This conversion arises from the relation of objects to ourself.

Ourself is always intimately present to us.

Let us compare all these circumstances, and we shall find, that sympathy is exactly correspondent to the operations of our understanding; and even contains something more surprizing and extraordinary.
It is now time to turn our view from the general consideration of sympathy, to its influence on pride and humility, when these passions arise from praise and blame, from reputation and infamy.

We may observe, that no person is ever praised by another for any quality, which would not, if real, produce, of itself, a pride in the person possest of it.

The elogiums either turn upon his power, or riches, or family, or virtue; all of which are subjects of vanity, that we have already explained and accounted for.