primary paffion in the production of fecondary emotions. A fecondary emotion cannot but be more faint than the primary; and therefore, if the chief or principal object have not the power to raise a paffion, the acceffory object will have still lefs power. But if a paffion be raised by the principal object, the secondary emotion may readily fwell into a paffion for the acceffory, provided the acceffory be a proper object for defire. And thus it happens that one paffion is often productive of another. Examples are without number: the fole difficulty is a proper choice. I begin with felf-love, and the power it hath to generate other paffions. The love which parents bear their children, is an illuftrious example of the foregoing doctrine. Every man, befide making part of a greater fyftem, like a comet, a planet, or fatellite only; hath a lefs fyftem of his own, in the centre of which he represents the fun difperfing his fire and heat all around. The connection between a man and his children, fundamentally that of caufe and effect, becomes, by the addition of other circumstances, the completeft that can be be among individuals; and therefore, felflove, the most vigorous of all paffions, is readily expanded upon children. The fecondary emotion they at firft produce by means of their connection, is, generally speaking, fufficiently strong to move defire even from the beginning; and the new paffion fwells by degrees, till it rival in fome measure self-love, the primary paffion. The following cafe will demonftrate the truth of this theory. Remorfe for betraying a friend, or murdering an enemy in cold blood, makes a man even hate himfelf. In this state, it is a matter of experience, that he is fcarce conscious of any affection to his children, but rather of difguft or ill-will. What cause can be affigned for this change, other than the hatred which beginning at himself, is expanded upon his children? And if so, may we not with equal reason derive from felf-love the affection a man for ordinary has to them? The affection a man bears to his bloodrelations, depends on the fame principle. Self-love is alfo expanded upon them; and the communicated paffion, is more or less L 2 vigorous vigorous in proportion to the connection. Nor doth felf-love reft here it is, by the force of connection, communicated even to things inanimate. And hence the affection a man bears to his property, and to every thing he calls his own. Friendship, lefs vigorous than felf-love, is, for that reason, less apt to communicate itself to children or other relations. Inftances however are not wanting, of such communicated paffion arifing from friendship when it is strong. Friendship may go higher in the matrimonial ftate than in any other condition and Otway, in Venice preferv'd, fhows a fine taste in taking advantage of that circumftance. In the scene where Belvidera fues to her father for pardon, the is represented as pleading her mo→ ther's merit, and the refemblance the bore to her mother. Priuli. My daughter! Belviderà. Yes, your daughter, by a mother Virtuous and noble, faithful to your honour, Obedient to your will, kind to your wishes, Dear to your arms. By all the joys fhe gave you, When When in her blooming years fhe was your trea fure, Look kindly on me; in my face behold The lineaments of hers y' have kiss'd so often, And again, Belvidera. Lay me, I beg you, lay me By the dear afhes of my tender mother. This explains why any meritorious action or any illuftrious qualification in my son or my friend, is apt to make me overvalue myfelf. If I value my friend's wife or his fon upon account of their connection with him, it is ftill more natural that I should value myself upon account of my own connection with him. Friendship, or any other focial affection, may produce oppofite effects. Pity, by interefting us ftrongly for the perfon in diftrefs, must of consequence inflame our refentment against the author of the diftrefs. For, in general, the affection we have for any man, generates generates in us good-will to his friends and ill-will to his enemies. Shakespear fhows great art in the funeral oration pronounced by Antony over the body of Cæfar. He firft endeavours to excite grief in the hearers, by dwelling upon the deplorable lofs of fo great a man. This paffion raised to a pitch, interesting them strongly in Cæfar's fate, could not fail to produce a lively fenfe of the treachery and cruelty of the confpirators; an infallible method to inflame the refentment of the multitude beyond all bounds. Antony. If you have tears, prepare to shed them now. You all do know this mantle; I remember 'Twas on a fummer's evening in his tent, That day he overcame the Nervii Look! in this place ran Caffius' dagger through;- Judge, |