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SECT. V.

Of the Combination of the affociating Prin

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HE feveral principles of affociation which have been enumerated, are different, and fome of them are very unlike to others of them: every perception whatever is connected with fome ideas by fome of these principles, and with fome ideas by other principles; but often alfo a perception is connected with another by two or more of these principles at once.

Ir was impoffible to confider the affociating principles fo much feparately, as to prevent many inftances of this combination from occurring in what has been already said, or to avoid mentioning fome of the confequences of it. We have found examples of habit and of paffion concurring with fome of the rela tions of ideas, in fuggefting the fame thought. Different relations of ideas may be combined in like manner. A thing which resembles another, may at the fame time be contiguous to it, or be its caufe, or its effect. Morton, relating

relating in what manner Piercy's fall deprived

his troops of courage, fays,

For from his metal was his party steel'd;

Which once in him abated, all the rest

Turn'd on themselves, like dull and heavy lead.
And as the thing that's heavy in itself,
Upon enforcement flies with greatest speed:
So did our men, heavy in Hotspur's lofs,
Lend to this weight fuch lightness with their fear,
That arrows fled not fwifter toward their aim,
Than did our foldiers, aiming at their faiety,
Fly from the field.—(a)

The feveral images here employed; feel lofing its temper; heavy things moving fafter than light things, when they are projected with fufficient force; arrows flying to a mark ; have fuch a degree of resemblance to the dejection and flight of brave foldiers, as is fufficient to render them proper fimilitudes: but in this cafe, they are not fuggefted to the poet by resemblance alone; being things employed in war, they have all a kind of vicinity to what happened in the field of battle; the ufe that is made of them in war, connects them with it by a fpecies of causation; and therefore they have a ftronger relation to the fubject described, than images which only re

(-) Second part of Henry IV. 1. fcene 3.

femble

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femble it, though in the most perfect manner. The power of thefe complicated relations has hurried on the poet to pursue and to accumulate the images, more than is confiftent with perfect fimplicity and correctness. Juftin was led by the fame co-operation of principles, to the choice of the fimilitude by which he illuftrates the effect of the death of Epaminondas, on the spirit of the Thebans, a fimilitude too remote to have otherwife

come into his mind: "For as, if you. break "off the point of a weapon, you take from "the reft of the iron the power of hurting, "fo that General of the Thebans, being taken

away, like the point of the weapon, the "power alfo of the state was deadened (b).”

It is not necessary to multiply examples of the combination of different affociating qualities; to conceive this, is not a matter of any difficulty. But it will be proper to make an obfervation which ferves to render fome of our former conclufions more precife and determinate. We could fcarce avoid mentioning contrariety as an affociating quality, because it sometimes connects ideas by itself, and be

(6) Nam cuti telo i primam aciem præfregeris, reliquo ferro vim nocendi fuftuleris; fic illo, velut mucrone teli, ab. Jato duce Thebanorum, rei quoque publick vires hebetata funt. Hif. lib. vi. cap. 8.

caufe

cause often when it is affifted by other relations, it is notwithstanding the chief and prevalent relation. But from a review of the examples which were given, it will appear, that for the most part, when contrariety unites ideas, it is combined with fome other relation. One thing, for inftance, fuggests its contrary when both belong to the fame fubject, in many cafes where it would not fuggeft it, if they belonged to different fubjects. It is when oppofite fortunes happen by a remarkable reverfe, to the fame perfon, that they irresistibly fuggeft each other.

ONE effect of the combination of different affociating principles, has been often hinted at already. That combination produces a closer and stronger relation between perceptions, than either of the principles alone: one of the perceptions introduces the other with a double force, and therefore in préference to those which are connected with it only by a single tie.

THIS combination likewife contributes greatly to the force and extent of genius. It fupplies the imagination with many means. of apprehending the conceptions for which it has occafion. If a perfon be not affected by one of the relations which fubfift between a present

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prefent perception and an idea which suits his purpose, he may be affected by another of them. If neither of the relations fingly have force enough to operate upon his imagination, they may derive fufficient force from their union, and be able together to lead him readily to the discovery of fuch appofite materials as otherwife he must have miffed.

THIS Combination contributes not only to increase the force of genius, but also to diverfify its form. The feparate principles of allo'ciation being fo numerous as they are, muft be fufceptible of an almost infinite number of combinations; and every poffible combina'tion of them conftitutes a new ground of union among perceptions, which will be subfervient to genius. Any prefent perception will fuggeft a thoufand different ideas to as many different perfons, according to the different affociating principles or combinations of principles by which they are affected; and this will produce a correfpondent diverfity both in the fubftance and in the ftru&ture of their works.

SECT.

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