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pice or tower from which we contemplate objects beneath, is still grander. The sublimity of the firmament arises as well from its height as from its vast extent.

Our every-day actions show that we are aware of the effect produced on the mind by elevation. We raise lofty monuments, and on their tops place the statues of our heroes, at as great a height as is compatible with distinctness of view. So thrones are erected for kings, and elevated seats for judges and magistrates. Among all nations, Heaven is placed far above, Hell far below. Why are these directions preferred to all others, if the mind does not instinctively connect an idea of grandeur with great height and depth?

§ 268. The solemn and the terrible are important elements of the sublime; hence, darkness, solitude, and silence, which have a tendency to fill the mind with awe, contribute much to `sublimity. It is not the gay landscape, the flowery field, or the flourishing city, that produces the emotion of grandeur: but the hoary mountain, and the solitary lake; the aged forest, and the torrent falling down the precipice.

Hence, too, night scenes are generally the most sublime. The firmament, when filled with stars in magnificent profusion, strikes the imagination with a more awful grandeur than when we view it enlightened by the brightest noon-day sun. The sound of a bell and the striking of a large clock are at any time grand; but they become doubly so, when heard amid the stillness of night. In descriptions of the Deity, darkness is often introduced, and with great effect, as a means of imparting additional sublimity to the subject. "He maketh darkness his pavilion," saith the inspired writer; "He dwelleth in the thick cloud." So, Milton:

"How oft, amidst

Thick clouds and dark, does Heaven's all-ruling Sire

Choose to reside, his glory unobscured,

And with the majesty of darkness round

Circles his throne!

§ 269. Obscurity is another source of the sublime. We

precipice? To what is the sublimity of the firmament owing? life, do we avail ourselves of the effects produced by elevation? locate Heaven above them, and Hell below?

How, in every-day Why do all nations

§ 268. What other elements contribute largely to the sublime? Give instances of their effect. As regards sublimity, what is the effect of darkness on the heavens, the sound of bells, &c.? What is often introduced into descriptions of the Deity, and with what effect? Give an example from Scripture; from Milton.

have seen that in natural and visible objects, when a portion of the form is seen, it is essential that the whole be within reach of the eye, unless there is such uniformity that its ap pearance can be readily inferred. When no part, however, is visible or material, but the whole is left to imagination, the obscurity and uncertainty fill the mind with indescribable Thus we find that descriptions of supernatural beings are characterized by sublimity, though the ideas they yield are confused and indistinct. The superior power we attribute to such beings, the obscurity with which they are veiled, and the awe they awaken in our minds, necessari render them sublime. The grand effect of obscurity is obvious in the following passage from the book of Job :—

awe.

"In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men, fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake. Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up. It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: au image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying, 'Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his Maker?'"

As a general principle, all objects greatly elevated, or far removed as regards either space or time, are apt to strike us as grand. Whatever is viewed through the mist of distance or antiquity looms larger than its natural size. Hence epic poets find it expedient to select as heroes the great personages of bygone times, rather than those of their own day, though equally distinguished.

It follows that no ideas are so sublime as those connected with the Supreme Being, the least known but incomparably the greatest of all things; the infinity of whose nature and the eternity of whose duration, joined to the immensity of His power, though they transcend our conceptions, yet exalt them in the highest degree.

§ 270. Sublimity is also frequently heightened by disor

§ 269. What is another source of the sublime? Show the difference in this respect between material and immaterial things. What is said of supernatural objects? Quote from Job a sublime passage descriptive of a spirit. As a general principle, what objects strike us as grand? Why do epic poets select as heroes personages of bygone times? With whom are our sublimest ideas connected?

§ 270. By what is sublimity frequently heightened? What feeling does strict regu

der. When we gaze at things strictly regular in their outline and methodical in the arrangement of their parts, we feel a sense of confinement incompatible with mental expansion.

Exact proportion of parts, though it often contributes additional effect to the beautiful, seldom enters into the sublime. A great mass of rocks thrown wildly and confusedly together by the hand of nature produces a greater impression of grandeur in the mind than if they had been adjusted to each other with the utmost taste and care.

§ 271. We have thus far considered sublimity as belonging to visible things merely; it may, however, characterize objects of hearing, as well as those of sight. Among the arts which please the imagination through the ear, poetry and rhetoric have already been enumerated. Though, with the aid of conventional characters which represent words and thereby ideas, they address the eye, and may therefore be understood by the deaf, yet they are to be regarded as primarily appealing to the ear, and governed by principles laid down with the direct view of producing the liveliest effect on that organ. Accordingly, under the head of sublimity, as pertaining to objects of hearing, we must treat of the sublime in writing; and this, by reason of its importance, will constitute a separate lesson. It remains for us here to enumerate the sounds characterized by sublimity. These are included in five classes, as follows:

I. Those associated with ideas of danger; such as, the howling of a storm, the rumbling of an earthquake, the groaning of a volcano, the roaring of thunder, the report of artillery.

II. Those associated with great power actively exerted; as, the noise of a torrent, the fall of a cataract, the uproar of a tempest, the dash of waves, the crackling of a conflagration.

III. Those associated with ideas of majesty, solemnity, deep melancholy, or profound grief; as, the sound of the trumpet and other warlike instruments, the notes of the organ, the tolling of the bell, &c.

larity produce? To what does exact proportion of parts contribute? In what position do massive rocks produce the greatest impression of grandeur ?

§ 271. To what, besides objects of sight, does sublimity belong? To what sense are the arts of poetry and rhetoric addressed? With what three classes of ideas must

IV of the notes of animals, those awaken the emotion of grandeu which are known to proceed from strong or ferocious creatures. A examples of this class, the roar of the lion, the growling of bears, the howling of wolves, and the scream of the eagle, may be mentioned.

V Those sounds of the human voice may be accounted sublime which indicate that the more serious emotions,-sorrow, terror, and the like, are strongly excited. The tones which, in general, denote a high degree of emotion, will be found to be loud, grave, lengthened, and swelling.

§ 272. It will be seen that the sublimity of sound arises, not from any inherent quality or independent fitness to produce the emotion, but exclusively from the association of ideas.

This is evident from the fact that, as soon as the sound is separated from the idea, it ceases to be sublime. Thus, persons who are afraid of thunder frequently mistake some common sound for it, such as the rolling of a cart or carriage. While the mistake continues, they feel an emotion of sublimity; but, the moment they are undeceived, they are the first to laugh at their error and ridicule the noise that occasioned it. Similar mistakes are often made, in those countries where earthquakes are common, between inconsiderable sounds and the low rumbling noise which is said to precede such an event; there can be no doubt that, the moment the truth is discovered, the emotion of sublimity is at an end. So, children are at first as much impressed with the thunder of the theatre as with that of the genuine tempest; but, when they understand the delusion, regard it as no more than the insignificant noises they hear every day. Again, to the Highlander the sound of the bag-pipe is sublime, because it is the martial instrument of his country, and is constantly associated with splendid and magnificent images; to the rest of the world, the instrument is at best barely tolerable. Finally, that sublimity in the tones of animals arises from associations with their character seems obvious from several considerations. The howl f the wolf differs little from that of the dog either in tone or strength;

sounds be associated, in order to be sublime? Give examples of each. Of the notes of animals, which awaken the emotion of grandeur? What sounds of the human voice are accounted sublime? What tones denote a high degree of emotion?

§ 272. From what does the sublimity of sound arise? What evidence is there of this? Illustrate the point by stating what takes place when some insignificant sound is mistaken for thunder or the rumbling of an earthquake. How is the sound of the bag-pipo regarded by the Highlander? How, by the rest of the world? What occa

but there is no comparison between them in point of sublimity, because we know the one to be a savage, and the other a domestic, animal. There are few animal sounds so loud as the lowing of a cow; yet it will be admitted that it is far from being characterized by sublimity. We may therefore infer that sounds possess this quality, not by reason of any inherent character, but only through the associations connected with them.

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273. For a literary composition to possess sublimity, it is necessary that the subject be sublime; that, if a scene or natural object, it be one which, exhibited to us in reality, would inspire us with thoughts of the elevated, awful, and magnificent character that has been described. This excludes what is merely beautiful, gay, or elegant. If it be attempted, with the aid of rhetoric, to make any such object the theme of a sublime composition, the effort will prove a failure, and bombast or frigidity of style will result.

274. We shall find, then, that the passages generally accounted sublime are, for the most part, descriptions of the natural objects mentioned in the last lesson as capable of pro ducing the emotion of grandeur; or, in other words, of what is vast, mighty, magnificent, obscure, dark, solemn, loud, pathetic, or terrible.

Shakspeare, in the following lines, furnishes us with a fine example of sublimity, arising from the vastness of the objects successively pre

Bions the difference? From what does sublimity in the tones of animals arise? Illustrate this.

$278. What is essential to sublimity in a literary composition? If a scene or natural object is treated of, what must be its character? What is excluded? What will reBult, if it be attempted to write sublimely on a trivial subject?

§ 274. Of what, then, for the most part, are sublime passages descriptions? Repoat the quotation from Shakspeare, and show wherein its sublimity consists.

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