Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 2.djvu/366

 PAS

( 761 )

PAS

fefted almoft at the fame Time, and with the fame Motion : Then the Organs fupplied with the thir d Order of patheticks, or the Nerves employ'd in the Mufcles of Rcfpiration, are af- fected. And laftly, the Organs of Senfe and Motion in the Brain itfelf, by which Senfation and Imagination are per- formed, are put in a forcible Emotion; by which the ordinary Operations of Senfe, Judgement, (gc. are much difturbed.

This gradual Rife and Progrefs of the Paffions is confirm'd by Fact; Obfervation and Experience; but how they are ge- nerated, and by what Steps they make thefe Advances, re- quires fome farther Coniideration.

It may be obferv'd, then, that the Quantity of Motion im- prefs'd on the pathetic Nerves in any Paffion, is always propor- tional to the Strength of the Defire; but fuch imprefs'd Mo- tion is not always uniform or equably diffufed thro' the whole pathetic Syftem; for as the largeft and rnoft numerous Branches of the Pathetick Nerves are fpent on thofe Parts which de- rive their Blood from the defcending Trunk of the Aorta, viss. the Stomach, Spleen, Kidneys, &c. upon any Motion too for- cibly imprefs'd or too long continued, thefe inferior Organs are the firft and greateft Sufferers; whence the Blood flowing impetuouily and irregularly to the Parts thus ftimulated, they become over-ftretch'd; and hence a Senfe of Pain, Weight and Oppreffion.

By this means the Head and fuperior Parts being deprived of their due Share of Blood, the Pulfe mull fink, the natural Heat diminifh and retire, and a Senfe of Cold and Conitriction be felt about the Oej'ofhagus, where the Branches of the Tar Va- gum are very numerous : And hence the Patient will be excited to figh, groan, moan, cry out, and complain, and difcover in the Tone of the Voice, and Modulation of the Mufcles of the Larynx, the Characterifricks of the prevailing Paffion.

Such is the State of Nature under the painful ^Paffions, where the ftrong Defire of Good is attended with an Appear- ance ofDifficulty, or Improbability : where the fame Defire is attended with a feeming Probability of obtaining, or effecting it; this Appearance, by moderating the Intenfenefs of the Pain of the Defile, and taking off tho too violent Act ion of the pa- thetic Nerves on the inferior Organs, puts the pathetic Syflem in an eafy, natural, uniform Undulation; by which the Equi- librium of the Blood being reftored, the pleafurable Pamtms of Love, Joy, Ho£e, ($c. will be rais'd : And in this Cafe the Pulfe will rife, and the natural Heat be diffufed, and by the Action of the Pathetic Nerves on their proper Organs the feve- ral Symptoms be produced which difcover their placid Emo- tions. Where the Defire is very Keen, and Intenfc, we fee what aprodigiousForce it will imprefs on the Nerves, by the Act ions of Mad- men, and Men in a Fright. In this Cafe, the Stimulus of Defire being exceeding (Irong,and the impreffed Motion uni- verfal; the pathetic Nerves of the fourth or laft Order come to be affected; that is, the Organs of Senfation and Imagination in the Brain are brought into fuch violent Vibrations, as to diflutb the Operations of Reafon.

And from this violent Perturbation of the pathetic Nerves in the Brain, Mad-men have their Imagination as ftrong and vivid as Senfation itfelf. See Im agination.

Hence, alfo, we may obferve the Heights, or Extremes of the two 4 contrary painful and pleafureable Paffions; the one rifing at length into a Mania or raving Madnefs, and the other linking into a hypocondriacal Melancholy. The principal Seat of the one is the Brain; and of the other, the Vifcera of the Abdomen, efpecially the Spleen and Mefentcry. The one inflames and over-heats, the other chills and freezes the Imagination : The one hangs over the Understanding like a glaring, dazling Light, which animates and leads us on with Zeal and Vehemence; the other like a thick, black, and dif- mal Cloud, that finks all the Powers of Nature unto the Depths of Mifery and Difpair. See Mania and Meeancholly.

PASSIONS in Poetry, the faffmnate Sentiments, Gef- turei, Actions, l$c. which the Poet gives his Perfons.

The Paffions are, as it were, the Life and Spirit of the longer Poems. Their Neceflity in Tragedy and Comedy is obvious; nor can the Ejtopea fubfift without 'em. See Tit A- gedy, Comedy, &c.

Tis not enough, the Epic Narration be furprizing; it muft likewife be moving, and pafiionate; hurrying away the Rea- der's Mind, and filling it with Anxiety, Joy, Terror, or fone other violent Pajjion, and this for Subjects it knows are feijn'd. See Narration.

Tho' Paffions be always neceflary, yet, all are not equally ncieffary, or fuitable to all. Comedy has Joy, and agreeable Su'prizes for its part : Tragedy on the contrary, has Terror, ant Compaffion. The proper Pajjion of the Epopea is Ad- mi-ation; tho' the Epopea, as a Medium between the two otters, takes in both their Kinds of Pafjonsi as we fee in the Grefs of the fourth Book of the Aineid-, and the Games andDi - verions of the fifth. Admiration in effeft, is confiftent with eaci, we admire with Joy the Things that furprize us agree- abh, and withTcrror and Grief thofe that amaze and afflict, us.

Bifides the general Paffion, which diftinguifhes the Epic frorr Dramatic Poems; each Epopea has its peculiar Paffion, whi:h diftinguiflies it from other Epic Poems. This peculiar

'.

y«J?Mftill follows the Charafler of the Hero, Thus Wrath, and Terror reign in the Iliad, becaufe Achilles is wrathful, and mmm tnraAoW i,JJi, the moil terrible of Men. T he .MneiA is all m the tender, f oftel. Ta ff mn f uch bcing the Character of Eneas The Prudence oiUlyfJes, not allow- ing thefe Exceffes we find none of ' em reignin the Odyffec,

As to the conduamgejthe Paffions, to make 'em have their Eftecl, there are two Things required, viz. that the Audi- ence be prepared or difpofed to receive 'em; and that feveral incompatible Paffions be not mix'd together.

The Neceffity of difpofing the Audience, 'is founded on the natural Neceffity of taking up Things where they are, in order to remove 'em elfewhere. The Application of this Maxim is eafy; a Man is calm, and at Eafe, and you wou'd put him m a Paffion by a Difcourfe made on purpofe. You mill be- gin, then, in a calm Manner; by this Means you join your felf to him; and afterwards, walking together, he wont fail to follow you in all the Paffions to which you lead him infen- ftbly.

If you fhew your Anger at firft, you'll be as ridiculous, and will have as little Effcft, as Jjax in the Mctamorphofes; in whom the ingenious Ovid gives a fine Example of this failing. He begins his Harangue in the Height of Paffion, and wit! the moil violent Figures, before h'is Judges, in the decpeft Tranquillity. J s ' f

Zittora frofpexit, clafjemque in Zittore, vultu;

Protendenjq mams, Agimus polo Jupiter', inquic

Ante rates awfam, & mecum conjermr Ulyffes.

The neceffary Difpofitions arife from fome preceeding Difcourfe; or, at leafl from fome Action, which has already begun to raife the Paffions 'ere they are mention 'd. The Ora- tors themfelves, fometimes ufc this lafl Means : For tho', ordinarily, they don't raife the Paffions till the End of their Difcourfe; yet, when they find their Audience already moved, 'twou'd be ridiculous in 'em, by an unfeafonable Tran- quillity, to lay 'em again.

Thus, the laft time Catiline came to the Senate, the Fa- thers were fo fhock'd at his Prefence, that thofe near the Place where he fat down, rofe up, retired, and left him alone. On this Occafion, Cicero had tnomuch Senfe to begin his Ora- tion with theufual Tranquillity and Coolnefs of Exordiums. By this Means he'd have palled and abated the Indignation of the Senators againft Catiline; which it was his Bufinefs to fpirit up, and inflame; and wou'd have uas'd the Parricide of that Confternation, the Behaviour of the Senators had given him; and which it was his Defign to aggravate. Omit- ting therefore,^ the firft Part of his Oration, he takes his Au- ditors in the Condition he finds 'cm; continues and augments their Paffions. £>uoufque tandem abutere, Catilinai patientia nofra\ guamdiurm etiam furor ifie tuns eludet% ghtem ad finemfej'e eflrenata jatlabit audacia 1 Nihilnctc notlumum fnefidium palatii, nihil urbis Vigilite, nihil timor populi, nihil, &c.

The Poets are full of Inftances of this Kind; where the Paffion is prepar'd or kept up by Actions. Dido in Virgil be- gins a Difcourfe like Ajax : proh Jupiter! ibit hie, ait, (yc. But then the Motions arc here well difpofed; 2)ido is before reprefented under terrible apprehenlions of s£neas's quitting her, &c<

Seneca's Conduct, indeed, is quite oppofitc to this Rule. If he has a Pasfion to raife, he is fure firft to take from his Audience any Difpofition they might have to be affect ed. If they be in Grief, Fear, or the Expectation of fomething horri- ble, ciC.He'lI begin with fome fine Defcription of the Place, 'i£e. In the Troades, Hecuba and Andromache, being prepared to hear the violent and barbarous Death of their Son Jtfiyanax, whom the Gree ks precipitated from the Top of a Tower; what booted it to tell them, that of the Spectators who crouded from all Qu arters to &e, the Execution, fome placed them- felves on Stones, which the Ruins of the Walls occafion'd to Project; that others fhook their Legs, as being placed too high, i£c. Alta Rufes, cujus i Cacmmne ereQa fitmmos mr- ba libravit pedes. &c.

The fecond Thing required in the Management of the Paf- fions, is, that they be found pute and difengaged from any Thing that might prevent their Effect.

Pclymythy, therefore,;'. e. a Multiplicity of Fables, Ac- tions, or Hiftorics, muft be avoided : All Adventures much broken, and hard to be retain'd; and all Intrigues intricate and difficult to conceive, are at once excluded. Thefe em- barrafs the Mind, and require fo much Attention, that there is none to fpare for the 'Pajfons. The Soul muft be free and difengaged to feel; and we divert our felves even from our real Sorrows, by an Application to other Things.

But of all others, the greateft Enemies to the Pajjions, ate thcPaJJicns them felves: They oppofe and deftroy one ano- ther; and if two oppofite ones Jt.gr. Joy and Sorrow meet in the fame Object; they will neither of 'cm fland it. 'Tis the Nature of thefe Habitudes that impofes this Law : The Blood and Spirits cannot move gently and equally, as in a State of Tranquillity, and at the fame Time be itopp'd, and S H itifpendcd