ASS 



ASS 



tlioiights together, and beget tliat regular train of refleflion 

 or ditcourfe, whicli, in a prcaler or lots degree, takes place 

 among all mankind. Although it fliould be allowed, that 

 thefe are real principles of affociation or connection in our 

 ideas, it may be urged that ideas fucceed one otiier with- 

 out refcmblance or contiguity as to time and place, and 

 without the mutual corrcfpondence or relation of caufe 

 and cffec\ ; and that there are other aflbciations bcfides 

 thofe of ideas, which arc affociatcd with pafiions and emo- 

 tions, and pafiions and emotions are afTociated together, 

 A particular idea is aflociated together with a proper 

 name, and often with the general name of the fpecies ; ge- 

 neral conceptions, or mixed modes, as they are denomi- 

 nated by Mr. Locke, are afTociated with figns both audible 

 and vifible, and figns are affociated with one another. Vir- 

 tue, as it confdts in aftion and intention, does not refemblc 

 the found virtue, is not contiguous to it in time or place, 

 and is neither its caufe nor its tfledl: ; nor can it be imagined 

 that the arbitrary figns of various objects fiiould have any 

 natural relation to one another, lint if there w ere no other 

 principles of atfociation befides tliofc of Mr. Hume, the 

 author himfelf has not fliewn how they account for the 

 phenomena. 



Dr. Hartley, whatever may be thought of his general 

 fyftem, has attempted to form a mechanical theory of the 

 human mind and its various operations by means of 

 " affociation." The principle or law of affociation feems 

 to have been firfl noticed by Mr. Locke ; but he applies it 

 to the folution of veiy few phenomena. Mr. Gay, in a 

 " Differtation upon Virtue," prttixed to " Law's tranda- 

 tion of King's Origin of Evil," deduces the moral feelings 

 from aifociation ; and Dr. Hartley traces all, or at leall 

 moft of the other phenomena of mind to the fame caufe. 

 This law of affociation extends to Sf.nsations, to Ideas, 

 and to Muscular Illations ; which fee rcfpeftivelv. 



Accordingly he diilinguifhes it into fynchronous and fuc- 

 ceflive ; and afcribts our fimple and complex ideas to the 

 influence of this principle or habit. Particular fcnfations 

 refult from previous vibrations conveyed through the nerves 

 to the medullary fubftance of the brain ; and thefe are fo 

 intimately affociated together, that any one of them, when 

 impreffed alone, fhall be able to excite in the mind the ideas 

 of all the reft, nuis we derive the ideas of natural bodies 

 from the affociation of the feveral fenfible qualities with the 

 names that exprefs them, and with each other. The fight 

 of part of a large building fuggefts the idea of the reft in- 

 ftantaneoufly, by a fynchronous affociation of the parts ; 

 and the found of the words, which begin a familiar fen- 

 tence, brings to remembrance the remaining parts in order 

 by fucceffive aflociation. Dr. Hartley maintains that fim- 

 ple ideas run into complex ideas by affociation ; ar.d appre- 

 hends that by purluing and perfefting this doftrine, we may 

 fome time or other be enabled to analyfe thofe complex 

 ideas that are commonly called the ideas of reflection, or 

 intelleAual ideas, into their feveral component parts, i. e. 

 into the fimple ideas of fenfation of which thev confill ; and 

 that this doctrine may be of conliderable ufe in the art of 

 logic, and in explaining the various phenomena of the hu- 

 man mind. For a further explication of Dr. Hartley's 

 doftrine of affociation, the phihifophical principles upon 

 which it depends, and the mode of its application, the 

 reader mufl be referred to his " Obfei-vations on Man," vol.i. 

 or part i. pafTun ; and alfo to Prieftleys " Abridgment of 

 Hartley," 8vo. < Stewart's «' Elements of the Philofophy 

 of the Human Mind," 4to. 1792. ch. v. ; Darwin's Zoo- 

 nomia, vol. i. § 5 — 10. 



A late writer obfcrves, that the dodlrine of affociation is to 



be ver)' carefully diflinguiflied'from the theory- of vibrations, 

 being eftablilhed upon independent evidence and undeniable 

 facts. This therefore, he adds, muft ftand, though the 

 other fliould be regarded only as a plaulJble hypothefis, 

 deflitute of fatisfacloi^ proof. It was to prevent the con- 

 fufion of the nature and evidence of affociation and vi- 

 bration, fays this writer, that Dr. Prieftky publiflied his 

 edition of Hartley's work, from which the theory of vi- 

 brations is entirely excludid. Belfliam's Elements ot the 

 Philofophy of the Mind, and of Moral Philofophy, 8vo. 

 1801. p. 54. See alio yEiHKR, Idea, Memory, SEiSSA- 

 TiON, Vibrations, and Vibratiuncles. 



Association, in I.am, is a writ or patent fent by 

 the king, either of his own motion, or at the fuit of a 

 party plaintiff, to the juftices of afTife, to have other pcr^ 

 fons affociated to them, in order to take the alTife. 



Upon this patent of affociation, the king fends his writ 

 to the juflices of the affife, thereby commanding them to 

 admit fuch as are fo fent. 



The clerk of the affife is ufually affociate of courfe ; in 

 other cafes fome learned ferjeants at law are apjx.intcd. 

 See Assise. 



Association of PaiTic.mtr.;. In the reign of king Wil- 

 liam III. the parliament entered into a folemn affociation to 

 defL-nd his majefty's perfon and government againil all plots 

 a.id confpiracies : and all perfons bearing offices civil or mi- 

 litary were enjoined to fubfciibe the affociation to ftand by 

 king V/illiam, on pain of forfeitures and penalties, &e. by 

 flat. 7. and 8 W. III. G. 27. 



Association, Feathers Tavern, confifted of a number of 

 clergymen, and of gentlemen in the profcffjons of civil law 

 and phyfic, who, williing to be exempted from the obligation 

 of fubfcribing the thirty-nine articles of religion, applied in 

 the year 1772, by petition to parliament for this purpofe. 

 Their fociety was fo called from the place where they met. 

 The object: at which they aimed was to be permitted to 

 hold their preferments, upon condition of merely fubfcribing 

 to the holy feriptures, agreeably to the grand Protcftant 

 principle; which is, that ever)' thing nectffary to falvation is 

 fully contained in thefe feriptures, and that they are the folc 

 rule of faith and manners. The requcft, however, was not 

 thought to comport with the nature of a civil cftablifhment 

 in religion ; and principally on this ground, it was ftrenoufly 

 oppoled by many diflinguiflied members of parliament, and 

 as flrcnuoufly defended by fome of the firft perfons in the 

 hoiife of commons. After a long and intercfting debate, 

 the admiffion of the petition was rejefted by a large ma- 

 jority. It was the general opinion, that thofe who propofe 

 to reap the benefits of the eftabliftied church, ought to 

 comply with the terms on which they ae oflered. 



Association, Prulejlaiit, took its rife from an afl pafTed 

 in 1778, for relieving his majefty's ftfbjeCts, profefiing the 

 Romifli religion, from certain penalties and dilabilitits im- 

 pofed upon them in the eleventh and twelfth years of the 

 reign of king William III. The aft was paffed unani- 

 moufly; nor did it at firft appear to excite any great alarm 

 among peiions of any clafs. The papifts, as they now 

 thought the government inclined to be more indulgent to 

 them than it had formerly been, began to take fomewhat 

 greater liberties in the exercife of their religion than thofe 

 to vhich they had been accuftomed. By degrees, a number 

 of perfons in London, and in fome other parts ot the king- 

 dom, began to exprefs great apprehcnfions of the increafe of 

 popery, and to exclaim againft the late aft, by which they 

 thought it was countenanced and fupported. Meetings of 

 thefe zealous perfons were held from time to time in 

 London ; and they formed themfelvcs into a body under 



the 



1! 





