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objeds, and from whatever caufes an agreeable emotion refembling 

 thofe which are excited by great or elevated objeds of fight. 

 Dodor Blair profeffes himfelf inclined to think that mighty force 

 or power, whether accompanied with terror or not, whether 

 employed in proteding or alarming us, has a better title than any 

 thing that had yet been mentioned to be the fundamental quality 

 of the fublime, but does not infift upon it as fufficient to found 

 a general theory. This controverfy about the principle of the 

 fublime has naturally extended to its application, and we fee the 

 fame paffages applauded for this quality by fome critics and 

 rejeded as deflitute of it by others. Longinus quotes as fublime 

 the Ode of Sappho, which Lord Kaims, whilft he admits it to 

 be beautiful, excludes from the clafs of fublimity. The cele- 

 brated defcription of the creation of light, which has been pro- 

 duced by the great critic of antiquity as an illuftrious inftance 

 of the fublime, has not had a better fate. A French critic has 

 difputed his judgment, and Lord Kaims thinks that the opinion 

 of the latter may be defended as the more folid, though he 

 acknowledges that the mind is afteded by it with a momentary 

 emotion of fublimity. The principles of tafte are indeed fixed 

 in our nature, and whatever correfponds to them muft pleafe, 

 though we fhould not be able to aflign its proper clafs. However, 

 to difcriminate thofe clafiTes from each other, whilft it furnifhes 

 an elegant amufement, appears to conduce to a refinement of our 

 apprehenfion of their refpedive qualities. 



Perhaps it would not be difficult to account for the variety of 

 fentiment on this fubjed. Some peculiar bias may pofTibly be 



difcovered 



