hs separation, as his ideas had
painted her in his absence; and there is, on that account, always a little
disappointment felt for a minute at their next interview from this
hallucination of his ideas.

This passion of love produces reverie in its first state, which exertion
alleviates the pain of it, and by the assistance of hope converts it into
pleasure. Then the lover seeks solitude, lest this agreeable reverie should
be interrupted by external stimuli, as described by Virgil.

Tantum inter densas, umbrosa cacumina, fagos
Assidue veniebat, ibi haec incondita solus
Montibus et sylvis studio jactabat inani.

When the pain of love is so great, as not to be relieved by the exertions
of reverie, as above described; as when it is misplaced on an object, of
which the lover cannot possess himself; it may still be counteracted or
conquered by the stoic philosophy, which strips all things of their
ornaments, and inculcates "nil admirari." Of which lessons may be found in
the meditations of Marcus Antoninus. The maniacal idea is said in some
lovers to have been weakened by the action of other very energetic ideas;
such as have been occasioned by the death of his favourite child, or by the
burning of his house, or by his being shipwrecked. In those cases the
violence of the new idea for a while expends so much sensorial power as to
prevent the exertion of the maniacal one; and new catenations succeed. On
this theory the lover's leap, so celebrated by poets, might effect a cure,
if the patient escaped with life.

The third stage of this disease I suppose is irremediable; when a lover has
previously been much encouraged, and at length meets with neglect or
disdain; the maniacal idea is so painful as not to be for a moment
relievable by the exertions of reverie, but is instantly followed by
furious or melancholy insanity; and suicide, or revenge, have frequently
been the consequence. As was lately exemplified in Mr. Hackman, who shot
Miss Ray in the lobby of the playhouse. So the poet describes the passion
of Dido,

----------Moriamur inultae?--
At moriamur, ait,--sic, sic, juvat ire sub umbras!

The story of Medaea seems to have been contrived by Ovid, who was a good
judge of the subject, to represent the savage madness occasioned by
ill-requited love. Thus the poet,

Earth has no rage like love to hatred turn'd,
Nor hell a fury like a woman scorn'd.
DRYDEN.

5. _Amor sui._ Vanit