[ 3r ] 



beings. They can be exhibited to us only by a difplay of moral 

 and intellcdual perfedion, or by the gracious or terrible effeds o£ 

 their power. 



I HATE now confidered the different fyftems which have been 

 propofed with regard to the emotion excited by fublime objeds, 

 and having pointed out in what refped each was imperfed, hav©- 

 followed to its whole extent the method propofed by Lord 

 Kaims, and have, I hope, fupplied the deficiency of thofe fyflems. 

 The general error appears to me to have been a fuppofition of 

 a fimplicity in the emotion. The emotion is indeed always of 

 a grave kind, but with fome variation. I have endeavoured to 

 fliew that, though the fublime of human charader excites only 

 an admiration for the great or good qualities of our nature, yet 

 the fublimity of vifible objeds, as well as that of fuperior beings,, 

 may be perceived fometimes with an awful apprehenfion occa-- 

 fioned by cii*cumftances of terror, fometimes with a chearful 

 expanfion of the mind filled by the union of beauty and greatnefs. 

 If this reafoning be admitted, it will enable us to determine in" 

 what refpeds the pathetic is conneded with the fublime, and to 

 form a judgment concerning the nature of the merit of thofe 

 admired paffages whofe pretenfions to the clafs of fublimity have 

 been difputed.. 



With regard to the connedion of the pathethic and the fub- 

 lime, two different inquiries may be propofed ; the one of which 

 is, whether the effeds produced "by them are of the fame kind ; 



the.' 



