haturally confequent upon them, of whatever kind they be, their fears as well as forrows? whereas, this way of contradiftinguishing terror from pity, would make one who knew nothing. of tragedy but from the definition, imagine, that it were intended to make us compaffionate others in trouble, and dread mifchief to ourfelves. If this were really the cafe, I believe there are few or none who would find any pleasure in this fpeties of entertainment. Of this there is access to witness an example, when, as hath fometimes happened, in the midft of the performance, the audience are alarmed with the fudden report, that the house hath taken fire, or when they hear a noife which makes them fufpect that the roof or walls are falling. Then, indeed, terror ftares in every countenance; but fuch a terror as gives no degree of pleafure, and is fo far from coalefcing with the paffions raised by the tragedy, that, on the contrary, it expells them altogether, and leaves not in the mind, for fome time at leaft, another idea or reflection, but what concerns personal fafety.

On the other hand, if all the fympathetic af fections excited by the theatrical reprefentation were to be feverally enumerated, I cannot fee, why

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why hope, indignation, love and hatred, gratitude and refentment, fhould not be included as well as fear. To account then for the pleasure which we find in pity, is, in a great measure, to give a folution of the question under review. I do not fay that this will fatisfy in every cafe. On the contrary, there are many cafes, in which Abbé du Bos' account above recited, of the pleasure arifing from the agitation and fluctuation of the paffions, is the only folution that can be given.

My fixth and laft obfervation on this head is, that pity is not a fimple paffion, but a group of paffions ftrictly united by affociation, and as it were blended, by centering in the fame object. Of these fome are pleasant, fome painful; commonly the pleasant preponderate. It hath been remarked already, that love attracts benevolence, benevolence quickens fympathy. The fame attraction takes place inverfely, though not, perhaps, with equal ftrength. Sympathy engages benevolence, and benevolence love. That benevolence, or the habit of wishing happiness to another, from whatever motive it hath originally fprung, will at length draw in love, might be proved from a thousand inftances.

In the party-divifions which obtain in fome. countries, it often happens, that a man is at first induced to take a fide, purely from a motive of ⚫ intereft; for fome time, from this motive folely, he wishes the fuccess of the party with which he is embarked. From a habit of wishing this, he will continue to wifh it, when, by a change of circumftances, his own intereft is no longer connected with it; nay, which is more ftrange, he will even contract fuch a love and attachment to the party, as to promote their intereft in direct oppofition to his own. That commiferation or fympathy in woe, hath ftill a ftronger tendency to engage our love, is evident.

THIS is the only rational account that can be given why mothers of a humane difpofition generally love moft the ficklieft child in the family, though perhaps far from being the lovelieft in refpect either of temper or of other qualities. The habit of commiferation habituates them to the feeling and exertion of benevolence. Benevolence habitually felt and exerted, confirms and augments their love. Nothing," fays Mr.

Hume, "endears fo much a friend, as forrow "for his death. The pleasure of his company

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• Effay on Tragedy.

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"has

has not. fo powerful an influence." Diftrefs to the pitying eye, diminishes every fault, and fets off every good quality in the brightest colours. Nor is it a lefs powerful advocate for the mistress than for the friend: often does the fingle circumftance of misfortune fubdue all refentment of former coldnefs and ill ufage, and make a languid and dying paffion revive and flame out with a violence which it is impoffible any longer to withstand. Every body acknowledges, that beauty is never fo irrefiftible as in tears. Diftrefs is commonly fufficient with those who are not very hard-hearted or pitylefs, (for these words are nearly of the fame import) to make even enmity itself relent.

THERE are then in pity, these three different emotions: first, commiferation, purely painful; fecondly, benevolence, or a defire of the relief and happiness of the object pitied, a paffion, as was already obferved, of the intermediate kind; thirdly, love, in which is always implied one of the nobleft and most exquifite pleasures, whereof the foul is fufceptible, and which is itself, in moft cafes, fufficient to give a counterpoife of pleasure to the whole.

FOR

FOR the further confirmation of this theory, let it be remarked, that orators and poets, in order to ftrengthen this affociation and union, are at pains to adorn the character of him for whom they would engage our pity, with every amiable quality, which, in a confiftency with probability, they can crowd into it. On the contrary, when the character is hateful, the perfon's misfortunes are unpitied. Sometimes they even occafion a pleasure of a very different kind; namely, that which the mind naturally takes in viewing the juft punishment of demerit. When the character hath fuch a mixture of good and odious qualities, as that we can neither withhold our commiferation, nor beftow our love; the mind is then torn oppofite ways at once, by paffions which, inftead of uniting, repel one another. Hence the piece becomes fhocking and difguftful. Such, to a certain degree, in my judgment, the tragedy of Venice Preferved, wherein the hero, notwithstanding feveral good qualities, is a villain and a traitor, will appear to every well-difpofed mind. All the above cases, if at tended to, will be found exactly to tally with the hypothefis here fuggefted.

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