against a horse which had formerly been his, but which his enemy had got poffeffion of, and then rode.

That jade had eat bread from my royal hand;
This hand hath made him proud with clapping him.
Would he not stumble? Would he not fall down?
(Since pride must have a fall) and break the neck
Of that proud man that did ufurp his back.

RICHARD II. A& V. Scene 11.

In the fame master of the human feelings we see the mind of Othello, when thrown into a violent perturbation by the first suspicion of jealoufy against his wife, defcribed as expreffing its firft resentment in terms of the utmoft impatience against the informer.

Villain, be fure thou prove my
Be fure of it, &c.

love a whore!

OTHELLO, Act III. Scene 8.

That these seeming irregular fallies of paffion are, however, natural, may eafily be conceived from confidering, that in our infancy we never look farther than the nearest cause of our difquiet on which to fix our refentment; that few perfons, upon fudden provocation, can forbear expreffing their resentment in the fame indifcriminate manner; and that there are many wellattested inftances of the greatest imaginable extravagancies of this kind in perfons of ftrong paffions and little reflection. Are we not credibly informed by Herodotus, that Xerxes, in great wrath and earneftnefs, infulted the Hellefpont, both by words and actions, when he found the bridge he had laid over it broken to pieces. Nay, did not the Athenians inftitute a process at law against

2

against all instruments of murder, by which clubs, axes, fwords, and the like, were ftrictly tried, and, if found guilty, expelled the territories of Attica? Nothing like any of these inftances could ever have occurred, nor could any paffion ever have been expreffed, or gratified, in so abfurd a manner, if the mind had not been under a temporary illufion, during which it actually conceived those things, which were no moral agents, to be the proper objects of paffion.

Let it be observed, that the perfonification of brute creatures and inanimate things is taken notice of in this place, as it accounts for their becoming the objects of the passions properly fo called. This fubject will be confidered in a future lecture in quite another light, as contributing to excite those finer feelings, which have been before fpoken of, as conftituting the pleasures of the imagination.

LECTURE

LECTURE XIV.

Of the Influence of the Paffions on each other, and other Circumftances relating to ftrong Emotions of Mind.

A

NOTHER obfervation relating to the paffions, and of confiderable use in criticifin, is that they are excited with more or less ease according to the state of mind previous to them ; and that when several of them are in joint poffeffion of the mind, they are liable to be greatly affected by their mutual influences upon one another.

Those paffions, the emotions belonging to which are fimilar, easily introduce, and, as it were, pass into one another. As Mr.. Hume well expreffes it, "All resembling impreffions are connected "together; and no fooner one arises, than the rest naturally fol"low. Grief and disappointment give rife to anger, anger to "envy, envy to malice, and malice to grief again. In like manner our temper, when elevated with joy, naturally throws "itself into love, generofity, courage, pride, and other refem"bling affections." Hume's differtation on the paffions.

On the other hand, when emotions of a very oppofite nature, which confift of contrary feelings, are, from independent causes, excited in the mind at the fame time, the oppofition, or contraft, ferves to heighten both. Their difference being hereby

rendered

rendered very fenfible, each of them is more strongly felt than either of them would have been, if they had been impreffed fingly.

The former of these observations admits of the easiest illuftration from the kindred paffions, as they may be called, of love and pity. These, having the fame languid tone, the fame fituation of mind is favourable to the introduction of both; and the mind, after having been under the influence of one, is more eafily fufceptible of impreffions from the other.

This is finely illustrated in the speech of Othello in Shakespeare, the following lines of which close the account he gives of his courtship of Desdemona.

On this hint I fpake:

She loved me for the dangers I had past,

And I loved her that she did pity them.

OTHELLO, A& I. Scene 8.

It must, however, be acknowledged that, in this case, a relation of perilous adventures, in which a person hath acquitted himself bravely, begets a great efteem for the adventurer, which is a confiderable ingredient in the passion of love.

To be fenfible of the effect of the contrariety of emotions, let any one but think how impatient of mirth must a perfon be who is oppreffed with forrow! how much every appearance of joy heightens his diftrefs! Hence the fentiments which Milton afcribes to Satan in Paradife :

With what delight could I have walk'd the round!

But I in none of these

Find place or refuge, and the more I fee

O 2

Pleasures

Pleasures about me, fo much the more I feel

Torments within me.

PARADISE LOST, Book IX.

When two states of mind are wholly oppofite to one another, it is pleasant to obferve the fluctuation of mind occafioned by the alternate prevalence of each of them. If a refolution muft fucceed it, as is the cafe of Meleager's mother debating with herself whether to destroy her fon, or revenge her brother; the preponderating of the mind to one fide in fome measure gratifies that paffion, which neceffarily abates its violence, and gives a momentary advantage to the contrary inclination. This circumftance may prolong the state of fufpenfe, in which, in this fituation, the mind is neceffarily kept a confiderable time.

If no refolution be depending, as in the mere impreffion made upon the mind by good and bad news, the stronger emotion will at length overpower the lefs; and the mind, after having been fubject to the influence of both, will fettle in a state which is the refult of their joint impreffions. pofite fenfations in Ofmyn in chains on hearing fome unexpected good news. Mourning Bride, Act III. Scene 2.

We fee a ftrong conflict of op

These observations relating to the oppofition of emotions and paffions is of great importance, even in the conduct of life. In no other respect doth men's happiness so much depend upon the regulation of their paffions. Since it is obvious that the fenfe we have of our happiness may be increased by comparison with the misery of others; and our meannefs and wretchedness mays. for the fame reason, be made fenfible and intolerable, by reflection upon the happiness we do not partake. The paffion of envy hath no other fource for its venom; and hence the delight