well, our behaviour will always, upon the whole, be praise-worthy. That to obey the will of the Deity, is the first rule of duty, all men are agreed. But concerning the particular commandments which that will may impofe upon us, they differ widely from one another. In this, therefore, the greatest mutual forbearance and toleration is due ; and though the defence of fociety requires that crimes fhould be punished, from whatever motives they proceed, yet a good man will always punish them with reluctance, when they evidently proceed from false notions of religious duty. He will never feel against those who commit them that indignation which he feels against other criminals, but will rather regret, and fometimes even admire their unfortunate firmnefs and magnanimity, at the very time that he punishes their crime. In the tragedy of Mahomet, one of the finest of Mr. Voltaire's, it is well represented, what ought to be our fentiments for crimes which proceed from such motives. In that tragedy, two young people of different fexes, of the most innocent and virtuous difpofitions, and without any other weakness except what endears them the more to us, à mutual fondness for one another, are inftigated by the strongest motives of a falfe religion, to commit a horrid murder, that shocks all the principles of human nature à venerable old man, who had expreffed the most tender affection for them both, for whom, notwithstanding he was the avowed enemy of

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their

their religion, they had both conceived the highest reverence and efteem, and who was in reality their father, though they did not know him to be fuch, is pointed out to them as a facrifice which God had expreffly required at their hands, and they are commanded to kill him. While they are about executing this crime, they are tortured with all the agonies which can arife from the struggle between the idea of the indifpenfibleness of religious duty on the one fide, and compaffion, gratitude, reverence for the age, and love for the humanity and virtue of the perfon whom they are going to deftroy, on the other. The representation of this exhibits one of the most interesting, and perhaps the most inftructive fpectacle that was ever introduced upon any theatre. The fenfe of duty, however, at last prevails over all the amiable weakneffes of human nature. They execute the crime impofed upon them; but immediately discover their error, and the fraud which had deceived them, and are diftracted with horror, remorfe, and refentment. Such as are our fentiments for the unhappy Seid and Palmira, fuch ought we to feel for every perfon who is in this manner mifled by religion, when we are fure that it is really religion which misleads him, and not the pretence of it, which is made a cover to fome of the worst of human paffions.

As a perfon may act wrong by following a wrong fenfe of duty, fo nature may fometimes prevail, and lead him to act right in oppofition

oppofition to it. We cannot in this cafe be difpleased to fee that motive prevail, which we think ought to prevail, though the perfon himself is fo weak as to think otherwife. As his conduct, however, is the effect of weaknefs, not principle, we are far from beftowing upon it any thing that approaches to compleat approbation. A bigotted Roman Catholic, who, during the maffacre of St. Bartholomew, had been fo overcome by compaffion, as to fave fome unhappy proteftants, whom he thought it his duty to deftroy, would not seem to be entitled to that high applause which we should have bestowed upon him, had he exerted the fame generofity with compleat selfapprobation. We might be pleased with the humanity of his temper, but we should still regard him with a fort of pity which is altogether inconfiftent with the admiration that is due to perfect virtue. It is the fame cafe with all the other paffions. We do not diflike to fee them exert themselves properly, even when a false notion of duty would direct the person to restrain them. A very devout Quaker, who upon being struck upon one cheek, instead of turning up the other, should fo far forget his literal interpretation of our Saviour's precept, as to bestow fome good difcipline upon the brute that infulted him, would not be disagreeable to us. We fhould laugh and be diverted with his fpirit, and rather like him the better for it. should by no means regard him with that respect and esteem which would feem due to

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But we

one

one who, upon a like occafion, had acted properly, from a just sense of what was proper to be done. No action can properly be called virtuous, which is not accompanied with the fentiment of felf-approbation.

PART

PART IV.

Of the EFFECT of UTILITY upon the fentiment of approbation.

Of the beauty which the appearance of UTILITY beftows upon all the productions of art, and of the extenfive influence of this Species of beauty.

T

HAT utility is one of the principal fources of beauty has been obferved by every body, who has confidered with any attention what conftitutes the nature of beauty. The conveniency of a house gives pleafure to the spectator as well as its regularity, and he is as much hurt when he observes the contrary defect, as when he fees the correfpondent windows of different forms, or the door not placed exactly in the middle of the building. That the fitness of any system or machine to produce the end for which it was intended, beftows a certain propriety and beauty upon the whole, and renders the very

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thought