were the occafion of the author's fon being brought into fome danger, as may be feen from the following paragraph in the British Journal, January 30, 1725: "On Tuesday night laft, his Grace the Duke of Hamilton and Mr Lockbart, fon to Mr Lockhart, who wrote the Memoirs of Scotland, had the misfortune to quarrel about the faid memoirs at his grace the Duke of Wharton's houfe, in Lincoln's-innfields, and did propose to fight a duel as next morning; but the fame was prevented, Mr Lockhart being put under an arreft before day by Col. Howard, and had notice given him of what was intended by a Jultice of the Peace, who was prefent when the quarrel happened." HE celebrated St. Evremond ments or misfortunes, I had recourse THE gave the following advice to his to his remedy, and always with the friend Count d'Olone, who had been happieft fuccefs. Researches refpectbanished from the court of Louis ing the nature of that powerful anXIV. "The unfortunate ought never tidote against melancholy, will not to read books which may give them therefore I hope displease those, who, Occafion to be afflicted on account of tormented by its black vapours, may the miseries of mankind; but rather have need of such assistance. A celethose which may amuse them with brated phyfician of the mind †, who their follies; prefer therefore Lucian, with this remedy performed miracuPetronius, and Don Quixote, to Se- lous cures, fhall be my guide. The neca, Plutarch, and Montaigne." In English call this antidote Humour, the early part of my youth, I hap. and its hiftory is as follows: It was pened to meet with this paffage, and found out among the Greeks by AI have fince often reflected upon this riftophanes: and after him Lucian, great truth, that events, apparently and other authors who fucceeded, of very little importance, have fome- carried it to perfection. Plautus, times the greateft influence upon our Horace, and Petronius, among the happiness or unhappiness during the ancient Romans, employed it with courfe of our lives. advantage; among the modern Latinifts, Erafmus, Sir Thomas More, and Holberg; among the Italians, Pulci, Ariofto, Cæfar Caporali, Pafferoni, Gozzi, and Goldoni; among the Spaniards, Cervantes, Quevedo, Hurtodo The lively impreffion which the advice of St. Evremond made on my mind, induced me very clearly to follow it; and whenever I found myfelf too much afflicted by disappoint *Though it is generally believed, and though Congreve has been at great pains to prove, that the words humour and humourist are originally English, it is however certain that they are derived from the Italian. We find the word umorista in the comedies of Buonarotti, who wrote in the beginning of the fixteenth century, and it was employed also by several other writers of that period. According to the Dictionary della Crufca, this word fignifies fome one, che ha bumore, perfona fantastica ed inconftante. In the beginning of the last century, there was a lociety or academy at Rome, called Societa de gli humoristi. The French have no expreffion anfwering to humour, in the fenfe in which it is here taken. Facetiofité is, perhaps, that which would approach neareft to it could it be adopted. The Germans have Laune, and the Dutch Luim, which correfpond perfectly with the meaning of our English word. Fielding, in his Covent Garden Journal, No. 55. 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, Addifon, 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& *. England produces more characters of this kind than any country in Europe, and the cause of this is attributed to that liberty, which diftinguishes the English Government from all others. This opinion appears very probable; but I should believe it to be better founded, were we to take the word liberty in a more extenfive fenfe, and to confider it not only as the abfence of arbitrary pow. er, and of all reftraint impofed by the laws, but as a neglect of thofe rules of conduct, which are expreffed by the words urbanity and politeness. These laws are not written, and the execution of them does not depend on the fovereign power; but in the circle where they are adopted, they are perhaps better observed than thofe which, under the fanction of Government, have been formed into a code. An entire freedom from fuch rules, is, if I miftake not, abfolutely neceflary for Humour. Fielding's Squire Weftern, and Sir Andrew Freeport, in The Spectator, may 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 must explain in what humour confifts. Several authors have fpoken of it, as an impenetrable myftery; but what is moft extraordinary is, that others. have given a very clear and just 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, "there is a great difference between a comedy in which there are many humourous paffages, that is to fay, expreffed with gaiety; and those, the characters of which are fo conceived, that they ferve to diftinguish in an effential manner the perfonages from one another. This humour," continues he," is a fingular and unavoidable manner of speaking and acting, peculiar and natural to one man only, by which his speech and actions are diftinguished from those of other men. The relation of our humour with ourselves, and our actions, refembles that of the accidental to the fubftance. This humour is a colour and a tafte, which is diffused over the whole man. Whatever be the diverfity of our actions in their objects and forms, they are, as one may fay, all chips of the fame block." This definition of Congreve has been attacked by Home +. According to this author, a majestic and command. ing air, and juftnefs of expreffion in converfation, ought alfo to be called humour, *The principal humourous writers among the Germans are Henry Alemar, 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 alio Dolce, Aritin, and the Archbishop de la Cafa, author of a work entituled Capitolo del Forno. Elements of Criticism, vol. ii. page 44. humour, if the opinion of Congreve be true; and he adds, that we cannot call humour any thing that is juft or proper, or any thing that we efteem and refpect, in the actions, the conversation, or the character of men. Ben Jonfon, whom I fhall quote as one of the first humourifts of his nation, fays in one of his comedies*, -Humour as (tis ens) we thus define it, To be a quality of air, or water, tion, It may, by metaphor, apply itself Thefe 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 manner. If this explanation be juft, as I hope it will be found, the reader will readily obferve, how much humour mult offend against the rules of po litenefs 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 fhall now confider that which is to be found in compofition. Singularity, and a certain air of feriouineis, indicate humour in character, and they are also the marks of humour in writing. This fingularity and rifibility are found either in the invention † or the ftyle. An author poffeffes real humour, when, with an air of gravi ty, he paints objects in fuch colours as promote mirth and excite laughter; and in company, we often ob. ferve the effect which this humour produces on the mind. When, for example, two perfons amuse them+ felves in telling ludicrous tales, he who laughs before he begins to fpeak, will neither intereft nor entertain the auditors half as much as he who relates gravely, and without the leaft appearance even of a fmile. The reafon of this, perhaps, is the force that contraft has upon the mind. There are fome 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. Tom Jones, by Fielding. Fielding, in his differtation prefixed to Jofeph Andrews. let Let Lonfe, 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 himfelf to a perfon who keeps a public ordinary; his work is the difhes provided for his guests, and the titles to the chap. ters 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 Johnfon's Idler, we find also 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 spirit and acid juices, fugar and water. The fpirit, volatile and fiery, is the proper emblem of vivacity and wit; the acidity of the lemon will very aptly figure pungen cy of raillery and acrimony of cenfure; fugar is the natural reprefentative of Jufcious adulation and gentle complaifance; and water is the pro. per hieroglyphic of eafy prattle, in nocent and taftelefs." Authors who poffefs humour in character, fhow it also 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 difpleafed with a propofition made to her by a certain ambaffador, that fcarcely 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, fcarce had the ambassador finished his speech, when up was Madam. No one will be aftonished 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 humourift will do better to attack fmall 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 fupprefs the latter. The Archbishop of La Cafa was therefore right in saying, 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. TH 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 question of the Abbé Boileau, brother of the celebated poet, who made no other answer than to tell him, that he had put on one of his stockings with the inside out, which was really the cafe. land," published at Bafle in 1782; because it is much to my purpose: "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 intercourfe 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. These Letters were first printed in a fmall volume of poems publifhed 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. "Cambridge, April 12th, 1770. "Never did I feel, my dear Bonfletten, to what a tedious length the few short 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 lose you, nor felt the folitude and infipidity of my own condition before I poffeffed the hap pinefs of your friendship. I must cite another Greek writer to you, he is defcribing the character of a genius truly inclined to philofophy. It includes,' he fays, qualifications rarely united in one fingle mind, quickness of apprehenfion and a retentive memory, vivacity and application, gentleness and magnanimity: to these he adds an invincible love of truth, and confequently of probity and justice. Such a foul,' continues he, will be little inclined to fenfual pleasures, and confequently temperate; & ftranger to illiberality and avarice; being accuftomed to the moft extenfive views of things, and fublimeft contemplations, it will contract an habitual greatness, will look down with a kind of difregard upon human life and on death, confequently, will poffefs the trueft fortitude. Such,' fays he, is the mind born to govern the rest of mankind.' But thefe very endowments, fo neceflary to a foul formed for philofophy, are often its ruin, especially 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 betow. In this cafe he is depraved by the public example, the affemblies of the people, the courts of juftice, the theatres, that inspire it with falfe opinions, terrify it with falfe infamy, or elevate it with falfe applaufe; and remember, that extraordinary vices and extraordinary virtues are equally the produce of a vigorous mind: little fouls are alike incapable of the one and the other. "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 midst of your new gaieties I ftill hold fome place in your memory, |