SECT. XXII.

OF ANGER.

Anger, in its operation on the animal economy, is one of the strongest of the mental fiimuli. It roufes the heart and arteries into greater action, produces an ardent glow over the whole body, but more especially in the face; eyes look red, the voice is loud, and the muscular powers are increased: hence gout, palfy, &c. have been all removed by violent paroxyfms of rage.

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But this ftimulus is ufually too active in its operation

to be friendly to health.

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Where revenge cannot be indulged, a paleness of the kin and cheeks quickly fucceeds, the voice faulters, and the limbs are affected with tremor. But where the object is perpetually calling for resentment, and this paffion is not consumed in violent action, it then gives tone to the mufcular fibre.

Upon the British fleet coming into the Bay of Hieres (February 1744), our men, fays Mr. Ives, understood A that the enemy's fleet and ours were foon to engage. There

There appeared, not only in the healthy, but also in the fick, the highest mark of fatisfaction and pleafure, and these last mended furprisingly daily, infomuch that on the 11th of February, the day we engaged the combined fleets of France and Spain, we had not above four or five but what were at their fighting quarters.

The Philadelphia militia who joined the remains of General Washington's army, in December 1776, and fhared with them, a few days afterward, in the capture of a large body of Heffians at TRENTON, confifted of 1500 men, moft of whom had been accuftomed to the habits of a city life. city life. These men flept in tents and barns, and fometimes in the open air, during the ufual colds of December and January; and yet there were only two inftances of fickness, and only one of death, in that body of men in the course of near fix weeks, in thofe winter months. extraordinary healthiness of fo great a number of men, under fuch trying circumftances, can only be afcribed to the vigour infused into the body from the strong pasfions of the mind rendering it infenfible to the ordinary caufes of disease.

This

Militia officers and foldiers, who enjoyed good

'health

health during the campaign, were often affected by fevers and other diforders, as foon as they returned to their refpective homes. I knew one instance, says Dr. RUSH, of a militia captain, who was feized with convulfions the first night he lay at ease, after having flept feveral months on a mattrafs upon the ground. These affections appear to have been produced only by the sudden abstraction of that tone in the system which was excited by a sense of danger, and the other invigorating objects of a military life.

The patience, firmness, and magnanimity, with. which the officers and foldiers of the American army endured the complicated evils of hunger, cold, and nakedness, can only be afcribed, continues this fagacious physician, to an infenfibility of body, produced by an uncommon tone of mind, excited by the love of liberty and the hatred of the enemy: for the war was carried on by the Americans against a nation, to whom they had long been tied by the numerous obligations of confanguinity, laws, religion, commerce, language, intereft, and a mutual fenfe of national glory; the refentment of the Americans rofe of course, as is ufual in all difputes, in proportion to the number Sf and

and force of thefe ancient bonds of affection and union. On this fame principle it is, that favages, to fatiate their revenge, bear with uncommon patience, and without injury, all the feverities of cold and hunger, and have been known to wait even eight or ten months in ambush to destroy an adverfary.

SECT. XXIII.

ON ENTHUSIASM.

It is well known that perfons under ftrong prepoffeffions of mind, have expofed themselves to extreme bodily tortures without expreffion of pain, and have also endured long faftings, the extremities of heat and cold, the infection of contagious diftempers, and other hazardous experiments, without feeling the confequences that would most probably have taken place, had not the nervous feelings been more forcibly pre-occupied.

Hoffman. Affect. maniac. fenfuum aug. ftipat. Tolerantia inediæ atque algoris mirabilis. Boerhaavii Aphorifm. 1120.

SECT.

SECT. XXIV.

OF LOVE.

Love, the most univerfal and grateful paffion of human nature, which, in general, neither affumnes the violence of anger, nor finks into the depreffion of grief, may be confidered as a temperate fiimulus; but in its viciffitudes and extremes, it may acquire the impetuofity of the firft, or the defpondency of the latter.

In love, in propitious love, the heart beats with joy; vivacity cheers the countenance, the eye is brilliant, fociety is courted, language is animated, and vigour augmented.

But when this paffion has taken deep poffeffion of the heart and foul, with a dubious, or adverse return, it is expreffed by deep involuntary fighs; every incident that excites emotion, especially the tender emotions of fympathy, make the heart palpitate, and fuffufes the face with faint blufhes; the voice is low, languid, flow, or faultering; the eyes are downcast or penfive; and the breaft heaves and falls, like the motion of gently disturbed waters. Solitude, fhades, Sf 2 and