(54 THE PRINCIPLE OF ANTITHESIS. Chap. II. 



opposition to those assumed under an opposite and savage 

 frame of mind. 



Again, when a cat, or rather when some early pro- 

 genitor of the species, from feeling affectionate first 

 slightly arched its back, held its tail perpendicularly 

 upwards and pricked its ears, can it be believed that the 

 animal consciously wished thus to show that its frame 

 of mind was directly the reverse of that, when from being 

 ready to fight or to spring on its prey, it assumed a 

 crouching attitude, curled its tail from side to side and 

 depressed its ears? Even still less can I believe that 

 my dog voluntarily put on his dejected attitude and 

 " hot-lionse face" which formed so complete a contrast 

 to his previous cheerful attitude and whole bearing. It 

 cannot be supposed that he knew that I should under- 

 stand his expression, and that he could thus soften my 

 heart and make me give up visiting the hot-house. 



Hence for the development of the movements which 

 come under the present head, some other principle, dis- 

 tinct from the will and consciousness, must have inter- 

 vened. This principle appears to be that every move- 

 ment which we have voluntarily performed through- 

 out our lives has required the action of certain muscles; 

 and when we have performed a directly opposite move- 

 ment, an opposite set of muscles has been habitually 

 brought into play, — as in turning to the right or to the 

 left, in pushing away or pulling an object towards us, 

 and in lifting or lowering a weight. So strongly are 

 our intentions and movements associated together, that 

 if we eagerly wish an object to move in any direction, 

 we can hardly avoid moving our bodies in the same 

 direction, although we may be perfectly aware that this 

 can have no influence. A good illustration of this fact 

 has already been given in the Introduction, namely, in 

 the grotesque movements of a young and eager billiard- 



