495 C U S 
to the fweet fociety.and comforts of matrimony, the man 
unhappily deprived of his beloved objedt, inclines the 
fooner to a lecond. In general, when we are deprived 
of an habitual object, we are fond of its qualities in any 
other objedt. 
The re ifons are afligned above, why the caufes of in- 
tenfe pleafure becomes not readily habitual : but now 
we difcover, that thefe reafons conclude only againft 
fpecifu habits. In the cafe of a weak pleafure, a habit 
is formed by frequency and uniformity of reiteration, 
which, in the cafe of an intenfe pleafure, produceth fa- 
tie:y and difguft. But it is remarkable, that fatiety and 
difguft have no effect, except as to that thing fingly 
which occaiions them : a forfeit of honey produceth not 
a lot hing of fugar ; and intemperance with one woman 
produceth no difrelifli of the fame pleafure with others. 
Hence it is eafy to account for a generic habit in any in- 
te'nfe pleafure : the delight we had in the gratification 
of the appetite, inflames the imagination, and makes us 
fearch, with avidity, for the fame gratification in what¬ 
ever other objedt it can be'found. And thus uniform 
frequency in gratifying the fame paffion upon different 
object,, produceth at length a generic habit. In this 
manner one acquires an habitual delight in high and 
poignant fauces, rich drefs, fine equipages, crowds of 
company, and in whatever is commonly termed pleafure. 
There concurs, at the fame time, to introduce this habit, 
a peculiarity obferved above, that reiteration of adts en¬ 
larges the capacity of the mind to admit a more plenti¬ 
ful gratification than originally, with regard to frequency, 
as well as quantity. Hence it appears, that though a 
fpecific habit cannot be formed but upon a moderate 
pleafure, a generic habit may be formed upon any fort 
of pleafure, moderate or immoderate, that hath variety 
of objedts. The only difference is, that a weak pleafure 
runs naturally into a fpecific habit ; whereas an intenfe 
pleafure is altogether averfe to fuch a habit. In a word, 
it is only in Angular cafes that a moderate pleafure pro¬ 
duces a generic habit ; but an intenfe pleafure cannot 
produce any other habit. 
The appetites that refpedl the prefervation and propa¬ 
gation of the fpecies, are formed into habit in a peculiar 
manner: the time as well as meafure of their gratifica¬ 
tion are much under the power of cuftom ; which, intro¬ 
ducing a change upon the body, occafions a proportional 
change in the appetites. Thus, if the body be gradu¬ 
ally formed to a certain quantity of food at ftated times, 
the appetite is regulated accordingly ; and the appetite 
is again changed, when a different habit of body is intro¬ 
duced by a different pradtice. Here it would feem, 
that the change is not made upon the mind, which is 
commonly the cafe in paflive habits, but upon the body. 
When rich food is brought down by ingredients of a 
lainer tafte, the compofition is fufceptible of a fpecific 
abit. Thus the fweet tafte of fugar, rendered lefs poig¬ 
nant in a mixture, may, in courfe of time, produce a 
fpecific habit for fuch mixture. As moderate pleafures, 
by becoming more intenfe, tend to generic habits ; fo in¬ 
tenfe pleafures, by becoming more moderate, tend to fpe¬ 
cific habits. 
The beauty of the human figure, by a fpecial recom¬ 
mendation of nature, appears to us fupreme, amid the 
great variety of beauteous forms beftowed upon animals. 
The various degrees in which individuals enjoy that 
property, render it an objedt fometimes of a moderate, 
lometimes of an intenfe, paflion. The moderate paffion, 
admitting frequent reiteration, without diminution, and 
occupying the mind without exhaufting it, turns gradu¬ 
ally ftrouger till it becomes a habit. Nay, inftances are 
not wanting, of a face at firft difagreeable, afterwards 
■rendered indifferent by familiarity, and at length agree¬ 
able by cuftom. On the other hand, confummate beauty, 
at the very firft glance, fills the mind fo as to admit no 
rincreale. Enjoyment leffens the pleafure ; and, if often 
repeated, ends commonly in fatiety and difguft The 
T O M. 
impreffions made by confummate beauty, in a gradual 
fucceflion from lively to faint, conftitute a feries oppo- 
fite to that of faint impreffions waxing gradually more 
lively, till they produce a fpecific habit. But the mind, 
when accuftomed to beauty, contradls a relifh for jt in 
general, though often repelled from particular objedts 
by the pain of fatiety; and thus a generic habit is formed, 
of which inconftancy in love i» the neceffary confequence; 
for a generic habit, comprehending every beautiful ob¬ 
ject, is an invincible obftruction to a fpecific habit, which 
is confined to one. 
But a matter which is of great importance to the youth 
of both fexes, defervesmore thanacurfory view. Though 
the pleafant emotion of beauty differs widely from the 
corporeal appetitej yet, when both are directed to the 
fame objedt, they produce a very ftrong complex paffion: 
enjoyment in that cafe muff be exquilite ; and therefore 
more apt to produce fatiety than in any other cafe what¬ 
ever. This is a never-failing effect, where confummate 
beauty in the one party, meets with a warm imagination 
and great fenfibility in the other. What we are here ex¬ 
plaining, is true without exaggeration; and they muff 
be infenfible upon whom it makes no impreffion : it de- 
ferves well to be pondered by the young and the amorous, 
who, in forming the matrimonial fociety, are too often 
blindly impelled by the animal pleafure merely, inflamed 
by beauty. It may indeed happen, after the pleafure is 
gone, that a new connexion is formed upon more digni¬ 
fied and more lafting principles : but this is a dangerous 
experiment; for, even fuppofing good fenfe, good tem¬ 
per, and internal merit of every fort, yet a new connec¬ 
tion upon fuch qualifications is rarely formed ; it com¬ 
monly, or rather always happens, that fuch qualifications,, 
the only folid foundation of an indiffbluble connedtion,, 
are rendered altogether invifible by fatiety of enjoyment 
creating difguft. Though cuftom augments moderate 
pleafures, and leffens thofe that are intenfe, it has a dif¬ 
ferent effedt with refpedl to pain ; for it blunts the edge 
of every fort of pain and diftrefs, faint or acute. Unin¬ 
terrupted mifery, therefore, is attended with one good 
effedt: if its torments be incelfant, cuftom hardens us to 
bear them. 
The changes made in forming habits are curious. Mo¬ 
derate pleafures are augmented gradually by reiteration, 
till they become habitual; and then are at their height 
but they are not ftationary ; for from that point they 
gradually decay, till they vanifh altogether. The pain 
occafioned by want of gratification, runs a different courfe:. 
it increafes uniformly; and at laft becomes extreme, when, 
the pleafure of gratification is reduced to nothing ; 
It fo falls out. 
That what we have we prize not to the worth. 
While we enjoy it; but being lack'd and loft. 
Why then we rack the value ; then we find 
The virtue that poflefiion would not fhew us 
Whilft it was ours. Sfiahefpeare - 
With regard to the pain of want, we can difcover no- 
difference between a generic and a fpecific habit; but 
thefe habits differ widely with refpedl to the pofitive 
pleafure. We have had occafion to obferve, that the 
pleafure of a fpecific habit decays gradually till it turn 
imperceptible : the pleafure of a generic habit, on the 
contrary, being fupported by variety of gratification, 
fufters little or no decay after it comes to its height. 
Howevdr it may be with other generic habits, the ob- 
fervation certainly holds with refpedl to the pleafures of 
virtue and of knowledge : the pleafure of doing good has 
an unbounded fcope, and may be fo. varioufiy gratified 
that it can never decay ; fcience is equally unbounded; 
our appetite for knowledge having an ample range of 
gratification, where difeoveries are recommended by no¬ 
velty, by variety, by utility, or by all of them. 
In this intricate enquiry, we have endeavoured, but 
without fuccefs, to dilcover by what particular means it 
is 
