Sect. V

Circumstances operati g on the passions.

tioned, as this tie is more direct than that which attacheth us to the scene of action. It is the persons, not the place, that are the immediate objects of the passions, love or hatred, pity or anger, envy or contempt. Relation to the actors commonly produces an effect contrary to that produced by relation to the sufferers, the first in extenuation, the second in aggravation of the crime alleged. The first makes for the apologist, the second for the accuser. This, I say, is commonly the case, not always. A remote relation to the actors, when the offence is heinous, especially if the sufferers be more nearly related, will sometimes rather aggravate than extenuate the guilt in our estimation. But it is impossible with any precision to reduce these effects to rules; so much depending on the different tempers and sentiments of different audiences. Personal relations are of various kinds. Some have generally greater influence than others; some again have greater influence with onę person, others with another. They are consanguinity, affinity, friendship, acquaintance, being fellow-citizens, countrymen, of the same surname, language, religion, occupation, and innumerable others.

PART VII...Interest in the consequences.

BUT of all the connexive circumstances, the most powerful is interest, which is the last. Of all relations, personal relation, by bringing the object very

near, most enlivens that sympathy which attacheth us to the concerns of others; interest in the effects brings the object, if I may say so, into contact with us, and makes the mind cling to it, as a concern of its own. Sympathy is but a reflected feeling, and, therefore, in ordinary cases, must be weaker than the original. Though the mirror be ever so true, a lover will not be obliged to it for presenting him with the figure of his mistress, when he hath an opportunity of gazing on her person. Nor will the orator place his chief confidence in the assistance of the social and sympathetic affections, when he hath it in his power to arm the selfish.

MEN universally, from a just conception of the difference, have, when self is concerned, given a different name to what seems originally the same passion in a higher degree. Injury, to whomsoever offered, is to every man that observes it, and whose sense of right is not debauched by vicious practice, the natural object of indignation. Indignation always implies resentment, or a desire of retaliating on the injurious person, so far at least as to make him repent the wrong he hath committed. This indignation in the person injured, is, from our knowledge of mankind, supposed to be, not indeed universally, but generally, so much stronger, that it ought to be distinguished by another appellation, and is accordingly denominated revenge. In like manner, beneficence, on whomsoever exercised, is the natural object of our

Sect. V.

Circumstances operating on the passions.

love, love always implies benevolence, or a desire of promoting the happiness of the beneficent person; but this passion in the person benefited, is conceived to be so much greater, and to infer so, strong an obligation to a return of good offices to his benefactor, that it merits to be distinguished by the title gratitude. Now by this circumstance of interest in the effects, the speaker, from engaging pity in his favour, can proceed to operate on a more powerful principle, self-preservation. The benevolence of his hearers he can work up into gratitude, their indignation into revenge.

THE two last mentioned cirumstances, personal re lation and interest, are not without influence, as was hinted in the enumeration, though they regard the speakers only, and not the hearers. The reason is, a person present with us, whom we see and hear, and who by words, and looks, and gestures, gives the liveliest signs of his feelings, has the surest and most immediate claim upon our sympathy. We become infected with his passions. We are hurried along by them, and not allowed leisure to distinguish between his relation and our relation, his interest and our interest,

Sect. VI. Other passions, as well as moral sentiments, useful auxiliaries.

SECT. VI....Other passions, as well as moral sentimente, useful auxiliaries,

So much for those circumstances in the object presented by the speaker, which serve to awaken and inflame the passions of the hearers *. But when a

* To illustrate most of the preceding circumstances, and show the manner of applying them, I shall take an example from Cicero's last oration against Verres, where, after relating the crucifixion of Gavius, a Roman citizen, he, exclaims, 1. "O nomen “dulce libertatis! ô jus eximium nostræ civitatis! ô lex Porcia "legesque Sempronia! ô graviter desiderata et aliquando reddi"ta plebi Romanæ tribunitia potestas. 2. Huccine tandem om.

"nia reciderunt, ut civis Romanus in provincia populi Romani, in oppido fœderatorum, ab eo qui beneficio populi Romani "fasceis et secureis haberet, deligatus in foro virgis cæderetur?"

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3. Sed quid ego plura de Gavio? quasi tu Gavio tum fu"eris infestus, ac non nomini, generi, juri civium hostis, non “illi inquam homini, sed cause communi libertatis inimicus "fuisti. 4. Quid enim attinuit, cum Mamertini more atque in"stituto suo, crucem fixissent post urbem, in via Pompeia; to

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jubere in ea parte figere, quæ ad fretum spectat; et hoc ad"dere, quod negare nullo modo potes, quod omnibus audientibus "dixisti palam, te idcirco illum locum deligere, ut ille qui se civem "Romanum esse diceret, ex cruce Italiam cernere, ac domum $6 suam prospicere posset? 5. Itaque illa crux sola, judices, post "conditam Messanam, illo in loco fixa est. 6. Italiæ conspectus “ad eam rem ab isto delectus est, ut ille in dolore cruciatuque moriens, perangusto freto divisa servitutis ac libertatis jura cog66 nosceret Italia autem alumnum suum, servitutis extremo sum46 moque supplicio affectum videret, 7. Facinus est vincire civem

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Sect. VI. Other passions, as well as moral sentiments, useful auxiliaries.

passion is once raised, there are also other means by which it may be kept alive, and even augmented.

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"Romanum, scelus verberare, prope parricidium necare, quid “dicam, in crucem tollere? verbo satis digno tam nefaria res appellari nullo modo potest. 8. Non fuit his omnibus iste conten"tus: Spectet, inquit, patriam, in conspectu legum libertatisque "moriatur. 9. Non tu hoc loco Gavium, non unum hominem, “ nescio quem, civem Romanum, sed communem libertatem et ci"vitatis causam in illum cruciatum et crucem egisti. 10. Jam vero videte homines audaciam : Nonne enim graviter tulissi arbitramini, quod illam civibus Romanis crucem non posset in foro, non in comitio, non in rostris defigere. 11. Quod enim his "locis in provincia sua celebritate simillimum, regione proximum potuit, elegit. 12. Monumentum sceleris-audaciæque suæ "voluit esse in conspectu Italiæ, prætervectione omnium qui ultro "citroque navigarent."--" 13. Paulo ante, judices, lacrymas "in morte misera atque indignissima navarchorum non tenebamus : et recté ac merito sociorum innocentium miseriâ commovebamur. 14. Quid nunc in nostro sanguine tandem facere de"bemus? nam civium Romanorum sanguis conjunctus existi"mandus est."- 66 15. Omnes hoc loco cives Romani, et "qui adsunt et qui ubicunque sunt, vestram severitatem deside66 rant, vestram fidem implorant, vestrum auxilium requirunt. "16. Omnia sua jura, commoda, auxilia, totam denique liberta"tem in vestris sententiis versari arbitrantur."-I shall point

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out the pathetic circumstances exemplified in this passage, ob. serving the order wherein they were enumerated. I have numbered the sentences in the quotation, to prevent repetition in referring to them. It must be remarked, first of all, that in judiciary orations, such as this, the proper place for plausibility is the narration; for probability, the confirmation nor proof: the other five, though generally admissible into either of those places, shine principally in the peroration. I shall show how the orator hath availed himself of these in the passage now cited. First, importance ;