inquietude of his conscience, stained by so many crimes, and above all by that most abominable of all vices, assassination.

I have no objection to urge against this explanation; nevertheless, it strikes me that the grand and perilous projects, which Cataline was meditating against his country, might have contributed, in an equal degree, to the production of these appearances!

Whilst the man developes his ideas with facility and without impediment, his walk is more unconstrained, more brisk, and continues in a more uniform manner. When the series of ideas present themselves with difficulty, his step becomes more slow, more embarrassed; and when, at length, a doubt of an important nature suggests itself to his mind, the man stops suddenly short (See Plate IX.). In those situations where the soul hesitates between unequal ideas, and finds obstacles and difficulties on all sides, while she pursues each train of thoughts only to a certain point-passing rapidly from one suggestion to another-then the step grows irregular, hurried, and undetermined.

From hence the dubious pace in all the affections of the soul when doubt and an incertitude between jostling ideas take place: but above

WALK

HANDS

all in that terror which inwardly agitates and torments the conscience struggling in vain to deliver itself from the load.

A

The play of the hands is modified after the same manner as that of the walk-it is free, unconstrained, easy, and mobile, while the ideas develope themselves without any difficulty, and follow each other in a natural succession: It is inquiet and irregular, the hands are agitated, and move themselves without design, now towards the bosom, now towards the head, the arms fold and loosen, as the thought is arrested during his walk, or hurried into uncertain or strange tracks. The moment that a difficulty presents itself, the play of the hands entirely ceases-the eye, which, as well as the head, had a gentle and placid motion, while the thought was easy, and unfolded itself without labour, or wandered from one angle to the other, while the soul strayed from thought to thought, in this new situation looks straight forwards, and the load falls on the heart, until, after the first shock of doubt (if it be allowed me so to express myself) suspended activity resumes its former walk.

The sublime character of Hamlet (see Plate X.) offers a very strong example of this kind of change a change of sentiment, which ought to