hatred, are not fo exhaufted; but having a long continuance, demand frequent gratification.

To handle every fingle paffion and emotion with a view to thefe differences, would be an endless work we must be fatisfied at prefent with some general views. And with refpect to emotions, which are quiefcent because not productive of defire, their growth and decay are eafily explained: an emotion caufed by an inanimate object, cannot naturally take longer time to arrive at maturity, than is neceffary for a leifurely furvey: fuch emotion alfo muft continue long ftationary, without any fenfible decay; a second or third view of the object being nearly as agreeable as the firft: this is the cafe of an emotion produced by a fine profpect, an impetuous river, or a towering hill: while a man remains the fame, fuch objects ought to have the fame effect upon him. Familiarity, however, hath an influence here, as it hath every where frequency of view, after fhort intervals efpecially, weans the mind gradually from the object, which at last loses all relish: the noblest object in the material world, a clear and ferene fky, is quite difregarded, unless perhaps after a courfe of bad weather, An emotion raised by human virtues, qualities, or actions, may, by reiterated views of the object, fwell imperceptibly till it become fo vigorous as to generate defire: in that condition it must be handled as a paffion.

As

As to paffion, I observe, first, that when nature requires a paffion to be fudden, it is commonly produced in perfection; which is the cafe of fear and of anger. Wonder and surprise are always produced in perfection: reiterated impreffions made by their cause, exhaust these pasfions inftead of inflaming them. This will be explained afterward *.

In the next place, when a paffion hath for its foundation an original propenfity peculiar to some men, it generally comes foon to maturity: the propenfity, upon presenting a proper object, is immediately enlivened into a paffion; which is the cafe of pride, of envy, and of malice.

In the third place, the growth of love and of hatred is flow or quick according to circumftances: the good qualities of a perfon raise in me a pleasant emotion; which, by reiterated views, is fwelled into a paffion involving defire of that perfon's happiness: this defire, being freely indulged, works gradually a change internally, and at laft produceth in me a fettled habit of affection for that perfon now my friend. Affection thus produced operates precifely like an original propenfity; for to enliven it into a paffion, no more is required but the real or ideal prefence of the object. The habit of averfion or of hatred is brought on in the fame manner. And here I muft obferve by the way, that love and hatred

* Chap. 6,

H 4

fignify

fignify commonly affection and averfion, not paffion. The bulk of our paffions are indeed affection or averfion inflamed into a paffion by different circumftances: the affection I bear to my fon, is inflamed into the paffion of fear when he is in danger; becomes hope when he hath a profpect of good fortune; becomes admiration when he performs a laudable action; and fhame when he commits any wrong: averfion becomes fear when there is a profpect of good fortune to my enemy; becomes hope when he is in danger; becomes joy when he is in diftrefs; and forrow when a laudable action is performed by him.

Fourthly, paffions generally have a tendency to excefs, occafioned by the following means. The mind affected by any paffion, is not in a proper ftate for diftinct perception, nor for cool reflection it hath always a strong bias to the object of an agreeable paffion, and a bias no less strong against the object of a difagrecable paffion. The object of love, for example, however indifferent to others, is to the lover's conviction a paragon; and of hatred, is vice itself without alloy. What less can fuch delufion operate, than to fwell the paffion beyond what it was at firft? for if the feeing or converfing with a fine woman, have had the effect to carry me from indifference to love; how much stronger muft her influence be, when now to my conviction fhe is an angel? and hatred as well as other paffions must run the fame course,

Thus

Thus between a paffion and its object there is a natural operation, refembling action and reaction in phyfics: a paffion acting upon its object, magnifies it greatly in appearance; and this magnified object reacting upon the paffion, fwells and inflames it mightily.

Fifthly, the growth of fome paffion depends often on occafional circumftances: obftacles to gratification, for example, never fail to augment and inflame a paffion; becaufe a conftant endeavour to remove an obftacle, preferves the object of the paffion ever in view, which fwells the paffion by impreffions frequently reiterated: thus the restraint of confcience, when an obftacle to love, agitates the mind and inflames the paffion:

Quod licet, ingratum eft: quod non licet, acrius urit. Si nunquam Danaën habuiffet ahenea turris,

Non effet Danaë de Jove facta parens.

Ovid, Amor. 1. 2.

At the fame time, the mind, diftreffed with the obftacles, becomes impatient for gratification, and confequently more defirous of it. Shakespeare expreffes this obfervation finely:

All impediments in fancy's course,
Are motives of more fancy.

We need no better example than a lover who hath many rivals. Even the caprices of a miftrefs have the effect to inflame love; these occa

fioning

fioning uncertainty of fuccefs, tend naturally to make the anxious lover overvalue the happiness of fruition.

So much upon the growth of paffions: their continuance and decay come next under confideration. And, first, it is a general law of nature, That things fudden in their growth are equally fudden in their decay. This is commonly the case of anger. And, with respect to wonder and surprise, which alfo fuddenly decay, another reafon concurs, that their caufes are of short duration: novelty foon degenerates into familiarity; and the unexpectedness of an object is foon funk in the pleasure that the object affords. Fear, which is a paffion of greater importance as tending to felf-prefervation, is often instantaneous; and yet is of equal duration with its cause: nay, it frequently fubfifts after the cause is removed.

In the next place, a paffion founded on a peculiar propenfity, fubfifts generally for ever; which is the cafe of pride, envy, and malice: objects are never wanting to inflame the propenfity into a paffion.

Thirdly, it may be laid down as a general law of nature, That every paffion ceases upon attaining its ultimate end. To explain that law, we muft diftinguish between a particular and a general end. I call a particular end what may be accomplished by a fingle act: a general end, on the contrary, admits acts without number: because it cannot be faid, that a general end is ever

fully