Caufes of the Paffions of Fear and Anger.

EAR and anger, to answer the purposes of

FEAR

nature, are happily fo contrived as to operate sometimes inftinctively fometimes deliberately, according to circumftances. As far as deliberate, they fall in with the general system, and require no particular explanation: if any object have a threatening appearance, reafon fuggefts means to avoid the danger : if a man be injured, the first thing he thinks of, is what revenge he fhall take, and what means he fhall employ. Thefe particulars are no less obvious than natural. But, as the paffions of fear and anger, in their inftinctive state, are lefs familiar to us, it may be acceptable to the reader to have them accurately delineated. He may alfo poffibly be glad of an opportunity to have the nature of inftinctive paffions more fully explained, than there was formerly opportunity to do. I begin with fear.

Self-prefervation is a matter of too great im portance to be left entirely to the conduct of reason. Nature hath acted here with her ufual forefight. Fear and anger are paffions that move us to act, fometimes deliberately, fometimes inftinctively, according to circumftances; and by operating in the latter manner, they frequently VOL, I. F afford

afford fecurity when the flower operations of deliberate reafon would be too late: we take nourishment commonly, not by the direction of reafon, but by the impulfe of hunger and thirst ; and, in the fame manner, we avoid danger by the impulfe of fear, which often, before there is time for reflection, placeth us in fafety. Here we have an illuftrious inftance of wisdom in the formation of man; for it is not within the reach of fancy, to conceive any thing more artfully contrived to answer its purpose, than the inftinctive paffion of fear, which, upon the first furmife of danger, operates inftantaneously. So little doth the paffion, in fuch inftances, depend on reason, that it frequently operates in contradiction to it: a man who is not upon his guard cannot avoid fhrinking at a blow, though he knows it to be aimed in fport; nor avoid clofing his eyes at the approach of what may hurt. them, though confcious that he is in no danger. And it alfo operates by impelling us to act even where we are confcious that our interpofition can be of no fervice: if a paffage-boat, in a brifk gale, bear much to one fide, I cannot avoid applying the whole force of my shoulders to fet it upright; and, if my horfe ftumble, my hands and knees are inftantly at work to prevent him from falling.

Fear provides for felf-prefervation by flying from harm; anger, by repelling it. Nothing, indeed, can be better contrived to repel or prevent injury,

injury, than anger or refentment: destitute of that paffion, men, like defenceless lambs, would lie conftantly open to mischief. Deliberate anger caused by a voluntary injury, is too well known to require any explanation: if my defire be to resent an affront, I must use means; and these means must be discovered by reflection: deliberation is here requifite; and in that cafe the paffion feldom exceeds just bounds. But, where anger impels one fuddenly to return a blow, even without thinking of doing mifchief, the paffion is inftinctive; and it is chiefly in fuch a cafe that is rafh and ungovernable, because it operates blindly, without affording time for deliberation or forefight.

Instinctive anger is frequently raised by bodily pain, by a stroke, for example, on a tender part, which, ruffling the temper, and unhinging the mind, is in its tone fimilar to anger: and when a man is thus beforehand difpofed to anger, he is not nice nor fcrupulous about an object; the person who gave the ftroke, however accidentally, is by an inflammable temper held a proper object, merely for having occafioned the pain. It is ftill more remarkable, that a stock or a stone by which I am hurt, becomes an object

* Brafidas being bit by a moufe he had catched, let it flip out of his fingers: "No creature (fays he) is so con"temptible, but what may provide for its own fafety, if it have courage." Plutarch, Apothegmata.

for my resentment: I am violently excited to crush it to atoms. The paffion, indeed, in that cafe, can be but a fingle flash; for being entirely irrational, it must vanish with the first reflection. Nor is that irrational effect confined to bodily pain: internal distress, when exceffive, may be the occafion of effects equally irrational: perturbation of mind occafioned by the appre henfion of having loft a dear friend, will, in a fiery temper, produce momentary sparks of anger against that very friend, however innocent: thus Shakespear, in the Tempest,

Ev'n here I will put off my hope, and keep it
No longer for my flatterer; he is drown'd
Whom thus we ftray to find, and the fea mocks
Our fruftrate search on land. Well, let him go.
А8 3. с. 3.

The final words, Well, let him go, are an expreffion of impatience and anger at Ferdinand, whofe abfence greatly diftreffed his father, dread. ing that he was loft in the storm. This nice operation of the human mind, is by Shakespear exhibited upon another occafion, and finely painted in the tragedy of Othello: Iago, by dark hints and fufpicious circumstances, had roused Othello's jealoufy; which, however, appeared too flightly founded to be vented upon Defdemona, its proper object. The perturbation and diftrefs

distress of mind thereby occafioned, produced a momentary refentment against Iago, confidered as occafioning the jealoufy, though innocent:

Othello. Villain, be fure thou prove my love a whore; Be fure of it give me the ocular proof,

Or by the wrath of man's eternal foul

Thou hadst been better have been born a dog,

Than answer my wak'd wrath.

lago. Is't come to this?

Othello. Make me fee't; or, at the least, so prove it,

That the probation bear no hinge or loop

To hang a doubt on: or wo upon thy life!

Iago. My noble Lord

-Othello. If thou doft flander her, and torture me, Never pray more; abandon all remorse;

On horror's head horrors accumulate;

Do deeds to make heav'n weep, all earth amaz'd :
For nothing canft thou to damnation add

Greater than that.

Othello, act 2. fc. 8.

This blind and abfurd effect of anger is more gaily illustrated by Addifon, in a story, the dramatis perfonae of which are, a cardinal, and a spy retained in pay for intelligence. The cardinal is reprefented as minuting down the particulars. The fpy begins with a low voice, "Such an

one the advocate whispered to "friends within my hearing, that

one of his

your Emi

"nence was a very great poltroon ;" and after