desire of beauty; and this definition, given it among many others, has its intrinsic value. Yet if you do concede to me that love is the desire of beauty, you must also concede that there must be reciprocity between the lover and the loved; and because beauty is twofold, corporeal and incorporeal, love, which corporeal beauty holds for its ultimate end, cannot be good, and of this I am the enemy. "Now corporeal beauty is subdivisible also into two parts, dead corpses and living ones; love may entertain a corporeal beauty which is good. Let us contemplate corporeal beauty in either sex of youths, which consists in recognised symmetry, making one perfect whole, constituting a body fashioned in uniformity of members, and in complexion. The other beauty of corporeality is not animate, consisting in pictures, statues, edifices, with which beauty man may be in love, without sensual love, or blame. Incorporeal beauty likewise diverges into two parts, the virtues and attributes of the soul, and that love which adheres to virtue, must be good, and not the less so, what oscillates towards science and all analogous agreeable studies. "Hence, as there exists two kinds of beauty, provoking love within us, it is a consequence that in loving one, the other is good or evil, for if beauty is appreciable by the eyes of the understanding, clear and unprejudiced-and beauty corporeal is judged by a fleshly power as compared with the incorporeal, it is disturbed and dark. And how comes it that bodily sight is quicker to survey corporeal beauty, which delights it, than the eyes of intelligence to consider that incorporeal but absent beauty which glorifies it. It follows then, that mankind more commonly oscillates towards a failing, mortal beauty, which destroys them, than the invisible spiritual beauty which ennobles them? 66 Now, from this love or corporeal predilection, arises, and will arise desolation of cities, ruin of states, loss of empires, death of friends, but if this does not happen, what greater ills ensue heavy torments, fires, jealousies, sufferings? What deaths can mortal wisdom conceive, compared to what a miserable lover suffers? and the cause of this is, that as all the happiness of the lover consists in the fruition of what he loves, and that same is not within the compass of possession, or any way attains to his wishes, it engenders in him sighs, tears, complaints, and general disturbance. It is obvious then that the beauty of which I reason cannot be had in perfection, for man cannot completely enjoy what is external to him, and not his own. Now externalities are subordinate to the will of what is styled fortune and chance, and not in our own arbitrement, hence it follows that where love is, grief exists also; and who would this deny, would also deny that light is bright, and fire burns. But because it may happen with greater facility in the recognition of the bitterness which love incloses, discoursing with passions of the mind, certain truths must appear. These mental passions, as you know well, worthy auditory, are partible into four generalities, and no more. Desire ardently, rejoice much, dread of future ills, grief at present calamities; these passions, like contrary currents, which upset the soul's equanimity, are styled perturbations, and of these the foremost. is love, for that is only another appellation for desire—hence desire is the source and font of our passions, from which issue streams. So that it occurs, whenever aught inflames the heart, there is a ready motion to follow and seek it, often involving us in numberless inordinate sequences. This very incentive induces a brother to solicit from a relative illegal embraces, the mother-in-law the same from the sonin-law, and, worse than all, even parents to obtain favours from their offspring. Such tendencies suggest thoughts which conduce to dangerous results. ; "Nor does it avail that we oppose obstacles by reason, for while we clearly see the turpitude, yet we do not secede and not satisfied alone is love in keeping us on the quick, that it is indubitably the primum mobile of all our passions. So from the parent desire flows all derivatives, which in minds prone to love are infinite, and though all converge to a point generally, objects are so diverse, and the fortune of lovers so various, that each has its peculiar attraction. Some there be, who to realise all their hopes, stake all on one die, and what difficulties and disappointments do not eventuate! How often do they catch falls, what thorns make their feet to bleed, losing force and breath in the vain hope of suc cess. "Others, again, really do possess what they desire, and wish no further, save keeping their wealth, and on this con 66 centrate their thoughts, consuming time and labour-in joy, wretched-in opulence, poor-in good chance, unfortunate. Others, although wanting possession, turn to them, using protestations, promises, conditions, tears, and in the sad conclusion, put a period to their lives. On the first dawn of these desires no such troubles appear; love pointing out a deceitful path for entrance, in appearance broad and ample, which gradually is circumscribed, that there is no way for advance or retreat. So that loves, so beguiled by false smiles, with a turn of the eyes, by fictitious terms which engender a false and feeble hope in the breast, march behind, impelled by desire, and then at short intervals finding all remedy for care intercepted, and the road to the wish impeded, finish with moist eyes, a visage discomposed and wan, and the auditory nerves fatigued with complaints insufferable, and worse is behind, if these alternatives attain no desired end, swift they change their policy, and try to effect through evil ways what was not practicable to good ones. “Hence are born hatred, anger, decease of friend and foe. By this we discern at every advance how delicate and tender women enact extravagant and temerarious deeds, whose every thought is the fertile parent of fear. "Now we view holy conjugalities bathed in gore-now we see the sorrowing spouse-now the incautious and unguarded husband. The last stage of this eventful history is that brother betrays brother, father son, and all things change to their confounding contraries. This is cause of enmities, tramples on respect, traverses the laws, forgets obligations, and seduces those who are affined and kin. By this it is clear in what misery lovers are involved; in fine we know the force of the incentive, and nothing urges. us to the point proposed like the spur of love, so that neither joy nor content exceed the due bounds like a lover's passion to reach his ultimatum. This is admitted, for what person will acknowledge due judgment, save the lover, who reaches the summit of felicity, if he but touch his mistress's hand, or a jewel, a rapid inversion of the eyes, and such addenda of so small consideration as a dispossessed lover hopes. Yet not for these realised goods, so pursued by lovers, do we say they are fortunate and happy. No content hath he which has not its drawbacks, and alloys, with which love attacks him, so that no amorous glory reaches him, but pain is its substitute. So fearful is the lover's joy, that it superinduces alienation of mind, turning wisdom into fatuity. Now they make their strength and will and means to gravitate towards the ideal of their minds, disregarding aught else, so that property, and honour and life are involved in one continuous ruin. Finally, in exchange, they constitute themselves slaves of endless anguish, their own very enemies. Now how, when it happens in mid career of taste, the cold iron of the heavy lance of jealousy touches them? Then the heaven is obscured, the air in tumult, and the elements are confounded. No source of satisfaction, because there can be no termination to their wishes. Here plays about ceaseless fear, desperation too, sharp suspicion, variety of ideas, solicitude without profit, false smile, grief in its truth ushered in with strange and rude concomitants, which affright and consume. The very accident of love annoys, he sees, he laughs, he turns, revolves, is dumb, and then uses utterance, and finally all grace which was instrumental in seeking for good, converts to the torture of the jealous lover. "And who knows not if an adequate venture does not advance his loving principles, and with rapidity does not conduce to a beneficent end; how costly are to the lover all other expedients which the unlucky one adopts to follow out his intents? What tears are shed, what sighs are scattered, what letters written, how many insomnious nights, what and how adverse are his thoughts, what suspicions harass him, what dread overawes him. Similar to Tantalus, whose martyrdom lies between fruit and water; so is the woe-begone lover interposed between fear and hope. The services. of a lover who lacks favour are the vessels of Danaus' daughter, exhausted without profit, and they never can realise even a minute portion of their object. "There is an eagle which consumes Titius' bowels, as jealousy gnaws those of a jealous individual. Stone too, there is, which overweights Sisiphus' shoulders, as love bears down the cogitations of the enamoured. The wheel, too, of Ixion, which wounds at each revolution, revolving more frequently than the varied ideas of timorous lovers. "We have too, Minos and Radamantus who punish vindictively the luckless condemned souls, like to love, avenging itself on the enamoured breast, still subordinate to the insufferable injunction. Are there not cruel Megæras, maddened Tisiphone, vengeful Alectos, who as frightfully beset the soul as these furies do? whose desire is that they should recognise him for lord, and bow to him as vassals, who allege in extenuation of their fooleries, and aver, or at least will so do, that this instinct which rouses and impels the enamoured one to love a stranger more than his own proper life, is a divinity, known as Cupid. So, urged by his divine power, they can do naught else but follow in the wake of what he wills. 66 'He moved them to say this, and to invest with the name of divinity this desire, whose supernatural effects are discerned in those in love. Doubtless it appears that it is supernatural to see a lover at once confident and timorous, burn afar from his beloved one, and free in her presencedumb, yet speaking-a speaker, yet inarticulate. Singular to pursue who flies me, praise who blames me, utter a voice to one who listens not, to serve ingratitude, hope beyond hope, or do aught else how virtuous soever. "O bitter, sweet, venomous medicine for unsound lovers, sorrowful joy, flower of love, you indicate no fruit whatever, save tardy repentance. These are the effects of this would be God, these his deeds and works of wonders. Should we but see these in a painting, representing a vain God, how futile would they not be? Him they do paint as a child, naked, winged, with bandaged eyes, bow and arrows well in hand, to let us know amidst other things that once in love we convert from the simple condition of a child of predilection, which is blind in pretensions, light in thought, cruel in operation, naked and divested of the riches of the mind. They say too, that between his arrows he conceals one of lead, and one of gold, for different effects, that of lead creates hatred in the breast it touches--that of gold increase of love where it strikes to advise us that one metal is desirable, and the lead to be abhorred; one indicative of wealth, the other of poverty. For this occasion not gratis do poets sing of Atalanta o'ercome by three beauteous apples of gold, and of the lovely Danae impregnated by a golden |