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two different objects. The poet* describes him endeavouring to gratify both at once, applying his right hand againft Soliman, the object of his refentment, and his left hand to fupport his wife, the object of his love..

PART V.

Influence of Paffion with respect to our Perceptions, Opinions, and Belief.

CONSIDERING how intimately our

perceptions, paffions, and actions, are mutually connected, it would be wonderful if they should have no mutual influence. That our actions are too much influenced by paffion, is a known truth: but it is not lefs certain, though not fo well known, that paffion hath alfo an influence upon our perceptions, opinions, and belief. For example, the opinions we form of men and things, are generally directed by affection: an advice given by a man of figure, hath great weight; the fame advice from one in a low condition, is defpifed or neglected: a man of courage under-rates danger; and to the indolent, the flightest obftacle appears infurmountable.

This doctrine is of great ufe in logic; and of still greater use in criticism, by ferving to explain feveral principles of the fine arts that will be unfolded in the courfe of this work. A few general obfervations fhall at prefent fuffice, leaving the fubject to be profecuted more particularly afterward when occafion offers.

There is no truth more univerfally known, than that tranquillity and fedatenefs are the proper ftate

*Canto por ft. 97.

of

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of mind for accurate perception and cool deliberation; and, for that reason, we never regard the opinion even of the wifeft man, when we difcover prejudice or paffion behind the curtain. Paflion, as obferved above, hath fuch influence over us, as to give a falfe light to all its objects. Agreeable paffions prepoffefs the mind in favour of their objects, and difagreeable paffions, no lefs against their objects: a woman is all perfection in her lover's opinion, while,' in the eye of a rival beauty, the is awkward and difagreeable; when the paffion of love is gone, beauty vanishes with it, nothing left of that genteel mo tion, that fprightly converfation, thofe numberless graces, which formerly, in the lover's opinion, charmed all hearts. To a zealot every one of his own fe&t is a faint, while the most upright of a different fect are to him children of perdition: the talent of fpeaking in a friend, is more regarded than prudent conduct in any other. Nor will this furprife one acquainted with the world; our opinions, the refult frequently of various and complicated views, are commonly fo flight and wavering, as readily to be fuf ceptible of a bias from paffion.

With that natural bias another circumftance concurs, to give paffion an undue influence on our opinions and belief; and that is a strong tendency in our nature to justify our paffions as well as our actions, not to others only, but even to ourselves. That tendency is peculiarly remarkable with 'refpect to difagreeable paffions: by their influence, objects are magnified or leffened, circumftances fupplied or fuppreffed, every thing coloured and difguifed, to anfwer the end of juftification. Hence the foundation of felf-deceit, where a man impofes upon himself innocently, and even without fufpicion of a bias. There

*Page 120.

are

are fubordinate means that contribute to pervert the judgment, and to make us form opinions, contrary. to truth; of which I fhall mention two. First, it was formerly obferved," that though ideas feldom start up in the mind without connection, yet that ideas fuited to the present tone of mind are readily fuggested by any flight connection: the arguments for a favourite opinion are always at hand, while we often fearch in vain for thofe that crofs our inclination. Second, The mind taking delight in agreeable circumftances or arguments, is deeply impreffed with them; while thofe that are difagreeable are hurried over fo as fcarce to make any impreffion: the fame argument, by being relifhed or not relifhed, weighs fo differently, as in truth to make conviction depend more on paffion than on reafoning. This obfervation is fully juftified by experience: to confine myfelf to a fingle inftance, the numberless abfurd religious tenets that at different times have pestered the world, would be altogether unaccountable but for that irregular bias of paffion.

We proceed to a more pleasant task, which is to illuftrate the foregoing obfervations by proper examples. Gratitude, when warm, is often exerted upon the children of the benefactor; efpecially where he is removed out of reach by death or abfence. The paffion in this cafe being exerted for the fake of the benefactor, requires no peculiar excellence in his children but the practice of doing good to thefe children produces affection for them, which never fails to advance them in our esteem. By fuch means, ftrong connections of affection are often formed among

* Chap. 1.

+ See part 1. fect. 1. of the present chapter.

among individuals, upon the flight foundation now mentioned.

Envy is a paffion, which, being altogether unjuftifiable, cannot be excufed but by disguising it under fome plaufible name. At the fame time, no paffion is more eager than envy, to give its object a difagreeable appearance: it magnifies every bad quality, and fixes on the most humbling circumstances.

Caffius. I cannot tell what you and other men
Think of this life; but for my fingle self,
I had as lief not be, as live to be

In awe of such a thing as I, myself.
I was born free as Cæfar, fo were you;
We both have fed as well; and we can both
Endure the winter's cold as well as he.
For once, upon a raw, and gufty day,
The troubled Tyber chafing with his fhores,
Cæfar fays to me, Dar'ft thou, Caffius, now
Leap in with me into this angry flood,
And fwim to yonder point?-Upon the word,
Accoutred as I was, I plunged in,

And bid him follow: fo indeed he did.,
The torrent roar'd, and we did buffet it,
With lufty finews; throwing it afide,
And stemming it with hearts of controverfy.
But ere we could arrive the point propos'd,
Cæfar cry'd, help me, Caffius, or I fink.
I, as Æneas, our great ancestor,

Did from the flames of Troy upon his fhoulder
The old Anchifes bear; fo from the waves of Tyber

Did I the tired Cæfar: and this man

Is now become a god, and Caffius is

A wretched creature; and must bend his body,
If Cæfar carelessly but nod on him.

He had a fever when he was in Spain,

And when the fit was on him, I did mark

How he did fhake. 'Tis true, this god did fhake;
His coward lips did from their colour fly,

And that fame eye whose bend doth awe the world,

Did lofe its luftre; I did hear him groan ; ·
Ay, and that tongue of his, that bade the Romans
Mark him, and write his fpeeches in their books,.;
Alas! it cry 'dGive me fome drink, Titinius,-
As a fick girl. Ye gods, it doth amaze me,
A man of fuch a feeble temper fhould

So get a start of the majestic world,"
And bear the palm alone.

Julius Cæfar, at x. fa. 3.

Glo'fter inflamed with refentment against his fon Edgar, could even force himself into a momentary conviction that they were not related :

Oftrange faften'd villain!

Would he deny his letter? I never got him.

King Lear, a 2. fc. 3.

When by great fenfibility of heart, or other means, grief becomes immoderate, the mind, in order to juftify itself, is prone to magnify the caufe: and if the real caufe admit not of being magnified, the mind feeks a caufe for its grief in imagined future

events:

Bufby. Madam, your Majefty is much too fad: You promis'd, when you parted with the King, To lay afide felf-harming heavinefs,

And entertain a cheerful difpofition.

Queen. To please the King, I did; to please myself,
I cannot do it. Yet I know no caufe
Why I fhould welcome fuch a gueft as grief;
Save bidding farewell to fo fweet a guest
As my fweet Richard: yet again, methinks,
Some unborn forrow, ripe in Fortune's womb,
Is coming tow'rd me; and my inward foul
With fomething trembles, yet at nothing grieves,
More than with parting from my lord the King,
Richard 11. a 2. f. 5.
Refentment

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