reflection, and impels not the mind to any particular object or from it, is a principle too cool for a fudden emergency: an object breaking in unexpectedly, affords no time for deliberation; and, in that cafe, the agitation of furprise comes in seasonably to roufe felf-love into action: fur-/ prife gives the alarm; and if there be any appearance of danger, our whole force is inftantly fummoned up to fhun or to prevent it.

CHAP.

272

CHAP. VII.

RISIBLE OBJECT S.

UCH is the nature of man, that his powers

SUCH

and faculties are foon blunted by exercise. The returns of fleep, fufpending all activity, are not alone fufficient to preserve him in vigor : during his walking hours, amufement by intervals is requifite to unbend his mind from ferious occupation. To that end, nature hath kindly made a provifion of many objects, which may be distinguished by the epithet of rifible, because they raise in us a peculiar emotion expreffed externally by laughter: that emotion is pleasant; and being also mirthful, it most successfully unbends the mind, and recruits the fpirits. Imagination contributes a part by multiplying fuch objects without end.

Ludicrous is a general term, fignifying, as may appear from its derivation, what is playfome, fportive, or jocular. Ludicrous, therefore, feems the genus, of which rifible is a fpecies, limited as above to what makes us laugh.

However eafy it may be, concerning any particular object, to say whether it be risible or not, it seems difficult, if at all practicable, to establish

any

any general character, by which objects of that kind may be distinguished from others. Nor is that a fingular cafe; for, upon a review, we find the fame difficulty in most of the articles already handled. There is nothing more easy, viewing a particular object, than to pronounce that it is beautiful or ugly, grand or little but were we to attempt general rules for ranging objects under different claffes, according to these quali, ties, we should be much gravelled. A separate caufe increafes the difficulty of distinguishing Tifible objects by a general character: all men are not equally affected by rifible objects; nor the fame man at all times; for in high spirits a thing will make him laugh outright, which fcarce provokes a smile in a grave mood. Rifible objects, however, are circumfcribed with] in certain limits; which I fhall fuggeft, without pretending to accuracy. And, in the first place, I observe, that no object is risible but what ap- < pears flight, little, or trivial; for we laugh at nothing that is of importance to our own interest, or to that of others. A real distress raises pity, and therefore cannot be risible; but a flight or imaginary distress, which moves not < pity, is rifible. The adventure of the fulling. mills in Don Quixote, is extremely rifible; fo is the fcene where Sancho, in a dark night, tumbling into a pit, and attaching himself to the fide by hand and foot, hangs there in terrible difmay till the morning, when he discovers himself VOL. I.

S

to

C.

to be within a foot of the bottom. A nose remarkably long or fhort, is rifible; but to want it altogether, far from provoking laughter, raises horror in the spectator. Secondly, With respect to works both of nature and of art, none of them are rifible but what are out of rule, fome remarkable defect or excefs; a very long vifage, for example, or a very short one. Hence nothing just, proper, decent, beautiful, proportioned, or grand, is rifible.

Even from this flight sketch it will readily be conjectured, that the emotion raised by a rifible object is of a nature so fingular, as scarce to find place while the mind is occupied with any other paffion or emotion: and the conjecture is verified by experience; for we scarce ever find that emotion blended with any other. One emotion I must except; and that is, contempt raised by certain improprieties: every improper act infpires us with fome degree of contempt for the author; and if an improper act be at the fame time rifible to provoke laughter, of which blunders and abfurdities are noted inftances, the two emotions of contempt and of laughter unite intimately in the mind, → and produce externally what is termed a laugh of derifion or of Scorn. Hence objects that caufe laughter may be diftinguished into two kinds they are either rifible or ridiculous. A rifible object is mirthful only: a ridiculous object is both mirthful and contemptible. The first raises

raises an emotion of laughter that is altogether pleasant: the pleafant emotion of laughter raised by the other, is blended with the painful emotion of contempt; and the mixed emotion is termed the emotion of ridicule. The pain a ridiculous object gives me is refented and punished by a laugh of derifion. A rifible object, on the other hand, gives me no pain: it is altogether pleasant by a certain fort of titillation, which is expreffed externally by mirthful laughter. Ridicule will be more fully explained afterward : the present chapter is appropriated to the other

emotion.

Rifible objects are fo common, and fo well understood, that it is unneceffary to consume paper or time upon them. Take the few following examples.

Falstaff. I do remember him at Clement's inn, like a man made after fupper of a cheese-paring. When he was naked, he was for all the world like a forked radish, with a head fantaftically carved upon it with a knife.

Second Part, Henry IV. act 3. fc. 5.

The foregoing is of disproportion. The following examples are of flight or imaginary miffortunes.

Fallaff. Go fetch me a quart of fack; put a toast in't. Have I liv'd to be carried in a basket, like a bare row of butcher's offal, and to be thrown into the Thames!

S 2