am not mistaken in this experiment, I remove first
one relation; then another; and find, that each removal
destroys the passion, and leaves the object perfectly
indifferent. But I am not content with this.
I make a still farther trial; and instead of removing
the relation, I only change it for one of a different
kind. I suppose the virtue to belong to my companion,
not to myself; and observe what follows from this
alteration. I immediately perceive the affections
wheel to about, and leaving pride, where there is
only one relation, viz, of impressions, fall to the
side of love, where they are attracted by a double
relation of impressions and ideas. By repeating
the same experiment, in changing anew the relation
of ideas, I bring the affections back to pride; and
by a new repetition I again place them at love or
kindness. Being fully convinced of the influence
of this relation, I try the effects of the other;
and by changing virtue for vice, convert the pleasant
impression, which arises from the former, into the
disagreeable one, which proceeds from the latter.
The effect still answers expectation. Vice, when
placed on another, excites, by means of its double
relations, the passion of hatred, instead of love,
which for the same reason arises from virtue.
To continue the experiment, I change anew the relation
of ideas, and suppose the vice to belong to myself.
What follows? What is usual. A subsequent
change of the passion from hatred to humility.
This humility I convert into pride by a new change
of the impression; and find after all that I have
compleated the round, and have by these changes brought
back the passion to that very situation, in which
I first found it.
But to make the matter still more certain, I alter
the object; and instead of vice and virtue, make the
trial upon beauty and deformity, riches and poverty,
power and servitude. Each of these objects runs
the circle of the passions in the same manner, by
a change of their relations: And in whatever
order we proceed, whether through pride, love, hatred,
humility, or through humility, hatred, love, pride,
the experiment is not in the least diversifyed.
Esteem and contempt, indeed, arise on some occasions
instead of love and hatred; but these are at the bottom
the same passions, only diversifyed by some causes,
which we shall explain afterwards.
Fifth Experiment. To give greater authority to
these experiments, let us change the situation of
affairs as much as possible, and place the passions
and objects in all the different positions, of which
they are susceptible. Let us suppose, beside
the relations above-mentioned, that the person, along
with whom I make all these experiments, is closely
connected with me either by blood or friendship.
He is, we shall suppose, my son or brother, or is
united to me by a long and familiar acquaintance.
Let us next suppose, that the cause of the passion
acquires a double relation of impressions and ideas
to this person; and let us see what the effects are
of all these complicated attractions and relations.