I think she stirs again-No-What's the best? Othello, A v. Sc. 7. A fourth obfervation is, That nature, which gave us paffions, and made them extremely beneficial when moderate, intended undoubtedly that they should be fubjected to the government of reafon and confcience *. It is therefore against the order of nature, that paffion in any cafe fhould take the lead in contradiction to reafon and confcience: fuch a ftate of mind is a fort of anarchy, which every one is ashamed of, and endeavours to hide or diffemble. Even love, however laudable, is attended with a confcious fhame when it becomes immoderate it is covered from the world, and difclofed only to the beloved object: Et que l'amour fouvent de remors combattu Paroiffe une foibleffe, et non une vertu. Boileau, L'art poet Chant. 3. l. 101. O, they love least that let men know their love. Two gentlemen of Verona, Act 1. Sc. 3. Hence a capital rule in the representation of immoderate paffions, that they ought to be hid or diffembled as much as poffible. And this holds in an *See Chap. 2. Part. 7. an especial manner with refpect to criminal paffions: one never counfels the commiffion of a crime in plain terms: guilt must not appear in its native colours, even in thought: the propofal must be made by hints, and by reprefenting the action in fome favourable light. Of the propriety of fentiment upon fuch an occafion, Shakespeare, in the Tempest, has given us a beautiful example, in a speech by the ufurping Duke of Milan, advising Sebaftian to murder his brother the King of Naples : Antonio. What might, Worthy Sebastian,-O, what might—no more. What thou shouldft be: th' occafion fpeaks thee, and Dropping upon thy head. At 11. Sc. 1. There never was drawn a more complete picture of this kind, than that of King John foliciting Hubert to murder the young Prince Arthur: K. John. Come hither, Hubert. O my gentle Hubert, We owe thee much; within this wall of flesh There is a foul counts thee her creditor, And with advantage means to pay thy love. And, my good friend, thy voluntary oath Lives in this hofom, dearly cherished. Give me thy hand, I had a thing to fay But I will fit it with fome better time. Gg3 By 1 By Heav'n, Hubert, I'm almost asham'd To fay what good refpect I have of thee. Hubert. I am much bounden to your Majesty. K. John. Good friend, thou haft no cause to say so yet But thou shalt have-and creep time ne'er fo flow, I had a thing to fay--but let it go; The fun is in the heav'n; and the proud day, If this fame were a church-yard where we ftand, Had bak'd thy blood, and made it heavy thick, Or if that thou couldst fee me without eyes, Hear me without thine ears, and make reply Hubert. So well, that what you bid me undertake, K. John. Do not I know thou wouldst? On On yon young boy. I'll tell thee what, my friend; And, wherefoe'er this foot of mine doth tread, King John, A 111. Sc. 5. As things are beft illuftrated by their contraries, I proceed to faulty sentiments, difdaining to be indebted for examples to any but the moft approved authors. The firft clafs fhall confift of fentiments that accord not with the paffion; or, in other words, fentiments that the paffion does not naturally fuggeft. In the fecond clafs, fhall be ranged fentiments that may belong to an ordinary paffion, but unfuitable to it as tinctured by a fingular character. Thoughts that properly are not fentiments, but rather descriptions, make a third. Sentiments that belong to the paffion reprefented, but are faulty as being introduced too early or too late, make a fourth. Vicious fentiments expofed in their native drefs, instead of being concealed or difguised, make a fifth. And in the laft clafs, fhall be collected fentiments fuited to no character nor paffion, and therefore unnatural. The first class contains faulty fentiments of various kinds, which I fhall endeavour to distinguish from each other; beginning with fentiments that are faulty by being above the tone of the paffion: Othello. Gg 4 Othello. -O my foul's joy! If after every tempeft come fuch calms, May the winds blow till they have waken'd death! And let the labouring bark climb hills of feas Olympus high, and duck again as low As hell's from heaven. Othello, At 11. Sc. 6. This fentiment may be suggested by violent and inflamed paffion, but is not fuited to the calm fatisfaction that one feels upon escaping danger. Philafter. Place me, fome god, úpon a pyramid The worth that dwells in him. Second. Philafter of Beaumont and Fletcher, A&t iv. Sentiments below the tone of the paffion. Ptolemy, by putting Pompey to death, having incurred the displeasure of Cæfar, was in the utmost dread of being dethroned: in that agitating fituation, Corneille makes him utter a fpeech full of cool reflection, that is in no degree expreffive of the paffion. Ah! fi je t'avois crû. je n'aurois pas de maitre, Cette |