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He is exhibited to us valiant, dutiful to his Sovereign, mild, gentle, and ambitious: But ambitious without guilt. Soon after, we find him falfe, perfidious, barbarous, and vindictive. All the prineiples in his conftitution feem to have undergone a violent and total change. Some appear to be altogether reduced or extirpated Others monftrously overgrown. Ferocity is fubftituted instead of mildnefs, treasonable intentions inftead of a fenfe of duty. His ambition, however, has fuffered no diminution: On the contrary, by having become exceedingly powerful, and by rifing to undue pretenfions, it seems to have vanquished and fuppreffed every amiable and virtuous principle. But, in a conflict fo important, and where the opposing powers were naturally vigorous, and invefted with high authority, violent must have been the ftruggle, and obftinate the refiftance.. Nor could the prevailing paffion have been enabled

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enabled to contend with virtue, without having gained, at fome former period, an unlawful afcendency. Therefore, in treating the history of this revolution, we shall confider how the ufurping principle became fo powerful; how its powers were exerted in its conflict with opposing principles; and what were the confequences of its victory.

I. The growth of Macbeth's ambition was fo imperceptible, and his treafon for unexpected, that the hiftorians of an ignorant age, little accuftomed to explain. uncommon events by fimple causes, and ftrongly addicted to a fuperftitious belief in forcery, ascribed them to praeternatural agency. And Shakespeare, capable of exalting this fiction, and of rendering it interesting, by his power over the "terrible graces," hath adopted it in its full extent. In this part, therefore, having little affiftance from the poet, we fhall hazard a conjecture, fupported by fome facts and obfervations,

obfervations, concerning the power of fancy, aided by partial gratification, to invigorate and inflame our paffions.

All men, who poffefs the feeds of violent paffions, will often be conscious of their influence, before they have opportunities of indulging them. By nature provident, and prone to reflection, we look forward with eagerness into futurity, and anticipate our enjoyments. Never completely fatisfied with our present condition, we embrace in imagination the happiness that is to come. But happiness is relative to conftitution: It depends on the gratification of our defires: And the happiness of mankind is various; because the defires of the heart are various. The nature, therefore, of anticipated enjoyment is agreeable to the nature of our defires. Men of indolent difpofitions, and addicted to pleasure, indulge themfelves in dreams of feftivity. Those, again, who have in their conftitution, the 2 latent

latent principles of avarice, adminifter to the gratification of their fatal propenfity, by reveries of ideal opulence. Dignity, parade, and magnificence, are ever prefent to the ambitious man: Laurels, if he pursues literary fame: Battles and conqueft, if his humour is warlike. Whoever would cultivate an acquaintance with himself, and would know to what paffions he is moft expofed, fhould attend to the operations of fancy, and by remarking the objects fhe with greateft pleasure exhibits, he may difcern, with tolerable accuracy, the nature of his own mind, and the principles most likely to rule him. Excurfions of the imagination, except in minds idly extravagant, are commonly governed by the probability of fuccefs. They are alfo regulated by moral confiderations: For no man indulging vifions of ideal felicity, embrues his hands

in

*See Hutchefon on the origin of our ideas of beauty and harmony.

in the blood of the guiltless, or fuffers himself in imagination to be unjust or perfidious. Yet, by this imaginary indulgence, harmless as it may appear, our paffions become immoderate. This is manifeft from the following obfervations.

When the mind is agitated by violent paffions, the thoughts presented to us are of a correfponding character. The angry man thinks of injury, perfidy, or infult. Under the influences of fear, we figure to ourselves dangers that have no reality, and tremble without a caufe.

Vitas hinnuleo me fimilis, Chloë,
Quaerenti pavidam montibus aviis

Matrem, non fine vano

Aurarum, et filvae metu.

Nam feu mobilibus vitis inhorruit

Ad ventum foliis, feu virides rubum
Dimovere lacertae,

Et corde et genibus tremit.

HOR

Minds, differently fashioned, and under

the influence of different paffions, receive

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