Hurtodo de Mendoza, Diego de Luna, Luis Velez de Guevera, and Father Ifla; among the French, Rabe. lais, Cyrano de Bergerac, Sorel, Mo. liere, Regnard, Dufrefny, La Fontaine, and Scarron in his Roman Comique; and among the English, Shakfpeare, Ben Jonfon, Butler, Congreve, Shadwell, Swift, Addison, Steel, Arbuthnot, Fielding, Smollet, and Sterne. Of the Germans, I fhall fay nothing; by naming no one in particular, none of my countrymen, who have pretenfions to Humour, can reproach me with having treated them with negle& *. ferve as examples. Politenefs and good breeding tend indeed to extirpate all thofe feeds of humour, which nature has implanted in our fouls. To convince the reader of the juftnefs of this obfervation, I muit explain in what humour confifts. Several authors have spoken of it, as am impenetrable myftery; but what is moft extraordinary is, that others have given a very clear and juft definition of it, affuring us, at the fame time, that they did not know what it was. Congreve fays, in a letter to Dennis, "We cannot determine what humour is," and a little after, England produces more characters "there is a great difference between of this kind than any country in Eu- a comedy in which there are many rope, and the caufe of this is attri- humourous paffages, that is to fay, buted to that liberty, which diftin- expreffed with gaiety; and those, the guishes the English Government from characters of which are fo conceived, all others. This opinion appears that they ferve to diftinguish in an very probable; but I fhould believe effential manner the perfonages from it to be better founded, were we to one another. This humour," contake the word liberty in a more ex- tinues he, "is a fingular and unatenfive fenfe, and to confider it not voidable manner of speaking and actonly as the absence of arbitrary pow. ing, peculiar and natural to one man er, and of all restraint impofed by only, by which his fpeech and acthe laws, but as a neglect of those tions are diftinguished from those of rules of conduct, which are expreffed other men. The relation of our huby the words urbanity and politenefs. mour with ourfelves, and our actions, These laws are not written, and the refembles that of the accidental to execution of them does not depend the fubftance. This humour is a coon the fovereign power; but in the lour and a tafte, which is diffused circle where they are adopted, they over the whole man. Whatever be are perhaps better obferved than the diverfity of our actions in their thofe which, under the fanction of objects and forms, they are, as one Government, have been formed into may fay, all chips of the fame block," a code. An entire freedom from fuch This definition of Congreve has been rules, is, if I miftake not, abfolutely attacked by Home +. According to neceflary for Humour. Fielding's this author, a majestic and commandSquire Western, and Sir Andrew ing air, and juftnefs of expreffion in Freeport, in The Spectator, may converfation, ought also to be called humour, *The principal humourous writers among the Germans are Henry Alcmar, who, wrote a heroi comic poem, Rollinhagen, whom they confider as their Rabelais, Lifcow, Wieland, Michalis, Lavater, &c. The Dutch have Van Moonen, Rufting, Weyerman, Doeyden, Dekker, Huygens, Langendyk, and Frokenbrog, who is accounted the Dutch Scarron. To the English writers of this clafs, mentioned by the author, we may join Garth, Philips, and Prior. Among the Italians we may reckon alfo Dolce, Aritin, and the Archbishop de la Cafa, author of a work entituled Capitolo del Forno, + Elements of Criticism, vol. ii. page 44. It may, by metaphor, apply itself These three explanations may enable us to give a fourth. Humour, then, in my opinion, is a strong impulfe of the foul towards a particular object, which a perfon judges to be of great importance, although it be not fo in reality, and which, by conftantly engaging his moft ferious attention, makes him diftinguish himfelf from others in a ridiculous manIf this explanation be juft, as I hope it will be found, the reader will ner. readily obferve, how much humour must offend against the rules of politeness and good breeding; fince both confift in the art of fuiting our conduct to certain regulations, tacitly adopted and generally followed by all thofe who live with us in fociety. Thus far have I fpoken of humour, as belonging to character: I shall now confider that which is to be found in compofition. Singularity, and a certain air of serioufnels, indicate humour in character, and they are alfo the marks of humour in writing. This fingularity and rifibility are found either in the invention for the ftyle ‡. An author poffeffes real humour, when, with an air of gravity, he paints objects in fuch colours as promote mirth and excite laughter; and in company, we often obferve the effect which this humour produces on the mind. When, for example, two perfons amufe themfelves in telling ludicrous tales, he who laughs before he begins to speak, will neither intereft nor entertain the auditors half as much as he who relates gravely, and without the leaft appearance even of a smile. The reafon of this, perhaps, is the force that contraft has upon the mind. There are some authors, who treat ferious fubjects in a burlesque ftyle, as Taffoni in the Rape of the Bucket, and Scarron in his Typhon. Such authors, without doubt, excite mirth, but as they are different from real humourifts, we cannot properly rank them in that clafs. They poffefs only the burlefque, which is very dif tinct from humour §. However, if their works are good, they are no lefs deferving of praife. No kind of poetry is contemptible, from the epopea and tragedy to fairy tales and farces. Every thing confifts in treating a fubject well; and the Devil Every Man out of his Humour. + Gulliver's Travels. Tom Jones, by Fielding. $ Fielding, in his differtation prefixed to Jofeph Andrews. let let Lofe, may be as good in one kind, as Zara is another. Irony and parody are great helps to authors who are humourifts. Of this Lucian furnishes proofs without number. In this fpecies of writing, comic comparisons have a great effect, efpecially when one part is taken from morals and the other from nature. Of this, the first chapter of Tom Jones may ferve as an example. The author there compares himself to a perfon who keeps a public ordinary; his work is the dishes provided for his guests, and the titles to the chapters are his bill of fare. The fingular character of Uncle Toby in Triftram Shandy, and many paffages in The Spectator and Tatler are of the fame kind, and may all ferve as models of true humour. In Dr Johnson's Idler, we find alfo a paffage of this kind, where the author proves, that the qualities requifite to conversation are very exactly represented by a bowl of punch: "Punch," fays he, is a liquor pounded of fpirit and acid juices, fugar and water. The fpirit, volatile and fiery, is the proper emblem of vivacity and wit; the acidity of the lemou will very aptly figure pungency of raillery and acrimony of cenfure; fugar is the natural reprefentative of lufcious adulation and gentle complaifance; and water is the proper hieroglyphic of eafy prattle, in. nocent and taftelefs." Authors who poffefs humour in character, fhow it alfo in their writings; ftrokes of it even escape involuntarily from them, when they with to treat a fubject in a grave and fe rious manner. Sir Roger L'Eftrange, in his tranflation of Jofephus, fpeaking of a queen extremely violent and paffionate, who was fo much displeafed with a propofition made to her by a certain ambaffador, that scarcely had the latter finished his fpeech, when the rofe up fuddenly and retir ed, tranflates the latter part of this fentence in the following manner, fearce had the ambassador finished his speech, when up was Madam. No one will be aftonifhed at the humour which reigns throughout the works of Fontaine, when we are told that this author asked an ecclefiaftic one day, with much gravity, whether Rabelais or St. Auguftine had moft witt. An author who is a humourist will do better to attack small foibles than great vices. As men fall into the former every hour, without reflecting, they have more need to be reminded of them; while the laws take care to suppress the latter, The Archbishop of La Cafa was therefore right in faying, that he would be more obliged to one who fhould tell him the means of fecuring himself from the ftinging of infects, than to one who fhould teach him how to prevent his being bit by tygers or lions. These are my observations respecting this powerful antidote against melancholy, and I advife all thofe who may be fubject to frequent fits of it, to read a few pages of Lucian, Don Quixote, Tom Jones, Triftram Shandy, or fome other work of the fame kind; the falutary effects of which, I am certain, they will foon experience. T LETTERS FROM MR GRAY. HESE Letters were written Baillie of Nion, Author of "Letters to Charles von Bonftetten, on the Paftoral Parts of Switzer * A German Comedy fo called. land," It is well known that Fontaine afked this queftion of the Abbé Boileau, brother of the celebated poet, who made no other anfwer than to tell him, that he had put on one of his stockings with the infide out, which was really the cafe. land," published at Bafle in 1782; because it is much to my purpose : 86 Thoughts on the Mode of Education in the Canton of Bern," publifhed at Zurich in 1786; and "The Hermit, an Alpine Tale," Manheim, 1787. This Gentleman in his youth refided for fome time at Cambridge, during which time he enjoyed an almoft daily intercourse with our poet, who attached himself to him with great ardour, and foon became his warmest and moft confidential friend, though unnoticed by Mr Mafon. Thefe Letters were first printed in a small volume of poems published by Frederick Matthiffon in Switzerland, and fince in an Appendix to "Letters written from various Parts of the Continent between the Years 1785 and 1794,' by the fame Author, and tranflated by Mifs Anne Plumptre. he is defcribing the character of a genius truly inclined to philosophy. It includes,' he fays, qualifications rarely united in one fingle mind, quicknefs of apprehenfion and a retentive memory, vivacity and application, gentleness and magnanimity: to thefe he adds an invincible love of truth, and confequently of probity and justice. Such a foul,' continues he, will be little inclined to fenfual pleafures, and confequently temperate; a ftranger to illiberality and avarice; being accuftomed to the moft extenfive views of things, and fublimeft contemplations, it will contract an habitual greatnefs, will look down with a kind of disregard upon ,"human life and on death, confequently, will poffefs the trueft fortitude. Such,' fays he, is the mind born to govern the reft of mankind.' these very endowments, so necessary to a foul formed for philofophy, are often its ruin, efpecially when joined to the external advantages of wealth, nobility, ftrength, and beauty; that is, if it light on a bad foil, and want its proper nurture, which nothing but an excellent education can be. flow. In this cafe he is depraved by the public example, the affemblies of the people, the courts of juftice, the theatres, that infpire it with falfe opinions, terrify it with falfe infamy, or elevate it with false applaufe; and remember, that extraordinary vices and extraordinary vir tues are equally the produce of a vigorous mind: little fouls are alike incapable of the one and the other. "Cambridge, April 12th, 1770. "Never did I feel, my dear BonKetten, to what a tedious length the few fhort moments of our life may be extended by impatience and expectation, till you had left me; nor ever knew before with fo ftrong a conviction how much this frail body fympathizes with the inquietude of the mind. I am grown old in the compafs of less than three weeks, like the Sultan in the Turkish Tales, that did but plunge his head into a veffel of water and take it out again, as the ftanders by affirmed, at the command of a Dervife, and found he had paffed many years in captivity, and begot a large family of children. The ftrength and fpirits that now enable me to write to you, are only owing to your last letter-a temporary gleam of funfhine. Heaven knows when it may fhine again! I did not conceive till now, I own, what it was to lofe you, nor felt the folitude and infipidity of my own condition before I poffeffed the hap pinefs of your friendship. 1 muft cite another Greck writer to you, But "If you have ever met with the portrait sketched out by Plato, you will know it again; for my part, to my forrow I have had that happiness: I fee the principal features, and I foresee the dangers with a trembling anxiety. But enough of this; I return to your letter. It proves at leaft, that in the midft of your new gaieties I still hold fome place in your memory, memory, and, what pleases me above all, it has an air of undiffembled fincerity. Go on, my best and amiable friend, to fhew me your heart fimply and without the fhadow of disguise, and leave me to weep over it, as I now do, no matter whether from joy or forrow." 16 April 19th, 1770. "Alas! how do I every moment feel the truth of what I have fomewhere read, Ce n'eft pas le voir, que de s'en fouvenir;' and yet that remembrance is the only fatisfaction I have left. My life now is but a perpetual converfation with your fhadow-the known found of your voice still rings in my ears there, on the corner of the fender, you are ftanding, or tinkling on the piano forte, or ftretched at length on the fofa. Do you refect, my dearest friend, that it is a week or eight days before I can receive a letter from you, and as much more before you can have my an. fwer; that all that time I am em. ployed with more than Herculean toil, in pushing the tedious hours along, and wishing to annihilate them; the more I ftrive, the heavier they move, and the longer they grow? I cannot bear this place, where I have spent many tedious years within lefs than a month fince you left me. I am going for a few days to fee poor Ninvited by a letter, wherein he mentions you in fuch terms as add to my regard for him, and exprefs my own fentiments bet ter than I can do myself. I am concerned,' fays he, that I cannot pass half my life with him; I never met with any one who pleafed and fuited me fo well: the miracle to me is, how he comes to be fo little spoiled, and the miracle of miracles will be, if he continues fo in the midst of every danger and feduction, and without any advantages but from his own excellent nature and understanding. I own I am very anxious for him on Ed. Mag. July 1799. "You do me the credit, and falfe or true it goes to my heart, of afcribing to me your love for many virtues of the highest rank. Would to heaven it were fo! but they are indeed the fruits of your own noble and generous understanding, which has hitherto ftruggled against the stream of cuftom, paffion, and ill-company, even when you were but a child; and will you now give way to that ftream when your ftrength is increafed? Shall the jargon of French Sophifts, the allurements of painted women comme il faut, or the vulgar careffes of proftitute beauty, the property of all who can afford to purchafe it, induce you to give up a mind and body by Nature diftinguished from all others, to folly, idleness, difeafe and vain remorfe? Have a care, my ever amiable friend, of loving what you do not approve. Know me for your most faithful and moft humble defpote." " May 9th, 1770. "I am returned, my dear Bonfletten, from the little journey I made into Suffolk, without answering the end propofed. The thought that you might have been with me there has embittered all my hours: your letter has made me happy, as happy as fo gloomy, fo folitary a being as I am is capable of being made. I know, and have too often felt the difadvantages I lay myfelf under, how much I hurt the little intereft G I have |