442 TRAVELS IN AFRICA, 
lief? And how much more is mankind difpofed to obloquy 
than to eulogy ? 
But this is not all ; the fame mind which is ftrongly acf^ted 
on by thefe paflions will alfo have its peace difturbed by pride, 
ambition, anger, jealoufy, and refentment. The fubjeds of all 
thefe tormenting emotions crowd on it too clofely to allow its 
complacency to be permanent. The funfhine of the morning 
will inevitably, ere night, be fucceeded by a tempeft. 
Some flight omijflion of ceremonial will offend its pride, 
fome fordid repulfe will check its ambition ; it will flame with 
anger at the breaking of a jar, or pine with jealoufy at the 
like frailty in a mifl:refs. 
Something of the fame kind has place with regard to tafl:e. 
A man of delicate tafte feels refined enjoyment from the con- 
templation of a beautiful landfcape or a fine pi6lure, or the 
perufal of an elegant poem ; and is equally difgufled at the 
fight of any thing deformed, difproportioned, or unnatural 
in either. But, it may be faid, he has the option of contem- 
plating a difagreeable objed:, but not of feeling an unpleafmg 
fenfation. And is it indeed fo eafy, in being perpetually con- 
verfant among mankind, to avoid obferving their works ? or 
does not the man who reads unavoidably fall on abfurdities 
which difgufl him ? Social man has been too long employed 
in counterading nature, not to have moulded all to his dwarfifh 
intelled \ and the abortive efforts of imagination are number- 
lefs both in the arts and in letters. 
Then 
