mate, animate, and rational: the emotion caufed by a SECT. II. Power of Sounds to raife Emotions and Paffions. UPON a review, a review, I find the foregoing fection almost wholly employed upon emotions and paffions raised by objects of fight, though they are also raised by objects of hearing. As this happened without intention, merely because fuch objects are familiar above others, I find it proper to add a fhort fection upon the power of founds to raise emotions and paffions. I begin with comparing founds and visible objects with respect to their influence upon the mind. It has already been obferved, that of all external objects, rational beings, efpecially of our own fpecies, have the most powerful influence in raifing emotions and paffions; and, as fpeech is the most powerful of all the means by which one human being can display itself to another, the objects of the eye muft fo far yield preference to thofe of the ear. With With refpect to inanimate objects of fight, founds may be fo contrived as to raise both terror and mirth beyond what can be done by any fuch object. Mufic has a commanding influence over the mind, efpecially in conjunction with words. Objects of fight may indeed contribute to the fame end, but more faintly; as where a love-poem is rehearsed in a fhady grove, or on the bank of a purling ftream. But founds which are vastly more ductile and various, readily accompany all the focial affections expreffed in a poem, especially emotions of love and pity. 1 Mufic having at command a great variety of emotions, may, like many objects of fight, be made to promote luxury and effeminacy; of which we have instances without number, especially in vocal mufic. But, with respect to its pure and refined pleasures, mufic goes hand in hand with gardening and architecture, her fifter-arts, in humanizing and polishing the mind ;* of which none can doubt who have felt the charms of mufic. But, if authority be required, the following paffage from a grave historian, eminent for folidity of judgment, must have the greatest weight. Polybius, fpeaking of the people of Cynætha, an Arcadian tribe, has the following train of reflections. "As the Arcadians have always been celebrated for their piety, humanity, and hofpitality, we are naturally led to inquire, how it has happened that the Cynætheans are distinguished from the other Arcadians, by favage manners, wickedness and cruelty. I can attribute this difference to no other caufe, but a total neglect among the people of Cynætha, of an institution established among the ancient Arcadians with a nice regard to their manners and their climate: I mean the discipline and exercife of that genuine and perfect music, which is useful in every state, but neceffary to the Arcadians; whofe manners, originally rigid, See Chapter 24. and, and austere, made it of the greatest importance to incorporate this art into the very effence of their government. All men know that, in Arcadia, the children are early taught to perform hymns and fongs compofed in honour of their gods and heroes; and that, when they have learned the mufic of Timotheus and Philoxenus, they affemble yearly in the public theatres, dancing with emulation to the found of flutes, and acting in games adapted to their tender years. The Arcadians, even in their private feasts, never employ hirelings, but each man fings in his turn. They are allo taught all the military fteps and motions to the found of inftruments, which they perform yearly in the theatres, at the public charge. To me it is evident, that these folemnities were introduced, not for idle pleasure, but to foften the rough and stubborn temper of the Arcadians, occafioned by the coldness of a high country. But the Cynetheans, neglecting these arts, have become fo fierce and favage, that there is not another city in Greece fo remarkable for frequent and great enormities. This confideration ought to engage the Arcadians never to relax in any degree, their mufical difcipline; and it ought to open the eyes of the Cynetheans, and make them fenfible of what importance it would be to restore music to their city, and every difcipline that may foften their manners; for otherwise they can never hope. to fubdue their brutal ferocity. No one will be furprised to hear fuch influence attributed to mufic, when, with refpect to another of the fine arts, he finds a living inftance of an influence no less powerful. It is unhappily indeed the reverfe of the former; for it has done more mifchief by corrupting British manners, than mufic ever did good by purifying those of Arcadia. The licentious court of Charles II. among its many dif orders, engendered a peft, the virulence of which fubfifts Polybius, lib. 4. cap. 3、 to to this day. The English comedy, copying the manners of the court, became abominably licentious; and continues fo with very little foftening. It is there an established rule, to deck out the chief characters with every vice in fashion, however grofs. But, as fuch characters viewed in a true light would be difguftful, care is taken to dif guife their deformity under the embellishments of wit, fprightlinefs, and good humour, which in mixed company makes a capital figure. It requires not much thought to difcover the poifonous influence of fuch plays. A young man of figure, emancipated at last from the feverity and reftraint of a college education, repairs to the capital difpofed to every fort of excefs. The playhouse becomes his favourite amufement; and he is enchanted with the gaiety and splendour of the chief perfonages. The dif guft which vice gives him at firft, foon wears off, to make way for new notions, more liberal in his opinion; by which a fovereign contempt of religion, and a declared war upon the chastity of wives, maids, and widows, are converted from being infamous vices to be fashionable virtues. The infection fpreads gradually through all ranks, and becomes univerfal. How gladly would I liften to any one who fhould undertake to prove, that what I have been describing is chimerical! but the diffoluteness of our young men of birth will not fuffer me to doubt of its reality. Sir Harry Wildair has completed many a rake; and in the Sufpicious Husband, Ranger, the humble imitator of Sir Harry, has had no flight influence in fpreading that character. What woman tinctured with the playhouse-morals, would not be the fprightly, the witty, though diffolute Lady Townly, rather than the cold, the fober, though virtuous Lady. Grace? How odious ought writers to be who thus employ the talents they have from their Maker moft traitoroufly against himself, by endeavouring to corrupt and disfigure his creatures! If the comedies of Congreve did not rack him with remorfe in his last moments, he muft t d have been loft to all fenfe of virtue. Nor will it afford any excufe to fuch writers, that their comedies are entertaining; unless it could be maintained, that wit and fprightlinefs are better fuited to a vicious than a virtuous character. It would grieve me to think fo; and the di rect contrary is exemplified in the Merry Wives of Windfor, where we are highly entertained with the conduct of two ladies, not more remarkable for mirth and fpirit than for the strictest purity of manners. SECT. III. Caufes of the Emotions of Joy and Sorrow. THIS HIS fubject was purposely reserved for a Teparate fection, because it could not, with perfpicuity, be handled under the general head. An emotion accompanied with defire is termed a paffion; and when the defire is fulfilled, the paffion is faid to be gratified. Now, the gratification of every paffion must be pleafant; for nothing can be more natural than that the accomplishment of any wifh or defire fhould affect us with joy: I know of no exception but when a man ftung with remorse defires to chaftife and punish himself. The joy of gratification is properly called an emotion; because it makes us happy in our prefent fituation, and is ultimate in its nature, not having a tendency to any thing beyond. On the other hand, forrow muft be the refult of an event contrary to what we defire; for if the accomplishment of defire produce joy, it is equally natural that disappointment fhould produce forrow. An event, fortunate or unfortunate, that falls out by accident, without being foreseen or thought of, and which therefore could not be the object of defire, raifeth an emotion of the fame kind with that now mentioned; but the caufe must be different; for there can be no gratifi cation |