their first bounds; but extend
themselves towards all the contiguous objects, and comprehend the
friends and relations of him we love or hate. Nothing is more natural
than to bear a kindness to one brother on account of our friendship for
another, without any farther examination of his character. A quarrel
with one person gives us a hatred for the whole family, though entirely
innocent of that, which displeases us. Instances of this kind are every
where to be met with.

There is only one difficulty in this experiment, which it will be
necessary to account for, before we proceed any farther. It is evident,
that though all passions pass easily from one object to another related
to it, yet this transition is made with greater facility, where the more
considerable object is first presented, and the lesser follows it, than
where this order is reversed, and the lesser takes the precedence. Thus
it is more natural for us to love the son upon account of the father,
than the father upon account of the son; the servant for the master,
than the master for the servant; the subject for the prince, than the
prince for the subject. In like manner we more readily contract a hatred
against a whole family, where our first quarrel is with the head of it,
than where we are displeased with a son, or servant, or some inferior
member. In short, our passions, like other objects, descend with greater
facility than they ascend.

That we may comprehend, wherein consists the difficulty of explaining
this phaenomenon, we must consider, that the very same reason, which
determines the imagination to pass from remote to contiguous objects,
with more facility than from contiguous to remote, causes it likewise
to change with more ease, the less for the greater, than the greater for
the less. Whatever has the greatest influence is most taken notice of;
and whatever is most taken notice of, presents itself most readily to
the imagination. We are more apt to over-look in any subject, what is
trivial, than what appears of considerable moment; but especially if the
latter takes the precedence, and first engages our attention. Thus if
any accident makes us consider the Satellites of JUPITER, our fancy is
naturally determined to form the idea of that planet; but if we first
reflect on the principal planet, it is more natural for us to overlook
its attendants. The mention of the provinces of any empire conveys our
thought to the seat of the empire; but the fan