The history of philosophy, in eight parts by Thomas Stanley.

VI. VII. VIII.

Corporeall Beauty implies, first, the materiall disposition of the Body, consisting of quantity in the proportion and distance of parts, of quality in figure and colour: Secondly, a certain qua∣lity which cannot be exprest by any term better then Graceful∣nesse,, shining in all that is fair: This is properly Venus, Beauty, which kindles the fire of Love in Mankinde: They who affirm it results from the disposition of the Body, the sight, figure, and co∣lour of features, are easily confuted by experience. We s••e many persons exact, and unaccustomable in every part, destitute of this grace and comlinesse; others lesse perfect in those particular con∣ditions, excellently gracefull and comely; Thus Catullus,

Many think Quintia beau••ious, fair, and tall, And s••reight she is, apart I grant her all: But altogether beautious I deny; For, not one grace doth that large shape supply.

He grants her perfection of quality, figure, and quantity; yet not allowes her handsome, as wanting this Grace. This then must by consequence be ascribed to the Soul, which when per∣fect and lucid, transfuseth even into the Body some Beams of its Splendour. When Moses came from the divine Vision in the Mount, his face did shine so exceedingly, that the people could not behold it unlesse vail'd. Porphyrius relates, that when Ploti∣nus his soul was elevated by divine Contemplation, an extraor∣dinary brightnesse appeared in his looks; plotinus himselfe a∣verres, that there was never any beautifull Person wicked, that this Gracefulnesse in the Body, is a certain sign of perfection in the Soul, Proverbs 17. 24. Wisdome shineth in the countenance of the Wise.

From materiall beauty wee ascend to the first Fountain by six Degrees: the Soule through the sight represents to her self the Beauty of some particular person, inclines to it, is pleased with it, and while she rests here, is in the first, the most imperfect mate∣rial degree. 2. She reforms by her imagination the Image she hath received, making it more perfect as more spirituall; and separa∣ting it from Matter, brings it a little nearer Ideal Beauty. 3. By the light of the agent Intellect abstracting this Form from all sin∣gularity, she considers the universall Nature of Corporeal Beau∣ty by it self: This is the highest degree the Soul can reach whilst she goes no further then Sense. 4. Reflecting upon her own Ope∣ration, the knowledge of universall Beauty, and considering that every thing founded in matter is particular, shee concludes this universality proceeds not from the outward Object, but her In∣trinsecal Power: and reasons thus: If in the dimme Glasse of Ma∣teriall Phantasmes this Beauty is represented by vertue of my Light, it follows, that beholding it in the clear Mirrour of my sub∣stance divested of those Clouds, it will appear more perspicuous: thus turning into her self, shee findes the Image of Ideal Beauty communicated to her by the Intellect, the Object of Celestiall Love. 5. Shee ascends from this Idea in her self, to the place where Celestiall Venus is, in her proper form; Who in ful∣ness of her beauty not being comprehensible, by any particular Intellect, she, as much as in her lies, endeavours to be united to the first Mind, the chiefest of Creatures, and general Habitation of Ideal Beauty, obtaining this, she terminates, and sixeth her jour∣ney: this is the sixt and last degree: They are all imply'd in the 6, 7, and 8 Stanza's.

[Form'd by th' Eternal look, &c.]

Platonists affirm some Souls are of the nature of Saturn, others of Iupiter, or some other Planet; meaning, one Soul hath more Conformity in its Nature with the Soul of the Heaven of Saturn, then with that of Iupiter, and so on the contrary; of which there can be no internal Cause assigned; the External is God, who (as Plato in his Tim••eus) Soweth and scattereth Souls, some in the Moon, others in other Planets and Stars, the Instruments of Time.

Many imagine the Rational Soul descending from her Star, in her Vehiculum Coeleste, of her self forms the Body, to which by that Medium she is united: Our Author upon these grounds suppo∣seth, that into the Vehiculum of the Soul, by her endued with Pow∣er to form the Body, is infused from her Star a particular forma∣tive vertue, distinct according to that Star; thus the aspect of one is Saturnine, of another Joviall, &c. in their looks wee read the nature of their Souls.

But because inferiour matter is not ever obedient to the Stamp, the vertue of the Soul is not alwaies equally exprest in the visible Effigies: hence it happens that two of the same Nature are un∣like;

like; the matter whereof the one consists, being lesse dispo∣sed to receive that Figure then the other; what in that is com∣pleat is in this imperfect; our Author infers, that the figures of two Bodies being formed by vertue of the same Star, this Conformity begets Love.

[From the Suns most sulime aboad]

The Tropick of Cancer: by which Soules according to Platonists descend, ascending by Capricorn. Cancer is the House of the Moon, who predominates over the vitall parts, Capricorn of Saturn presiding over Contemplation.

[The Heart in which affection's bred Is thus by pleasing Errour fed.]

Frequently, if not alwaies, the Lover believes that which hee loves more beautious then it is, he beholds it in the Image his Soul hath formed of it; so much fairer as more separate from Matter, the Principle of Deformity; besides, the Soul is more In∣dulgent in her Affection to this Species, considering it is her own Child produc'd in her Imagination.

[—one Sun passes Through three re••ulgent Burning-glasses.]

One Light flowing from God, beautifies the Angelick, the Ra∣tional Nature, and the Sensible World.

[—the Souls next Hand-maid—]

The Imaginative

[—to the Breast]

The Breast and Heart here taken for the Soul because her nearest Lodging; the Fountain of Life and Heat.

[—reform'd but not exprest.]

Reform'd by the Imagination form the deformity of Matter; yet not reduc'd to perfect Immateriality, without which true Beauty is not Exprest.