$12 DISEASES CLASS III. i. 2. 3. 



the mother to her offspring. Men who have not had leifure to 

 cultivate their tafte for vifible objects, and who have not read the 

 works of poets and romance-writers, are lefs liable to fentimen- 

 tal love ; and as ladies are educated rather with an idea of being 

 chofen, than of choofing ; there are many men and more wom- 

 en, who have not much of this infinity ; and are therefore more 

 eafily induced to marry for convenience or mtereft, or from the 

 flattery of one fex to the other. 



In its fortunate gratificatjon fentimental love is fuppofed to 

 fupply the pureft fource of human felicity ; and from the fud- 

 dennefs with which many of thofe patients, defcribed in fpecies 

 I. of this genus, were feized with the maniacal hallucination, 

 there is reafon to believe, that the moft violent fentimental love 

 may be acquired in a moment of time, as reprefented by Shakf- 

 peare in the beginning of his Romeo and Juliet, as originally 

 written. 



Some have endeavoured to make a diflinction between beau- 

 ty and grace, and have made them as it were rivals for the pof- 

 feflion of the human heart ; but grace may be defined beauty in 

 action ; for a fleeping beauty cannot be called graceful in what- 

 ever attitude me may recline ; the mufcles mutt be in action to 

 produce a graceful attitude, and the limbs to produce a grace- 

 ful motion. But though the object of love is beauty, yet the 

 idea is neverthelefs much enhanced by the imagination of the 

 lover ; which nppears from this curious circumftance, that the 

 lady of his paffion feldom appears fo beautiful to the lover after 

 a few months feparation, as his ideas had painted her in his 

 abfence ; and there is on that account, always a little difappoint- 

 ment felt for a minute at their next interview from this halluci- 

 nation of his ideas. 



This pafllon of love produces reverie in its firft Mate, which 

 exertion alleviates the pain of it, and by the affiftance of hope 

 converts it into pleafure. Then the lover feeks folitude, left 

 this agreeable reverie (hould be interrupted by external flimuli, 

 as defcribed by Virgil. 



Tantum inter denfas, umbrofa cacumina, fagos 

 Aflidue veniebat, ibi hxc incondita folus 

 Montibus et fylvis ftudio ja&abat inani. 



When the pain of love is fo great, as not to be relieved by the 

 exertions of reverie, as above defcribed ; as when it is mifplaced 

 on an object, of which the lover cannot poflefs himfelf ; it may 

 ftill be counteracted or conquered by the ftoic philofophy, which 

 ftrips all things of their ornaments, and inculcates " nil admira- 

 ri." Of which leflbns may be found in the meditations of Mar- 

 cus 



