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their being ufhered to public notice, adorned with all the colour- 

 ing of genius, and cloathed in the fafcinating garb of poetry. 

 There are crimes and enormities of which it fhould not be fo much 

 as fuppofed that our nature is capable. 



There is fomething plaufible in the objedion which I have 

 flated; but it may be urged, in reply, that no reprefentation of 

 criminality or vice, is, in itfelf, and abftradedly confidered, 

 immoral ; it becomes fo by its relations to fociety, and from a 

 confideration of its pernicious tendency, and probable effeds ; 

 from its being calculated to deprave and taint the mind, and 

 produce an imitation of what it exhibits. To do this the features 

 of vice muft be foftcned, the portrait muft be flattering. What 

 flattering portrait can there be of genuine and total deformity ? 

 It muft, indeed, require more than ordinary addrefs to make men 

 in love with horrors. The more atrocious and monftrous the 

 crime, the more diflicult it will be to paint it in alluring colours. 

 Of all the fubjedls of poetry, and the other imitative arts, the 

 horrible and ferocious fland moft perfedly clear of any tendency 

 to pervert the mind. The brutal and favage pafllons which pro- 

 duce the moft dreadful tragic fcenes, fo torture the guilty bofom, 

 that harbours them, that the criminality, which they prompt, 

 is infeparable from its own obvious and immediate punifhment. 



The reprefentation of pafllons leading to immediate torment 

 of their fubjed, and exciting horror and deteftation in the wit- 



neflTes 



