“Socrates called beauty a short-lived tyranny;

Plato, a privilege of nature;

Theophrastus, a silent cheat;

Theocritus, a delightful prejudice;

Carneades, a solitary kingdom;

Domitian said, that nothing was more grateful;

Aristotle affirmed that beauty was better than all the letters of recommendation in the world;

Homer, that 'twas a glorious gift of nature,

And Ovid, alluding to him, calls it a favor bestowed by the gods.”