ch bind men to each other, and the wisdom
and necessity of governing my conduct by inexorable rules. We are thus
further and further removed from unexpected sallies of the mind, and the
danger of suddenly starting away into acts not previously reflected on
and considered.

With respect to the censure and retaliation of other men on my
proceeding, these, by the terms of my supposition, are left out of the
question.

It may be taken for granted, that no man but a madman, would in the
case I have stated take the challenger at his word. But what I want to
ascertain is, why the bare thought of doing so takes a momentary hold of
the mind of the person addressed?

There are three principles in the nature of man which contribute to
account for this.

First, the love of novelty.

Secondly, the love of enterprise and adventure. I become insupportably
wearied with the repetition of rotatory acts and every-day occurrences.
I want to be alive, to be something more than I commonly am, to change
the scene, to cut the cable that binds my bark to the shore, to launch
into the wide sea of possibilities, and to nourish my thoughts with
observing a train of unforeseen consequences as they arise.

A third principle, which discovers itself in early childhood, and which
never entirely quits us, is the love of power. We wish to be assured
that we are something, and that we can produce notable effects upon
other beings out of ourselves. It is this principle, which instigates
a child to destroy his playthings, and to torment and kill the animals
around him.

But, even independently of the laws of morality, and the fear of censure
and retaliation from our fellow-creatures, there are other things which
would obviously restrain us from taking the challenger in the above
supposition at his word.

If man were an omnipotent being, and at the same time retained all
his present mental infirmities, it would be difficult to say of what
extravagances he would be guilty. It is proverbially affirmed that power
has a tendency to corrupt the best dispositions. Then what would not
omnipotence effect?

If, when I put an end to the life of a fellow-creature, all vestiges of
what I had done were to disappear, this would take off a great part of
the control upon my actions which at present subsists. But, as it is,
there are many consequences that "give us pause." I do not like to see
his blood streaming on the ground. I do not like to witness the spasms