SECTION III.

Of the effects of profperity and adversity upon the judgment of mankind with regard to the propriety of action; and why it is more eafy to obtain their approbation in the one ftate than in the other.

CHAP. I.

That though our fympathy with forrow is generally a more lively fenfation than our Sympathy with joy, it commonly falls much more Short of the violence of what is naturally felt by the perfon principally concerned.

O

UR fympathy with forrow, though not more real, has been more taken notice of than our fympathy with joy. The word fympathy, in its moft proper and primitive fignification, denotes our fellow-feeling with the sufferings, not that with the enjoyments, of others. A late ingenious and fubtile philofopher thought it neceffary to prove, by arguments, that we had a real fympathy with joy, and that congratulation was a principle of human nature. No-body, I believe, ever thought it neceffary to prove that compaffion was fuch.

First of all, our fympathy with forrow is, in fome fenfe, more univerfal than that with joy. Though forrow is exceffive, we may fill have fome fellow-feeling with it. What we feel does not, indeed, in this cafe, amount to that compleat fympathy, to that perfect harmony and correfpondence of fentiments which conftitutes approbation. We do not weep, and exclaim, and lament, with the fufferer. We are fenfible, on the contrary, of his weakness and of the extravagance of his paffion, and yet often feel a very fenfible concern upon his account. But if we do not intirely enter into, and go along with, the joy of another, we have no fort of regard or fellow-feeling for it. The man who skips and dances about with that intemperate and fenfelefs joy which we cannot accompany him in, is the object of our contempt and indignation.

Pain befides, whether of mind or body, is a more pungent fenfation than pleasure, and our fympathy with pain, though it falls greatly fhort of what is naturally felt by the fufferer, is generally a more lively and diftinct perception than our fympathy with pleafure, though this laft often approaches more nearly, as I fhall fhow immediately, to the natural vivacity of the original paffion.

Over and above all this, we often ftruggle. to keep down our fympathy with the for ow of others. Whenever we are not under the obfervation of the fufferer, we endeavour, for our own fake, to fupprefs it as much as we can, and we are not always fuccefsful. The

oppofition

oppofition which we make to it, and the reluctance with which we yield to it, neceffarily oblige us to take more particular notice of it. But we never have occafion to make this oppofition to our fympathy with joy. If there is any envy in the cafe, we never feel the leaft propenfity towards it; and if there is none, we give way to it without any reluctance. On the contrary, as we are always afhamed of our own envy, we often pretend,. and fometimes really with to fympathise with the joy of others, when by that disagreeable fentiment we are difqualified from doing fo. We are glad, we fay, on account of our neighbour's good fortune, when in our hearts, perhaps, we are really forry. We often feel a fympathy with forrow when we would wish to be rid of it; and we often mifs that with joy when we would be glad to have it. The obvious obfervation, therefore, which it naturally falls in our way to make, is that our propenfity to fympathife with forrow must be very ftrong, and our inclination to fympathife with joy very weak.

Notwithstanding this prejudice, however, I will venture to affirm, that, when there is no envy in the cafe, our propensity to fympathife with joy is much stronger than our propenfity to fympathife with forrow; and that our fellow-feeling for the agreeable emotion approaches much more nearly to the vivacity of what is naturally felt by the perfons principally concerned, than that which we conceive for the painful one.

We

We have some indulgence for that exceffive grief which we cannot entirely go along with. We know what a prodigious effort is requifite before the fufferer can bring down his emotions to compleat harmony and concord with those of the fpectator. Though he fails, therefore, we eafily pardon him. But we have no fuch indulgence for the intemperance of joy; because we are not confcious that any fuch vaft effort is requifite to bring it down to what we can entirely enter into. The man who, under the greatest calamities, can command his forrow, feems worthy of the highest admiration; but he who, in the fulness of profperity, can in the fame manner mafter his joy, feems hardly to deferve any praife. We are fenfible that there is a much wider interval in the one cafe than in the other, between what is naturally felt by the perfon principally concerned, and what the fpectator can intirely go along with.

What can be added to the happinefs of the man who is in health, who is out of debt, and has a clear confcience? To one in this fituation, all acceffions of fortune may properly be faid to be fuperfluous; and if he is much elevated upon account of them, it must be the effect of the moft frivolous levity. This fituation, however, may very well be called the natural and ordinary ftate of mankind. Notwithstanding the prefent mifery and depravity of the world, fo juftly lamented, this really is the ftate of the greater part of men.

The

The greater part of men, therefore, cannot find any great difficulty in elevating themfelves to all the joy which any acceffion to this fituation can well excite in their companion.

But though little can be added to this state, much may be taken from it. Though between this condition and the highest pitch of human prosperity, the interval is but a trifle; between it and the loweft depth of mifery the distance is immenfe and prodigious. Adverfity, on this account, neceffarily depreffes the mind of the fufferer much more below its natural ftate, than profperity can elevate him above it. The fpectator, therefore, muft find it much more difficult to fympathife entirely, and keep perfect time, with his forrow, than thoroughly to enter into his joy, and must depart much further from his own natural and ordinary temper of mind in the one cafe than in the other. It is on this account, that, though our sympathy with forrow is often a more pungent fenfation than our fympathy with joy, it always falls much more short of the violence of what is naturally felt by the perfon principally concerned.

It is agreeable to fympathife with joy; and wherever envy does not oppofe it, our heart abandon's itself with fatisfaction to the highest transports of that delightful fentiment. But it is painful to go along with grief, and we always enter into it with re

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luctance.