nity. The very lowest pleasures of the kind, are never efteemed mean or grovel ing. The pleasure arifing from wit, humour, ridicule, or from what is fimply lu dicrous, is useful, by relaxing the mind after the fatigue of more manly occupation. But the mind, when it furrenders itself to pleasure of this kind, loses its vigor, and finks gradually into floth. The place this pleasure occupies in point of dignity, is adjufted to these views. To make it useful as a relaxation, it is not branded with meannefs. To prevent its ufurpation, it is removed from this place but a single degree. No man values himself upon this pleasure, even during the gratification; and if more time have been given to it than is requifite for relaxation, a man looks back with fome degree of shame.

In point of dignity, the focial paffions rife above the selfish, and much above the pleafures of the eye and ear. Man is by his nature a focial being; and to qualify him for fociety, it is wifely contrived, that he should value himself more for being focial than felfish,

The

The excellency of man is chiefly difcernible in the great improvements he is fufceptible of in fociety. Thefe, by perfeverance, may be carried on progreffively to higher and higher degrees of perfection, above any affignable limits; and, even abstracting from revelation, there is great probability, that the progrefs begun in this life will be completed in fome future ftate. Now, as all valuable improvements proceed from the exercife of our rational faculties, the author of our nature, in order to excite us to a due ufe of these faculties, hath affigned a high rank to the pleafures of the understanding. Their utility, with refpect to this life as well as a future, intitles them to this rank.

But as action is the end of all our improvements, virtuous actions juftly poffefs the highest of all the ranks. These, I find, are by nature diftributed into different claffes, and the first in point of dignity affigned to actions which appear not the first in point of use. Generofity, for example, in the fense of mankind, is more refpected than justice, though the latter is undoubtedly more effential to fociety. And magnanimi

ty,

ty, heroism, undaunted courage, rise still higher in our esteem. One would readily think, that the moral virtues fhould be efteemed according to their importance. Nature has here deviated from her ordinary path, and great wisdom is shown in the deviation. The efficient cause is explained above; and the final caufe is explained in the Effays of morality and natural religion *.

*Part 1. effay 2. chap. 4.

CHA P.

40

T

CHA P. XII.

RIDICULE.

His fubject has puzzled and vexed all the critics. Ariftole gives a definition of ridicule, obfcure and imperfect*. Cicero handles it at great length; but without giving any fatisfaction. He wanders in the dark, and miffes the distinction betwixt rifible and ridiculous. Quintilian is fenfible of this diftinction; but has not attempted to explain it. Luckily this fubject lies no longer in obfcurity. A rifible object produceth an emotion of laughter merely ||. A ridiculous object is improper as well as rifible; and produceth a mixt emotion, which is vented by a laugh of derifion or fcorn **.

*Poet. cap. 5.

+L. 2. De oratore.

Ideoque anceps ejus rei ratio eft, quod a derifu non pro

cul abeft rifus. Lib. 6. cap. 3. § I.

See chap. 7.

**See chap. 10.

Having therefore happily unravelled the abftruse and knotty part, I proceed to what may be thought further neceffary upon this subject.

Burlefque is one great engine of ridicule. But it is not confined to that fubject; for it is clearly distinguishable into burlesque that excites laughter merely, and burlesque that provokes derifion or ridicule. A grave fubject in which there is no impropriety, may be brought down by a certain colouring fo as to be rifible. This is the case of Virgil Traveftie*. And it is the cafe of the Secchia Rapita The authors laugh first at every turn, in order to make their readers laugh. The Lutrin is a burlesque poem of the other fort. The author Boileau, lays hold of a low and trifling incident to expose the luxury, indolence, and contentious fpirit of a fet of monks. He turns the subject into ridicule by dreffing it in the heroic style, and affecting to confider it as of the utmost dignity and importance; and though ridicule is the poet's aim, he himself carries

* Scarron.

+ Taffoni.

VOL. II.

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all