For the sake of comparison I may cite Mr. Spencer’s summary of the
elements which he thinks compose Love: “Round the physical feeling
forming the nucleus of the whole there are gathered the feelings
produced by personal beauty, that constituting simple attachment, those
of reverence, of love of approbation, of self-esteem, of property, of
love of freedom, of sympathy. All these, each excited in the highest
degree, and severally tending to reflect their excitement on each other,
form the composite psychical state which we call Love. And as each of
these feelings is in itself highly complicated, uniting a wide range of
states of consciousness, we may say that this passion fuses into an
immense aggregation, nearly all the elementary excitations of which we
are capable; and that from this results its irresistible power.”
Let us now see how many of the characters of true Romantic Love are to
be found in the courtship of animals and savages.