1000000031

30~

MORAL

H 1 L O S O P H Y.

being fenGbly

ar.ve

over ,h.e \Vhole fynem,

hi~

hc""

re·

ceives and becoruc3 rclponti\'e tOenry touch gtvcn

any

parto

So th,H

g.uhers contcntmcn[ an,l

ddi~ht

from

the pleared and happy I!ate of thofc arotrnJ hinl, Irom ae·

counlS and relations of Cueh hdppincrrcs, from

lhe

very

countenant.:cs, gcfiures, voiees,

and

Counus cveo of crea–

tures foreígn tO our kitld, whoCe ligns ofjoy and content–

meot he

can

any way Jircern.

Nor do thore geocrous afI-"l!(tions (lop

~ny

othcr natu–

ral rouree of joy wh"ever, ,or deadO!? hlS lenro of . ny

innocent gr:utlicalion.

They

rather kecp, the (eve,nl

fwle, .nd pO\V<fs of enjoyme n, op<n and

dol~ng.gcd,

In·

ten{e, aod uncorruJHed by flOl or abuCe; as

eVluc;:nt tO

any one who eonfiders the dilTi?Jted unfeeling ítate of

meo of pleafure, ambitioo, or intere(l! anu compares,

with thé' fuene and gende

n.He

mlnd at peacc

w~th

i,felf, and friendly tO all mankind, unrulHed by any VIO·

lent emo,ion, 'Dd fenfible 'o every good·natured aod al·

Iuring joyo

were eafy, by going ,hro\lgh ,he different fe" of

affeélions. tO Ihew,

l hat

ooly by maintainin2

t~proportion

(eoled there that lhe mind ¡rrives

true

repofe aDd fa,isfaét ion. If fear exeeeds th.. proportion,

fink. into melaDcholy and dejeaion.

anger p.lfes

jun bounds, it ferm.ents into rage and re\'coge, or Cub–

!ides ¡n'o a fullen

corrodin~

gloom, \Vhich embitters e·

very good, and renders one exquiGtcly fenfible to <.ery

ill. The priva,e pallioos, tbe love of honou r efpceially,

whofc impulfes are more generous as

cffeéls are more

diffufive, are ioflrumenlS of private pleafure; but if they

are di(proportioncd to our W1QtS

or to the value of the

feveral objeéts, or 'o the balance of other pallions equal.

neceffary and more amiable, they becolne infiruments

of in,enfe pain and mifery. For, being no\V deUi,u,e of

that eounterpoife whieh held them at a due pi,eh, ,hey

grow 'urbulent, pee"ifh, and re.engeful, ,he eaure of

eonnam refllelfnefs and torment, fome,imes Ilying out

ioto a witd delirious jo,., at mher times fetding into a

deep fplene,ie grief. The eon<en be,ween reafoo and

pallion is ,heo broke: .11 is dilfonanee .nd

diUr.~ion

within. Tbe miDd is out of frame, and feels an agony

proponioned to the violeuce of the reigning pallioo.

The

cafe

is much lhe Came, or rather worfe, when

Oloy of the particular kind afftélions are out óf thcir n¡–

tural order anO proponion ; as happens in ,he cafe of ef·

fl:minate pity, exorbitant love, pareotal dotage. or any

pany·paOion, where ,he jufl regards ' o foeie,y are fup.

~Ian,eu.

The more focial and difintcrefled ,he pallion

¡s,

it breaks out

intO

the wilder exce(fes, and nlakes the

more drcadful havoek, bo,h within and abroad, as is but

too 'pparen, in ,hofo eares \Vhere a falfe fpecies of reli·

tion, honour., zeaJ, or pany-rage. has feized on

the

natllral cRthuriafm of the minu, aod worked

up tO

maullcfs.

break, through

all

ties natural Vand civil,

coun'cra(ls ,he mofl (aered and folemn obliga,ions, filen.

ces every other

afl~{lion

whethcr public or private, and

transforms the mon gentle oature. into ,he mofl favage

and inhuman.

Whcreas ,be man ",ho keep. tbe balance of affeétion

even, is ca(y aod (ercne in his motioos; mild, and yet

affdliunatc; unirorm and confilttot wi,h himfelf

is DOt

liable

difdgree3blc eollifions of inlerd\; and p.llions;

gires alway'

pl.ce

tO ,he moll friendly .nd

hum.ne

.ffee.

tions; and nc:ver

dlfpofitions or aéts el'

re(~n{mcnt,

bUl

high

ucca(ion" when

che

(c:curity of

{he pnvate,

welf.Hc

lh:

public

rytt.~mJ

t:le

grcat

inlerdh

ruankinu n:cdfarily

require

a noble

ind'gmuion; and

ven ,hen he obferv<s a jull m.,fu re in wr..h; and lal!

of aJl, he

proponloOS

t.\'cry pafTion

che vaJue of the

objdl he affeas, or 'o the imponanee of the end he

pu rfoe,.

To fum up 'Ris par< of the ar¡umen" the honefl and

goou man has cmincntly the advanrage of

che

knavifh

. nd fclr,lh wre,eh in ev<ry refpett. The ple.fures whieh

,he lal! enjoys Jlow ehiefly from ex,ernal advJn,age, and

gralifications ; are

fuperfici;,J ólnd

tr.tnfi tory;

d.iChed Wlth

long ¡ntc:rvals of (atiety, and rrequent returos uf remorre

and fear ; dependent po favourabJe accidents and caojunc.

,ur. s; and í"ubjeéted

,he humours of meno But the

good man is f..isfied from himf<if; his 'prinei pal polfef.

lions li'e within, and therefore beyond the rcaeh of ,he

caprice of men or

(onune;

bis cnjoymenu are

exquiGte

and permanent ; accompanied

Wlth

no inward checks

damp ,hem, and . Iway. \Vi,h ideas of digni,y .nd felf–

apprúbatioa

may be: talled

aoy time, and in any place.

The gradlications of vice are turbulenr and

un natural,

generally arifing from ,he relief of pallions in ,hemfelve.

intolerable, and i(fuing in

lormenting

reRetlions ;

oflen

irri,a,ed by difappoin,men', .1\Vays in!lamed by enjoy–

men" and yet ever c10yed wi,h reJleti ,ion. The pie• •

fures of .,.irtue are calm aed gatural; flowing

from~the

exercife of kind affeétions, Or deligh,ful refleétion. iD

eonfequeDce of ¡hem: not only agree.ble in ,he profpea,

bu, in ,he prefent feeling! they never fa,iate, or lofe

their relifh; nay, rather the ad01iration of vu-tue grows

flronger every day; and no' only is ,he defire but ,he

enjoyment heightened by every new gratification; and,

unlike

mon

others,

increared.

nOl

diminifhed,

fympa,hy and eommunication. In fine, , he fatisfaétion.

of vinue may be purehafed wi,hou, a bribe, and polfelf<d

in the humblefl as ",eU as ,he mofl triumphaDt fonuoe;

,hey can be.. ,he flriétefl review, do not change wi,h

circurnHances, nor grow old with time. Force caooot

rob, nor (raud cheat us of them; and

to crown all

in·

flead of abating, ,hey eohance every o,her pleafure.

But the happy confequeDees of vinuc are fcen,

O?t

only in che ¡mernal enjoyments it affords aman, bm

the favourable difpofiuon of external caur.s ,owards h,m,

to which

contributes.

As vinue gives the fober polfellioD of one's felf and

the comnland of one's palTions , the cooCequeñce mufl De,

heart's eaCe, and

60e natural Ilow of Cpiries, which

conduce more ,han .ny thing elr< tO heal,h and long

lif~.

Violen, paOioos, and ,he e"celfes ,hey oee.lion, gradu.

ally impair and \Vear dowo the machine. But the ealm

plaeid

fla~e

of. temperate mind, and ,h< heallhful exer–

ciCes in which ,irtue englges her faithfuJ vouries, pre–

ferve ,he natural funétioos in full vigour .nd humony,

anu e"hilarate ,he fpirits, whieh are ,he chiefioflruOlents

of ailion.

may by fome be thoo¡¡ht odu 'o alfat, that vinue

is nu enemy to a nllo's fortune io ,he prCrt ot fla,e

tbanS··