 66. Modern tourism, 185. Molesworth, Sir William, 271. 3D 421, |