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what regards the faculties of the mind, as well as in what concerns the powers of the body. Now if there be any quality in the afflictive paffions, befides their ftrength, that renders them peculiarly adapted to rescue the mind from that torpid, but corrofive reft which is confidered as the greatest of evils, that quality ought to have been pointed out for till then, the phenomenon under examination is not accounted for. The moft that can be concluded from the Abbé's premifes, is the utility of exciting paffion of fome kind or other, but nothing that can evince the fuperior fitnefs of the diftressful affections.

PART II. The fecond hypothefis.

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THE next hypothefis is Fontenelle's*. having the original at hand at prefent, I fhall give Mr. Hume's tranflation of the paffage, in his Effay on Tragedy above quoted. "Pleafure "and pain, which are two fentiments fo differ"ent in themselves, differ not fo much in their "caufe. From the inftance of tickling it appears, that the movement of pleasure pushed a little too far, becomes pain; and that the "movement of pain, a little moderated, becomes ' pleasure. Hence it proceeds, that there is Reflexions fur la Poetique, Sect. xxxvi.

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"fuch a thing as a forrow, foft and agreeable, "It is a pain weakened and diminished. The "heart likes naturally to be moved and affected,

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Melancholy objects fuit it, and even disastrous/ " and forrowful, provided they are foftened by "fome circumftance. It is certain that, on the

theatre, the reprefentation has almost the ef"fect of reality; but yet it has not altogether "that effect. However we may be hurried "away by the spectacle, whatever dominion the "fenfes and imagination may ufurp over the "reafon, there ftill lurks at the bottom, a cer"tain idea of falfehood in the whole of what we "fee. This idea, though weak and disguised, "fuffices to diminish the pain which we fuffer "from the misfortunes of those whom we love, " and to reduce that affliction to fuch a pitch as converts it into a pleasure. We weep for "the misfortunes of a hero to whom we are at"tached. In the fame inftant we comfort our"felves by reflecting, that it is nothing but a "fiction: and it is precifely that mixture of "fentiments, which composes an agreeable for

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row, and tears, that delight us. But as that "affliction which is caused by exterior and fen"fible objects, is ftronger than the confolation "which arifes from an internal reflection, they

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"are the effects and symptoms of forrow, which "ought to prevail in the compofition."

I CANNOT affirm that this folution appears to me fo juft and convincing, as it feems it did to Mr. Hume. If this English verfion, like a faithful mirror, reflect the true image of the French original, I think the author in fome degree chargeable, with what in that language is emphatically enough ftyled verbiage, a manner of writing very common with those of his nation, and with their imitators in ours. The only truth that I can discover in his hypothefis, lies in one fmall circumftance, which is fo far from being applicable to the whole cafe under confideration, that it can properly be applied but to a very few particular inftances, and is therefore no folution at all. That there are at leaft many cafes to which it cannot be applied, the author last mentioned declares himself to be perfectly sensible.

But let us examine the paffage more narrowly. He begins with laying it down as a general principle, that however different the feelings of pleafure and of pain are in themselves, they differ not much in their caufe; that the movement of pleafure pushed a little too far, becomes pain;

and that the movement of pain a little moderated, becomes pleasure. For an illuftration of this he gives an example in tickling. I will admit that there are feveral other fimilar inftances, in which the obfervation to appearance holds. The warmth received from fitting near the fire by one who hath been almoft chilled with cold, is very pleafing; yet you may increase this warmth, firft to a difagreeable heat, and then to burning, which is one of the greatest torments. It is nevertheless extremely hazardous, on a few inftances, and those not perfectly parallel to the cafe in hand, to found a general theory. Let us make the experiment, how the application of this doctrine to the paffions of the mind will answer. And for our greater fecurity against mistake, let us begin with the fimpleft cafes in the direct, and not in the reflex or fympathetic paffions, in which hardly ever any feeling or affection comes alone. A merchant lofeth all his fortune by a fhipwreck, and is reduced at one ftroke from opulence to indigence. His grief, we may fuppofe, will be very violent. If he had loft half his stock only, it is natural to think he would have born the lofs more eafily; though ftill he would have been affected: perhaps the lofs of fifty pounds he would have scarcely felt: but I should be glad

to

to know how much the movement or paffion must be moderated; or, in other words, as the difference arifeth folely from the different degrees of the caufe, how fmall the lofs must be, when the fentiment or feeling of it begins to be converted into a real pleasure: for to me it doth not appear natural that any the moft trifling lofs, were it of a fingle thilling, thould be the fubject of pofitive delight.

BUT to try another inftance, a grofs and public infult commonly provokes a very high degree of refentment, and gives a most pungent vexation to a perfon of fenfibility. I would gladly know, whether a fmaller affront, or fome flight inftance of neglect or contempt, gives fuch a perfon any pleasure. Try the experiment alfo on friendship and hatred, and you will find the fame fuccefs. As the warmest friendship is highly agreeable to the mind, the flighteft liking is alfo agreeable, though in a lefs degree. Perfect hatred is a kind of torture to the breaft that harbours it, which will not be found capable of being mitigated into pleature; for there is no degree of ill-will without pain. The gradation in the cause and in the effect, are entirely correfpondent.

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