LOVE. 6 SQ 
er, under pretence of paffion, to fully and corrupt the 
other, and, by fo doing, to expofe the too-often credu¬ 
lous and unguarded object, with a wanton cruelty, to the 
hatred of her own fex and the fcorn of ours, and to the 
loweft infamy of both, is a conduct not only bafe and cri¬ 
minal, but inconfiftent with that truly rational and re¬ 
fined enjoyment, the fpirit and quinteflenCe of which is 
derived from the baftiful and facred charms of virtue kept 
untainted, and therefore ever alluring to the lover’s heart. 
Violent love without attention is finely exemplified in 
the following (lory. When Conftantinople was taken by 
the Turks, Irene, a young Greek of an illuftrious family, 
fell into the hands of Mahomet II. who was at that time 
in the prime of youth and glory. His lavage heart being 
fubdued by her charms, he fhut himfelf up with her, de- 
nying accefs even to his minifters. Love obtained fuch 
aficendancy, as to make him frequently abandon the army 
and fly to his Irene. War relaxed, for victory was no 
longer the monarch’s favourite paflion. The foldiers, ac¬ 
customed to booty, began to murmur; and.the infection 
fpread even among the commanders. The bafha Mufta- 
pha, confulting the fidelity he owed his matter, was the 
firft who durlt acquaint him of the difcourfes held pub¬ 
licly to the prejudice of his glory. The fultan, after a 
gloomy filence, formed his relolution. He ordered Muf- 
tapha to aflemble the troops next morning; and then with 
precipitation retired to Irene’s,apartment. Never before 
did that princefs appear fo charming; never before did the 
prince beftow fo many warm carefles. To give a new 
luftre to her beauty, he exhorted her women next morn¬ 
ing to beftow their utmoft art and care on her drefs. He 
took her by the hand, led her into the middle of the army, 
und, pulling off her veil, demanded of the baflias, with a 
fierce look, whether they had ever beheld fuch a beauty ? 
After an awful paufe, Mahomet, with one hand laying 
hold of the young Greek by her beautiful locks, and with 
the other pulling out his fcymetar, fevered her head from 
her body at one ltroke. Then, turning to his grandees, 
with eyes wild and furious, “ This fword,” fays he, “ when 
it is my will, knows to cut the bands of love.” Britannic 
Mag. vol. i. Sibiy's Key to Phyfic-, Sketches of the Hijl. of Man ; 
Elements of CriticiJ'm ; E/ecy. Brit. 
M. Retz, phylician to the late king of France, has, in 
a work addrefled to the youth of each fex on their en¬ 
trance into life, defined and explained love in the follow¬ 
ing plealing and inltruCtive manner: “What is termed 
love, in the prefent day, is an ardent defire, which aflumes 
the name of a tender fentiment. It is 311 honourable pre¬ 
text to folicit fomething that is not fo honourable. It is 
the feducing error of the young, the ferious occupation 
of women, the wreck of men, the regret of the aged, and 
the real 1 ‘ecret of Nature to perpetuate her works. Noble 
and well-formed minds are alone fufceptible of a pure, 
difintereffed, elevated, paflion. To love a beautiful and 
virtuous woman, requires a taffe for what is beautiful and 
honourable. To pleafe her, we mult referable her. A 
lover is not courageous, fenfible, humane, generous, be- 
caufe lip loves; he loves becaufe thefe qualities are innate ; 
and it is with the malk of thefe qualities that men feduce 
the female who has not a fufficient degree of patience to 
put them to the trial. Genuine affeCtion is the lot of a 
few. It requires too many qualities to be general. It 
demands too much conftancy for the volatile, too much 
ardour for the fedate, too much reltraint for the turbu¬ 
lent, too much delicacy for the fimple, too much enthu- 
fiaffn for the cold and icy, too much activity for the in¬ 
dolent, too much defne for the philolopher, too much 
felf-denial for the libertine. Genuine love demands a 
conliderable degree of elevation and energy of foul ; ge- 
nerofity, fenfibility, and rectitude of heart; a warm ima¬ 
gination ; and inviolate attachment to the principles .of 
virtue and honour. It cannot exiit in the bofoin of luxu¬ 
ry and pleafure, in the midft of-tumuit, and the dif- 
iraCtions of numerous and polite aflemblies. It requires 
Vox. XIII. No. 936. 
fimplicity of manners, and retired life. In times of hap¬ 
pier manners, when the fex was adored by the men, they 
refpeCted themlelves, and endeavoured to render them- 
felves worthy of the religious homage that was paid to 
them. Their^elteem was the recompence of courage and 
virtue. The defire of pleafing them exalted the imagi¬ 
nation, and was productive of heroes; but voluptuoul- 
nefs and fenfuality have degraded us. We are no longer 
gallant; we are depraved. Since they are no longer con- 
fidered as divinities, the fex is become too human ; their 
influence on the character of men is now as pernicious as 
it was formerly beneficial. To foft illusions, to the en- 
thufiafni 3 of love, fucceed facility of enjoyment, followed 
by quick difguft. Philofophy and debauchery take place 
of that heroic gallantry which conftituted love and virtue. 
Formerly, as it was more difficult to pleafe one woman, 
than it is now to feduce many, the reign of moral affec¬ 
tion prolonged the power of paffion. By rePtraining, di¬ 
recting, and fanning, the paflion with delufive hopes, de¬ 
fires were perpetuated, while they preferved their force. 
Love could not be made, it was an impulfe-, it was evert 
the child of innocence, and was nouriihed by the facri- 
fices which it made, inftead of being extinguiffied by vo¬ 
luptuous gratification. True love mingles refpeEl with 
the paflion. If it was placed on mental qualities alone, 
the fenfes would be without energy ; if placed folely on 
the charms of perfon , the head would be vacant. A ge¬ 
nuine lover is equally (truck with the virtues and with 
the attractions of his miltrefs. 
“ If we be deprived of love, what remains ? For li¬ 
bertines, there is gallantry, its perpetual counterfeit; to 
the honeft and feeling heart, tendernefs; to all, the plea- 
lures of friendfliip, lefs voluptuous than the pleafures of 
love, but mingled with fewer pains. It is too generally 
thought, that illicit amours may be purfued by a young 
man, without any pernicious confequences; but this is 
a fatal error. To what misfortunes does not criminal in¬ 
dulgence expofe our youth ? Remorfe, ffiame, the lofs of 
the efteem, not merely of the virtuous, but even of the 
vile accomplices of his pleafures, plunge his exiftence into 
a fea of forrows. A woman who has yielded to the im¬ 
pulfe of defire, feeks in vain to be indifferent to her fitua- 
tion r orto vindicate her errors to herlelf. In vain (lie 
attempts to believe that there are fome paffions which it 
is not in the power of human nature to conquer. Alas ! 
lefs exertion is required to fubdueAhe criminal paflion, 
than is often employed to keep it alive.” Guide dcs Jeunes 
Gens ; Paris, 1790. 
Dr. Mackenzie, in his difeourfe on Criminal Pleafure, 
feelingly deferibes the affeCtion of love, and then exhi¬ 
bits the advantages of a married life compared with liber¬ 
tine indulgence : “ How pleafing (fays lie) is the affeCtion 
of love, when it firff approaches the foul, arrayed with 
its native innocence and fimplicity ? It is uffiered into the 
breaff with the molt delightful emotions, and awakens all 
the tendered fympathies. It tranfports us beyond our- 
l'elves, creates a paradife around us, and gives us new in- 
terefts and enjoyments. The felfiffi paffions then ceafe t® 
be regarded, and the generous afteCiions take their tura 
to reign. All nature appears in her moft pleafing form, 
and we feel ourfelves in harmony with the univerfe. The 
mind is then in its highelt and its belt itate. Why (hould 
I defpribe it i You, who have felt the imprefiion, and 
can recall the ideas of the pleafing morning of your lives, 
can tell us that this affection is one of the perfect gifts of 
heaven, difpenfed to mankind to heal their cares, and 
multiply their enjoyments, by creating the tendered rela¬ 
tions among the lpecies, and uniting them more intimate¬ 
ly with one another. 
“There are two fyftenis with refpeCt to this affeCtion, 
which offer tliemfelves to our confidsration ; the libertine 
l'yltem, and the fyltem of the married life. The effeCis 
of the former we have deferibed. It prefents 11s with all 
the melancholy elfeCts of vitiated paffions. Jf our argu- 
£ f* meat 
