ered as figurative; yet every man knows, that strength and weakness, boldness and modesty, are qualities, not of matter, but of mind, and that without our knowledge of mind, it is impossible that we should ever have had any conception of them. How much the effect of descriptions of natural scenery arises from that personification, which is founded upon such associations, I believe there is no man of common taste who must not often have been sensible.

5. We are led by the constitution of our nature, also, to perceive resemblances between our sensations and emotions, and of consequence between the objects that produce them. Thus, there is some analogy between the sensation of gradual ascent, and the emotion of ambition-between the sensation of gradual descent, and the emotion of decay-between the lively sensation of sunshine, and the cheerful emotion of joy-between the painful sensation of darkness, and the dispiriting emotion of sorrow. In the same manner, there are analogies between silence and tranquillity— between the lustre of morning, and the gaiety of hope -between softness of colouring, and gentleness of character-between slenderness of form, and delicacy of mind, &c. The objects, therefore, which produce such sensations, though in themselves not the immediate signs of such interesting or affecting qualities, . yet in consequence of this resemblance, become gradually expressive of them, and if not always, yet at those times at least, when we are under the dominion of any emotion, serve to bring to our minds the images of all those affecting or interesting qualities, which we have been accustomed to suppose they resemble. How extensive this source of association is, may easily

be observed, in the extent of such kinds of figurative expression in every language.

6. Besides these, language itself is another very important cause of the extent of such associations.The analogies between the qualities of matter, and the qualities of mind, which any individual might discover or observe, might perhaps be few, and must of course be limited by his situation and circumstances; but the use of language gives, to every individual who employs it, the possession of all the analogies which so many ages have observed, between material quali-ties, and qualities capable of producing emotion. Of how much consequence this is, may be discovered in the different impressions which are made by the same objects on the common people whose vocabulary is limited by their wants, and on those who have had the advantage of a liberal education.

7. To all these sources of association is to be added, that which is peculiar to every individual. There is no man, almost, who has not, from accident, from the events of his life, or from the nature of his studies, connected agreeable or interesting recollections with particular colours, or sounds, or forms, and to whom such sounds or colours, &c. are not pleasing from such an association. They affect us, in some measure, as the signs of these interesting qualities, and, as in other cases, produce in us the same emotion with the qualities they signify.

These observations are probably sufficient to show the numerous and extensive associations we have with matter and its various qualities, as well as to illustrate some of the means by which it becomes significant or expressive to us of very different, and far more interest

ing qualities than those it possesses in itself. By means of the connexion, or resemblance, which subsists between the qualities of matter, and qualities capable of producing emotion, the perception of the one immediately, and very often irresistibly, suggests the idea of the other; and so early are these associations formed, that it requires afterwards some pains to separate this connexion, and to prevent us from attributing to the sign, that effect which is produced alone by the quality signified.

Whatever may be the truth of these observations, it cannot at least be doubted, that the qualities of matter are often associated with others, and that they affect us in such cases, like all other signs, by leading our imaginations to the qualities they signify. It seems to be equally obvious, that in all cases where matter, or any of its qualities, produces the emotions of sublimity or beauty, this effect must arise either from those material qualities themselves, from their being fitted by the constitution of our nature to produce such emotions; or from some other qualities with which they are associated, and of which they operate as the signs or expressions.

It should seem, therefore, that a very simple, and a very obvious principle is sufficient to guide our investigation into the source of the sublimity and beauty of the qualities of matter. If these qualities are in themselves fitted to produce the emotions of sublimity or beauty (or, in other words, are in themselves beautiful or sublime,) I think it is obvious that they must produce these emotions, independently of any association. If, on the contrary, it is found that these qualities only produce such emotions when they are associated with

interesting or affecting qualities, and that when such associations are destroyed, they no longer produce the same emotions, I think it must also be allowed, that their beauty or sublimity is to be ascribed, not to the material, but to the associated qualities.

That this is in reality the case, I shall endeavour to show, by a great variety of illustrations. It is necessary, however, for me to premise, that I am very far from considering the inquiries which follow, as a complete examination of the subject. They are indeed only detached observations on the sublimity and beauty of some of the most important classes of material qualities, but which, however imperfect they may severally be, yet seem to possess considerable weight from their collective evidence.

CHAPTER II.

On the Sublimity and Beauty of Sound.

The senses by which we chiefly discover beauty or sublimity in material objects, are those of HEARING and

SEEING.

The objects of the first are SOUNDS, whether SIMPLE

or COMPOSED.

The objects of the second are, COLOURS, FORMS, and

MOTION.

SECTION I.

Of Simple Sounds.

I SHALL begin with considering some of those instances, where simple sounds are productive of the emotions of sublimity or beauty. Such sounds are capable of many divisions. It may be sufficient at present, to consider them in the following order:

1. Sounds that occur in inanimate nature.

2. The notes of animals. And,

3. The tones of the human voice.

PART I.

Of Miscellaneous Sounds.

Or the first class, or of those miscellaneous sounds that occur in inanimate nature, there are many which produce emotions of sublimity and beauty.

I.

1. All sounds in general are SUBLIME, which are associated with ideas of danger; the howling of a storm, the murmuring of an earthquake-the report of artillery-the explosion of thunder, &c.

2. All sounds are in general sublime, which are associated with ideas of great power or might; the noise of a torrent-the fall of a cataract-the uproar of a tempest-the explosion of gunpowder-the dashing of the waves, &c.

3. All sounds, in the same manner, are sublime, which are associated with ideas of majesty, or solemnity, or deep melancholy, or any other strong emotion; the sound of the trumpet, and all other warlike instruments -the note of the organ-the sound of the curfew-the tolling of the passing bell, &c.

That the sublimity of such sounds arises from the ideas of danger, or power, or majesty, &c. which are associated with them, and not from the sounds themselves, or from any original fitness in such sounds, to produce this emotion, seems to be obvious from the following considerations:

1. Such sounds, instead of having any permanent or definite character of sublimity, vary in their effect with the qualities they happen to express, and assume