all the caufes of emotion or paffion that can exift independent of each other, founds only excepted. To explain the manner in which fuch emotions exift, fimilar emotions must be diftinguifhed from those that are diffimilar. Two emotions are faid to be fimilar, when they tend each of them to produce the fame tone of mind cheerful emotions, however different their caufes may be, are fimilar: and fo are thofe which are melancholy. Diffimilar emotions are eafily' explained by their oppofition to what are fimilar: pride and humility, gaiety and gloominefs, are diffimilar emo tions. Emo Emotions perfectly fimilar, readily combine and unite, fo as in a manner to become one complex emotion; witnefs the emotions produced by a number of flowers in a parterre, or of trees in a wood. tions that are oppofite, or extremely diffimilar, never combine or unite: the mind cannot fimultaneously take on oppofite tones: it cannot at the fame instant be both joyful and fad, angry and fatisfied, proud and humble diffimilar emotions may fucceed each other with rapidity, but they cannot exist fimultaneously. Between these two extremes, emotions unite more or lefs in proportion to the degree of their refemblance, and the degree in which their caufes are connected. Thus the emotions produced by a fine landscape and the finging of birds, being fimilar in a confiderable degree, readily unite, though their caufes are little connected. And the fame happens where the causes are intimately connected, though the emotions themselves have little refemblance to each other: an example of which It is easier to conceive the manner of coexiftence of fimilar emotions, than to defcribe it. They cannot be faid to mix or incorporate, like con cordant founds: their union is rather of agreement or concord; and therefore I have chofen the words in the text, not as fufficient to exprefs clearly the manner of their coexiftence, but only as lefs liable to exception than any other I can find. which is a mistress in diftress, whofe beauty gives pleaf, ure, and her distress pain: thefe two emotions, pro ceeding from different views of the object, have very little refemblance to each other; and yet fo intimately connected are their caufes, as to force them into a fort of complex emotion, partly pleafant, partly painful. This clearly explains fome expreffions common in po. etry, a fweet diftrefs, a pleasant pain. It was neceffary to defcribe, with fome accuracy, in what manner fimilar and diffimilar emotions coexist in the mind, in order to explain their different effects, both internal and external. This fubject, though ob fcure, is capable to be fet in a clear light; and it merits attention, not only for its extenfive use in criti, eifm, but for the nobler purpose of deciphering many intricacies in the actions of men. Beginning with ins ternal effects, I difcover two, clearly diftinguishable from each other, both of them produced by pleasant emotions that are fimilar; of which, the one may be reprefented by addition in numbers, the other by harmony in founds. Two pleasant emotions that are fimilar, readily unite when they are coexiftent; and the pleasure felt in the union, is the fum of the two pleasures the fame emotions in fucceffion, are far from making the fame figure; because the mind, at no inftant of the fucceffion, is confcious of more than a fingle emotion. This doctrine may aptly be illuftrated by a landfcape comprehending hills, vallies, plains, rivers, trees, &c. the emotions produced by thefe feveral objects, being fimilar in a high degree, as falling in eafily and fweetly with the fame tone of mind, are in conjunction extremely pleafant. This multis plied effect is felt from objects even of different fenfes, as where a landfcape is conjoined with the mufic of birds and odour of flowers; and refults partly from the refemblance of the emotions and partly from the VOL. I. connection H connection of their caufes: whence it follows, that the effect must be the greateft, where the caufes are intimately connected and the emotions perfectly fimilar. The fame rule is obviously applicable to painful emotions that are fimilar and coexiftent.. As The other pleafure arifing from pleafant emotions fimilar and coexiftent, cannot be better explained than by the foregoing example of a landscape, where the fight, hearing, and fmelling, are employed: befide the accumulated pleafure above mentioned, of fo many different fimilar emotions, a pleasure of a different kind is felt from the concord of thefe emotions. that pleasure refembles greatly the pleasure of concordant founds, it may be termed the Harmony of Emotions. This harmony is felt in the different emotions occafioned by the vifible objects; but it is felt ftill more fenfibly in the emotions occafioned by the objects of different fenfes, as where the emotions of the eye are combined with those of the ear. The former pleasure comes under the rule of addition: this comes under a different rule. It is directly in proportion to the degree of refemblance between the emotions, and inversely in proportion to the degree of connection between the caufes: to feel this pleasure in perfection, the resemblance between the emotions cannot be too strong, nor the connection between their caufes too flight. The former condition is felf-evident; and the reafon of the latter is, that the pleasure of harmony is felt from various similar emotions, distinct from each other, and yet fweetly combining in the mind; which excludes caufes intimately connected, for the emotions produced by them are forced into one complex emotion. This pleasure of concord or harmony, which is the refult of pleasant emotions, and cannot have place with refpect to thofe that are painful, will be further illuftrated, when the emotions produced duced by the found of words and their meaning are taken under confideration.* The pleasure of concord from conjoined emotions, is felt even where the emotions are not perfectly fimilar. Though love be a pleafant paffion, yet by its foftness and tenderness it resembles in a confiderable degree the painful paffion of pity or of grief; and for that reafon, love accords better with these paffions than with what are gay and sprightly. I give the following example from Catullus, where the concord between love and grief has a fine effect even in fo flight a subject as the death of a sparrow. Lugete, ô Veneres, Cupidinefque, Et quantum eft hominum venuftiorum! Next as to the effects of diffimilar emotions, which we may guefs will be opposite to what are above defcribed. Diffimilar coexiftent emotions, as faid above, never fail to diftrefs the mind by the difference of their tones; from which fituation a feeling of harmony never can proceed; * Chap. 18. fe&t. 3. proceed; and this holds whether the caufes be cona nected or not. But it holds more remarkably where the caufes are connected; for in that cafe the diffimilar emotions being forced into an unnatural union, pros duce an actual feeling of difcord. In the next place, if we would eftimate the force of diflimilar emotions coexistent, we must distinguish between their caufes as connected or unconnected and in order to compute their force in the former cafe, fubtraction must be used 'instead of addition; which will be evident from what follows. Diffimilar emotions forced into union by the connection of their caufes, are felt obfcurely and imperfectly; for each tends to vary the tone of mind that is fuited to the other; and the mind thus distracted between two objects, is at no inftant in a condition to receive a deep impreffion from either. Diffimilar emotions proceeding from unconnected caufes, are in a very different condition: for as there is nothing to force them into union, they are never felt but in fucceffion; by which means, each hath an opportunity to make a complete impreffion. This curious theory requires to be illuftrated by examples. In reading the defcription of the difmal wafte, book 1. of Paradife Loft, we are fenfible of a confused feeling, arifing from diffimilar emotions forced into union, to wit, the beauty of the defcription, and the horror of the object defcribed: Seeft thou yon dreary plain, forlorn and wild, Save what the glimmering of these livid flames And with refpect to this and many fimilar paffages in Paradife Loft, we are fenfible, that the emotions be ing obfcured by each other, make neither of them that |
