ALL the answer then which I am able to produce, upon the whole, and which refults from the foregoing obfervations, is this: The principal pleasure in pity arifeth from its own nature, or from the nature of those paffions of which it is compounded, and not from any thing extrinfic or adventitious. The tender emotions of love which enter into the compofition, fweeten the commiferation or fympathetic forrow; the commiferation gives a ftability to thofe emotions, with which otherwife the mind would foon te cloyed, when directed towards a perfon, imaginary, unknown, or with whom we are totally unacquainted. The very benevolence or with of contributing to his relief, affords an occupation to the thoughts, which agreeably roufes them. It impels the mind to devife expedients by which the unhappy perfon (if our pity is excited by fome prefent calamitous incident) may be, or (if it is awaked by the art of the poet, the orator, or the hiftorian) might have been, relieved from his diftrefs. Yet the whole movement of the combined affections is not converted into pleafure; for though the uneafinefs of the melancholy paffions be overpowered, it is not effaced by fomething ftronger of an oppofite kind.

MR.

MR. HUME, indeed, in his manner of expreffing himself on this article, hath not observed either an entire uniformity, or his ufual precifion. Ifhould rather fay, from fome dubioufnefs in relation to the account he was giving, he feems to have, in part, retracted what he had been eftablishing, and thus leaves the reader with an alternative in the decifion. Firft he tells us, that the whole movement of thofe [melan"choly] paffions is converted into pleasure." Afterwards," the latter [the fentiments of beau

ty] being the predominant emotion, seize the " whole mind, and convert the former [the impulfe or vehemence arifing from forrow, com"paffion, indignation,] into themselves;" he adds, by way of correction," or at least tincture "them fo ftrongly, as totally to alter their na“ture.” Again, “The foul feels, on the whole, "a ftrong movement, which is altogether de

lightful." All this, I acknowledge, appears to me to be neither fufficiently definite, nor quite intelligible.

BUT paffing that, I fhall only fubjoin, that the combination of the paffions in the inftance. under our examination, is not like the blending of colours, two of which will produce a third,

where

wherein you can difcern nothing of the original hues united in producing it; but it rather refembles a mixture of tastes, when you are quite fenfible of the different favours of the ingredients. Thus blue and yellow mingled make green, in which you difcover no tint of either; and all the colours of the rainbow blended, conftitute a white, which to the eye appears as fimple and original as any of them, and perfectly unlike to each. On the other hand, in eating meat with falt, for inftance, we tafte both diftinctly; and though the latter fingly would be difagreeable, the former is rendered more agreeable by the mixture than it would otherwife have been,

I own, indeed, that certain adventitious circumftances may contribute to heighten the effect. But these cannot be regarded as effential to the paffion. They occur occafionally. Some of them actually occur but feldom. Of this fort is the fatisfaction which arifeth from a fenfe of our own eafe and fecurity, compared with the calamity and the danger of another.

'Tis pleasant, fafely to behold from hore
The rowling hip, and hear the tempeft roar:
Not that another's pain is our delight;

But pains unfelt produce the pleafing fight.

'Tis pleasant alfo to behold from far

The moving legions mingled in the war.

The poet hath hit here on fome of the very few circumstances, in which it would be natural to certain tempers, not surely the most humane, to draw comfort in the midft of fympathetic forrow, from fuch a comparison. The reflection, in my opinion, occurs almoft only when a very small change in external fituation, as a change in place to the distance of a few furlongs, would put us into the fame lamentable circumftances which we are commiferating in others. Even fomething of this kind will prefent itself to our thoughts, when there is no particular object to demand our pity. A man who, in tempeftuous weather, fits fnug in a close house, near a good fire, and hears the wind and rain beating upon the roof and windows, will naturally think of his own comfortable fituation, compared with that of a traveller, who, perhaps, far from fhelter, is exposed to all the violence of the tempeft. But in fuch cafes, a difference, as I faid, in a

• Suave mari magno, turbantibus æquora ventis,

E terra magnum alterius fpectare laborem,
Non quia vexari quemquam 'ft jucunda voluptas,
Sed quibus ipfe malis careas, quia cernere fuave 'ft.
Suave etiam belli certamina magna tueri

Per campos inftructa, tua fine parte pericli. LUCRET, 1. 2.

fingle accidental circumftance, which may happen at any time, is all that is neceffary to put a man in the fame difaftrous fituation, wherein he either fees or conceives others to be. And the very flightness of the circumftance which would have been fufficient to reverfe the fcene, makes him fo ready to congratulate with himself on his better luck. Whereas, nothing is lefs natural, and I will venture to fay, lefs common, than fuch a reflection, when the differences are many, and of a kind which cannot be reckoned merely accidental; as when the calamity is what the perfon pitying, must confider himself as not liable to, or in the remoteft hazard of. A man who, with the most undiffembled compaffion, bewails the wretched and undeferved fate of Defdemona, is not apt to think of himfelf, how fortunate he is, in not being the wife of a credulous, jealous, and revengeful husband; though perhaps a girl who hath lately rejected a fuitor of this character, will reflect with great complacency, on the escape that the hath made.

ANOTHER adventitious fource of pleasure is, the fatisfaction that refults from the conscious exercise of the humane affections, which it is our duty to cherish and improve. I mention this as