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e o
N
zG7
e o
N
\Ve
milO
no! expeél, Ihal Ihde differen! impropl'ielies
are frpamed by clil!inél boundarics: for of impruprielics,
{romIhe flighlel!
!O
,he mol! grufs, from Ihe moll rifi·
hl,
10
Ihe moO ferious, there uc degrees wilhout end.
Heoce il i!, Ihal in viewing fome unbecoming ñélions,
loolifible (or anger, and too ferious for derifion, the
fpcélalOr feels a fort of mixt emotion, plrlaking both of
derifion and of anger; which accOllnts for an exprellion,
eommon with refpeé! 10 Ibe improprielY of fome aélion"
That \Ve kno\V nOI whelher to laugh or be angry.
!t
cannol fail to be obferved, that in
th~
c.(c of a ri·
fihle impropriety, which is always lIigln, the contempt
\Ve have for thc ofFender is extremely faint, though de·
rifioo, its gratific:nion, is extremely pleafant. Thls dif·
proponion between a pallion and its gratification, feenls
not eonformable to thc analogy of nature. In looking a·
bout for a fol lltion, \Ve mull refleA upon what is laid
down above, that an improper aélion not onlymoves our
eontempt for the aUlhor, but alfo, by means of contrarl,
f\Vells the good opinion \Ve have of ourfelves. This con·
tributes, more than any other anide, tO thc pleafure we
have in ridiculing follies and abfordities; and according.
Iy, il is \Vell known, thal Ihey who pUt the gremO valuc
upon Ihemfeives are Ihe moll prone lO laugh al olhers.
Pride, whieh is a vivid pallion, pleafant in itfelf, and nOI
lefs fo in ils gratificarion, \Vould fingly be funicienl 10
aceounl for ¡he pleafure of ridicule, Wilhoul borrowing
any aid from contempt. Hence appears the ,eafon of a
noted obfervation, Tbat we are the
P.101!
difpofed to ridi·
eule the blunders and abfurdities of others, ",hen we are
~n
high fpirits; for in high fpirits, felf·conceit difplays
ufdf ",ilh more than ordinary vigour.
With regard 10 the final caufes of congruityand im·
propriety; one, regarding congruily, is preny obvious,
Ihlt the fenfe of congruily, as one principie of the fine
¡r~s,
contribute! in a remarkable degree to our enlcr·
ralOmenl. Congruity, indeed, wirh refpeé! to quantilY,
coincides with proponion: when the pans of a building
are nicely adjuOed 10 each other, it may be faid indif·
ferently, that il is agreeable by the congruity óf its pam,
or by Ihe proponion of ill pans. BUI propriely, which
re,gards voluntaryagenls only, can never be the fa me
wllh proponion: a very long nofe is difproponioned,
bUI cannot be termed
impropero
In fome inllances, it is
tru~,
impropritty coincides with difproponion in Ihe fame
fubjel!, but nel'er in Ihe fame refpeé!; for examyle,
a I'ery liule man buckled lO a long toledo: confidering
lhe,man and the fword wirh refpeé! lO fize, we perceive
a dtfproponion; confidering Ihe fword as the choice of
the man, we perceive an improprielY.
The fenfe of impropriety with refpeé! to miOakes,
blunders, and abfurclities, is happily contrtved for the
g~od
of mankind, In the fpeé!atOrs, it is produé!ive of
mlrth and lauehler, cxcellcot reereation in an interval
from bufinefs. Hut this is a IriAe in rtrpeé! of whal fol·
low~ ,
H
is painful to be the fubj eél of ridicule; and lO
pUOIIh with ridicule the Olan I',ho is gui lty of an abfurcli·
ty, tends
10
put him more upon his guard in lime coming.
Tlllls even the moO innocent blunder is nOI
commiu~d
with impunit y; bccaufe, wcre errors liccnfed where they
VOL.
lI. No.
1"
3
do no I,un,
in~ttention
\Vould grow into a ha¡'i:, and be
Ihe occafion of much hur!.
The fina l caufe of propriely as to moral dUlies, is of
all the mon illullrious. To have a jurl notÍon of ir,
Ihe moral dutÍes that rcfpeé! others mull be dillinguilhed
from thofe thar refpeé! ourfelves. Fidelity, gmilude,
and thc forbearing injury, are examples of the firO fon;
temperance, modeOy, firmnefs of mlOd, are cxamp!es of
the other: the former are made duties by the fenfe of
juOice ; the Imer by thc fenfe of propriety. Here is
a final
c~ufe
of the fenfe of propriety, thal mull roufe
our attention.
!t
is undoubledly the inlercO of el'ery
man, to fuit his behaviour 10 the dignity of his nature,
and
10
the Oation alloned him by Providence: fo r fuch
rational condué! contribules in cvery refpeé!lo happinefs,
by preferl'ing health, by proeuring plenty, hy gaining
Ihe elleem of others, and, which of all is the grealeO
blclling. by gaining a juOly,founded fclf.e/leem. But in
a matter fo eerenliallo ou r well,being, el'en felf,interefl
is not relied on: the powerful aUlhorily of duty is fu·
peradded lO Ihe motive of interell. TheGod of nalure,
in all things eerential to our happinefs, hath obferved one
uniform method: 10 kcep us lleady in our
~ondué!,
he
hath fonified us with naturallaws and principies, which
prevenr many aberrations, Ihat would daily happen
were
\Ve
totally furrendered tO fo fallible aguide as is hu·
man reafon. Propriety CdnnOt riglnly be confideted in
another light, than as rhe natur.llaw that regulales our
condué! with refpeé! to ourfelves ; as juflice is the natu·
rallaw Ihat regulates our condué! ",ith refpel!lo othm.
We call propriety a law, nor lef, rhan juOice; becaufe
bOlh are equally rules of
cond~é!
thal ought
10
be obey–
ed: propriely ineludes this obligation; for to fay an
atlionil proper,
¡.¡,
in other words, to fay, that it
~I/gh!
tO be performed; and to fay it is improper, is, in otber
words, to r.,y thal it
ol/gh!
to be forborn .
It
is Ihis
very charaé!er of
.ughl
and
jh,uld
thar makes juOice a
law lO us; and Ihe fame charaé!er is applicable to pro·
priety, though perhaps more faintly Ihan lO jullice : but
the difference is in degree only, not in kind; and Wt
oughr, without hefitation or relué!ance, to fuumit equally
to the governmen! of both.
But it mufl, in the neXI place, be obferved, thal to
the fenfe of propriely, as \Vell as of jurliee, are annexed
Ihe fané! ions of re\Vards and punifl,menls; which evi·
dently prove the one
\O
be a law as ",ell as Ihe other.
The fatisfaélion aman hath in doing his duty .. joined IVilh
the efleem and good will of olhers, is the reward
Ih~1
be·
longs 10 bOlh equally. The punifllmenls alfo, IhOllgh
not the faOlc, are nearly allicd; and differ
~n
degree
more Ihan in qualiry.
Difob~dience
to the laIV of ju.
flice, is puniOled ",ith remorfe; dirobedicnce tO the
law of propriety, with Olamc. which is remorfe in a 10IV–
(f
degree. Every tranfgrcllion of the laIV of jllHice rai·
fts indignation in the bcholder: anJ fo dot h el'ery Oa·
grant tranfgreOion of the IaIV of propriety. Slighter im·
rroprieries receivc a milder puniO,mcllt: thcy
ar~
alwaY3
rebllked with fODle dcgree of contcmrt. aud frcquently
with derifion. In general, it is truc, that the rew.lrds
and l'uuilhmenlS annexed to Ihe fenfe of rrol'rict)',
'lre
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3 Y
{Ji~h tl'l