Thus again, the evening star is the most beautiful
of the stars: cf. Bion.
xvi. 1:
῞Εσπερε,
κυανέας
ἱερὸν, φίλε,
νυκτὸς
ἄγαλμα,
Τόσσον
ἀφαυρότερος
μήνας ὅσον
ἔξοχος
ἄστρων,
and Milton, P.L. iv. 605:
“Hesperus, that led
The starry host, rode
brightest.” not that the
parts of which it is composed form a harmonious whole; but thanks to
the unalloyed and beautiful brightness which meets our eyes. And
further, when God proclaimed the goodness of light, it was not in
regard to the charm of the eye but as a provision for future advantage,
because at that time there were as yet no eyes to judge of its
beauty. “And God divided the light from the
darkness;”
Gen. i. 4. that is to say, God
gave them natures incapable of mixing, perpetually in opposition to
each other, and put between them the widest space and
distance.