** dangerous one for the encouragement of fuicide, because it frequently urges a man, contrary to his feelings, his interefts, and his warmest wishes, to accelerate his own murder, at a time, perhaps, when he is entirely convinced of the great guilt of fuicide. But it may be faid-" I am not the challenger; I am called out, I must obey; I neither feek my opponent's life, nor would voluntarily put my own in his power. Let what will happen then, can I be deemed guilty either of his murder or my own?" The fulleft answer to this objection' must be looked for in a difcuffion of the words, "I must obey;" but to engage here in an inquiry of that nature would be deviating too far from the present point in view. Suffice it to obferve, that accepting as well as giving a challenge, equally hazards one's own life; and whoever does that voluntarily, without benefit to others, is liable to have his death imputed to himself, which falls not fhort of actual fuicide. The principles of modern honour, then, (which was all that was here meant to be proved) by leading to the duel, highly encourage one fpecies of fuicide, and that, perhaps, at a time when a man's natural defires and strongest propenfities lead him anxioufly to covet life's continuance. But the fame principles are enemies alfo in another inftance, which contributes most frequently to an horrid fpecies of felf-murder, viz. by the stamp of neceffity they affix to the immediate discharge of thofe debts which they are pleased especially to term honourable-the debts of the "Gaming-Table." Let a man of modern honour be involved in legal debts to his tradesmen, it feldom gives him much concern, and feldomer prompts him to quit life on a fudden, unless he feels himself in danger of fuffering fome great perfonal indignity. But let him have thrown away his patrimony in gambling, and have contracted fuch debts by unlucky throws of the dice as he has no hopes of difcharging, rage at his ill fuccefs, difappointment and vexation at his loffes, despair of the practicability of immediate and honourable payment, together with the known impoffibility without fuch payment of appearing again in the regions of gambling, all these circumstances combined lead him to a desperate species of felf-murder, and are, perhaps, one of its most frequent caufes. Befides, as it is generally committed in a fudden paroxyfm of distraction and fury, occafioned by a luckless throw, it ftifles every attention that a man might be induced to pay in a cooler hour to the diftreffes of others, to the fuggeftions of his own humaner feelings, as as well as to the claims of felf-intereft and felf-prefervation. It is no weariness. of life, no remorfe of confcience, no difappointment of fenfual gratifications, of ambition, of fame, which leads the gamefter on to fuicide; but merely the preffure of his debts of honour-the want of means to pursue [z] his favourite calling. Reftore him these abilities, and he lives to every fatisfaction of life he ever enjoyed the rattling of the dice; and is in no danger from his own fword or-piftol. In these instances, then, does modern honour impel to fuicide even against all defires of life. But if fuicide be a crime even when a man's own inclinations powerfully urge its commiffion, how much greater and more unnatural must its guilt needs appear, when perpetrated, as it were, in despite of all his own feelings! As the subjects of “ As the subjects of "Duelling and Gaming" are nearly connected with Suicide, and form, as it were, a triple-headed Cerberus of tremendous visage, fome larger ftrictures will be made on these two deftructive and unchristian practices in a fubfequent part of this work. But as the principles of modern honour are conceived to be closely connected with "Courage," it will not be improper to fubjoin in this place a few obfervations on that courage, which is fuppofed by many to be exhibited in the act of fuicide, but which after it has been proved to be rather the result of temerity and a certain daringness of spirit, will tend to increase the weight of its "general guilt." Though the definitions of Courage are numerous, yet there is not, perhaps, a more compendious and just one than Aristotle's [A], who calls it "the mean "between fear and rafhnefs." Let us fee how far the act of fuicide is to be found in this mean, and in confequence how far it can be faid to be connected with courage. It is clear that the generality of fuicide proceeds either from a timidity of difpofition, not capable of bearing up against impending troubles, or from a sudden gust and violence of paffion, which no one will scruple to stile impetuous and rafh, or (as is often the cafe) from a mixture of both. Now this being granted, there feems to be no connexion whatever between fuicide [z] Such an one may truly exclaim, "Vixi, & quem dederat curfum Fortuna, peregi."-VIRG. [A] ʼn avèpara μecolus est meet poses nas dappn.-Ethics, Lib. III. c. ix. and courage, but rather the wideft feparation; fince courage is equally diftant from that fear or that rafhnefs, which both feparately and connectively form the bafis of fuicide. This might ferve as a compendious anfwer to such as deem fuicide an act of courage; but left they should think it too concife, a further explanation fhall be given of the matter. Ariftotle's definition above is of courage in the abstract, as a quality or difpofition of the mind. But when this comes to be applied to particular instances, it must also be accompanied with particular circumstances in its exertion, in order to render it praife-worthy. True courage [B] must have a noble and virtuous bafis for its exertion: it muft face fome danger, or it can merit no applaufe. But if the danger incurred tends to effect no good purpose, as it retires from one extreme, that of fear, fo it encroaches on the other, that of rafhnefs. Courage, likewife, to render it worthy of commendation, must show itfelf in the defence of others; for if employed wholly on felf and felf-concerns, it may be apt to take a different name, and to be abforbed in that term of despicable application-Selfishness. A man attacked by an highwayman may, indeed, acquire fome reputation of courage by refifting at the hazard of his life, even though self-intereft (as to defending his property) feems principally concerned. This happens, both because he might have quietly submitted to the lofs of a trifling property without any risk of murderous confequences, and because he is actually at the fame time doing much fervice to the community by ftriving to oppofe its lawless members. But if that public robber fight ever so stoutly in return, he acquires not the praise due to courage, and that for very [B] Sed ea animi elatio, quæ cernitur in periculis & laboribus, fi juftitiâ vacat pugnatque non pro falute communi, fed pro fuis commodis, in vitio eft; non enim modo id virtutis non eft, fed potius immanitatis, omnem humanitatem repellentis. Itaque probè definitur a Stoicis fortitudo, cum eam virtutem effe dicunt propugnantem pro æquitate.-Omnino fortis animus & magnus duabus rebus maximè cernitur, quarum una in rerum externarum defpicientiâ ponitur, cum perfuafum fit, nihil hominem, nifi quod honeftum decorumque fit, aut admirari, aut optare, aut expetere oportere; nullique neque homini neque perturbationi animi, nec fortunæ fuccumbere. Altera eft res, ut, cum ita fis affectus animo ut fupra dixi, res geras, magnas illas quidem & maximè utiles, fed & vehementer arduas plenafque laborum & periculorum, cum vitæ tum multarum aliarum rerum, quæ ad vitam pertinent. Fortis verò & conftantis eft non perturbari in rebus afperis, nec tumultuantem de gradu dejici, ut dicitur, fed præfenti animo uti & confilio nec a ratione difcedere.--Cic. de Officiis, Lib. I. obvious obvious reafons;-he is bold in a bad, felf-interested caufe, and is only to be deemed a very daring and defperate fellow. Let us examine the courageous spirit of fuicide by thefe rules. Is its caufe or bafis difinterested, generous, virtuous? No: it is at belt but the refuge of private mifery, much oftener of vice, infamy and deferved punishment. Does it face much danger? Yes: for it not merely hazards, but certainly extinguishes the life of its undertaker. But to what good end or purpose does it face this certain destruction? It is hard to fay: fince it will be found in the following chapters, how little good enfues from fuicide either to a man's own or his neighbour's interefts. But were others concerned in this boafted exertion, or had their benefit any fhare in its completion? None at all: it began in self, centered in felf, and ended in felf; and the beft concern, perhaps, that others fhared in it, was that of leaft account with the murderer himfelf, viz. the ridding fociety of an useless and pernicious member. The highwayman and the perfon attacked feem united in the fuicide; he makes a defperate plunge on himfelf, he fucceeds and falls a prey to his own victory. The felf-murderer alfo frequently imitates the fpirit of the highwayman in fhooting himself through the head, when he finds no other poffible way of escaping from infamy and punishment: but where are any principles of true courage to be found in all this behaviour? But the maintainer of courage in fuicide has his defence to make; let us hear it. "What, then, (fays he) would you affirm, that all men have been cowards, "who have committed fuicide? What will you fay of Cato, Brutus, &c." It is wished to affirm no fuch thing. These illuftrious Romans, as well as many other fuicides both ancient and modern, were men of undoubted valour and courage in the whole tenour of their lives; but not the more fo for their felfdeftruction. Experience certainly confirms the fact, that men of courage, as well as cowards, have deftroyed themselves; and it is only meant to affert, that the act of fuicide itself implies no exertion of true courage. Courageous men have been impatient and fearful under the terrors of death in the fhape of illness and diftempers, who have braved all its horrors with compofure in the field of battle; while cowards, who have run away from the latter, have been remarkably refigned and patient under the dangers of the former. The certainty of immediate E 2 immediate death oftentimes gives a fillip to the spirit and refolution, and thereby enables the coward to brave it at the moment [c] with as much apparent fortitude, as the man of uniform and fteady refolution. The attendant circumstances alfo of a man's death often contribute their fhare in fupporting the adventitious appearance of fpirit under its ftroke. It has been observed, for instance, that a man's courage in meeting death often increases in proportion to the number of fpectators. This is verified in the field of battle, where the foldiery are infpirited by the prefence of each other to face death with intrepidity and (if it may be permitted without offence to fubjoin after mention of the other) it is alfo vifible at the execution of malefactors, among whom a croud of fpectators influences many an one to embrace the resolution of dying hard," (as it is called) that is, without flinching, whofe hardinefs would have failed him, had he fuffered in the privacy of his own cell. As then there is no fure fign of the previous character of the man, as to his cowardice or courage, from his behaviour in the very point of death, so neither is there any conclufion of that kind to be drawn from the mere mode of that death; and it would be a cruel ftroke of injuftice, upon the man of an even, uniform and confiftent share of courage, if a fcoundrel in every fhape were to be deemed courageous, merely because he could fummon up the momentary refolution (never exifting in him before, nor certainly to be repeated) of firing a pistol through his own head. But objectors fay further, "Is there then no extraordinary exertion of courage: "in overcoming the natural horrors of death, which are fo forcibly implanted: "in every one?" This is no more than that fort of rafhnefs or daringness,. which every one exerts in a greater or lefs degree, who is guilty of enormous crimes, which have obliged him first to stifle or overcome all fenfe of duty and all feelings of confcience. There may be daring villains and desperate bravadoes ;; and if the suicide deserve not the former cenfure from his previous life, he will, however, find it difficult to avoid the imputation of the latter by the mode of [c] Dicam quod fentiam; fortiorem eum effe, qui in ipfà morte eft quàm qui circa mortem eft.. Mors enim admota etiam imperitis animum dedit non vitandi inevitabilia. At illa, quæ in propinquo tantùm eft utique ventura, defiderat lentam animi firmitatem, quæ eft rarior, nec poteft nifi a fapiente præftari.SENECA, Ep. XXX. |