Of wisdom three books / written originally in French by the Sieur de Charron ; with an account of the author, made English by George Stanhope ...

CHAP. V. Of the Advantages of the Body, &c.

[unspec 1] THE Excellencies of the Body are Health, Beauty,* 1.1 Sprightliness, Agility, Vigour, Dexterity, Gracefulness in Motion and Behaviour; but Health is infinitely above all; Health is the loveliest, the most desirable, the richest Present in the power of Nature to make: It justly challenges precedence above all Temporal Blessings and Advantages. Not only Learning and Knowledge, Wealth and Greatness, and Noble Blood, but even Wisdom it self, in the Judgment of the severest Philosophers, is inferiour to it. This is the only thing, that deserves our ut∣most Endeavours, our greatest Hazards, the only one, which is worth the venturing our very Lives for the acquiring and enjoyment of it: For indeed our very Lives without it are flat and insipid, nay they are troublesome and painful; and Vertue and Wisdom languish, and decay, and die, if this do not keep them in Beauty, and Vigour, and Exer∣cise. Suppose a Man of the greatest Abilities that ever Human Nature had, or is capable of, what Advantage wou'd all this be to him in a Fit of an Apoplex, or a Fever, or any other violent Di∣stemper? Certainly there can be but one thing in the World more valuable, and that is Probity; for Probity is to the Soul what Health is to the Body. Now, though this be commonly the Gift of Na∣ture, and the effect of an originally good Constitu∣on,

a just and proper Temperament of Humours, and fit Disposition of Parts and Vessels in the first Formation of the Body; yet no doubt can be made, but the Nourishment and Methods after∣wards contribute very much to it also. The whol∣somness of the Milk, and a good sound Nurse in the time of Infancy; and a regular way of Living, when Men come to their own Conduct and Ma∣nagement; Sobriety and Temperance of all kinds; moderate Exercise; Appetites well govern'd, and keeping one's self from Melancholy, and all vio∣lent Passion and Disorder of the Mind, do assist, preserve, confirm, and finish what Nature and Complexion at first begun. Sickness and Pain are its Opposites and Enemies, and these are the sorest, perhaps indeed (when all things are rightly con∣sider'd) the Only Evils incident to Mankind: Concerning which more will be said hereafter. But both in Enjoying and Preserving this, the Brutes seem to have the better of us; for Man often ruins himself, and pays dear for his Frolicks and Excesses.

[unspec 2] The next Advantage to This in Order and Dig∣nity, is Beauty;* 1.2 which is a very great Recommen∣dation, and of mighty influence in Conversation and Society: This is the first thing that conciliates Men's Favour, and unites them to one another; and it is highly probable, that this was the first and principal Mark of Distinction, the first Considera∣tion, which gave Men any Preference and Autho∣rity over their Fellows. The Power and Efficacy of this Quality is indisputable; every one sees and feels it; no other Accomplishment gains more Esteem; none is so General and so Commanding in all the Affairs of Human Life. None are so Barbarous, none so Stupid or so Obstinate, as not to be smitten with it: It steps forward, and of∣fers it self to publick View; it bespeaks our Fa∣vour,

prepossesses our Fancy, seduces and bribes our Judgment, makes strong and deep Impressions, and is full of Importunity, full of Authority. Socrates understood its Power full well, when he called it, a short Tyranny upon the Mind; and Plato, when he term'd it the Privilege of Nature. For a Man can hardly forbear thinking, that the Persons, to whom Nature hath been so partial in her Favours, and signaliz'd with charming and uncommon Graces, have a sort of lawful inborn Power over us, and were made to command. These, when they draw our Eyes and Observation, do insensibly attract our Hearts too, and fasten our Affections upon them, and captivate and enslave us, whether we will or no. Aristotle says, that Superiority and Go∣vernment belongs to the Comely; that They com∣mand our Veneration next after the Gods, as being the liveliest and fairest Copies of those Glorious Originals; and that all but the Blind must, and ought to be affected with their Excellencies. The three great Princes, Cyrus, Alexander, and Coesar, found This of mighty Importance, and made the Gracefulness of their Persons turn to good Account in their weightiest Affairs; and so did Scipio more than any of them. Handsome and Good, have a great Affinity, and both the* 1.3 Greek Language, and the Style of Holy Scriptures, seem to express this, by using one and the same Word, to signifie both. Several great Philosophers found their Beauty Ser∣viceable, in their Study, and Acquisition of Wis∣dom; and to shew, that this Recommendation is universal, it is not consined to Men only, but is valued, and of great Request, even among Brutes.

[unspec 3] Now Beauty is of great Variety, and may be considered in very different Respects.* 1.4 That which is proper to Men, consists chiefly in a Majestick Form and goodly Stature; The other sorts of Beauty are of a softer and more Esseminate Kind; they may

be rather called Prettinesses, and these are more pe∣culiar to the Female Sex. In each of These, there is a Subdivision; One, which is a fixed and last∣ing Beauty, and this consists in having the Parts well proportioned, and the Colours justly mixed; A Body not swelled nor bloated, and yet not so thin and meager neither, that the Nerves should shew themselves, or the Bones start out of the Skin; but full of Blood, and Spirits, and well in Flesh; the Muscles high and clear; the Skin smooth and soft; the Complexion fresh and ruddy. The Other is a moveable and inconstant Beauty, which may be term'd Gracefulness; and this consists in a good Air, and becoming Motions; wherein All the parts of the Body are concern'd, but the Eyes more so, than any of the rest. The former is as it were Dead, when not attended with This, for all the Life and Action is in the latter. There are also some Beauties of a more masculine, and rough, and fierce Air; and others of a softer, sweet, ten∣der, and languishing Kind.

[unspec 4] The Beauty and Excellence of the Body, is more peculiarly seated in the Face;* 1.5 and our Measures of it are chiefly taken from thence. The loveliest Thing in the Person of a Man, is, his Soul; and in the Body of a Man, it is his Face; For this is as it were the Abstract, the Copy and Image of the Soul. It is a piece of Natural Heraldry, where all the Advantages and Coats of Pretence are distinctly Quarter'd and Blazon'd; and This, like a Scutcheon, is plac'd upon the Front of the House, that you may know whose Seat it is, and who, and of what Qua∣lity the Person is, that owns and inhabits it. For the Face is an Abridgment of the whole Man; and this seems to be the Reason, why Art, which al∣ways follows Nature, and treads in Her Steps, troubles it self little farther in Paintings and

Carvings, than to give you an exact Representation of the Face from the Life; and leaves the rest of the Picture or Statue to the Artist's own Discretion.

[unspec 5] Now there are several very great Niceties, * 1.6 par∣ticularly observable in Humane Faces; such as may very truly be term'd Properties of the Face, since neither Brutes, nor any other part of our own Bo∣dies, can pretend to the like. And indeed, for want of These, Brutes can scarce be truly said to have any Face. First, The Great Number and Variety of distinct Features, and the several Fashions of them. For those of Beasts consist of much fewer; The Cheeks, the Chin, and the Forehead, are There all in one, and not distinguished like Ours; nor have they the Figure of ours at all. Secondly, The Wonderful Diversity of Colours; for in the Eye it self, there is a mixture of Black and White, and Green, and Blue, and Red, and Crystalline. Thirdly, The Regular Symmetry of the Parts, where∣by the Proportions answer to each other. And this is observable in the Organs of Sense, being double, and exactly corresponding; and in the different Relations, which the rest bear mutually, in Length and Breadth. Thus the largeness of each Eye, measuring at the Top of the Socket, gives you the Wideness of the Mouth; the Breadth of the Forehead is the same with the Length of the Nose; and that again is of the same Dimen∣sion with the Lips, and the Chin below. Fourthly, The wonderful Diversity of Faces, so Nice, so asto∣nishing; that among so many Millions of People, there are not two to be found exactly, and all through alike. This is such a Master-Piece, as all Nature cannot furnish such another Instance of. And this deserves a little more particular Attention; because it shews the Goodness, as well as the Power and Wisdom of our Adorable Maker, upon the

Account of the mighty Consequence and Benefit such Variety is of to Humane Society. First, In regard it supplies us with Marks of Distinction, sufficient to know one another asunder by. For infinite and unconceivable Mischiefs must needs follow, no less indeed than utter disbanding and breaking off all Commerce and Communica∣tion, if Men's Faces were so like, as to make us liable perpetually, to mistake one Person for ano∣ther: A Daughter for a Wife, an Enemy for a Friend; and thus a second and worse Babel would follow. Were there no Resemblance at all indeed, then Men would not be distinguished from Brutes; but were there not some Unlikeliness too, than any one Man could not be discern'd from any other Man. And, which is yet more wonderful; Na∣ture hath dealt these Differences so artificially, as to satisfie all Parties; and found out a Secret, that those who are most unlike should be highly con∣tented themselves, and should please others also. For the Matter is so order'd, that there is no Per∣son, but is approved, and thought very well to pass, by some body or other; and the Faces themselves do not disagree more than Peoples Fancies, and their Inclinations to several sorts of That which they call Beauty. A Fifth Quality peculiar to Hu∣mane Faces, is the Dignity and Honour of them, resulting from the Oval Figure, the Streight Po∣sition, the Elevation above the Body, their Dire∣ction upwards to Heaven, their naked Graces, with∣out any Covering of Shag, or Hair, or Feathers, or Scales, as Beasts and Birds have. A Sixth is the Air of the Face, a pleasant Agreeable Sweetness; so insinua∣ting, so engaging, that (as was said before) Hearts are immediately caught, and our Wills and Affections vio∣lently born away with it. In a Word, The Face is the Throne of Beauty and of Love; Seat of Smiles, and of Kisses, two things peculiar to Mankind;

agreable and innocent, when used as Nature in∣tended them, for true and affectionate Expressions of Civility, and Friendship, and Kindness, and a good Understanding between Man and Man, and once a Ceremony used in the most Solemn, Religi∣ous Assemblies. Lastly, This is adapted to all manner of Changes in the Temper; it expresses all the inward Motions and Passions of the Soul. Joy and Grief, Love or Hatred, Envy and Malice, Shame and Anger, Indignation and Jealousy, and the rest of them, immediately betray them∣selves here. This is like the Hand to the Watch, which tells us the Hours and the Minutes, while all the Wheels and Springs, by which those Move∣ments are made, lie within and out of sight. And as the Air receives all Colours, and all Alterations of the Weather, and so lets us know what Changes are coming: So may it be said of the Countenance too.* 1.7 The Bedy (says one) both co∣vers and discovers the Mind, and you may read the Man in his Face.

[unspec 6] The Beauty of a Face, * 1.8 consists in a large, square, well spread Forchead; Clear and unclouded; even, small and fine Lyebrows; a well cut, brisk and sparkling Eye; a streight well proportion'd Nose; a little Mouth with red Lips; High full Cheeks, with a pleasant Dimple in smiling; a round com∣pact Ear; and all over These a lively Complexion of good wholesome White and Red. But yet this Description is not allowed Universally; for seve∣ral Nations and Climates have several Opinions of Beauty. The Indians particularly esteem That the most exquisite Beauty, which We look upon to be the greatest Desormity; a Tawny Complexion, large thick Lips, a flat wide Nose, and Teeth

stained with Black or Red; long hanging Ears; a low hairy Forehead; vast pendulous Breasts, so large, that they may fling them over their Should∣ers, and give Suck to the Children at their Backs; and these are so much in Esteem, so desirable Qua∣lities, that they use all possible Art and Industry, to bring themselves to this Shape. But what need we go to the Indies, when our very next Neighbours differ so much in their Notions of the Matter? For the Spaniards think none Beauties, but the Lean and Slender; and the Italians on the other Hand prefer the the well-set, the strong, and the plump; and think there can be no such thing as Hands••meness without these Qualifications. And indeed in every Coun∣trey some are for the soft, the weak, the tender, and the little Women; and others for the tall, the strong, the masculine, and bolder Beauties.

[unspec 7] Now this outward Gracefulness of the Body, * 1.9 and more particularly that of the Face, ought in all reason to be an Indication, and certain Evidence of the inward Beauties of the Soul. (And these con∣sist in an Evenness of Temper, a Regularity of Opi∣nions and Judgments, steadily maintain'd, and a Firmness and Constancy of Mind resulting from hence) For surely nothing is more agreeable to Nature, than the mutual Relation and Conformity of the Body and the Mind. And where this Cor∣respondence and Similitude does not appear, we are to conclude, that some Accident hath unfortu∣nately interpos'd, and broken the ordinary Course of Nature; as it very often happens, and is very apparent, that there does. For the Milk of a base Nurse; the First Advances in Education and In∣struction, the Company they frequent, and sund••y other things may leave a strong Tincture behind, wor•• mighty Changes in the Natures and Humours of Men, and give them Dispositions quite different from those they were born with, either toward Vir∣tue,

or to Vice. Socrates acknowledged, that the Deformity of his Body, testified against him for the Deformity of his Soul; and that the Evidence it gave was true; but that by Study and Pains ad∣ded to a good Education, he had amended his Mind. The Air and Face of a Man is no good Rule, and very dangerous it is to depend upon it either way. But they who have an honest engaging Look, ought to suffer double Punishment, if they belye it in their Actions. For they betray and deceive Peo∣ple by their fair Promises, which Nature hath writ∣ten in their Foreheads, and which they themselves make so ill a Use of, as to trapan and cheat the World with them.

It were well indeed, if we would follow Socrates his Advice upon this Occasion, as all of us ought to do, in becoming more nice and attentive in ob∣serving and considering curiously the Beauties of Mens Minds; and in taking the same Satisfaction in beholding those Charms, as we do in gazing upon these of the Body; And so to come up close to them, contract an Alliance, and Friendship with them; and unite our selves to them insepa∣rably, by admiring, loving, imitating them with all imaginable Affection and Zeal. This were an Ob∣ject worthy our Passion indeed. But alas! all People are not qualisied for it, none but Philoso∣phical Eyes can behold and discover Those Graces, and none but pure and resined Souls can take De∣light in the Love and Practice of them.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Health pre∣ferr'd.
• * 1.2

  Beauty.
• * 1.3

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.4

  Different Sorts of it
• * 1.5

  Of the Face
• * 1.6

  Some parti∣cular Pro∣perties of the Face.
• * 1.7

  Cor••us animum tegit & detegit: In facie legitur homo.
• * 1.8

  •• D••se••••∣••tion of the Beauty 〈◊〉〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉〈◊〉
• * 1.9

  Beauty of Boly and Mind.