Ch. XIV. of any thing to which we have long been accuftomed, is a fort of torture. A clue to guide us through all the intricacies of this labyrinth, would be an acceptable present. Whatever be the caufe, it is an established fact, that we are much influenced by cuftom. It hath an effect upon our pleasures, upon our actions, and even upon our thoughts and fentiments. Habit makes no figure during the vivacity of youth; in middle age it gains ground; and in old age it governs without controul. In that period of life, generally speaking, we eat at a certain hour, take exrcise at a certain hour, go to rest at a certain hour, all by the direction of habit. Nay a particular feat, table, bed, comes to be effential. And a habit in of thefe, cannot be contradicted without uneafi any nefs. Any flight or moderate pleasure frequently reiterated for a long time, forms a connection betwixt us and the thing that caufes the pleasure. This connection, termed babit, has the effect to raife our defire or appetite for that thing when it returns not as ufual. During the courfe of enjoyment, the pleafure grows infenfibly stronger till a habit be established; at which time the pleasure is at its height. It continues not however stationary. The fame cuftomary reiteration which carried it to its height, brings it down again by infenfible degrees, even lower than it was at first. But of this circumstance afterward. What at present we have in view, is to prove by experiments, that those things which at firft are but moderately agreeable, are the apteft to become habitual. Spirituous liquors, at firft fcarce agreeable, readily produce an habitual appetite; and cuftom prevails fo far, as even to make us fond of things originally disagreeable, fuch as coffee, affa-foetida, and tobacco. This is pleasantly illuftrated by Congreve: Fainall Fainall. For a paffionate lover, methinks you are a man somewhat too difcerning in the failings your mistress. of. Mirabell. And for a difcerning man, fomewhat too paffionate a lover; for I like her with all her faults; nay like her for her faults. Her follies are so natural, or fo artful, that they become her; and those affectations which in another woman would be odious, ferve but to make her more agreeable. I'll tell thee, Fainall, fhe once us'd me with that infolence, that in revenge I took her topieces, fifted her, and feparated her failings; I tudy'd 'em, and got 'em by rote. The cataloguewas fo large, that I was not without hopes, one day or other, to hate her heartily: to which end I fo us'd myfelf to think of 'em, that at length, contrary to my defign and expectation, they gave me every hour lefs and lefs disturbance; till in a few days it became habitual to me, to remember 'em without being difpleafed. They are now grown as familiar to me as my own frailties; and in all probability, in a little time longer, I fhall like 'em as well. The way of the world, act 1. fc. 3..* A walk upon the quarterdeck, though intolerably confined, becomes however fo agreeable by cuftom, that a failor in his walk on fhore, confines himself commonly within the fame bounds. I knew a man who had relinquifhed the fea for a countrylife. In the corner of his garden he reared an artificial mount with a level fummit, refembling moft accurately a quarter-deck, not only in shape but in fize; and this was his choice walk. Play or gaming, at firft barely amusing by the occupation it affords, becomes in time extremely agreeable; and is frequently profecuted with avidity, as if it were the chief bufinefs of life. The fame obfervati tion ton is applicable to the pleasures of the internal fenfes, thofe of knowledge and virtue in particular. Children have fcarce any fenfe of these pleasures; and men very little, who are in the ftate of nature without culture. Our tafte for virtue and knowledge improves flowly; but is capable of growing stronger than any other appetite in human na ture. To introduce a habit, frequency of acts is not alone fufficient: length of time is alfo neceflary. The quickest fucceffion of acts in a fhort time, is not fufficient; nor a flow fucceffion in the longest time. The effect must be produced by a moderate soft action, and a long series of easy touches removed from each other by fhort intervals. Nor are these fufficient, without regularity in the time, place, and other circumftances of the action. The more uniform any operation is, the fooner it becomes habitual; and this holds equally in a paffive habit, Variety in any remarkable degree prevents the effect. Thus any particular food will scarce ever become habitual, where the manner of dreffing is varied. The circumftances then requifite to augment any pleasure and at the long run to form a habit, are weak uniform acts, reiterated during a long course of time without any confiderable interruption. Every agreeable cause which operates in this manner, will grow habitual. Affection and averfion, as diftinguished from paffion on the one hand, and on the other from original difpofition, are in reality habits respecting particular objects, acquired in the manner above fet forth. The pleasure of focial intercourse with any perfon, muft originally be faint, and frequently reiterated, in order to establish the habit of affection. Affection thus generated, whether it be friendship or love, feldom fwells into any tumultuous or vigorous paffion; but is however the strong .eft eft cement that can bind together two individual's of the human species. In like manner, a flight degree of disgust often reiterated with any degree of regularity, grows into the habit of averfion which generally fubfifts for life. Thofe objects of taste that are the most agreeable, are fo far from having a tendency to become habitual, that too great indulgence fails not to produce fatiety and difguft. No man contracts a habit of taking fugar, honey, or fweet-meats, as he doth of tobacco: Dulcia non ferimus: fucco renovamur amaro. Ovid. art. Amand. l. 3. Infipido è quel dolce, che condito Non è di qualche amaro, e tofto fatia. Aminta di Taff These violent delights have violent ends, And in the taste confounds the appetite; Therefore love mod'rately, long love doth fo: 'Too fwift arrives as tardy as too flow. Romeo and Juliet, act 2. fc. 6. The fame holds in the caufes of all violent pleafures these causes are not naturally fufceptible of habit. Great paffions fuddenly raifed are incompatible with a habit of any fort. In particular they never produce affection or averfion. A man who at first fight falls violently in love, has a strong defire of enjoyment, but no affection for the woman *. A man who is furprised with an unex pected Violent love without affection is finely exemplified in the following ftory. When Conftantinople was taken by the the Turks, Irene, a young Greek of an illuftrious family, fell into the hands of Mahomet II, who was pected favour, burns for an opportunity to exert his gratitude, without having any affection for his benefactor. Neither does defire of vengeance for an atrocious injury involve averfion. It is perhaps not easy to say why moderate pleafures gather ftrength by custom. But two caufes concur to prevent this effect in the more intense pleasures. Thefe, by an original law in our nature, increase quickly to their full growth, and decay with no less precipitation * ? and custom is too flow at that time in the prime of youth and glory. Irene's charms conquered the favage heart of Mahomet. He abondoned himself to his new miftrefs; and shut himself up with her, denying accefs even to his minifters. His paflion feemed to increase with time. In the most important expeditions, frequently would he abandon: the army, and fly to his Irene. War was at a ftand, for victory was no longer the monarch's favourite paffion. The foldiers, accuftomed to booty, began to murmur, and the infection fpread even among the commanders. The Bafha Muftapha, confulting the fidelity he owed his mafter, was the first who durft acquaint him of the difcourfes held publicly to the prejudice of his glory. The Sultan, after a gloomy filence, formed his refolution. He ordered Muftapha to affemble the troopsnext morning; and then retired with precipitation to Irene's apartment. Never before did that princefs appear fo charming: never before did the prince beftow fo many tender careffes. To give a new luftre to her beauty, he exhorted her women next morning to bestow He took her by all their art and care on her drefs. the hand, led her into the middle of the army, and |