any

as he has done me. Neither can we be at lofs about the final cause of this higher degree of refentment. The whole vigor of this paffion is required to fecure individuals from the injustice and oppreffion of others *.

A wicked or difgraceful action, is difagreeable not only to others, but even to the delinquent himself. It raises in him as well as in others a painful emotion including a defire of punishment. The painful emotion which the delinquent feels, is diftinguished by the name of remorfe; and in this cafe the defire he has to punish is directed against himself. There cannot be imagined a better contrivance to deter us from vice for remorse is the feverest of all punishments. This paffion and the defire of felf-punishment derived from it, are touched delicately by Terence.

;

Menedemus, Ubi comperi ex iis, qui ei fuere confcii,

Domum revortor mæftus, atque animo fere
Perturbato, atque incerto præ ægritudine:
Adfido, adcurrunt fervi, foccos detrahunt :
Video alios feftinare, lectos fternere,

*See Historical law-tracts, tract 1.

Cœnam

Cœnam adparare: pro fe quifque fedulo
Faciebat, quo illam mihi lenirent miferiam.
Ubi video hæc, cœpi cogitare: Hem! tot mea
Solius folliciti fint caufa, ut me unum expleant?
Ancillæ tot me veftiant? fumptus domi

Tantos ego folus faciam? fed gnatum unicum,
Quem pariter uti his decuit, aut etiam amplius,
Quod illa ætas magis ad hæc utenda idonea 'ft,
Eum ego hinc ejeci miferum injuftitia mea.
Malo quidem me dignum quovis deputem,

Si id faciam. nam ufque dum ille vitam illam colet
Inopem, carens patria ob meas injurias,
Interea ufque illi de me fupplicium dabo:
Laborans, quærens, parcens, illi ferviens,
Ita facio prorfus: nihil relinquo in ædibus,
Nec vas, nec veftimentum: conrafi omnia,
Ancillas, fervos, nifi eos, qui opere ruftico
Faciundo facile fumptum exercerent fuum:
Omnes produxi ac vendidi: inscripfi ilico
Edeis mercede: quafi talenta ad quindecim
Coëgi: agrum hunc mercatus fum: hic me exer-

ceo.

Decrevi tantifper me minus injuriæ,

Chreme, meo gnato facere, dum fiam miser;

Nec fas effe ulla me voluptate hic frui,

Nifi ubi ille huc falvos redierit meus particeps.

Heautontimorumenos, alt 1. fc. 1.

VOL.I.

G g

Otway

Otway reaches the fame fentiment':

Of

Monimia. Let mifchiefs multiply! let ev'ry

hour

my loath'd life yield me increase of horror!
Oh let the fun to thefe unhappy eyes
Ne'er fhine again, but be eclips'd for ever!
May every thing I look on feem a prodigy,
To fill my foul with terror, till I quite
Forget I ever had humanity,

And grow a curfer of the works of nature!

Orphan, alt 4.

The cafes mentioned are, where benevolence alone or where defire of punishment alone, governs without a rival. And it was neceffary to handle thefe cafes feparately, in order to elucidate a fubject which by writers is left in great obfcurity. But neither of thefe principles operates always without rivalfhip. Cafes may be figured, and cafes actually exift, where the fame perfon is an object both of fympathy and of defire to punish. Thus the fight of a profligate in the venereal disease, over-run with botches and fores, actuates both principles. While his diftrefs fixes my attention, fympathy exerts

itself,

itself; but so soon as I think of his profliga cy, hatred prevails, and a defire to punish. This in general is the cafe of distress occat fioned by immoral actions that are not high, ly criminal. And if the distress and the im moral action be in any proportion, fympathy and hatred counterbalancing each other will not fuffer me either to afford relief or to inflict punishment. What then will be the result of the whole? The principle of selflove folves the question. Abhorring an ob ject fo loathfome, I naturally avert my eye, and walk off as faft as I can, in order to be relieved from the pain.

The present subject gives birth to several other observations, for which I could not find room above, without relaxing more from the ftrictnefs of order and connection, than with safety could be indulged in dif courfing upon a matter that with difficulty is made perfpicuous, even with all the ad, vantages of order and connection. Thefe obfervations I shall throw out loosely as they occur, without giving myfelf any further trouble about method,

No action good or bad is altogether indif

ferent even to a mere fpectator. If good, it infpires esteem; and indignation, if wicked. But it is remarkable, that thefe emotions feldom are accompanied with defire. The abilities of man are limited, and he finds fufficient employment, in relieving the distreffed, in requiting his benefactors, and in punishing those who wrong him, without moving out of his own fphere for the benefit or chaftisement of those with whom he has no connection.

If the good qualities of others excite my benevolence, the fame qualities in myself muft produce a fimilar effect in a fuperior degree, upon account of the natural partiality every man hath for himself. This increases felf-love. If these qualities be of a high rank, they produce a feeling of fuperiority, which naturally leads me to affume some fort of government over others. Mean qualities, on the other hand, produce in me a feeling of inferiority, which naturally leads me to fubmit to others. Unless fuch feelings were distributed among individuals in fociety by measure and proportion, there could be no natural fubordination of fame

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