Page:The Annual Register 1758.djvu/329

 MISCELLANE

This is perceivable, not only in certain works of fculpture and painting; but alfo in the ftyle of feme writers, who in every phrafe contraft the beginning with the end, by a continual antithefis, fuch as St. Augulline, and other of the later Roman writers ; and fome moderns, as St. Evremont.

The turn of phrafe always the fame, and always uniform, is ex- tremely difpleafing. This perpe- tual contraft becomes a fymmetry, and that afFecled oppofition becomes uniformity.

The mind finds fo little variety there, that when you have feen one part of the phrafe, you always guefs the other: you fee words that are oppofed to one another, but oppofed in the fame manner ; you fee a turn in the phrafe, but it is always the fame.

Many painters have fallen into the fault of making contrafis every where, and without art, fo that when you fee one figure, you guefs immediately at the difpofition of the one that is near it. This con- tinual diverlity became fomething likeit: whereas nature, who throws things into diforder, never fhews any affe<5tation of continued con- trail; not to fay that {he does not put all bodies in motion, and in a forced motion too. She is more varied than that; (he leaves fome at reft, and gives others different forts of motion.

Of the pleafures of furprixe.

That difpofition of the foul, which always inclines her to diffe- rent objefts, makes her tafte all the pleafures that come from fur- prize; which is afenfation pleafing to the foul, both from the view it- felf, and from ihequicknefs of the

OUS ESSAYS. 315

aclion ; for fhe fees or feels a thing that (he did not cxped, or in a manner Ihe did not expeft.

A thing may furprize us, not only as it is marvellous, but alfo as new, and even as unexpefted. And in this laft cafe, the principal fentiment is joined to an acceflary fentiment, founded on the thing's being new, or unexpefted.

It is from hence that the game of hazard affects us ; it lets us fee a continual fucceffion of unexpected events.

It is from hence too, that thea- trical pieces pleafe us ; they fhew themfelves by degree?, they con- ceal the events till they happen ; always preparing for us new caufe of furprize, and often ftrike us in letting us fee them fuch as we might have forefeen them.

Surprize may be produced bv the thing, or by the manner of perceiving it ; for we fee a thing as greater or fmaller than it really is, or different from what it is, or we fee the thing itfelf, but with an acceflary idea that furprizes us, fuch as the difficulty of making it; or the peribn who made it; or the time when it was made; or the manner in which it was made; or fome other circumftance that is joined to it.

Su?tonius defcribes the crimes of Nero with a cold riefs that furprize* us, in making us almoft believe that he does not feel the horror of what he is relatinjr: all at once he changes his ftyle, and fays, " The " univerfe having iuffered this mon- cim annos perpi'jjus terrartim or bis, tan- detn dejlituit. This produces in the mind different forts of furprize; we are furprized at the change of the author's ftyle j at the difcovery of
 * ' fter for 14 years, at laft gave him
 * ' up." Tale monjir-j.m per quati'.orde-

his