DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.48954#0136
120 EMOTIONS AND PASSIONS. Ch. II.
affection and aversion, not passion. The bulk of
ourpassions are indeed affedion or aversion infla-
med into a passion by different circumstances : the
affedion I bear to my son , is inssamed into the pas-
sion of fear when he is in danger ; becomes hope
when he hath a prosped of good fortune ; be-
comes admiration when he performs a laudable
adion ; and shame when he commits any wrong:
aversion becomes fear when there is a prosped of
good fortune to my enemy ; becomes hope when
he is in danger ; becomes joy when he is in dis-
tress ; and sorrow when a laudable adion is per-
formed by him.
Fourthly, passions generally have a tendency to
excess, occasioned by the sollowing means. The
mind affeded by any passion, is notin a proper
date for distind perception, nor for cool ressec-
tion : it hath always a strong bias to the objed of
an agreeable passion , and a bias no less slrong
against the objed of a disagrecable passion. The
objed of love, for example, however indifferent
to others, is to the lover’s convidion a paragon ;
and of hatred , is vice itfelf without alloy. What
less can such delusion operate, than to swell the
passion beyond what it was at sirst ? for if the see-
ing or conversing with a fine woman, have had
the eftcd to carry me from indisserence to Iqve ;
how much stronger must her inssuence be, when
now to my convidion sire is an angel ? and hatred
as well as other passions must run the same course.
affection and aversion, not passion. The bulk of
ourpassions are indeed affedion or aversion infla-
med into a passion by different circumstances : the
affedion I bear to my son , is inssamed into the pas-
sion of fear when he is in danger ; becomes hope
when he hath a prosped of good fortune ; be-
comes admiration when he performs a laudable
adion ; and shame when he commits any wrong:
aversion becomes fear when there is a prosped of
good fortune to my enemy ; becomes hope when
he is in danger ; becomes joy when he is in dis-
tress ; and sorrow when a laudable adion is per-
formed by him.
Fourthly, passions generally have a tendency to
excess, occasioned by the sollowing means. The
mind affeded by any passion, is notin a proper
date for distind perception, nor for cool ressec-
tion : it hath always a strong bias to the objed of
an agreeable passion , and a bias no less slrong
against the objed of a disagrecable passion. The
objed of love, for example, however indifferent
to others, is to the lover’s convidion a paragon ;
and of hatred , is vice itfelf without alloy. What
less can such delusion operate, than to swell the
passion beyond what it was at sirst ? for if the see-
ing or conversing with a fine woman, have had
the eftcd to carry me from indisserence to Iqve ;
how much stronger must her inssuence be, when
now to my convidion sire is an angel ? and hatred
as well as other passions must run the same course.