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cefsfully be employed in fublime compofition. Difdaiii feems 

 another of thofe difagreeable paffions which may fometimes lay 

 claim to dignity. I aOc whether the filent expreffion of this 

 paffion from Ajax toward Ulyfles, upon his defcent into Hell 

 be not truly great and fublime? If it be not, I am at a lofs to 

 know what is. Envy and malice indeed feem to be under 

 every modification unfuitable to the fublime. A mind addided 

 to thefe malignant paffions is incapable of alf true dignity 

 There is fomething fo vile and abjed in them, that however 

 forcible and pomted their natural expreffion might be, we can- 

 not conceive it to approach in any degree to a fublime form. 

 The charader of Shylock is drawn with admirable force, but 

 no where affeds fublimity. 



Let us apply our principles to fome other paffions. Grief 

 and pity have for their objefls the calamities of ourfelves and 

 others. Thefe paffions feem to have a natural tendency to 

 weaken and deprefs the mind. It is their difpofition to gratify 

 themfelves, and to dwell with a melancholy pleafure on their 

 objed; and thus by at once relaxing the vigour of the mind, 

 and confinmg its views and affedions, they are apt to prevent 

 all elevation and expanfion. The fubjed matter which employs 

 them bemg moft commonly the ordinary incidents of human 

 hfe are therefore unfit to raife aftonifhment, or any emotions 

 k.ndred to the fublime. Every day's acquaintance with the 

 world d.fcovers them to be the common lot of humanity, and 

 therefore the mind ought to meet them in fome degree pre- 

 pared. The full extent of the evil being known, the agitation 

 of the mmd is of courfe lefs than when it is under the impref- 

 lion of terror, which is apt to magnify its objed, and in fo 



[^ 2] doing 



