jarring, and convulfive, fomething that tears and diftracts the breaft, and is altogether deftructive of that compofure and tranquillity of mind which is fo necessary to happiness, and which is beft promoted by the contrary paffions of gratitude and love. It is not the value of what they lose by the perfidy and ingratitude of those they live with, which the generous and humane are moft apt to regret. Whatever they may have loft, they can generally be very happy without it. What moft difturbs them is the idea of perfidy and ingratitude exercised towards themfelves; and the difcordant and difagreeable paffions which this excites, conftitute, in their own opinion, the chief part of the injury which they fuffer.

How many things are requifite to render the gratification of refentment completely agreeable, and to make the spectator thoroughly fympathize with our revenge? The provocation must first of all be fuch that we should become contemptible, and be expofed to perpetual infults, if we did G 3 not,

not, in fome measure, refent it. Smaller offences are always better neglected; nor is there any thing more despicable than that froward and captious humour which takes fire upon every flight occafion of quarrel. We fhould refent more from a sense of the propriety of refentment, from a fense that mankind expect and require it of us, than because we feel in ourselves the furies of that difagreeable paffion. There is no paffion, of which the human mind is capable, concerning whofe juftness we ought to be fo doubtful, concerning whofe indulgence we ought fo carefully to confult our natural fenfe of propriety, or fo diligently to confider what will be the fentiments of the cool and impartial fpectator. Magnanimity, or a regard to maintain our own rank and dignity in fociety, is the only motive which can ennoble the expreffions of this difagreeable paffion. This motive muft characterize our whole ftyle and deportment. These must be plain, open, and direct; determined without pofitiveness, and elevated without infolence; not only free from petulance and low fcurrility,

but

but generous, candid, and full of all proper regards, even for the perfon who has offended us. It must appear, in fhort, from our whole manner, without our labouring affectedly to express it, that paffion has not extinguished our humanity; and that if we yield to the dictates of revenge, it is with reluctance, from neceffity, and in confequence of great and repeated provocations. When refentment is guarded and qualified in this manner, it may be admitted to be even generous and noble.

CHA P. IV. ·

Of the focial Paffions.

s it is a divided fympathy which renders the whole fet of paffions juft now mentioned, upon moft occafions, fo ungraceful and difagreeable; fo there is another fet oppofite to thefe, which a redoubled fympathy renders almost always peculiarly agreeable and becoming. Generofity, humanity, kindness, compaffion, mutual friendship and esteem, all the focial and benevolent affections, when expressed in the countenance or behaviour, even towards thofe who are not peculiarly connected with ourselves, please the indifferent fpectator upon almoft every occafion. His fympathy with the person who feels thofe paffions exactly coincides with his concern for the person who is the object of them. The intereft, which, as a man, he is obliged to take in the happiness of this laft, en

livens his fellow-feeling with the fentiments of the other, whofe emotions are employed about the fame object. We have always, therefore, the strongest difpofition to fympathize with the benevolent affections. They appear in every refpect agreeable to us. We enter into the fatisfaction both of the person who feels them, and of the perfon who is the object of them. For as to be the object of hatred and indignation gives more pain than all the evil which a brave man can fear from his enemies; fo there is a fatisfaction in the consciousness of being beloved, which, to a perfon of delicacy and fenfibility, is of more importance to happiness, than all the advantage which he can expect to derive from it. What cha

racter is fo deteftable as that of one who takes pleasure to fow diffenfion among friends, and to turn their most tender love into mortal hatred? Yet wherein does the atrocity of this fo much abhorred injury confift? Is it in depriving them of the frivolous good offices, which, had their friendship continued, they might have expected from one another? It is in depriving them

of