Chapter 6

Having here occasionally offer'd some Remarks upon this Composition, as it now stands, it may be proper to point out the Manner in which the _Humour_ and _Raillery_ of such an Embarrassment, might have been carried to the highest Pitch; And the Description of it have been given by _Horace_ himself, without any Diminution of his own Gentility or Importance;--Imagine then that he had been join'd in his Walk by a weak, ignorant Person, of Good-nature, and the utmost Civility; one who fancy'd himself possessed of the greatest Talents, and fully persuaded that he gave all he convers'd with a particular Pleasure;-- Upon such an Attack, no Resentment or Anger could have been decently shewn by _Horace_, As the Person thus pestering him, was all the while intending the highest Compliment; And must therefore be received, and attended to, with perfect Complaisance; The _Humour_ of this Person would have been very entertaining, in the strange Conceit which he held of his own Abilities, and of the paticular Pleasure he was granting to _Horace_, in condescending to give him so much of his Company; In these Sentiments he should regard all _Horace_'s Excuses, Endeavours, and Struggles to be gone, as Expressions of his Sense of the Honour done him; which should be an Argument with this Person for obstinately persisting to honour him still further; All the while he must be supported by some _real Importance_ belonging to him, attended with _good Breeding_, and strengthened by such occasional Instances of _Sense_, as may secure him from being trampled upon, or becoming absolutely contemptible; In such an Adventure the Mortification, and Distress of _Horace_, would be excessively whimsical and severe; especially as he would be depriv'd of all Succour and Relief; being in Decency oblig'd, not only to suppress all Anger or Uneasiness, but, what is exquisitely quick, to receive this whole Treatment with the utmost Complacency; An _Embarrassment_ of this sort, finely described, would have yielded the greatest Pleasure to the Reader, and carried the _Raillery_ upon _Horace_, without hurting or degrading him, to the highest Degree of _Poignancy_; And from hence may be conceiv'd, what delightful Entertainments are capable of being drawn from _Humour_ and _Raillery_.

It is also easy to apprehend, that the several Subjects of _Wit_, _Humour_, _Raillery_, _Satire_, and _Ridicule_, appear not only _singly_ upon many Occasions, or _two_ of them combined together, but are also frequently united in other Combinations, which are more _complicate_; An Instance of the Union together of _Humour_, _Raillery_, and _Ridicule_, I remember to have read somewhere in _Voiture_'s Letters; He is in _Spain_, and upon the Point of proceeding from thence to some other Place in an _English_ Vessel; After he has written this Account of himself to a Lady at _Paris_, he proceeds in his Letter to this Purpose;

"You may perhaps apprehend, that I shall be in some Danger this Voyage, of falling into the Hands of a _Barbary_ Corsair; But to relieve you from all such Fears, I shall beg Leave to tell you, what my honest Captain has inform'd me himself, for my own Satisfaction; He suspected, it seems, that I might have some Uneasiness upon this Head; and has therefore privately assured me, that I have no need to be afraid of being taken with him; for that whenever it is likely to come to this, he will infallibly blow up the Ship with his own Hands;--After this, I presume, you will be perfectly easy, that I am in no Danger of going to _Sallee_;"

This is exquisitely _rich_; The brave and odd Fancy of the _English_ Captain, in finding out for himself, and _privately_ communicating to _Voiture_, this Method of Security from Slavery, abounds with the highest _Humour_; At the same time the honest Tar, as a _Projecter_, is excessively open to _Ridicule_, for his Scheme to blow them all up, in order to prevent their being taken Prisoners; There is besides these, a very full _Raillery_, which _Voiture_ here opens upon _himself_; For as this Adventure, which he is going to be engaged in, has been attended, as yet, with no Mischief; nor is certain to be so, the whole is to be consider'd, at present, as only a slight Scrape; especially as he exhibits it in this manner himself, and invites you to make it the Object of your Pleasure, and _Raillery_;--It may also be observ'd, that the _Humour_ in this Subject, which flows from the _Captain_, is adorn'd with a very peculiar, and pleasing _Propriety_; As it is not barely a _Whim_, or the Result of an _odd Sourness_ or _queer Pride_, but the Effect of his _Courage_, and of that Freedom from all Terror at Death, which is perfectly amiable in his Character.

There are other Combinations of _Wit_, _Humour_, _Raillery_, _Satire_, and _Ridicule_, where _four_ of them, or all _five_, are united in one Subject;--Like various _Notes_ in _Music_, sounding together, and jointly composing one exquisite Piece of Harmony;--Or like different _Rays_ of _Light_, shining together in one _Rainbow_: It is pleasant to _divide_ these _Combinations_, and to view as with a _Prism_, the different Rays united in each; of which _Humour_, like the _Red_, is eminent for its superior Force and Excellence;--When the Judgment is thus capable of parting, and easily assigning the several Quantities, and Proportions of each, it heightens our Pleasure, and gives us an absolute Command over the Subject; But they are often so intimately mix'd, and blended together, that it is difficult to separate them clearly, tho' they are all certainly felt in the same Piece;--Like the different _Flavours_ of rich _Fruits_, which are inseparably mix'd, yet all perfectly tasted, in one _Pine-Apple_.

_Raillery_, and _Satire_, are extremely different;

1. _Raillery_, is a genteel poignant Attack of _slight_ Foibles and Oddities; _Satire_ a witty and severe Attack of _mischievous_ Habits and Vices.

2. The _Intention_ of _Raillery_, is to procure your _Pleasure_, by exposing the little Embarrassment of a Person; But the _Intention_ of _Satire_, is to raise your _Detestation_, by exposing the real Deformity of his Vices.

3. If in _Raillery_ the Sting be given too deep and severe, it will sink into Malice and Rudeness, And your Pleasure will not be justifiable; But _Satire_, the more deep and severe the Sting of it is, will be the more excellent; Its Intention being entirely to root out and destroy the Vice.

4. It is a just Maxim upon these Subjects, that in _Raillery_ a good-natur'd Esteem ought always to appear, without any Resentment or Bitterness; In _Satire_ a generous free Indignation, without any sneaking Fear or Tenderness; It being a sort of partaking in the Guilt to keep any Terms with Vices.

It is from hence that _Juvenal_, as a _Satirist_, is greatly superior to _Horace_; But indeed many of the short Compositions of _Horace_, which are indiscriminately ranged together, under the general Name of _Satires_, are not properly such, but Pieces of _Raillery_ or _Ridicule_.

As _Raillery_, in order to be decent, can only be exercised upon _slight_ Misfortunes and Foibles, attended with no deep Mischief, nor with any Reproach upon real Merit, so it ought only to be used between _Equals_ and _Intimates_; It being evidently a Liberty too great to be taken by an _Inferior_; and too inequitable to be taken by a _Superior_, as his Rank shields him from any Return.

_Raillery_ is the most agreeable, when it is founded on a _slight_ Embarrassment or Foible, which upon being unfolded, appears to have arisen from the _real Merit_, or from the _Excess_ of any _Virtue_, in the Person attack'd.

But yet this Embarrassment must always be _real_, and attended with the Chagrin or Confusion of the _rally'd_ Person, or capable of being fairly suppos'd to have been so; otherwise the Attack will be void of all Poignancy, and Pleasure to the Company; And evaporate either into _indirect Flattery_, or else into the _Insipid_.

Thus, to attack a _fine Lady_ upon the Enemies she has made, by the mischievous Effects of her Beauty, will be properly genteel indirect _Flattery_--if it be well conducted,--otherwise, the _Insipid_; But it cannot be deem'd _Raillery_; It being impossible to suppose the Lady _really_ chagrin'd by such an imaginary Misfortune, or uneasy at any Explanation upon this Subject;

_Raillery_ ought soon to be ended; For by long keeping the Person attack'd, even in a _slight_ Pain, and continuing to dwell upon his Mis-adventures, you become rude and ill-natur'd;--Or if the _Raillery_ be only turn'd upon an Embarrassment, arising from the Excess of Merit or Abilities, Yet if it be long confined upon the same Subject, the Person it is pointed at, will either suspect that your Aim is, to leave some _Impression_ against him, or else that you are designing him a tedious dark _Compliment_; And accordingly he will either regard you with Hatred or Contempt;--Much less should a Person, who introduces himself as a Subject of _Raillery_, insist long upon it; For either he will be offensive in engrossing all Attention to himself; or if the Company are pleas'd, it must be by his Buffoonery.

The Difference between _Satire_, and _Ridicule_, has been already pointed out;--_Satire_ being always concerned with the _Vices_ of _Persons_;--Whereas _Ridicule_ is justly employ'd, not upon the _Vices_, but the _Foibles_ or _Meannesses_ of _Persons_, And also upon the _Improprieties_ of other Subjects; And is directed, not to raise your _Detestation_, but your _Derision_ and _Contempt_;--It being evident that _Immoralities_ and _Vice_ are too _detestable_ for _Ridicule_, and are therefore properly the Subject of _Satire_; Whereas _Foibles_ and _Meannesses_ are too _harmless_ for _Satire_, and deserve only to be treated with _Ridicule_.

The usual Artillery of _Ridicule_ is _Wit_; whereby the _Affinity_ or _Coincidence_ of any Object with others, which are absurd and contemptible, is unexpectedly exhibited;--There is also another, very forcible, Manner in which _Ridicule_ may act; And that is by employing _Humour_ alone; Thus the Foible or Queerness of any Person will be most fully _ridicul'd_, by naturally dressing yourself, or any other Person in that Foible, and exerting its full Strength and Vigour.

The POLITENESS of a Subject is the _Freedom_ of that Subject from all _Indelicacy_, Aukardness_, and _Roughness_.

GOOD BREEDING consists in a _respectful_ Carriage to others, accompany'd with _Ease_ and _Politeness_.

It appears from hence that GOOD BREEDING and POLITENESS differ in this; that GOOD BREEDING relates only to the Manners of _Persons_ in their Commerce together; Whereas Politeness may relate also to _Books_, as well as to _Persons_, or to any Subjects of Taste and Ornament.

So that _Politeness_ may subsist in a Subject, as in a _Cornish_, or _Architrave_, where _good Breeding_ can't enter; But it is impossible for _good Breeding_ to be offer'd without _Politeness_.

At the same time _good Breeding_ is not to be understood, as merely the _Politeness_ of _Persons_; But as _Respect_, tender'd with _Politeness_, in the Commerce between _Persons_.

It is easy to perceive, that _good Breeding_ is a different Behaviour in different Countries, and in the same Countries at different Periods, according to the Manners which are us'd amongst _polite_ Persons of those Places and Seasons.

In _England_ the chief Point of it _formerly_ was plac'd, in carrying a _Respect_ in our Manners to all we convers'd with; whence every Omission of the slightest Ceremony, as it might be construed into a want of _Respect_, was particularly to be avoided; So that _good Breeding_ became then a precise Observance and Exercise of all the Motions and Ceremonies, expressive of Respect, which might justly be paid to every Person; --This, as it is easy to imagine, requir'd much Nicety in the Adjustment upon many Occasions, and created immense Trouble and Constraint, and most ridiculous Embarrassments.

However, these Modes of _good Breeding_ were not to be abolished, as it was impossible to dispense with the _Respect_ annex'd to them, without some further Pretence than of their _Inconvenience_ only; which no Person could decently urge, or admit in his own behalf, when it was his Province to pay any Ceremonies to another; In this Difficulty it was at last happily observ'd, for the Advantage of genteel Commerce and Society, that _whatever gives Trouble, is inconsistent with Respect_; Upon which Foundation, all Ceremonies which create Embarrassments or Trouble to either Side, are now justly exploded; And the _Ease_ of each other is the Point most peculiarly consulted by _well-bred_ Persons.

If this Attention to _Ease_ was properly conducted, so that it might always appear to have _Respect_ for its Motive; And only to act in Obedience to _that_, as the ruling Principle, it would then comprehend the just Plan of _good Breeding_; But as _this_ was formerly encumber'd with Ceremonies and Embarrassments, so the modern _good Breeding_ perhaps deviates too far into Negligence and Disregard; --A Fault more unpardonable than the former; As an Inconvenience, evidently proceeding from the _Respect_ which is paid to us, may be easily excus'd; But a Freedom, which carries the Air of _Neglect_ with it, gives a lasting Offence.

BEAUTY is the delightful _Effect_ which arises from the _joint Order_, _Proportion_, and _Harmony_ of all the Parts of an _Object_. And to have a good TASTE, is to have a just _Relish_ of BEAUTY.

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[Transcriber's Note:

Translations of Horace _Satire_ I.9 are available from Project Gutenberg as e-text 5419 (verse translation, plain text) or 14020 (prose translation, text or html).]

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[CORBYN MORRIS]

An / Essay / Towards Fixing the / True Standards / of / Wit, Humour, Raillery, / Satire, and Ridicule. / To which is Added, an / Analysis / Of the Characters of / An Humourist, Sir John Falstaff, Sir Roger / De Coverly, and Don Quixote. / Inscribed, to the Right Honorable / Robert Earl of Orford. / [rule] / By the Author of a / Letter from a By- Stander. / [rule] /--Jacta est Alea. / [double rule] / London: / Printed for J. Roberts, at the Oxford-Arms, in War- / wick-lane; and W. Bickerton, In the Temple-Ex- / change, near the Inner-Temple-Gate, Fleet-street. / M DCC XLIV. [Price 2 s.] /

Collation: A, a-c, in fours; d in two; a-d, in fours; B-K in fours; L in two. A, title; verso blank; A^2-d, dedication; d^2 erratum and advertisements; a-d^4, Introduction; B-L^2, text.

The first edition. A second edition was published in 1758.

Colton Storm Clements Library

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