THE PREFERENCE OF GRACE TO BEAUTY,

AN ALLEGORY. BY DR. GOLDSMITH.

Contained in a Letter from Hingo to Lien Chi Altangi, the way of Moscow.

I STILL remain at Terki, where I have received that money which was remitted here in order to release me from captivity. My fair companion ftill improves in my esteem; the more I know her mind, her beauty-becomes more poignant; fhe appears charming, even among the daughters of Circaffia...

Yet were I to examine her beauty with the art of a ftatuary, I should find numbers here that far surpass her i Nature has not granted her all the boasted Circassian regularity of feature, and yet fhe greatly exceeds the fairest of the country, in the art of seizing the affections. Whence, have I often said to myself, this refiftless magic that attends even moderate charms: though I regard the beauties of the country with admiration, every interview weakens the impreffion, but the form of Zelis grows upon my imagination; I never behold her without an increase of tenderness and refpect. Whence this injustice of the mind in preferring imperfect beauty to that which Nature feems to have finished with care?

whence the infatuation, that he whom a comet could not amaze, fhould be aftonifhed at a meteor! When reason was thus fatigued to find an answer, my imagination pursued the subject, and this was the result.

I fancied myfelf placed between two landfcapes, this called the region of Beauty, and that the valley of the Graces; the one adorned with all that luxuriant Nature could beftow; the fruits of various climates adorned the trees, the grove refounded with mufic, the gale breathed prefume, every charm that could arife from fymmetry and exact distribution were here confpicuous, and the whole offering a prospect of pleasure without end. The valley of the Graces, on the other hand, feemed by no means fo inviting; the ftreams and the groves appeared just as they ufually do in frequented countries; no magnificent parterres, no concert in the grove, the rivulet was edged with weeds, and the rook joined its voice to that of the nightingale. All was fimplicity and

nature.

The moft ftriking objects ever firft allure the traveller. I entered the region of Beauty with encreased curiofity, and promised myself endless fatisfaction in being introduced to the prefiding goddefs. I perceived feveral ftrangers, who entered with the fame design, and what furprifed me not a little, was to fee several others haftening to leave this abode of seeming felicity.

After fome fatigue, I had at laft the honour of being introduced to the goddefs, who reprefented Beauty in perfon. She was feated on a throne, at the foot of which Rood feveral ftrangers lately introduced like me; all regarding

garding her form in extafy. Ab, what eyes! what lips! bow clear her complexion! bow perfect her Shape! at these exclamations Beauty with downcaft eyes, would endeavour to counterfeit modelty; but foon again looking round, as if to confirm every spectator in his favourable fentiments, fometimes fhe would attempt to allure us by fmiles; and at intervals would bridle back, in order to infpire us with refpect as well as tenderness.

This ceremony lafted for fome time, and had fo much employed our eyes, that we had forgot all this while that the goddess was filent. We foon however began to perceive the defect: what, said we, among each other, are we to have nothing but languishing airs, foft looks, and inclinations of the head, will the goddess only deign to fatisfy our eyes? Upon this one of the company ftepped up to present her with fome fruits he had gathered by the way. She received the prefent moft fweetly fmiling, and with one of the whiteft hands in the world, but ftill not a word escaped her lips.

I now found that my companions grew weary of their homage; they went off one by one, and refolving not to be left behind, I offered to go in my turn; when juft at the door of the temple I was called back by a female, whofe name was Pride, and who seemed difpleased at the behaviour of the company: Where are you baftening? faid fhe to me with an angry air, the goddefs of Beauty is here. I have been to vifit her, Madam, replied I, and find her more beautiful even than report had made her. And why then will you leave ber? added the female. I have seen her long enough, returned I; D 5 I have

I have got all her features by heart. Her eyes are still the fame, Her nofe is a very fine one, but it is fill juft fuch a nofe now as it was half an hour ago: could fhe throw a little more mind into her face, perhaps I fhould be for wishing to have more of her company, What fignifies, replied my female, whether she has a mind or not; has fhe any occafion for a mind, so formed as she is by Nature? If he had a common face, indeed, there might be fome reason for thinking to improve it; but when features are already perfect, every alteration would but impair them. A fine face is already at the point of perfection, and a fine lady bould endeavour to keep it fo; the impreffion it would receive from thought, would but difturb its whole

economy.

To this fpeech I gave no reply, but made the beft of my way to the valley of the Graces. Here I found all those who before had been my companions in the region of beauty, now upon the fame errand.

As we entered the valley, the prospect infenfibly feemed to improve; we found every thing fo natural, fo domeftic, and pleafing, that our minds, which before were congealed in admiration, now relaxed into gaiety and good-humour. We had defigned to pay our refpects to the prefiding goddefs, but she was no where to be found, One of our companions afferted, that her temple lay to the right; another to the left; a third, infifted that it was straight before us; and a fourth, that we had left it behind, In fhort, we found every thing fa miliar and charming, but could not determine were to feek for the Grace in perfon

In this agreeable incertitude we paffed feveral hours, and though very defirous of finding the goddess, by no means impatient of the delay. Every part of the valley presented some minute beauty, which without offering itself at once, stole within the foul, and captivated us with the charms of our retreat- Still, however, we continued to fearch, and might still have continued, had we had not been interrupted by a voice which, though we could not fee from whence it came, addressed us in this manner :

"If you would find the goddefs of Grace, seek her not under one form, for fhe affumes a thousand. Ever changing under the eye of infpection, her variety, rather than her figure, is pleafing, In contemplating her beauty, the eye glides over every perfection with giddy delight, and, capable of fixing no where, is charmed with the whole. She is now Contemplation with folemn look, again Compaffion with humid eye; the now Sparkles with joy; foon every feature speaks distress: her looks at times invite our approach, at others, reprefs our prefumption. The goddefs cannot be properly called beautiful under any one of these forms, but by combining them all she becomes irresistibly pleafing,

THE next morning Mrs. Mafon met them first in the garden; and fhe defired Caroline to look at a bed of tulips, that were then in their highest flate of perfection.

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