SECTION III.

ΟΝ ΤΗΕ

CHARACTER

OF THE

MELANCHOLY JAQUES.

JAQU

'AQUES, in AS-YOU-LIKE-IT, is exhibited to us in extraordinary circumftances, and in a fituation very romantic.

Lord. To-day my Lord of Amiens, and myself,
Did fteal behind him, as he lay along

Under an oak, whofe antique root peeps out
Upon the brook that brawls along this wood:
To the which place a poor fequefter'd itag,

That

That from the hunters' aim had ta'en a hurt,
Did come to languish; and, indeed, my Lord,
The wretched animal heav'd forth fuch groans
That their discharge did ftretch his leathern coat
Almoft to bursting; and the big round tears,
Cours'd one another down his innocent nofe
In piteous chace: and thus the hairy fool,
Much marked of the melancholy Jaques,

Stood on the extremeft verge of the swift brook,
Augmenting it with tears.

Duke. But what faid Jaques ?

Did he not moralize this spectacle ?

Lord. O yes, into a thousand fimilies.
First, for his weeping in the needlefs ftream;
Poor deer, quoth he, thou mak'ft a teftament
As worldlings do, giving thy fum of more,
To that which bad too much. Then, being alone,
Left and abandoned of his velvet friends;

"Tis right, quoth he; thus mifery doth part

The flux of company. Anon, a careless herd,

Full of the pafture, jumps along by him,

And never stays to greet him. Ay, quoth Jaques,

Sweep on, you fat and greafy citizens ;

'Tis just the fashion: wherefore do you look

Upon that poor and broken bankrupt there?

The most striking character in the mind of Jacques, according to this defcription,

is

He difcovers a

is extreme fenfibility. heart ftrongly difpofed to compaffion, and fufceptible of the most tender impreffions of friendship: for he who can fo feelingly deplore the abfence of kindness and humanity, must be capable of relishing the delight annexed to their exercise. But fenfibility is the foil where nature has planted focial and fweet affections: By fenfibility they are cherifhed, and grow mature. Social difpofitions produce all those amiable and endearing connections that alleviate the forrows of human life, adorn our nature, and render us happy. Now Jaques, avoiding fociety, and burying himself in the lonely foreft, feems to act inconfiftently with his conftitution. He poffeffes fenfibility; fenfibility begets affection; and affection begets the love of fociety. But Jaques is unfocial. Can these inconfiftent qualities be reconciled? Or has Shakespeare exhibited a character of which the parts are incongruous, and

dif

difcordant? In other words, how happens it that a temper difpofed to beneficence, and addicted to focial enjoyment, becomes folitary and morofe? Changes of this kind are not unfrequent: And, if researches into the origin or cause of a diftemper can direct us in the discovery of an antidote or of a remedy, our prefent inquiry is of importance. Perhaps, the excess and luxuriancy of benevolent dispofitions blighted by unkindness or ingratitude, is the cause that, instead of yielding us fruits of complacency and friendship, they fhed bitter drops of mifanthropy.

Averfion from fociety proceeds from dislike to mankind, and from an opinion of the inefficacy, and uncertainty of external pleasure. Let us confider each of these apart: Let us trace the progrefs by which they established themselves in the mind of Jaques, and gave his temper an unnatural colour.

1. The

I. The gratification of our focial affections fuppofes friendship and esteem fot others; and these difpofitions fuppofe in their object virtues of a corresponding character : For every one values his own opinion, and fancies the perfon to whom he teftifies esteem actually deserves it. If beneficent affections, ardent and undifciplined, predominate in our conftitution, and govern our opinions, we enter into life ftrongly prepoffeffed in favour of mankind, and endeavour, by a generous and difinterested conduct, to render ourfelves worthy of their regard. That spirit of diffufive goodness, which eloquent and benign philofophy recommends, but without fuccefs, to men engaged in the commerce of the world, operates uncontrouled. The heart throbs with astonishment and indignation at every act of injustice, and our bowels yearn to relieve the afflicted. Our beneficence is unlimited: We are free from fufpicion: Our friend

ships