An Essay towards Fixing the True Standards of Wit, Humour, Railery, Satire, and Ridicule (1744)Morris, Corbyn
Philosophy
An Essay towards Fixing the True Standards of Wit, Humour, Railery, Satire, and Ridicule (1744)
Morris, Corbyn
Comedy; Wit and humor -- History and criticism
To compleat the whole,--you have in this Character of _Falstaff_,
not only a free Course of _Humour_, supported and embellish'd with
admirable _Wit_; but this _Humour_ is of a Species the most _jovial_
and _gay_ in all Nature.--Sir _Jobn Falstaff_ possesses Generosity,
Chearfulness, Alacrity, Invention, Frolic and Fancy superior to all
other Men;--The _Figure_ of his _Person_ is the Picture of Jollity,
Mirth, and Good-nature, and banishes at once all other Ideas from your
Breast; He is happy himself, and makes you happy.--If you examine him
further, he has no Fierceness, Reserve, Malice or Peevishness lurking
in his Heart; His Intentions are all pointed at innocent Riot and
Merriment; Nor has the Knight any inveterate Design, except against
_Sack_, and that too he _loves_.--If, besides this, he desires to
pass for a Man of _Activity_ and _Valour_, you can easily excuse so
harmless a _Foible_, which yields you the highest Pleasure in its
constant _Detection_.
If you put all these together, it is impossible to _hate_ honest
_Jack Falstaff_; If you observe them again, it is impossible to avoid
_loving_ him; He is the gay, the witty, the frolicksome, happy, and
fat _Jack Falstaff_, the most delightful _Swaggerer_ in all Nature.--
You must _love_ him for your _own_ sake,--At the same time you cannot
but _love_ him for _his own_ Talents; And when you have _enjoy'd_
them, you cannot but _love_ him in _Gratitude_;--He has nothing to
disgust you, and every thing to give you Joy;--His _Sense_ and his
_Foibles_ are equally directed to advance your Pleasure; And it is
impossible to be tired or unhappy in his Company.
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