lO HISTORY OF ASTRONOMY.

each other. Is any refentment fo keen as whatfollows the quai'rels of lovers, or any love fopafilonate as what attends their reconcilement?

Even the objects of the external fenfes affect! usin a more lively manner, when oppofite extremesfucceed to, or are placed befide each other. Mo-derate warmth feems intolerable heat if felt afterextreme cold. What is bitter will feem more fowhen tailed after what is very fweet ; a dirty whitewill feem bright and pure when placed by a jetblack. The vivacity in iliort of every feula tion , aswell as of every fenti ment, feems to be greateror lefs in proportion to the change made by theimprellion of either upon the fituation of the mindor organ; but this change mult necellarily be thegreatelt when opposite sentiments and sensationsare contrasted, or fucceed immediately to oneanother. But sentiments and sensations are thenthe liveliest; and this superior vivacity proceedsfrom nothing but their being brought upon rhemind or organ when in a Hate molt unfit forconceiving them.

As the opposition of contrasted sentiments height-ens their vivacity, fo the resemblance of thosewhich immediately succeed each other rendersthem more faint and languid. A parent who hasloft several children immediately after one an-other, will be lets affecüed with the death of thesalt than with that of the firft, though the lofs initself be, in this cafe, undoubtedly greater ; buthis mind being already funk into sorrow, the newmisfortune feems to produce no other effect! than

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