regulated; and the erroneous opinions which have been entertained on thefe fubjects, even by men of knowledge and fagacity. Thus Lord Kames, a very acute and generally philofophical critic, is fatisfied with the clumsy theory, that every thing great in fize produces the emotion of graudeur; and every thing elevated in fituation produces the emotion of fublimity, which is very analogous to that of grandeur; he adds, that every emotion, from whatever caufe it proceeds, which refembles the emotion produced by greatnefs or elevation, is called by the fame name; and thus courage, magnanimity, generofity, are all called grand or fublime, the emotious which they produce resembling what we feel at the fight of great or elevated objects. Dr. Gerard, in his Effay on Tafte, has adopted this theory of Lord Kames, or rather has limited it fo as to make greatnefs of dimension the fole and effential ftandard of fublimity. Whatever, he fays, poffelies" quantity or amplitude, and fimplicity in conjunction," is fublime: and he thus endeavours to account for the analogy which he conceives between the emotion

duced by fuch objects, and that which is excited by the intellectual qualities of heroifm, generofity, or patriotifm. In forming the idea of any paffion, he fays, we "run over in thought the objects about which it is employed, the things by which it is produced, the effects by which it difcovers itfelf; and as thefe always enter into our conception of the paffion, and are often connected with quantity, they naturally render the paffion fublime. What wonder, then," he adds, "that we efteem heroifm grand, when, in order to imagine it, we fuppofe a mighty conqueror, in oppofition to the moft formidable dangers, acquiring power over multitudes of nations, fubjecting to his dominions wide-extended countries, and purchafing renown which reaches to the extremities of the world, and fhall continue through all the ages of futurity."

The fallacy of this reafoning is very easily detected, and. it does not require much confideration to be convinced, that the Spartan Leonidas, perifhing at the head of his handful of foldiers, at the ftreights of Thermopylæ, in defence of the liberties of his country, is as fublime an object as Alexander the Great fpreading the fame of his conquefls to the remotest boundaries of the known world. It is not therefore greatness of fize that enters effentially into the quality of fublimity. The ingenious Mr. Burke took a very dif ferent view of the fubject from all his predeceffors in this department of criticifin; and difmiffing all explanations of this emotion derived from certain permanent qualities of

mere

66

mere matter, he refolves it into the impreffion which certain objects, of extremely different kinds, are fitted to produce upon the mind, 'Whatever," he fays, "is fitted in any fort to excite the ideas of pain and danger; that is to fay, whatever is in any fort terrible, or is converfant about terrible obje&s, or operates in any manner analogous to terror, is a fource of the fublime." (Effay on the Sublime and Beau. tiful, Part I. § 7.)

In our review of Gregory's Principles of literary Com. pofition (vol. xxxiii. p. 397.) we have made fome observa tions upon this theory of the fublime, which appears to us fatisfactorily to account for this emotion in many cafes, though not in all. In various inftances, of which fome are there adduced, it appears to us indifputable, that a certain portion of the terrific, or perhaps more properly of the awful, is the effential characteriflic of fublimity: but in other cafes, we can discover nothing but a certain dignity, or elevation of fentiment, in what is called fublime, without the flightest tendency to excite any degree of terror. We have proposed, therefore, to divide fublime objects into two claffes; one of which may not improperly be called the awful, the other the grand. The prefent writer, however, is not at all fatisfied with Mr. Burke's explanation of fublimity, which he is by no means difpofed to adopt, even in part. He maintains, that the terrible is a quality in all cafes diftinct from the fub. lime, for this reason, that we find various objects, which are terrible in the highest degree, but which yet are deflitute of all pretenfions to fublimity. Such, for example, are a mortal wound, a coffin, a rack, a gibbet. We are fomewhat disposed to question what the author here affumes for his premifes; being of opinion, that the rack which is introduced on the flage in the tragedy of Venice Preferved, and the coffin which is difplayed in the tragedy of the Fair Penitent, contribute confiderably to the awfulnefs or fublimity of the fcenes in which they appear. But it is more material to remark, that the author's reafoning is altogether erroneous in principle; for, in order to prove that the fublime and the terrific are effentially different, he ought to have fhown, not "that there are many terrible objects which are deftitute of fublimity," but "that there are many fublime objects which are not at all terrific;" a task, which he has not attempted to perform.

This author confiders the theory of fublimity which is fuggefted by Dr. Blair at the conclufion of his 1 cture on that fubject, as the moft plaufible and fatisfa&tory. The Doctor thinks, that "nighty force or power, whether ac

companied

companied with terror or not, whether employed in alarming or protecting us, has a better title than any thing that has been mentioned to be the fundamental quality of the fublime." In the opinion of the prefent author then power is the true effence of fublimity, and he endeavours, by various illuftrations, to bring over his readers to this doctrine, but we think without fuccefs. He is peculiarly unfortunate in dwelling upon the fublime effect of looking down a precipice, instead of looking up to an equal height, as an illuftration of his doctrine, which is fo direct a proof of the theory that refolves fublimity into terror. He is equally fo in endeavouring to refolve the fublimity of colours into their expreffiveness of power; for it is not conceivable in what manner a mountain that is covered with a dark and gloomy heath, fhould indicate more power than one clothed in verdant turf; though every one is aware that it is much more fublime. We conceive then, that power is expreffive of fublimity only in those cafes, where it is at the fame time expreffive of awfulness or grandeur, which we confider as the true characteristics of the fublime.

The fourth Effay is on Terror, or the terrific in compofition, and is ingenious and amufing. It is not a little preblematical, that pleasure fhould be derived from this fource in compofition; and fill more fo that it fhould refult from it in actual life: yet both are undoubtedly true; for not only do we liften with eager curiofity to the most dreadful tales of robberies, murders, and apparitions; but even real fcenes of horror, fuch as an execution, a conflagration, or a shipwreck, would draw numerous fpectators from the gayeft affembly, without the fmalleft expectation of affording any relief to the fufferers. The following confiderations, fuggefted by this author, serve in a great measure to account for this feeming paradox:

"This pleasure has been afcribed to a fecret comparison of the danger of others with our own fecurity. So Lucretius, in the well-known paffage at the beginning of his fecond book :

Suave, mari magno, turbantibus æquora ventis,

E terra magnum alterius fpectare laborem.
Non quia vexari quemquam eft jucunda voluptas,
Sed quibus ipfe malis careas quia cernere fuave eft.
Suave etiam belli certamina magna tueri
Per campos inftructa, tua fine parte pericli.'

Such a comparifon is no doubt highly agreeable, and forms a confiderable part of the pleasure derived from the view of ter. rible fcenes. But we are farther to obferve, that the agitation

of

of terror itself appears to be delightful, when it does not bear too great a proportion to our ftrength of mind. The danger of a fox-chafe is not its least attraction; and there are perfons who languish in eafe and luxury, but whofe fpirits are elevated amidst the alarms of war. Bishop Burnet, who lived long with King William, gives the following account of him: His behaviour was folemn and ferious, feldom cheerful, and but with a few. He spoke little, and very flowly, and moft commonly with a dif gufting dryness, which was his character at all times, except in a day of battle; for then he was all fire, though without paffion : he was then every where, and looked to every thing*.' Thus we fee, that even the prefence of real danger ferves only to enliven certain minds, not to diftrefs them. And we can eafily conceive, that the most timorous may receive a pleafing agitation from the gentler movements, which are excited by descriptions and tales of terror.

"Nor ought it to be confidered as an extraordinary fact in our nature, that the fame emotion, which is painful and intolerable in its higher degrees, fhould yet be delightful in its gentler movements. Mr. Burke has well obferved, in his Effay on the Sublime, that there are analogous inftances, in which it will be readily acknowledged, that a given caufe produces pleasure or pain according to its intenfity. The moft delightful fragrance becomes infupportable, when it is much increased. Too great fweetness cloys and difgufts; while acidity and bitterness refresh, when diluted. Nothing is more enlivening than moderate funfhine, or more infufferable than the full glare of the vertical fun.

"Befide thefe caufes of pleasure which have been mentioned, we are to remember, that the unusual and alarming fituation in which the characters are reprefented, muft awaken our curiofity, both with regard to their fate, and with regard to their conduct and appearance, in circumftances where the utmost fortitude, or fortitude more than human, would be requifite for their support. And perhaps it is in the gratification of this curiofity, that the pleasure of many perfons chiefly confifts.

"If to all this we add, that the imagination may be elevated to the fublimeft conceptions; and that the gentler and endearing emotions of pity, with all the charms of compofition, may be blended to foften the dreadful: it would appear, that we may ac count in a fatisfactory manner for the pleafure which may be derived from those works, the object of which is to raise our terror." P. P. 94.

With respect to the rules to be adopted in compofition, for exciting terror to that degree which is productive of gratification, they exactly correfpond with the precepts recommended for attaining the fublime; namely, to be fimple in

"Conclufion of the reign of King William.”

phrafeology,

phrafeology, to be general and fomewhat obfcure in defcription, and carefully to avoid every low or trivial allufion: and this may be adduced as a ftrong corroborative argument of the identity of the fublime and the terrific, in a great va-riety of cafes.

The fifth Effay, which is on Pity or the Pathetic, is fomewhat tedious and minute. The author, however, has very Luccessfully enumerated the various fources of gratification which enter into the compofition of this complex emotion.

In the Effay on Melancholy, which is the next in order, the author has laboured hard to affign the causes which render this apparently fo uncomfortable feeling an occafional fource of delight. His fuccefs, however, has been but imperfect. There are few perfons, he obferves, who are not at times difpofed to confider life in a melancholy view. But in our despondence it is no fmall confolation to find, that we are not without companions; that all men are born, as well as ourselves, to fuffer; that our fellow-creatures feel as we do, and fympathize with our fears and forrows. Hence the melancholy defcriptions of life, while they indulge, will yet foothe our troubles. We are alfo, he fays, attracted in no fmall degree by curiofity, to learn the fentiments entertained by others with regard to fubjects fo interefting as the calamities of life, and the awful event by which it is closed for ever. In the recollection too of joys that are paft, which is the kind of melancholy that we are the fondeft to indulge, the conception of thefe joys renews, in fome degree, the fenfations of our happier days, and relieves with its brighter colouring the gloom of forrow.

There is nothing in this reafoning that appears to us very fatisfactory; and we are inclined to think, that the pleafing effect of melancholy in compofition is altogether analogous to the pleafing effects of pity and terror; and may be refolved into fimilar principles. When a portrait of the evils of life, or its tranfitory and uncertain happiness, is exhibited to our view, we are moved with a lively compaffion for the lot of humanity, or alarmed to a certain degree at the misfortunes which await ourselves: pity or terror thus are excited by this contemplation; but only to that degree which occafions a pleafing agitation of the mind; for if the colouring of the picture be very highly charged, inftead of an agreeable emotion, it will excite nothing but horror or difguft.

The feventh Effay, which treats of the "Tender Affections," prefents nothing particularly deferving of notice; in

BRÍT. CRIT, VOL. XXXV. JUNE, 1810.

the