D I G 
temporal dignity of any foreign nation can give a man a 
higher title in England than that of efqtiire. zlnfl. 66 7. 
Dignity, in the human character, is the oppofite of 
mtannejs. Man is, or ought to be, endued with a fenfe 
of the worth and excellence of his nature : he deems it 
more perfect than that of the other beings around him ; 
and he perceives that the perfection of his nature confifts 
in virtue, particularly in virtues of the higheft rank. To 
cxprei's that fenfe, the term dignity is appropriated. To 
ait with dignity, and to refrain from all mean purfuits, 
is felt to be, not a virtue only, but a duty : it is a duty 
every man owes to himfelf. By ailing in that manner, 
he attracts love and elleem : by acting meanly, or below 
himfelf, he is difapproved and contemned. This fenfe 
of the dignity of human nature reaches even our plea- 
fures and amufements. If they enlarge the mind by 
railing grand or elevated emotions, or if they humanize 
the mind by exerciling our i'ympathy, they are approved 
as fuited to the dignity of our nature: if they contrail 
the mind by fixing it on trivial objects, they are con¬ 
temned as not fuited to the dignity of our nature. Hence, 
in general, every occupation, whether of ufe or amufe- 
ment, that correfponds to the dignity of man, is termed 
manly ; and every occupation below his nature, is termed 
cMldiJk, 
To thofe whb ftudy human nature, there is a point 
which has always appeared intricate, flow comes it that 
generolity and courage are more elleemed, and bellow 
more dignity, than good-nature, or even juitice ; though 
the latter contribute more than the former to private as 
well as to public happinefs ? This quellion might puzzle; 
but, by means of the foregoing obfervations, it may eafily 
be folved. Human virtues, like other objedls, obtain a 
rank in our eftimation, not always from their utility, 
which is.a fubjedt of reflection, but from the diredt im- 
prellion they make on us. Jullice and good-nature are a 
fort of negative virtues, that fearcely make any impref-' 
(ion but when they are tranfgrefled ; courage and gene¬ 
rality, on the contrary, producing elevated emotions, 
enliven the fenfe of a man’s dignity, both in himfelf and 
in others; and for that reafon, courage and generofitv 
are molily in higher regard than the other virtues. This 
leads us to examine more direCtly emotions and pafiions 
with refpedl to the prefent fubjedl: and it will not be 
difficult to form a fcale of them, beginning with the 
meanefl, and alcending gradually to thofe of the higheft 
rank and dignity. Pleafure felt as at the organ of fenfe, 
named corporeal pleafure, is perceived to be low ; and, 
when indulged to excefs, is perceived, alfo to be mean: 
for that reafon, perfons of any delicacy dilTemble the 
pleafure they take in eating and drinking. The pleafures 
of the eye and ear, having no organic feeling, and being 
free from any fenfe of meannels, are indulged without 
ftiame : they even rife to a certain degree of dignity when 
their objects are grand or elevated. The fame is the cafe 
of the fympathetic pafiions : a virtuous perfon, behaving 
with fortitude and dignity under cruel misfortunes, makes 
a capital figure; and the fympathifing fpedlator feels in 
himfelf the fame dignity. Sympathetic diftrefs at the 
fame time never is mean : on the contrary, it is agreeable 
to the nature of a focial being, and has general approba¬ 
tion. The rank that love polfefles in the fcale, depends 
in a great.meafure on its objcCt: it pofl'efles a low place 
when founded on external properties merely ; and is mean 
when bellowed on a perfon of inferior rank without any 
extraordinary qualification: but when founded on the 
more elevated internal properties, it affiumes a confide- 
rable degree of dignity. The fame is the cafe of friend- 
Ihip. When gratitude is warm, it animates the mind ; 
but it fearcely ever rifes to dignity. Joy bellows dignity 
when it proceeds from an elevated caufe. 
We proceed to the pleafures of the underftanding, 
which polfefs a high rank in point of dignity. Of this 
every one will be fenfible, when he confiders the impor. 
2 
DIG 823 
tant truths that have been laid open by fcience ; fuch as 
general theorems, and the general laws that govern the 
material and moral worlds. The pleafures of the under¬ 
ftanding are fuited to man as a rational and contemplative 
being, and they tend nor a little to ennoble his nature; 
even to the Deity he ftretcheth his contemplations, 
which, in the difeovery of infinite power, wifdom, ar.d 
benevolence, afford delight of the moll exalted kind. 
Hence the fine arts, ftudied as a rational fcience, afford 
entertainment of great dignity ; fupei ior far to what they 
afford as a fubjeft of tafte merely. But contemplation, 
in itfelf, is chiefly refpefted as fubfervient to aCtion ; for 
man is intended to be more an aflive than a contempla¬ 
tive being. He accordingly (hews more dignity in action 
than in contemplation : generofity, magnanimity, he- 
roifm, raife his character to the higheft pitch : thefe beft 
exprefs the dignity of his nature, and advance him nearer 
to divinity than any other of his attributes. In point of 
dignity, the focial emotions rife above the felfifh, and 
much above thole, of the eye and ear : man is by his na¬ 
ture a focial being; and to qualify him for fociety, it is 
wifely contrived, that he lliould value himfelf more for 
being focial than felfifh. 
The dignity of man is chiefly difcernible in the great 
improvements he is fufceptible of in fociety : thefe, by 
perfeverance, may be carried on progreflively, above any 
affignable limits; and even abftradling from revelation, 
there is great probability, that the progrefs begun here 
will be completed in fome future ftate. Now, as all va¬ 
luable improvements proceed from the exercife of our 
rational faculties, the Author of our nature, in order to 
excite us to a due ufe of thefe faculties, hath afligned a 
high rank to the pleafures of the underftanding: their 
utility, with refpedl to this life, as well as a future, inti¬ 
tles them to that rank. But as aClion is the aim of all 
our improvements, virtuous aftions jullly poflefs the 
higheft of all the ranks. Thefe, we find, are by nature 
diliributed into different dalles, and the firll in point of 
dignity afligned to adlions that appear not the firll in 
point of ufe: generolity, for example, in the fenfe of 
mankind, being more refpefled than juftice, though the 
latter is undoubtedly more elfential to fociety ; and mag¬ 
nanimity, heroifm, undaunted co.urage, rife (till higher in 
our efleem, and consequently lead to popularity and praife. 
DIGNO'TION, f. [from dignofeo, Lat.] Diftinclion ; 
diftinguifliing mark.—That temperamental dignotions, and. 
conjecture of prevalent humours, may be collected from, 
lpots in our nails, we are not averfe to concede. Brown. 
DIG'NY, a town of France, in the department of the 
Eure and Loire ; five leagues weft of Chartres. 
DIGO'IN, a town of France, in the department of the 
Saone and Loire, and chief place of a canton, in the dif. 
triCl of Charolles : four leagues weft of Charolles. 
DIGOVIL'LE, a town of France, in the department 
of the Channel, and chief place of a canton, in the dif- 
trifl of Cherburg : four miles eaft of Cherburg. 
To DIGRE'SS, v. n. \_digreJJ'us, Lat.] To turn afide 
out of the road. To depart from the main delign of a 
difeourfe, or chief tenour of an argument.—In the pur- 
fuit of an argument there is hardly room to digrejs into a 
particular definition, as often as a man varies the lignifi- 
cation of any term. Locke. —To wander; to expatiate.—. 
It feemeth (to digrejs no farther) that the Tartarians, 
fpreading fo far, cannot be the Ifraelites. Brerewood. —• 
To go out of the right way, or common track ; to tranf- 
grels ; to deviate : not in ufe: 
Thy noble fhape is but a form of. wax, 
Digreffutg from the valour of a man. Shahefpeare. 
DIGRESSION,/; [ digrejfio, Lat.] A padage devi¬ 
ating from the main tenour or defign of a dilcourfe.—To 
content and fill the eye of the underftanding, the b'eft au¬ 
thors fprinkle their works with plealing digrejions, with 
which they recreate the minds of their readers. Dryden . 
