gedians have introduce fome extraordinary perfonages for this purpose: not only the shades of the dead, but the furies, and other fabulous inhabitants of the infenal regions. Collins, in his most poetical ode to Fear, has finely enforced this idea. Tho' gentle Pity claims her mingled part, Yet all the thunders of the scene are thine. THE old Gothic romance and the Eaftern tale, with their genii, giants, enchantments, and transformations, however a refined critic may cenfure them as abfurd and extravagant, will ever retain a most powerful influence on the mind, and interest the reader independently of all peculiarity of tafte. Thus the great Milton, who had a strong biafs to these wildnesses of the imagination, has with ftriking effect made the ftories "of forefts and enchantments drear," a favourite fubject with his Penferoso; and had undoubtedly their awakening images strong upon his mind when he breaks out, Call him that left half-told How are we then to account for the pleasure derived from such objects ? I have often been led to imagine that there is a deception in these cases; and that the avidity with which we attend is not a proof of our receiving real pleasure. The pain of suspense, and the irresistible desire of satisfying curiosity, when once raised, will account for our eagerness to go quite through an adventure, though we suffer actual pain during the whole course of it. We rather chuse to suffer the smart pang of a violent emotion than the uneasy craving of an unsatisfied desire. That this principle, in many instances, may invol voluntarily carry us through what we diflike, I am convinced from experience. This is the impulse which renders the poorest and most insipid narrative interesting when once we get fairly into it; and I have frequently felt it with regard to our modern novels, which, if lying on my table, and taken up in an idle hour, have led me through the most tedious and disgusting pages, while, like Pistol eating his leek, I have swallowed and execrated to the end. And it will not only force us through dullness, but through actual torture--through the relation of a Damien's execution, or an inquisitor's act of faith. When children, therefore, listen with pale and mute attention to the frightful stories of apparitions, we are not, perhaps, to imagine that they are in a state of enjoy. ment, any more than the poor bird which is dropping into the mouth of the rattlesnake--they are chained by the ears, and a a fascinated by curiofity. Thus folution, however, does not fatisfy me with respect to the well-wrought fcenes of artificial terror which are formed by a fublime and vigorous imagination. Here, though we know before-hand what to expect, we enter into them with eagerness, in queft of a pleasure already experienced. This is the pleasure conftantly attached to the excitement of surprise from new and wonderful objects. A ftrange and unexpected event awakens the mind, and keeps it on the stretch; and where the agency of invisible beings is introduced, of "forms unseen, and mightier far than we," our imagination, darting forth, explores with rapture the new world which is laid open to its view, and rejoices in the expansion of its powers. Paffion and fancy co-operating elevate the foul to its highest pitch; and the pain of terror is loft in amaze ment. HENCE Hence the more wild, fanciful, and extraordinary are the circumstances of a scene of horror, the more pleasure we receive from it; and where they are too near common nature, though violently borne by curiosity through the adventure, we cannot repeat it or reflect on it, without an over-balance of pain. In the Arabian nights are many most striking examples of the terrible joined with the marvellous: the story of Aladdin, and the travels of Sinbad, are particularly excellent. The Castle of Otranto is a very spirited modern attempt upon the fame plan of mixed terror, adapted to the model of Gothic romance. The best conceived, and most strongly worked-up scene of mere natural horror that I recollect, is in Smollett's Ferdinand count Fatbom; where the hero, entertained in a lone house in a forest, finds a corpse juft naughtered in the room where he is sent to seep, and the a |