Thefe inftances (and many more might be collected) are fufficient to afford us some insight into the analogy of nature, and to fhow us, that the pleasure, which poets, orators, and muficians give us, by exciting grief, forrow, indignation, compassion, is not so extraordinary nor paradoxical, as it may at first fight appear. The force of imagination, the energy of expreffion, the power of numbers, the charms of imitation; all these are naturally, of themselves, delightful to the mind: And when the object prefented lays alfo hold of fome affection, the pleasure ftill rifes upon us, by the converfion of this fubordinate movement into that which is predominant. The paffion, though, perhaps, naturally, and when excited by the fimple appearance of a real object, it may be painful; yet is so smoothed, and foftened, and mollified, when raised by the finer arts, that it affords the highest entertainment. To confirm this reafoning, we may obferve, that if the movements of the imagination be not predominant above thofe of the paffion, a contrary effect follows; and the former, being now fubordinate, is converted into the latter, and ftill farther encreases the pain and affliction of the fufferer. Who could ever think of it as a good expedient for comforting an afflicted parent, to exaggerate, with all the force of elocution, the irreparable lofs, which he has met with by the death of a favourite child? The more power of imagination and expreffion you here employ, the morę you encrease his defpair and affliction. NICOMACHI, MEDEAM TIMOMACHI, & quam diximus VENEREM APELLIS, in majori admiratione effe quam perfecta. Quippe in iis lineamenta reliqua, ipfæque cogitationes artificum spectantur, atque in lenacinio commendationis dolor eft manus, cum id ageret, extinctæ. Lib. xxxv. cap. I. The The fhame, confufion, and terror of VERRES, no doubt, rofe in proportion to the noble eloquence and vehemence of CICERO: So alfo did his pain and uneafinefs. These former paffions were too ftrong for the pleafure arifing from the beauties of elocution; and operated, though from the fame principle, yet in a contrary manner, to the sympathy, compaffion, and indignation of the audience. Lord CLARENDON, when he approaches towards the catastrophe of the royal party, fuppofes, that his narration must then become infinitely difagreeable; and he hurries over the king's death, without giving us one circumftance of it, He confiders it as too horrid a scene to be contemplated with any fatisfaction, or even without the utmost pain and averfion. He himself, as well as the readers of that age, were too deeply concerned in the events, and felt a pain from fubjects, which an hiftorian and a reader of another age would regard as the the most pathetic and moft interefting, and, by confequence, the most agreeable. An action, represented in tragedy, may be too bloody and atrocious. It may excite fuch movements of horror as will not soften into pleasure; and the greatest energy of expreffion, bestowed on defcriptions of that nature, ferves only to augment our uneafinefs. Such is that action reprefented in the Ambitious Stepmother, where a venerable old man, raised to the height of fury and despair, rushes against a pillar, and striking his head upon it, befmears it all over with mingled brains and gore. The ENGLISH theatre abounds too much with fuch fhocking images. Even the common fentiments of compaffion require to be foftened by fome agreeable affection, in order to give a thorough fatisfaction to the audience. The mere fuf fering of plaintive virtue, under the triumphant tyranny and oppreffion of vice, forms a difagreeable spectacle, and is carefully avoided by all mafters of the drama. In order to dismiss the audience with entire fatisfaction and contentment, the virtue muft either convert itself into a noble courageous despair, or the vice receive its proper punishment. Moft painters appear in this light to have been very unhappy in their fubjects. As they wrought much for churches and convents, they have chiefly represented fuch horrible fubjects as crucifixions and martyrdoms, where nothing appears but tortures, wounds, executions, and paffive fuffering, without any action or affection. When they turned their pencil from this ghaftly mythology, they had recourse commonly to OviD, whose fictions, though paffionate and agreeable, are scarcely natural or probable enough for painting. The fame inverfion of that principle, which is here infifted on, difplays itfelf in common life, as in the effects of oratory and poetry. Raife fo the fubordinate passion that it becomes the predominant, it fwallows up that affection which it before nourished and encreafed. Too much jealoufy extinguishes love: Too much difficulty renders us indifferent: Too much fickness and infirmity difgufts a selfish and unkind parent. What fo difagreeable as the difmal, gloomy, difaftrous ftories, with which melancholy people entertain their companions? The uneafy paffion being there raised alone, unaccompanied with any fpirit, genius, or eloquence, conveys a pure uneafine fs, and is attended with nothing that can foften it into pleasure or fatisfaction. ESSAY XXII. Of the STANDARD of TASTE. HE great variety of Tafte, as well as of opinion, THER which prevails in the world, is too obvious not to have fallen under every one's obfervation. Men of the most confined knowledge are able to remark a difference of taste in the narrow circle of their acquaintance, even where the perfons have been educated under the fame government, and have early imbibed the fame prejudices. But thofe, who can enlarge their view to contemplate diftant nations and remote ages, are still more furprized at the great inconfiftence and contrariety, We are apt to call barbarous whatever departs widely from our own tafte and apprehenfion; But foon find the epithet of reproach retorted on us. And the highest arrogance and felf-conceit is at last startled, on observing an equal affurance on all fides, and fcruples, amidst fuch a contest of fentiment, to pronounce pofitively in its own favour. As this variety of tafte is obvious to the most careless enquirer; fo will it be found, on examination, to be still greater in reality than in appearance. The fentiments of men often differ with regard to beauty and deformity of all kinds, even while their general difcourfe is the fame. There are certain terms in every language, which import blame, and others praife; and all men, who use the fame fame tongue, muft agree in their application of them. Every voice is united in applauding elegance, propriety, fimplicity, fpirit in writing; and in blaming fuftian, affectation, coldness, and a falfe brilliancy: But when critics come to particulars, this feeming unanimity vanifhes; and it is found, that they had affixed a very different meaning to their expreffions. In all matters of opinion and science, the cafe is oppofite: The difference among men is there oftener found to lie in generals than in particulars; and to be lefs in reality than in appearance. An explanation of the terms commonly ends the controverfy; and the difputants are furprized to find, that they had been quarrelling, while at bottom they agreed in their judgment. Those who found morality on fentiment, more than on reason, are inclined to comprehend ethics under the former obfervation, and to maintain, that, in all queftions, which regard conduct and manners, the difference among men is really greater than at first fight it appears. It is indeed obvious, that writers of all nations and all ages concur in applauding juftice, humanity, magnanimity, prudence, veracity; and in blaming the oppofite qualities. Even poets and other authors, whofe compofitions are chiefly calculated to pleafe the imagination, are yet found, from HOMER down to FENELON, to inculcate the fame moral precepts, and to beftow their applause and blame on the fame virtues and vices. This great unanimity is ufually afcribed to the influence of plain reafon; which, in all thefe cafes, maintains fimilar fentiments in all men, and prevents thofe controverfies, to which the abstract fciences are fo much expofed. So far as the unanimity is real, this account may be admitted as fatisfactory: But we muft alfo allow that fome part of the feeming harmony in morals may be accounted for from the |