Page images
PDF
EPUB

mendous and fublime fenfation. It is further evident, that they produce not (continues Dr. USHER) this effect BY ANY ACTIVE POWER OF THEIR's, but merely by firipping the imagination of its fenfible ideas, of the noise, the mirth, and light, that diverted its attention, leaving it to its naked ftate and feeling.-In short it appears, from a great variety of observations and reflected lights, that the human foul is always oppressed by obscurity and stillnefs, which prevents the mind from being employed on exterior objects. To avoid this fenfation it is that we seek amusement and company, and that any diversion, however infipid and trifling in itself, becomes to us a pleafing relief, inerely by taking up our attention. Reafon may smile at the puerility of our amufements. The votaries to the pomps and vanities of the world acknowledge they will not bear examination: yet the wife and the vain find folitude alike infupportable, and alike defire the company and the pageantry they defpife. Men cafily bear imprisonment, poverty, sickness, and even great degrees of pain; but the obfcure defpair, whose object is not known, is blacker than the grave, and more terrible than death, and to plunge from it men commit fuicide. Every calamity of this life is fupportable, and we suffer them by choice rather than death, until they

bring us to a penfive folitary state of mind, in which we feel the preffure of an unknown power; and then men often make the cruel choice, and feek death as a welcome release from that infupportable ennui which thus overpowers them.

The illuftrious Dr. BEDDOES, on the other hand, opposes the doctrine," that the depreffing paffions, as "they have been called, are only the abftraction of the or"dinary exciting paffions."-Universal experience, I apprehend, fays he, will reject such a scale of mental affections, as this system supposes. Who can believe, fays this philofopher, that in forrow the mind is lefs active than in joy.

K. PHIL. Patience, good lady! comfort, gentle CONSTANCE!

CONST.

No, I defy all counsel, all redress,

but that which ends all counsel, all redress,
DEATH, DEATH: come grin on me,
and I will think thou smil'ft,

and bufs thee as thy wife!

K. PHIL. Oh fair affliction, peace.

CONST.

PAND.

CONST.

No, no, I will not, having breath to cry;

Oh, that my tongue were in the thunder's mouth!

Then with a paffion would I shake the world;

and roufe from fleep that fell anatomy,

which cannot hear a lady's feeble voice.

Lady, you utter madness, and not forrow.

I am not mad, this hair I tear is mine,

my name is CONSTANCE, I am JEFFERY'S wife;
young ARTHUR is my fon, and he is loft!

I am not mad, I would to heav'n I were!

[blocks in formation]

for then 'tis like I should forget myself. Oh, if I could, what grief fhould I forget! I am not mad; too well, too well I feel, the diff'rent plague of each calamity. If I were mad, I should forget my fon. K. PHIL. You are as fond of grief as of your child. CONST. Grief fills up the room of my abfent child, lies in his bed, walks up and down with me; puts on his pretty looks, repeats his words, remembers me of all his gracious parts; ftuffs out his vacant garments with his form, that I have reafon to be fond of grief. There was not fuch a gracious creature born!

But now will canker SORROW eat

my bud,

and chafe the native beauty from his cheek,

and he will look as hollow as a ghoft;

as dim and meagre as an ague fit ;.

and fo he'll die;-and rising so again,

when I fhall meet him in the court of heav'n,

I shall not know him; therefore, never, never,
muft I behold my pretty ARTHUR more!

The followers of Dr. John BROWN must indeed acknowledge that grief, accumulated grief, is fometimes an active paffion, by raifing continued images to the mind, and may deftroy by excess of one continued unchangeable excitement, but grief, they observe, in general foon finks into defpondency.-LEWES, upon hearing the death of ARTHUR, fays,

There's now nothing in this world can make me joy.
LIFE is as tedious as a twice told tale,

vexing the dull ear of a drowsy man.

SECT.

SECT. XCVIII.

EXAMPLE OF THE SEDATIVE EFFECTS OF

SILENT GRIEF.

MADEMOISELLE DE LAUNAY, afterwards Madame de STAAL, and many other perfons of the household of the Duke and Duchefs of MAINE *, were arrested and fent to the Baftile on the 29th of December.

The

*The regent had fome time before been informed of a fecret correspondence of the Duke and Duchefs of Maine with the court of Madrid, through the means of the Spanish ambassador, the Prince of CELLAMARE. He got intelligence, that fome dispatches of great importance had been sent away by the Abbé de PORTO CARERO, and concealed in a double bottom that had been made to his chaife for that purpose. It is faid, that he first received this information from a woman that kept a house of pleasure, who, like many others of the fame profeffion, was perfonally known to the regent, and was now employed by him as a spy. The ambaffador's fecretary one day excused himself for not keeping an appointment at her house, by saying, that he had been engaged with dispatches that were but just sent off by the Abbé PORTO CARERO. Notice of this was immediately given to the regent: on inquiry the circumftance was confirmed; orders were fent to arrest and examine the abbé; he was stopped at Poitiers; the difpatches were taken from him, and he was permitted to proceed on his journey. After reading them, the regent ordered the ambaffador's houfe to be furrounded with guards, and fearched. This intrigue had been chiefly managed by the Duchefs of Maine. It appears, that her views principally went to diffuade the court of Spain from acceding to the quadruple alliance, to engage it to use its influence to obtain an affembly of the States in France, and to get the affembly to enforce the will of Louis XIV. and the dispositions that had been made by him in favour of his legitimated natural children.

Duke

Duke of MAINE was feized at his houfe at Seaux, and fent to the castle at Dourlens; and the Duchefs at the Hotel de Thoulouse in Paris, and sent to Dijon.

"They put me," fays Madame de STAAL," into "a coach about feven in the evening, with three muf"keteers. I imagined the journey would not be long, "and that they were carrying me to the Bastile.

66

66

We

accordingly arrived there. They made me get out at " a small bridge, where the governor received me.. As "foon as I entered, they pushed me behind a door, as "fome of our party arrived at the fame time, by whom "they did not choose I should be seen.-Those being "put into their cages, the governor conducted me to

"mine.

66

My room had only the bare walls bedaubed with “charcoal, the pastime of my predecessors. They "brought a straw-bottomed chair; two ftones to fup"port a faggot with which they made a fire; they very "ingenioufly stuck a tallow-candle against the wall ; "these conveniences being procured, the governor left

66

me, and I heard five or fix monstrous bolts locked "behind him.

* At laft, the governor made his appearance again, “ bringing

« PreviousContinue »