TE DE PALAIS G. PRUNELLE 1853 BIBLIOTHE ARTS ESSAY I. Of the DELICACY of TASTE and PASSION. S OME People are fubject to a certain delicacy of paffion, which makes them extremely fenfible to all the accidents of life, and gives them a lively joy upon every profperous event, as well as a piercing grief, when they meet with misfortunes and adversity. Favours and good offices eafily engage their friendship; while the smallest injury provokes their refentment. Any honour or mark of distinction elevates them above measure; but they are as fenfibly touched with contempt. People of this character have, no doubt, more lively enjoyments, as well as more pungent forrows, than men of cool and fedate tempers: But, I believe, when every thing is balanced, there is no one, who would not rather be of the latter character, were he entirely mafter of his own difpofition. Good or ill fortune is very little at our difpofal: And when a person; that has this sensibility of temper, meets with any misfortune, his forrow or refentment takes entire poffeffion of him, and deprives him of all relish in the common occurrences of life; the right enjoyment of which forms the chief part of our happinefs. Great pleafures are much lefs frequent than great pains; fo that a fenfible temper muft meet with fewer trials in the former way than in the latter. Not to mention, that men of fuch lively paffions are apt to be tranfported beyond all bounds of prudence and difcretion, and to take falfe fteps in the conduct of life, which are often irretrievable. There is a delicacy of tafte obfervable in fome men, which very much refembles this delicacy of paffion, and produces the fame fenfibility to beauty and deformity of every kind, as that does to profperity and adverfity, obligations and injuries. When you prefent a poem or a picture to a man possessed of this talent, the delicacy of his feeling makes him be fenfibly touched with every part of it; nor are the mafterly ftrokes perceived with more exquifite relifh and fatisfaction, than the negligences or absurdities with disgust and uneasiness. A polite and judicious converfation affords him the highest entertainment; rudeness or impertinence is as great a punishment to him. In short, delicacy of tafte has the fame effect as delicacy of paffion: It enlarges the sphere both of our happiness and mifery, and makes us fenfible to pains as well as pleasures, which efcape the reft of mankind. I believe, however, every one will agree with me, that, notwithstanding this resemblance, delicacy of taste. is as much to be defired and cultivated, as delicacy of paffion is to be lamented, and to be remedied, if poffible. The good or ill accidents of life are very little at our difpofal; but we are pretty much mafters what books we fhall read, what diverfions we fhall partake of, and what company we shall keep. Philofophers have endeavoured to render happiness entirely independent of every thing external. That degree of perfection is impoffible to be attained: But every wife man will endeavour to place his happiness on such objects, chiefly as depend upon himself : And that is not to be attained fo much by any other means as by this delicacy of fentiment. When a man is poffeffed of that talent, he is more happy by what pleases his tafte, than by what gratifies his appetites, and receives more enjoyment |