Imperat; et pofitis inimicos admovet ignes.
Tum conata quater flammis imponere ramum,
Cœpta quater tenuit. Pugnat materque, fororque,
Et diverfa trahunt unum duo nomina pectus.
Sæpe metu fceleris pallebant ora futuri :
Sæpe fuum fervens oculis dabat ira ruborem,
Et modo nefcio quid fimilis crudele minanti
Vultus erat; modo quem mifereri credere poffes:
Cumque ferus lacrymas animi ficcaverat ardor,
Inveniebantur lacrymæ tamen. Utque carina,
Quam ventus, ventoque rapit contrarius æftus,
Vim geminam fentit, paretque incerta duobus :
Theftias haud aliter dubiis affectibus errat,
Inque vices ponit, pofitamque refufcitat iram.
Incipit effe tamen melior germana parente;
Et, confanguineas ut fanguine leniat umbras,
Impietate pia est. Nam poftquam peftifer ignis
Convaluit; Rogus ifte cremet mea vifcera, dixit.
Utque manu dirâ lignum fatale tenebat ;
Ante fepulchrales infelix adftitit aras.
Pœnarumque deæ triplicis furialibus, inquit,
Eumenides, facris vultus advertite veftros.
Ulcifcor, facioque nefas. Mors morte pianda est;
In fcelus addendum fcelus eft, in funera funus :
Per coacervatos pereat domus impia luctus.
An felix Oeneus nato victore fruetur,
Theftius orbus erit? melius lugebitis ambo.
Vos modo, fraterni manes, animæque recentes,
Officium fentite meum; magnoque paratas
Accipite inferias, uteri mala pignora nostri.
Hei mihi quo rapior? fratres ignofcite matri.
Deficiunt ad cœpta manus. Meruiffe fatemur
Illum, cur pereat: mortis mihi difplicet auctor.

Ergo

Ergo impune feret; vivusque, et victor, et ipfo
Succeffu tumidus regnum Calydonis habebit?
Vos cinis exiguus, gelidæque jacebitis umbræ ?
Haud equidem patiar. Pereat fceleratus; et ille
Spemque patris, regnique trahat, patriæque ruinam,
Mens ubi materna eft; ubi funt pia jura parentum ?
Et, quos fuftinui, bis menfum quinque labores?
O utinam primis arfiffes ignibus infans;
Idque ego paffa forem! vixifti munere noftro:
Nunc merito moriêre tuo. Cape præmia facti;
Bisque datam, primum partu, mox ftipite rapto,
Redde animam; vel me fraternis adde fepulchris.
Et cupio, et nequeo. Quid agam? modo vulnera
fratrum

Ante oculos mihi funt, et tantæ cædis imago; Nunc animum pietas, maternaque nomina frangunt. Me miferam! male vincetis, fed vincite, fratres; Dummodo, quæ dedero vobis folatia, vosque Ipfa fequar, dixit: dextraque aversa trementi Funereum torrem medios conjecit in ignes. Aut dedit, aut vifus gemitus eft ille dediffe, Stipes; et invitis correptus ab ignibus arfit. Metamorph. lib. 8. l. 445. In cafes of this kind, one circumftance always augments the fluctuation: after balancing between two actions, a refolution to prefer one of them is an inchoated gratification of the prevailing paffion, which moderates it in fome degree; and that circumftance tends to give a fuperiority to the oppofite paffion : another circumstance alfo concurs, that this oppofite paffion has, by restraint, acquired in the interim fome additional force.

Love and jealoufy connected by a common object, occupy the mind alternately when the object is confidered as beautiful, love prevails; when confidered as poffibly unfaithful, jealoufy prevails. A fituation of that kind affords great fcope for fluctuation of paffion; which is painted to the life by feveral masterly hands in words as well as in colours. Shakespeare handles the fame fubject, but in a manner uncommon, and peculiar to himself in Othello's foliloquy before putting his wife to death, love and jealousy are reprefented, each exerting its whole force, but without any struggle: Othello was naturally inflexible; and the tendereft love could not divert him from a purpose he approved as right, not even for a moment: but every thing confiftent with fuch a character is done to reconcile the two oppofite paffions; he is refolved to put her to death, but he will not fhed her blood, nor fo much as ruffle her fkin:

Othello. It is the caufe, it is the caufe, my foul ;Let me not name it to you, you chaste stars!

It is the cause.

-Yet I'll not fhed her blood,

Nor fear that whiter skin of her's than snow,
And smooth as monumental alabastar.

[Lays down the fword.

Yet fhe muft die; elfe fhe'll betray more men.

Put out the light, and then-Put out the light!-
If I quench thee, thou flaming minister,

I can again thy former light restore,

Should I repent: but once put out thy light,

Thou

Thou cunning'st pattern of excelling nature,

I know not where is that Promethean heat

That can thy light relumine.[Sets down the taper. When I have pluck'd thy rose,

I cannot give it vital growth again;

It needs muft wither.-I'll fmell thee on the tree :

O balmy breath, that dost almost persuade

[Kiffing her.

Juftice to break her sword !-One more; one more ;
Be thus when thou art dead, and I will kill thee,
And love thee after.- -One more, that's the laft;
So fweet was ne'er fo fatal! I must weep,

But they are cruel tears! this forrow's heav'nly;
It strikes where it doth love.-

Act. v. Sc.6.

In Otway's Orphan, we have an illuftrious example of the addrefs employed to gratify oppofite paffions directed to the fame object. Caftalio and Polydore, brothers and rivals, had fworn mutual confidence: Caftalio broke his faith by a private marriage; which unwarily betrayed Polydore into a dismal deed, that of polluting his brother's bed. Thus he had injured his brother, and was injured by him: juftice prompted him to make full atonement by his own death; refentment against his brother, required a full atonement to be made to himself. In coexiftent paffions fo contradictory, one of them commonly prevails after a ftruggle but here happily an expedient occurred to Polydore for gratifying both; which was, that he should provoke

K 3

voke his brother to put him to death. Polydore's crime, in his own opinion, merited that punishment; and juftice was fatisfied when he fell by the hand of the man he had injured: he wanted at the fame time to punish his brother for breach of faith; and he could not punish more effectually than by betraying his brother to be his executioner.

If difference of aim prevent the union of two paffions, though having the fame object; much more will it prevent their union, when their objects are alfo different: in both cafes there is a fluctuation; but in the latter the fluctuation is flower than in the former. A beautiful fituation of that kind is exhibited in the Cid of Corneille. Don Diegue, an old foldier worn out with age, having received a mortal affront from the Count, father to Chimene, employs his fon Don Rodrigue, Chimene's lover, to demand fatisfaction. This fituation occafions in the breast of Don Rodrigue a cruel ftruggle between love and honour, one of which must be facrificed. The fcene is finely conducted, chiefly by making love in fome degree take part with honour, Don Rodrigue reflecting, that if he loft his honour he could not deferve his miftrefs: honour triumphs; and the Count provoked to a fingle combat, falls by the hand of Don Rodrigue.

This produceth another beautiful fituation refpecting Chimene, which making part of the

fame