any of these, cannot be contradicted without uneafinefs.

Any flight or moderate pleasure frequently reiterated for a long time, forms a connection betwixt us and the thing that caufes the pleasure. This connection, termed babit, has the effect to raise our defire or appetite for that thing when it returns not as ufual. During the course of enjoyment, the pleasure grows infenfibly ftronger till a habit be established; at which time the pleasure is at its height. It continues not however stationary. The fame customary reiteration which carried it to its height, brings it down again by infenfible degrees, even lower than it was at firft. But of this circumftance afterward. What at prefent we have in view, is to prove by experiments, that those things which at firft are but moderately agreeable, are the apteft to become habitual. Spirituous liquors, at first fcarce agreeable, readily produce an habitual appetite; and custom prevails fo far, as even to make us fond of things originally difagreeable, fuch as coffee, affa-fœtida, and

tobacco.

tobacco. This is pleasantly illuftrated by Congreve :

Fainall. For a paffionate lover, methinks you are a man somewhat too difcerning in the failings your mistress.

of

Mirabell. And for a discerning man, fomewhat too paffionate a lover; for I like her with all her faults; nay like her for her faults. Her follies are so natural, or fo artful, that they become her; and thofe affectations which in another woman would be odious, ferve but to make her more agreeable. I'll tell thee, Fainall, fhe once us'd me with that infolence, that in revenge I took her to pieces, fifted her, and feparated her failings; I study'd 'em, and got 'em by rote, The catalogue was fo large, that I was not without hopes, one day or other, to hate her heartily to which end I fo us'd myself to think of 'em, that at length, contrary to my design and expectation, they gave me every hour lefs and lefs difturbance; till in a few days it became habitual to me, to remember 'em without being difpleafed. They are now grown as familiar to me as my own frailties; and in all probability, in a little time longer, I fhall like 'em as well.

The way of the world, act 1. fc. 3.

A

A walk upon the quarterdeck, though intolerably confined, becomes however fo agreeable by cuftom, that a failor in his walk on fhore, confines himself commonly within the fame bounds. I knew a man who had relinquished the fea for a country-life. In the corner of his garden he reared an artificial mount with a level fummit, refembling moft accurately a quarterdeck, not only in fhape but in fize; and this was his choice walk. Play or gaming, at first barely amufing by the occupation it affords, becomes in time extremely agreeable; and is frequently prosecuted with avidity, as if it were the chief bufinefs of life. The fame obfervation is applicable to the pleasures of the internal fenfes, thofe of knowledge and virtue in particular. Children have scarce fense of these pleafures; and men very little, who are in the state of nature without culture. Our tafte for virtue and knowledge improves flowly; but is capable of growing stronger than any other appetite in human nature.

any

To introduce a habit, frequency of acts is not alone fufficient: length of time is al

fo neceffary. The quickest fucceffion of acts in a fhort time, is not fufficient; nor a flow fucceffion in the longest time. The effect must be produced by a moderate soft action, and a long series of eafy touches removed from each other by fhort intervals. Nor are these fufficient, without regularity in the time, place, and other circumstances of the action. The more uniform any operation is, the fooner it becomes habitual; and this holds equally in a paffive habit. Variety in any remarkable degree, prevents the effect. Thus any particular food will scarce ever become habitual, where the manner of dreffing is varied. The circumftances then requifite to augment any pleasure and at the long run to form a habit, are weak uniform acts, reiterated during a long course of time without any confiderable interruption. Every agreeable caufe which operates in this manner, will grow habitual.

Affection and averfion, as diftinguished from paffion on the one hand, and on the other from original difpofition, are in reality habits respecting particular objects, acquired in the manner above fet forth. The pleasure

pleasure of social intercourse with any perfon, muft originally be faint, and frequently reiterated, in order to establish the habit of affection. Affection thus generated, whether it be friendship or love, feldom fwells into any tumultuous or vigorous paffion; but is however the strongest cement that can bind together two individuals of the human species. In like manner, a flight degree of disgust often reiterated with any degree of regularity, grows into the habit of averfion, which generally fubfifts for life.

Those objects of taste that are the most agreeable, are so far from having a tendency to become habitual, that too great indulgence fails not to produce fatiety and difguft. No man contracts a habit of taking fugar, honey, or fweet-meats, as he doth of tobacco:

Dulcia non ferimus: fucco renovamur amaro.

Ovid. art. Amand. l. 3.

Infipido è quel dolce, che condito

Non è di qualche amaro, e tosto satia.

Aminta di Taffo.

Thefe