they pursue it with more steadiness than men, particularly love. This is
not a compliment. Passion pursues with more heat than reason, and with
most ardour during the absence of reason.
7.
Men are more subject to the physical love than women. The confined
education of women makes them more subject to jealousy.
8.
Simplicity seems, in general, the consequence of ignorance, as I have
observed in the characters of women and sailors--the being confined to
one track of impressions.
9.
I know of no other way of preserving the chastity of mankind, than that
of rendering women rather objects of love than desire. The difference is
great. Yet, while women are encouraged to ornament their persons at the
expence of their minds, while indolence renders them helpless and
lascivious (for what other name can be given to the common intercourse
between the sexes?) they will be, generally speaking, only objects of
desire; and, to such women, men cannot be constant. Men, accustomed only
to have their senses moved, merely seek for a selfish gratification in
the society of women, and their sexual instinct, being neither supported
by the understanding nor the heart, must be excited by variety.
10.
We ought to respect old opinions; though prejudices, blindly adopted,
lead to error, and preclude all exercise of the reason.
The emulation which often makes a boy mischievous, is a generous spur;
and the old remark, that unlucky, turbulent boys, make the wisest and
best men, is true, spite of Mr. Knox's arguments. It has been observed,
that the most adventurous horses, when tamed or domesticated, are the
most mild and tractable.
11.
The children who start up suddenly at twelve or fourteen, and fall into
decays, in consequence, as it is termed, of outgrowing their strength,
are in general, I believe, those children, who have been bred up with
mistaken tenderness, and not allowed to sport and take exercise in the
open air. This is analogous to plants: for it is found that they run up
sickly, long stalks, when confined.
12.
Children should be taught to feel deference, not to practise submission.
13.
It is always a proof of false refinement, when a fastidious taste
overpowers sympathy.
14.
Lust appears to be the most natural companion of wild ambition; and love
of human praise, of that dominion erected by cunning.
15.
"Genius decays as judgment increases." Of course, those who have the
least genius, have the earliest appearance of wisdom.
16.
A knowledge of the fine arts, is seldom subservient to the promotion of
either religion or virtue. Elegance is often indecency; witness our
prints.
17.
There does not appear to be any evil in the world, but what is necessary.
The doctrine of rewards and punishments, not considered as a means of
reformation, appears to me an infamous libel on divine goodness.
18.
Whether virtue is founded on reason or revelation, virtue is wisdom, and
vice is folly. Why are positive punishments?
19.
Few can walk alone. The staff of Christianity is the necessary support of
human weakness. But an acquaintance with the nature of man and virtue,
with just sentiments on the attributes, would be sufficient, without a
voice from heaven, to lead some to virtue, but not the mob.
20.
I only expect the natural reward of virtue, whatever it may be. I rely
not on a positive reward.
The justice of God can be vindicated by a belief in a future state--but
a continuation of being vindicates it as clearly, as the positive system
of rewards and punishments--by evil educing good for the individual, and
not for an imaginary whole. The happiness of the whole must arise from
the happiness of the constituent parts, or this world is not a state of
trial, but a school.
21.
The vices acquired by Augustus to retain his power, must have tainted his
soul, and prevented that increase of happiness a good man expects in the
next stage of existence. This was a natural punishment.
22.
The lover is ever most deeply enamoured, when it is with he knows not
what--and the devotion of a mystic has a rude Gothic grandeur in it,
which the respectful adoration of a philosopher will never reach. I may
be thought fanciful; but it has continually occurred to me, that, though,
I allow, reason in this world is the mother of wisdom--yet some flights
of the imagination seem to reach what wisdom cannot teach--and, while
they delude us here, afford a glorious hope, if not a foretaste, of what
we may expect hereafter. He that created us, did not mean to mark us with
ideal images of grandeur, the _baseless fabric of a vision_--No--that
perfection we follow with hopeless ardour when the whisperings of reason
are heard, may be found, when not incompatible with our state, in the
round of eternity. Perfection indeed must, even then, be a comparative
idea--but the wisdom, the happiness of a superior state, has been
supposed to be intuitive, and the happiest effusions of human genius have
seemed like inspiration--the deductions of reason destroy sublimity.
23.
I am more and more convinced, that poetry is the first effervescence of
the imagination, and the forerunner of civilization.
24.
When the Arabs had no trace of literature or science, they composed
beautiful verses on the subjects of love and war. The flights of the
imagination, and the laboured deductions of reason, appear almost
incompatible.
25.
Poetry certainly flourishes most in the first rude state of society. The
passions speak most eloquently, when they are not shackled by reason.
The sublime expression, which has been so often quoted, [Genesis, ch. 1,
ver. 3.] is perhaps a barbarous flight; or rather the grand conception of
an uncultivated mind; for it is contrary to nature and experience, to
suppose that this account is founded on facts--It is doubtless a sublime
allegory. But a cultivated mind would not thus have described the
creation--for, arguing from analogy, it appears that creation must have
been a comprehensive plan, and that the Supreme Being always uses second
causes, slowly and silently to fulfil his purpose. This is, in reality, a
more sublime view of that power which wisdom supports: but it is not the
sublimity that would strike the impassioned mind, in which the
imagination took place of intellect. Tell a being, whose affections and
passions have been more exercised than his reason, that God said, _Let
there be light! and there was light_; and he would prostrate himself
before the Being who could thus call things out of nothing, as if they
were: but a man in whom reason had taken place of passion, would not
adore, till wisdom was conspicuous as well as power, for his admiration
must be founded on principle.
26.
Individuality is ever conspicuous in those enthusiastic flights of fancy,
in which reason is left behind, without being lost sight of.
27.
The mind has been too often brought to the test of enquiries which only
reach to matter--put into the crucible, though the magnetic and electric
fluid escapes from the experimental philosopher.
28.
Mr. Kant has observed, that the understanding is sublime, the imagination
beautiful--yet it is evident, that poets, and men who undoubtedly possess
the liveliest imagination, are most touched by the sublime, while men who
have cold, enquiring minds, have not this exquisite feeling in any great
degree, and indeed seem to lose it as they cultivate their reason.
29.
The Grecian buildings are graceful--they fill the mind with all those
pleasing emotions, which elegance and beauty never fail to excite in a
cultivated mind--utility and grace strike us in unison--the mind is
satisfied--things appear just what they ought to be: a calm satisfaction
is felt, but the imagination has nothing to do--no obscurity darkens the
gloom--like reasonable content, we can say why we are pleased--and this
kind of pleasure may be lasting, but it is never great.
30.
When we say that a person is an original, it is only to say in other
words that he thinks. "The less a man has cultivated his rational
faculties, the more powerful is the principle of imitation, over his
actions, and his habits of thinking. Most women, of course, are more
influenced by the behaviour, the fashions, and the opinions of those with
whom they associate, than men." (Smellie.)
When we read a book which supports our favourite opinions, how eagerly do
we suck in the doctrines, and suffer our minds placidly to reflect the
images which illustrate the tenets we have embraced? We indolently or
quietly acquiesce in the conclusion, and our spirit animates and connects
the various subjects. But, on the contrary, when we peruse a skilful
writer, who does not coincide in opinion with us, how is the mind on the
watch to detect fallacy? And this coolness often prevents our being
carried away by a stream of eloquence, which the prejudiced mind terms
declamation--a pomp of words.--We never allow ourselves to be warmed;
and, after contending with the writer, are more confirmed in our own
opinion, as much perhaps from a spirit of contradiction as from
reason.--Such is the strength of man!
31.
It is the individual manner of seeing and feeling, pourtrayed by a strong
imagination in bold images that have struck the senses, which creates
all the charms of poetry. A great reader is always quoting the
description of another's emotions; a strong imagination delights to paint
its own. A writer of genius makes us feel; an inferior author reason.
32.
Some principle prior to self-love must have existed: the feeling which
produced the pleasure, must have existed before the experience.
THE END.
Transcriber's Notes:
1. Obvious punctuation errors repaired.
2. This text contains blank space and lines of "--" and "*" characters.
These are replicated from the printed pages, presumably they indicate
censored text from the original source.
3. The listed errata at the beginning of Volume 1 and Volume 4 have been
applied to the text.
4. The text as printed used incipits and 'long s' font. The incipits have
not been replicated in this version, but can be viewed on 'long s' HTML
version of the text or the page images linked from the HTML versions.
5. Corrections:
Volume 1, Page 33, "accuteness" changed to "acuteness"
Volume 1, Page 51, "unfortutunate" changed to "unfortunate"
Volume 1, Page 57, "resource" changed to "recourse"
Volume 1, Page 90, "hunted" changed to "shunted"
Volume 1, Page 103, "carreer" changed to "career"
Volume 1, Page 161, "plased" changed to "pleased"
Volume 2, Page 116, "and and" changed to "and"
Volume 3, Page 35, "a r" changed to "air"
Volume 3, Page 81, "he he" changed to "he"
Volume 3, Page 120, "explananations" changed to "explanations"