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as it relates to the Sublime and Beautiful 

 \n visible objects, with which I am chiefly 

 concerned. Such an account, though per- 

 fectly useless to those who have read the 

 original Essay with attention, may give 

 some idea of its general tendency to those 

 who have never read it, and induce them 

 to consult the work itself ; and may also 

 serve to recal its leading principles to those 

 who have only given it a cursory reading. 



The two great divisions on which Mr. 

 Burke's system is founded, are self-preservi 

 ation, and society ; the ends of one or 

 other of which, he observes, all our passions 

 are calculated to answer. The passions 

 which concern self-preservation, turn mosU 

 ly on pain and danger, and they are the 

 most powerful of all the passions ; whatr 

 ever, therefore, is fitted in any way to excite 

 the ideas of pain and danger — that is to say, 

 whatever is in any sort terrible, or conver- 

 sant about terrible objects — is a source of 

 the sublime ; that is, it is productive of the 

 strongest emotions the mind is capable of 

 feeling. The passion caused by the great or 



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