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ufual precaution and forefight. Fear and anger are paflions common to all men; and by operating inftinctively, they frequently afford fecurity when the flower operations of deliberative reafon would be too late. We take nourishment commonly, not by the direction of reafon, but by the incitement of hunger and thirft. In the fame manner, we avoid danger by the incitement of fear, which often, before there is time for reflection, placeth us in fafety. This matter then is ordered with confummate wisdom. It is not within the reach of fancy to conceive any thing better fitted to anfwer its purpofe, than this inftinctive paffion of fear, which, upon the first furmife of danger, operates inftantaneously without reflection. So little doth the paffion in fuch inftances, depend on reason, that we often find it exerted even in contradiction to reason, and when we are conscious that there is no hazard. man who is not much upon his guard, cannot 2void fhrinking at a blow, though he knows it to be aimed in fport; nor clofing his eyes at the approach of what may hurt them, though he is confident it will not come their length. Influenced by the fame inftinctive paffion of fear, infants are much affected with a stern look, a menacing tone, or other expreffion of anger; though, being incapable of reflection, they cannot form the flighteft judgment about the import of thefe figns. This is all that is neceffary to be faid in general. The natural connection betwixt fear and the external figns of anger, will be handled in the chapter of the external figns of emotions and paffions.

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Fear provides for felf-prefervation by flying from harm; anger, by repelling it. Nothing indeed can be better contrived to repel or prevent injury, than anger or refentment. Deftitute of this paffion, men, like defencelefs lambs, would lie constantly

open

open to mischief*. Deliberate anger caufed by a voluntary injury, is too well known to require any explanation. If my defire be in general to resent an affront, I muft ufe means, and these means must be discovered by reflection. Deliberation is here requifite; and in this, which is the ordinary cafe, the paffion feldom exceeds juft bounds. But where anger fuddenly inflames me to return a blow, the paffion is inftinctive, and the action ultimate; and it is chiefly in fuch cafes that the paffion is rafh and ungovernable, because it operates blindly, without affording time for reafon or deliberation.

Inftinctive anger is frequently raifed by bodily pain, which, when fudden and exceffive as by a ftroke on a tender part, ruffling the temper and unhinging the mind, is in its tone fimilar to anger. Bodily pain by this means difpofes to anger, which is as fuddenly raised, provided an object be found to vent it upon. Anger commonly is not provoked. otherwife than by a voluntary injury. But when a man is thus beforehand difpofed to anger, he is not nice nor fcrupulous about an object. The man who gave the stroke, however accidentally, is by an inflammable temper held a proper object, merely because he was the occafion of the pain. It is ftill a ftronger example of the kind, that a stock or a stone, by which I am hurt, becomes an object for my refentment. I am violently incited to bray it to atoms. The paffion indeed in this cafe is but momentary. It vanifheth with the first reflection, being attended with no circumftance that can excufe it in any degree. Nor is this irrational effect confined

*Brafidas being surprised by the bite of a moufe he had catched, let it flip out of his fingers. "No Crea"ture (fays he) is fo contemptible, but what may pro"vide for its own fafety, if it have courage to defend "itself." Plutarch Apophthegmata.

fined to bodily pain. Inward diftrefs, when exceffive, may be the occafion of effects equally irrational. When a friend is in danger and the event uncertain, the perturbation of mind occafioned thereby, will, in a fiery temper, produce momentary fits of anger against this very friend, however innocent. Thus Shakespear, in the Tempest.

Alonzo.

flatterer

Sit down and rest.

Ev'n here I will put off my
No longer for my
Whom thus we ftray to find,
Our fruftrate fearch on land.

hope, and keep it
he is drown'd
and the sea mocks
Well, let him go.
Act 3. fc. 3-

The final words, Well, let him go, are an expreffion of impatience and anger at Ferdinand, whofe abfence greatly diftreffed his father, dreading that he was loft in the ftorm. This nice operation of the human mind, is by Shakespear exhibited upon another occafion, and finely painted. In the tragedy of Othello, Iago, by dark hints and fufpicious circumstances, had roufed Othello's jealoufy; which, however, appeared too flightly founded to be vented upon Defdemona, its proper object. The perturbation and diftrefs of mind thereby occafioned, produced a momentary refentment against lago, confidered as occasioning the jealousy though inno

cent.

Othello. Villain, be fure thou prove my love a whore :

Be fure of it give me the ocular proof,
Or by the wrath of man's eternal foul
Thou hadft better have been born a dog,

Than anfwer my wak'd wrath.

Iago. Is't come to this?

Othello, Make me fee't; or, at the leaft, fo

prove it,

That

That the probation bear no hinge or loop

To hang a doubt on: or woe upon thy life!
Jago. My Noble Lord-

Othello. If thou doft flander her and torture me, Never pray more; abandon all remorse;

On horrors head horrors accumulate;

Do deeds to make heav'n weep, all earth amaz'd: For nothing canft thou to damnation add

Greater than that.

66

Othello, act 3. fc. 8.

This blind and abfurd effect of anger, is more gaily illuftrated by Addison, in a story, the dramatis perfona of which are a cardinal, and a fpy retained in pay for intelligence. The cardinal is reprefented as minuting down every thing that is told him. The spy begins with a low voice, "Such an one the advocate whispered to one of his "friends within my hearing, that your eminence was a very great poltron ;" and after having given his patron time to take it down, adds, "That "another called him a mercenary rafcal in a pub"lic converfation." The cardinal replies, "Very well," and bids him go on. The fpy proceeds, and loads him with reports of the fame nature, till the cardinal rifes in great wrath, calls him an impudent fcoundrel, and kicks him out of the

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We meet with instances every day of refentment raised by loss at play, and wreaked on the cards or dice. But anger, a furious paffion, is fatisfied with a connection ftill flighter than that of caufe and effect, of which Congreve, in the Mourning Bride, gives one beautiful example.

Gonfalez. Have comfort.

Almeria. Curs'd be that ton gue that bids me be of comfort,

*Spectator, N° 439

Curs'

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I have chofen to exhibit anger in its more rare appearances, for in these we can best trace its nature and extent. In the examples above given, it appears to be an abfurd paffion and altogether irrational. But we ought to confider, that it is not the intention of nature to fubject this paffion, in every inftance, to reafon and reflection. It was given us to prevent or to repel injuries; and, like fear, it often operates blindly and inftinctively, without the leaft view to confequences. The very firft fenfation of harm, fets it in motion to repel injury by punishment. Were it more cool and deliberate, it would lofe its threatning appearance, and be infufficient to guard us against violence and mifchief.

When fuch is and ought to be the nature of the paflion, it is not wonderful to find it exerted irregularly and capriciously, as it fometimes is,where the mifchief is fudden and unforeseen. All the harm that can be done by the paffion in this cafe, is inftantaneous; for the shortest delay fets all to rights; and circumstances are feldom fo unlucky as to put it in the power of a paffionate man to do much harm in an inftant.

T

SECT. VI. Emotions caufed by fiction.

HE attentive reader will obferve, that in accounting for paffions and emotions, no caufe hitherto has been affigned but what hath a real existence. Whether it be a being, action, or quality, that moveth us, it is fuppofed to be an object of our knowledge, or at least of our belief. This obfervation

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