and PaJJions , upon the Underftanding, 
3*3 
moft extravagant, with ideas moft deranged, 
with apprehenfions mod: fanciful, have abided 
the poor imagination, whilft all their cenfure 
and alarm have had no better, than an imaginary 
foundation ? * 
A mind too imaginative does, indeed, often 
join its ideas together in wild and ridiculous 
afiociations One who is called, a wit , joins 
only thole which appear odd and fantaftic. But 
he, whofe judging are exadlly poifed by his ima¬ 
ginative powers, who is, according to our fcheme, 
at once , lively to conceive, and fober to judge, 
collects together only thoje ideas, which are pro¬ 
per to fet the fubjeft before him in fuch a 
light, as to enable him to form an exa<ft de¬ 
termination. The power of imagining , is, there¬ 
fore, in its place, as necefiary, as the power of 
judging. Suppofe a mind which could only re¬ 
member —It would fall, at once, into the track 
marked out by others, and would never employ 
its own powers, by reafoning and determining for 
itfelf. Accordingly we find, that perfons of the 
fhongeft memory have generally che weakeft 
judgments. 
If thefe piinciples are juft, a mind, which 
could not imagine , could not reajGn. It would 
have no materials before it, on which to form 
its decifion, Its view of any fubjeit would be 
narrow and defective. Obferve, on the other 
# 
“ turbida tcrret imago.” Virgil. ^En. IV. 333. 
hand. 
