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ing two things as related, the mind is not ftationary, but paffeth and repaffeth from the one to the other, viewing the relation from each of them perhaps oftener than once; which holds more especially in confidering a relation between things of unequal rank, as between the cause and the effect, or between a principal and an acceffory in contemplating, for example, the relation between a building and its ornaments, the mind is not fatisfied with a fingle transition from the former to the latter; it must also view the relation, beginning at the latter, and paffing from it to the former. This vibration of the mind in paffing and repaffing between things related, explains the facts above mentioned: the mind paffeth easily from the father to the daughter: but where the daughter is marrid, this new relation attracts the mind, and obftructs, in fome measure, the return from the daughter to the father; and any circumftance that obftructs the mind in paffing and repaffing between its objects, occafions a like obftruction in the communication of paffion. The marriage of a male obftructs lefs the eafinefs of tranfition; becaufe a male is lefs funk by the relation of marriage than a female.

The foregoing inftances are of paffion communicated from one object to another. But one paffion may be generated by another, without change of object. It in general is obfervable, that a paffion paves the way to others fimilar in

their

their tone, whether directed to the fame or to a different object; for the mind, heated by any paffion, is, in that ftate, more fufceptible of a new impreffion in a fimilar tone, than when cool and quiefcent. It is a common obfervation, that pity generally produceth friendship for a perfon in diftrefs. One reason is, that pity interests us in its object, and recommends all its virtuous qualities: female beauty accordingly shews best in diftrefs; being more apt to infpire love, than upon an ordinary occafion.' But the chief reafon is, that pity, warming and melting the fpectator, prepares him for the reception of other tender affections; and pity is readily improved into love or friendship, by a certain tendernefs and concern for the object, which is the tone of both paffions. The aptitude of pity to produce love, is beautifully illuftrated by Shakefpeare:

Othello. Her father lov'd me; oft invited me ;
Still question'd me the ftory of my life,
From year to year; the battles, fieges, fortunes,
That I have past.

I ran it through, ev'n from my boyish days,
To th' very moment that he bade me tell it :
Wherein I spoke of most disastrous chances,
Of moving accidents by flood and field;

Of hair-breadth 'fcapes in th' imminent deadly breach;
Of being taken by the infolent foe,

And fold to flavery; of my redemption thence,

And with it all my travel's history.

-All these to hear

Would

Would Defdemona feriously incline;

But ftill the house-affairs would draw her thence,
Which ever as she could with haste dispatch,
She'd come again, and with a greedy ear
Devour up my discourse: which I obferving,
Took once a pliant hour, and found good means
To draw from her a prayer of earnest heart,
That I would all my pilgrimage dilate,
Whereof by parcels she had something heard,
But not diftinctively. I did confent,
And often did beguile her of her tears,
When I did speak of some distressful stroke
That my youth fuffer'd. My story being done,
She gave me for my pains a world of fighs:

She swore, in faith, 'twas ftrange, 'twas paffing strange'Twas pitiful, 'twas wondrous pitiful—

She wish'd she had not heard it :-yet the wish'd

That Heaven had made her fuch a man:-fhe thank'd me,
And bade me, if I had a friend that lov'd her,
I should but teach him how to tell my story,
And that would woo her. On this hint I spake:
She lov'd me for the dangers I had past,
And I lov'd her, that he did pity them:

This only is the witchcraft I have us’d.

Othello, Act 1. Sc. 8.

In this inftance it will be observed that admiration concurred with pity to produce love.

SECT. VI.

SECT. VI.-Caufes of the Paffions of Fear and Anger.

EAR and anger, to anfwer the purposes of

FE

nature, are happily fo contrived as to operate fometimes inftinctively fometimes deliberately, according to circumstances. As far as deliberate, they fall in with the general fyftem, and require no particular explanation: if any object have a threatening appearance, reafon fuggefts means to avoid the danger: if a man be injured, the first thing he thinks of, is what revenge he fhall take, and what means he fhall employ. These particulars are no lefs obvious than natural. But, as the paffions of fear and anger, in their inftinctive state, are lefs familiar to us, it may be acceptable to the reader to have them accurately delineated. He may also poffibly be glad of an opportunity to have the nature of instinctive paffions more fully explained, than there was formerly opportunity to do. I begin with fear.

Self-prefervation is a matter of too great importance to be left entirely to the conduct of reafon. Nature hath acted here with her ufual forefight. Fear and anger are paffions that move us to act, fometimes deliberately, fometimes inftinctively, according to circumftances; and by operating in the latter manner, they frequently VOL. I. afford

F

afford fecurity when the flower operations of deliberate reason would be too late: we take nourishment commonly, not by the direction of reafon, but by the impulse of hunger and thirst; and, in the fame manner, we avoid danger by the impulse of fear, which often, before there is time for reflection, placeth us in fafety. Here we have an illuftrious inftance of wisdom in the formation of man; for it is not within the reach of fancy, to conceive any thing more artfully contrived to answer its purpofe, than the inftinctive paffion of fear, which, upon the first furmife of danger, operates inftantaneously. So little doth the paffion, in fuch inftances, depend on reason, that it frequently operates in contradiction to it: a man who is not upon his guard cannot avoid fhrinking at a blow, though he knows it to be aimed in fport; nor avoid clofing his eyes at the approach of what may hurt them, though confcious that he is in no danger. And it alfo operates by impelling us to act even where we are confcious that our interpofition can be of no fervice: if a paffage-boat, in a brisk gale, bear much to one fide, I cannot avoid applying the whole force of my shoulders to fet it upright; and, if my horse stumble, my hands and knees are inftantly at work to prevent him from falling.

Fear provides for felf-prefervation by flying from harm; anger, by repelling it. Nothing, indeed, can be better contrived to repel or prevent

injury,

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