A miscellany of divers problems containing ingenuous solutions of sundry questions, partly moral, partly of other subjects / translated out of French by Henry Some ...

PROB. 15. What is the reason that a great joy makes us facile to pardon injuries?

IT is certain that a great joy dis∣poses us extreamly to clemency, that it softens our hearts, and expells that hardness and bitterness which injuries have caused in them, and makes us easie to pardon them; and as it is a thing certain, and such whereof the enquiry cannot be otherwise than curious, pleasant, and profitable; I conceive I have reason to allow it a place among'st these Problems, and endeavour to discover all the causes of it. In the first place then, I believe I shall speak a very great truth, if I say, that our soul being surprized on a sudden by a great happiness, finds it self secret∣ly obliged to some soveraign power, and hath secret motions of gratitude

towards it; and that finding its self unable to do it any good whereby to testifie its thanks, it is so much the more constrained to do good to his works, that is to say, that it becomes good, and disposed to do good, even to those that have wronged it. But besides this reason, which without doubt contributes very much to the effect we speak of, I conceive that Joy doth besides of its own nature beautifie the soul, as well as it beau∣tifies the countenance. And indeed, seeing that Joy is more according to nature than Sadness, seeing it is a Good, as Sadness is an Evil, it must needs for this reason inspire also into it and waken the passions that are more conform to nature, and better than those which are awaken∣ed by Sadness. Now there is no∣thing more according to nature then Goodness. If it be objected that Affliction corrects us, and makes us better; I answer, that it doth not do it out of its own nature, but by

accident, as a medicine cures us by accident, although at other times it be a kind of poyson, and is alwayes in some sort contrary to the temper of our bodies. For if we consider affliction in its self, we shall finde that as it is the property of winter and ill weather to kill flowers and to despoile the trees of the ornament of their foliage, even so it blasts the beauties of the soul, soures and debases it. But above all we shall finde, that in cooling and weakening the courage it greatly impaires that generosity from whence issues the pardon of injuries. Philosophers say that Light doth naturally beget Heat, although it be not a quality of the same species with it, by reason of a certain affinity or correspon∣dence of nature which is between them. I suppose it is for the same reason that Joy may beget in the soul goodness and vertuous inclina∣tions, though its self be not a ver∣tuous inclination, since that being a

good passion, it must have some analogy with all the good passions, as sadness must have also with all the bad ones. But to come to the con∣sideration of another cause of the same effect, it seems also that as an injury made us not angry, but out of an opinion we had that it had cast us down, when any great prosperity comes to raise us up, it must for this reason appease and sweeten the grief which this pretended dejectment hath caused in us, since that it doth in some sort do us reason. Or else, perhaps the soul, in a great pr••••pe∣rity, looking on the present which smiles upon it, and offers it nothing but matter of satisfaction, and a most perfect rest, doth equally take its eye off, both from what is to come, and what is past, and therefore hates to remember passed injuries, since that it cannot do it without looking off from the present which is so grateful to it, and interrupting its delicious employment: but that

which still puts it more strongly upon the same resolution, is, that having all on a sudden received a great blessing, it doth passionately desire to enjoy it fully, and not corrupt the sweetness thereof, and that there is nothing can so corrupt its sweetness, as a motion of hatred and revenge. For as the act of Loving is in its self naturally sweet, because it is very much according to nature: so the motions of Hatred are naturally painful and mingled with grief, because they cross nature; and because the soul doth as I may so say, wrest and distort its self, in receiving them into it, and doth ill employ its faculties. Now that all motion of revenge and hatred of another is naturally painfull and mixed with grief, is a thing that may easily be proved. For, besides that our own sense makes us acknowledge it to be true, we need only to look upon the visage of man in choler, to confesse that nothing doth more resemble the

visage of a man that is sad; and there appears something of painfull and forced, somewhat like to that one sees in the face of a Porter employed with all his strength to lift up a great burthen. It is even so also in all other motions of Hate. For in a word, it is as unimaginable, that a man should machinate any black designes, and frame within himself some malicious contrivance, without losing the native quiet and sereni∣tie of his spirit, as that the air should continue serene when it is formed into storms and tempests, and that it should be overspread with dark clouds, before it pours down either hail or thunderbolts upon the earth. And as the spring of a Pistol is not at rest, and as it were in its due place, so long as it is cockt, and ready to give fire and kill: So our soul is without doubt restless, and out of its repose, so long as it continues as it were bent to the execution of some malicious act, and is ready to

do mischief to another. And if we will descend from the consideration of men to that of beasts, we shall there also finde some testimonies of this truth, since that they which when they are alone, seem to take pleasure in, considering the beauty of the day, of the meadows, of the ri∣vers and forrests, and are most light∣some and sportive, are also the most innocent; and that, on the contra∣ry, all the savage and blood-thirsty ones are sad and melancholy, which may be seen both by their counte∣nance, and in that they hate and fly the light. It is wisdom therefore in us to drive from our mindes all ma∣licious thoughts when we would fully enjoy any great happiness: Or else, the joy which a good fortune causes in us, renders us sweet and easie to pardon injuries, because after having gotten external goods, we do the more violently desire those that re∣spect the soul, namely wisdom, and vertue, as those only which we

want, and which remain to us to desire.