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H. III.] ACTIONS OF THE JOYOUS PASSIONS. 167 



cording to the general laws of the passions. It must be 

 distinguished from the instinct for enjoyment (380), in which 

 the object of the pleasure is neither known nor distin- 

 guished (262), while in every kind of joy the animal is con- 

 scious of the object, although imperfectly. In joyousness, 

 there is a future agreeable thing anticipated from the pre- 

 sent, in contentment^ from the past, in hope, from the future, 

 (Baumgarten's 'Metaphysics,' § 505 :) and since, consequently, 

 the various species of joy do not arise out of instincts (262), 

 they are never instinctive passions. Their sentient actions are 

 compounded of those of a sensational pleasure and a confused 

 sensational foreseeing (257, 258). Joy for honour is termed 

 ambition ; for the perfections of another, love (the passion) ; 

 in the various relations of the beloved to the loved, grati- 

 tude, compassion, kindness, benevolence, &c. (Baumgarten's 

 * Metaphysics/ § 506.) 



307. In as far as every kind of joyous passion is pleasure, 

 their sentient actions act upon the vital movements beneficially 

 for the health (259). They excite the circulation, and further 

 all the natural functions and secretions, especially that of 

 insensible transpiration, and give a sensation of lightness of the 

 body : the last is more particularly felt in joy, contentment, 

 and hope. If violent, however, they act contra-naturally (259), 

 so that great and sudden joy renders the transpiration ex- 

 cessive, or the heart acts too violently, and so brings on an 

 apopletic fit, or causes paralysis of the heart by excessive 

 distension, and sudden death is induced. The gentle calm 

 feelings of satisfaction and contentment, maintained continu- 

 ously and equally, and the practice of the gentler virtues, 

 conduce, consequently, to health and long life, more than vio- 

 lent emotions of joy and happiness (252). Nevertheless, various 

 diseases of the body, dependent upon contra-natural changes, or 

 upon enfeebled vital movements, maybe cured by joyous emotion. 



The sentient actions of joyous emotions, which result from the 

 foreseeing of their object, imperfectly express the condition of 

 their satisfaction (257), and are for the most part volitional 

 movements, such as dancing, leaping, laughing, singing, speak- 

 ing, and similar actions which accompany the actual enjoyment 

 of a vivid sensational pleasure, and the secondary conceptions 

 and desires thereby excited. These volitional movements are 



