of the different significations of the word.
fineness either in its proper or its figurative sense does not signify either light, slender, fine, or of a rare thin texture; this word expresses something delicate and finished. light cloth, soft linen, thin lace, or slender galloon, are not always fine.
this word has a relation to the verb “to finish,” whence come the finishings of art; thus, we say, the finishings of vanderwerff’s pencil or of mieris; we say, a fine horse, fine gold, a fine diamond. a fine horse is opposed to a clumsy one; the fine diamond to a false one; fine or refined gold to gold mixed with alloy.
fineness is generally applied to delicate things and lightness of manufacture. although we say a fine horse, we seldom say, “the fineness of a horse.” we speak of the fineness of hair, lace, or stuff. when by this word we should express the fault or wrong use of anything, we add the adverb “too”; as — this thread is broken, it was too fine; this stuff is too fine for the season.
fineness or finesse, in a figurative sense, applies to conduct, speech, and works of mind. in conduct, finesse always expresses, as in the arts, something delicate or subtile; it may sometimes exist without ability, but it is very rarely unaccompanied by a little deception; politics admit it, and society reproves it.
finesse is not exactly subtlety; we draw a person into a snare with finesse; we escape from it with subtlety. we act with finesse, and we play a subtle trick. distrust is inspired by an unsparing use of finesse; yet we almost always deceive ourselves if we too generally suspect it.
finesse, in works of wit, as in conversation, consists in the art of not expressing a thought clearly, but leaving it so as to be easily perceived. it is an enigma to which people of sense readily find the solution.
a chancellor one day offering his protection to parliament, the first president turning towards the assembly, said: “gentlemen, thank the chancellor; he has given us more than we demanded of him”— a very witty reproof.
finesse, in conversation and writing, differs from delicacy; the first applies equally to piquant and agreeable things, even to blame and praise; and still more to indecencies, over which a veil is drawn, through which we cannot penetrate without a blush. bold things may be said with finesse.
delicacy expresses soft and agreeable sentiments and ingenious praise; thus finesse belongs more to epigram, and delicacy to madrigal. it is delicacy which enters into a lover’s jealousies, and not finesse.
the praises given to louis xiv. by despréaux are not always equally delicate; satires are not always sufficiently ingenious in the way of finesse. when iphigenia, in racine, has received from her father the order never to see achilles more, she cries: “dieux plus doux, vous n’aviez demandé que ma vie!” —“more gentle gods, you only ask my life!” the true character of this partakes rather of delicacy than of finesse.
