the skin has lost its polish, colour and freshness depart for ever.
Those changes of time begin by the abdomen, which loses its polish and its firmness, the hemispheres of the bosom no longer sustain themselves, the clavicles project, the neck becomes meagre, all the reliefs are effaced; and all the forms are altered from roundness and softness to angularity.
That which amidst these ruins still survives for a long time, is the entireness of the hair, the placidity or firmness of the look, the air of sentiment, the amiable expression of countenance, and in women of refined mind and great accomplishments, pleasing manners and charming graces, which almost make us forget youth and beauty.
But as every object of nature must utterly decay, this downward tendency goes on. The want of vital energy in the limbs is followed by a diminished activity of the senses and impaired vigour of the brain and all the internal functions. As a consequence of this the volume of the whole body is reduced, the softness of the flesh and skin departs. The hair participates in the same changes, and turns grey or falls off. The cornea of the eye is rendered flatter, so that its power of reflecting the rays of light that come from near objects is diminished.
