SIR, Have heard of the Cafualties which have involved you. I in extreme Diftrefs at this Time; and knowing you to be a Man of great Good-nature, Industry, and Probity, have refolved to ftand by you. Be of good chear, the Bearer brings with him five thousand Pounds, and has my Order to answer your drawing as much more on my Account. I did this in Hafte, for fear I fhould come too late for your Relief; but you may value your felf with me to the Sum of fifty thoufand Pounds; for L can very chearfully run the Hazard of being fo much lefs rich than I am now, to save an honest Man whom I love. Your Friend and Servant, W. P. I think there is fomewhere in Montaigne Mention made of a Family-Book, wherein all the Occurrences that happened from one Generation of that House to another were recorded. Were there fuch a Method in the Families which are concerned in this Generofity, it would be an hard Task for the greateft in Europe to give, in their own, an Inftance of a Benefit better placed, or conferred with a more graceful Air. It has been heretofore urged, how barbarous and inhuman is any unjuft Step made to the Difadvantage of a Trader; and by how much fuch an A& towards him is deteftable, by fo much an Act of Kindnefs towards him is laudable.. I remember to have heard a Bencher of the Temple tell a Story of a Tradition in their Houfe, where they had formerly a Cuftom of chufing. Kings for fucha Seafon, and allowing him his Expences at the Charge of the Society: One of our Kings, faid my Friend, carried his Royal Inclination a little too far, and there was a Committee ordered to look into the Management of his Treafury. Among other Things it appeared, that his Majefty walking incog, in the Cloifter, had overheard a poor Man fay to another, fuch a fmall Sum would make me the happiest Man in the World. The King out of his Royal Compaffion privately enquired into his Character, and finding him a proper Object of Charity, fent him the Money. When the Committee read their Report, the Houfe paffed his Accounts with a Plaudite without further Examination, upon Recital of this Article in them, H 1. S. d. For making a Man happy 10:00: 00 Saturday, N° 249. Saturday, December 15. Γέλως ἄκαις ἐν βροτοῖς δεινὸν κακόν. Frag. Vet. Po W HEN I make Choice of a Subject that has not been treated on by others, I throw together my Reflections on it without any Order or Method, fo that they may appear rather in the Loosenefs and Freedom of an Effay, than in the Regularity of a fet Difcourse. It is after this Manner that I fhall consider Laughter and Ridicule in my prefent Paper. MAN is the merrieft Species of the Creation, all above and below him are ferious. He fees Things in a different Light from other Beings, and finds his Mirth arifing from Objects that perhaps caufe fomething like Pityor Displeasure in higher Natures. Laughter is indeed a very good Counterpoite to the Spleen; and it seems but reasonable that we should be capable of receiving Joy from what is no real Good to us, fince we can receive Grief from what is no real Evil. I have in my forty feventh Paper raifed a Speculation on the Notion of a Modern Philofopher, who defcribes the firft Motive of Laughter to be a fecret Comparison which we make between our felves, and the Perfons we laugh at; or, in other Words, that Satisfaction which we receive from the Opinion of fome Pre-eminence in our felves, when we fee the Abfurdities of another, or when we reflect on any paft Abfurdities of our own. This feems to hold in moft Cafes, and we may obferve, that the vainent Part of Mankind are the most addicted to this Paffion. I have read a Sermon of a Conventual in the Church of Rome, on thofe Words of the Wife Man, I faid of Laughters it is mad; and of Mirth, what does it? Upon which he laid it down as a Point of Doctrine, that Laughter was the Effect of Original Sin, and that Adam could not laugh before the Fall. LAUGHTER, while it lafts, flackens and unbraces the Mind, weakens the Faculties, and caufes a kind of Remifsnefs and Diffolution in all the Powers of the Soul: And thus far it may be looked upon as a Weakness in the Compofition of human Nature. But if we confider the frequent frequent Reliefs we receive from it, and how often it breaks the Gloom which is apt to deprefs the Mind and damp our Spirits with tranffent unexpected Gleams of Joy, one would take Care not to grow too wife for lo great a Pleasure of Life. THE Talent of turning Men into Ridicule, and expofing to Laughter thofe one Converfes with, is the Qualifi cation of little ungenerous Tempers. A young Man with this Caft of Mind cuts himself off from all manner of Improvement. Every one has his Flaws and Weaknesses; nay, the greateft Blemishes are often found in the most hining Characters; but what an abfurd Thing is it to pafs over all the valuable Parts of a Man, and fix our Attention on his Infirmities? To obferve his Imperfections more than his Virtues? and to make use of him for the Sport of others, rather than for our own Improvement? WE therefore very often find, that Perfons the most accomplished in Ridicule are those who are very fhrewd at hitting a Blot, without exerting any thing mafterly in themselves. As there are many eminent Criticks who never writ a good Line, there are many admirable Buffoons that animadvert upon every fingle Defect in another, without ever difcovering the leaft Beauty of their own. By this Means, these unlucky little Wits often gain Reputation in the Efteem of vulgar Minds, and raise themselves above Perfons of much more laudable Characters. IF the Talent of Ridicule were employed to laugh Men out of Vice and Folly, it might be of fome Ufe to the World; but instead of this, we find that it is generally made Use of to laugh Men out of Virtue and good Senfe, by attacking every thing that is folemn and serious, decent and praife-worthy in humane Life. WE may obferve, that in the firft Ages of the World, when the great Souls and Mafter-pieces of humane Nature were produced, Men fhined by a noble Simplicity of Behaviour, and were Strangers to thofe little Embellishments which are fo fashionable in our prefent Converfation, And it is very remarkable, that notwithftanding we fall fhort at prefent of the Ancients in Poetry, Painting, Oratory, Hiftory, Architecture, and all the noble Arts and Sciences which depend more upon Genius than Experience, we exceed them as much in Doggerel, Doggerel, Humour, Burlefque, and all the trivial Arts of Ridicule. We meet with more Rallery among the Moderns, but more good Senfe among the Ancients. THE two great Branches of Ridicule in Writing are Comedy and Burlefque. The first ridicules Perfons by drawing them in their proper Characters, the other by drawing them quite unlike themfelves. Burlefque is therefore of two Kinds; the firft reprefents mean Perfons in the Accoutrements of Heroes, the other defcribes great Perfons acting and fpeaking like the bafeft among the People. Don Quixot is an Inftance of the firft, and Lucian's Gods of the fecond. It is a Difpute among the Criticks, whether Burlesque Poetry runs beft in Heroick Verfe, like that of the Difpenfary; or in Doggerel, like that of Hudibras. I think where the low Character is to be raifed, the Heroick is the proper Measure; but when an Hero is to be pulled down and degraded, it is done beft in Doggerel. IF Hudibras had been fet out with as much Wit and Humour in Heroick Verse as he is in Doggerel, he would have made a much more agreeable Figure than he does; though the Generality of his Readers are fo wonderfully pleafed with the double Rhimes, that I do not expect many will be of my Opinion in this Particular. I fhall conclude this Efay upon Laughter with obferving, that the Metaphor of Laughing, applied to Fields and Meadows when they are in Flower, or to Trees when they are in Bloffom, runs through all Languages; which I have: not obferved of any other Metaphor, excepting that of Fire and Burning when they are applied to Love. This fhews that we naturally regard Laughter, as what is in it felf both amiable and beautiful. For this Reason likewise Venus has gained the Title of ouens, the Laughter-loving Dame, as Waller has tranflated it, and is reprefented by Horace as· the Goddefs who delights in Laughter, Milton, in a joyous Affembly of imaginary Perfons, has given us a very PoeticalFigure of Laughter. His whole Band of Mirth is fo finely defcribed, that I fhall fet down the Paffage at length.. But come thou Goddess fair and free, 1 Heaven ycleap'd Euphrofyne, And by Men, heart-eafing Mirth,Whom lovely Venus at a Birth. With two Sifler Graces more Ta Ivy-crowned Bacchus bores Hafte Hafte thee Nymph, and bring with thee Quips and Cranks, and wanton Wiles, And in thy right Hand lead with thee, To live with her, and live with thee, N° 250. Monday, December 17. Difce docendus adhuc, qua cenfet amiculus, ut fi Mr. SPECTATOR, Y Hor. ZOU fee the Nature of my Request by the Latin Motto which I addrefs to you. I am very fenfible I ought not to ufe many Words to you, who are one of but few; but the following Piece, as it relates to Speculation in Propriety of Speech, being a Curiofity in its Kind, begs your Patience. It was found in a Poetical Virtuofo's Closet among his Rarities; and fince ⚫ the feveral Treatifes of Thumbs, Ears, and Nofes, have obliged the World, this of Eyes is at your Service, THE firft Eye of Confequence (under the invifible Author of all) is the vifible Luminary of the U. ⚫niverse. This glorious Spectator is faid never to open his Eyes at his Rifing in a Morning, without having a whole Kingdom of Adorers in Persian Silk waiting at his Levée. Millions of Creatures derive their Sight 'from this Original, who, befides his being the great Director of Opticks, is the fureft Teft whether Eyes ba |