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Thus between a paffion and its object there is a natural operation, refembling action and reaction in phyfics: a paffion acting upon its object, magnifies it greatly in appearance; and this magnified object reacting upon the paffion, fwells and inflames it mightily.

Fifthly, the growth of fome paffion depends often on occafional circumftances: obftacles to gratification, for example, never fail to augment and inflame a paffion; because a constant endeavour to remove an obstacle, preferves the object of the paffion ever in view, which fwells the paffion by impreffions frequently reiterated: thus the reftraint of confcience, when an obftacle to love, agitates the mind and inflames the paffion:

Quod licet, ingratum eft: quod non licet, acrius urit.
Si nunquam Danaën habuiffet ahenea turris,
Non effet Danaë de Jove facta parens.

Ovid, Amor. 1. 2.

At the fame time, the mind, diftreffed with the obftacles, becomes impatient for gratification, and confequently more defirous of it. Shakefpear expreffes this obfervation finely:

All impediments in fancy's course,
Are motives of more fancy.

We need no better example than a lover who hath many rivals. Even the caprices of a miftrefs have the effect to inflame love; thefe occafioning

fioning uncertainty of fuccess, tend naturally to make the anxious lover overvalue the happiness of fruition.

So much upon the growth of paffions: their continuance and decay come next under confideration. And, first, it is a general law of nature, That things fudden in their growth are equally fudden in their decay. This is commonly the cafe of anger. And, with refpect to wonder and surprise, which also fuddenly decay, another reafon concurs, that their causes are of fhort duration: novelty foon degenerates into familiarity; and the unexpectedness of an object is foon funk in the pleasure that the object affords. Fear, which is a paffion of greater importance as tending to felf-preservation, is often instantaneous; and yet is of equal duration with its caufe: nay, it frequently fubfifts after the caufe is removed.

In the next place, a paffion founded on a peculiar propenfity, fubfifts generally for ever; which is the case of pride, envy, and malice: objects are never wanting to inflame the propenfity into a paffion.

Thirdly, it may be laid down as a general law of nature, That every paffion ceases upon attaining its ultimate end. To explain that law, we must distinguish between a particular and a general end. I call a particular end what may be accomplished by a fingle act: a general end, on the contrary, admits acts without number: because it cannot be said, that a general end is ever

fully

fully accomplished, while the object of the paffion fubfifts. Gratitude and revenge are examples of the first kind: the ends they aim at may be accomplished by a fingle act; and, when that act is performed, the paffions are neceffarily at an end. Love and hatred are exam. ples of the other kind; defire of doing good or of doing mischief to an individual, is a general end, which admits acts without number, and which feldom is fully accomplished: therefore these paffions have frequently the fame duration with their objects.

Lastly, it will afford us another general view, to confider the difference between an original propenfity, and affection or averfion produced by custom. The former adheres too close to the constitution ever to be eradicated; and for that reason, the paffions to which it gives birth, continue during life with no remarkable diminution. The latter, which owe their birth and increment to time, owe their decay to the fame caufe affection and averfion decay gradually as they grow; and accordingly hatred as well as love are extinguished by long absence. Affection decays more gradually between perfons, who, living together, have daily occafion to teftify mutually their good-will and kindness: and, when affection is decayed, habit fupplies its place; for it makes these perfons neceffary to each other, by the pain of feparation *. Af.

• See chap. 14.

fection

fection to children hath a long endurance, longer perhaps than any other affection: its growth keeps pace with that of its objects: they difplay new beauties and qualifications daily, to feed and augment the affection. But whenever the affection becomes stationary, it must begin to decay; with a flow pace indeed, in proportion to its increment. In fhort, man with respect to this life is a temporary being: he grows, becomes ftationary, decays; and fo must all his powers and paffions.

PART IV.

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FOR

Coexiftent Emotions and Paffions.

OR a thorough knowledge of the human paffions and emotions, it is not fufficient that they be examined fingly and separately: as a plurality of them are fometimes felt at the fame inftant, the manner of their coexistence, and the effects thereby produced, ought alfo to be examined. This fubject is extenfive; and it will be difficult to trace all the laws that go. vern its endless variety of cafes: if fuch an undertaking can be brought to perfection, it must be by degrees. The following hints may fuffice for a first attempt.

We begin with emotions raised by different founds, as the fimpleft cafe. Two founds that

mix, and, as it were, incorporate before they reach the ear, are faid to be concordant. That each of the two founds, even after their union, produceth an emotion of its own, must be admitted but these emotions, like the founds that produce them, mix fo intimately, as to be rather one complex emotion than two emotions in conjunction. Two founds that refuse incorporation or mixture, are faid to be difcordant: and when heard at the fame inftant, the emotions produced by them are unpleasant in conjunction, however pleasant separately.

Similar to the emotion raised by mixed founds is the emotion raised by an object of fight with its feveral qualities: a tree, for example, with its qualities. of colour, figure, fize, &c. is perceived to be one object; and the emotion it produceth is rather one complex emotion than different emotions combined.

With respect to coexistent emotions produced by different objects of fight, it must be observed, that however intimately connected fuch objects may be, there cannot be a concordance among them like what is perceived in fome founds., Different objects of fight, meaning objects that can exift each of them independent of the others, never mix nor incorporate in the act of vifion each object is perceived as it exifts, feparately from others; and each raiseth an emotion different from that raised by the other. And the fame holds in all the caufes of emotion

or

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