custom for every great houfe in England to keep a tame fool dreffed in petticoats, that the heir of the family might have an opportunity of joking upon him and diverting himself with his abfurdities. For the fame reafon idiots are ftill in requeft in moft of the courts of Germany, where there is not a Prince of any great magnificence, who has not two or three dreffed, diftinguished, undifputed fools in his retinue, whom the reft of the courtiers are always breaking their jefts upon.

The Dutch, who are more famous for their industry and application, than for wit and humour, hang up in feveral of their streets what they call the fign of the Gaper, that is, the head of an idiot dressed in a cap and bells, and gaping in a moft immoderate manner. This is a standing jeft at Amsterdam.

Thus every one diverts himself with fome perfon or other that is below him in point of understanding, and triumphs in the fuperiority of his genius, whilft he has fuch objects of derifion before his eyes. Mr. Dennis has very well expreffed this in a couple of humorous lines, which are part of a tranflation of a fatire in Monfieur Boileau.

"Thus one fool lolls his tongue out at another, "And shakes his empty noddle at his brother."

Mr. Hobbs's reflection gives us the reafon why the infignificant people above-mentioned are ftirrers up of Laughter among men of a grofs

tafte:

tafte: but as the more understanding part of mankind do not find their risibility affected by fuch ordinary objects, it may be worth the while to examine into the feveral provocatives of Laughter, in men of fuperior fenfe and knowledge.

In the first place I muft obferve, that there is a fet of merry drolls, whom the common people of all countries admire, and feem to love fo well, that they could eat them, according to the old proverb: I mean those circumforaneous wits whom every nation calls by the name of that dish of meat which it loves beft. In Holland they are termed Pickled Herrings; in France, Jean Pottages; in Italy, Maccaronies; and in Great Britain, Jack Puddings. These merry wags, from whatsoever food they receive their titles, that they may make their audiences Laugh, always appear in a fool's coat, and commit fuch blunders and mistakes in every step they take, and every word they utter, as those who liften to them would be ashamed of.

But this little triumph of the understanding, under the disguise of Laughter, is no where more vifible than in that cuftom which prevails every where among us on the first day of the prefent month, when every body takes it in his head to make as many fools as he can. In proportion as there are more follies difcovered, fo there is more Laughter raised on this day than on any other in the whole year. A neighbour of mine, who is a haberdasher by trade, and a very fhallow conceited fellow, makes his boast that for

thefe

these ten years fucceffively he has not made lefs than an hundred April fools. My landlady had a falling out with him about a fortnight ago, for fending every one of her children upon fome fleeveless errand, as fhe terms it. Her eldest fon went to buy an half-penny worth of incle at a fhoemaker's; the eldest daughter was difpatched half a mile to fee a monfter; and in fhort, the whole family of innocent children made April fools. Nay, my landlady herfelf did not escape him. This empty fellow has Laughed upon thefe conceits ever fince.

This art of wit is well enough, when confined to one day in a twelvemonth; but there is an ingenious tribe of men fprung up of late years, who are for making April fools every day in the year. Thefe gentlemen are commonly distinguished by the name of Biters*: a race of men that are perpetually employed in Laughing at thofe miftakes which are of their own production.

Thus we fee, in proportion as one man is more refined than another, he choofes his fool out of a lower or higher clafs of mankind, or, to speak in a more philofophical language, that fecret elation or pride of heart, which is generally called Laughter, arifes in him, from his comparing himfelf with an object below him, whether it fo happens that it be a natural or an artificial fool. It is indeed very poffible, that the perfons we Laugh at may in the main of their

*See TAT. N° 12, Note; and SPECT. N° 504.

characters

characters be much wifer men than ourselves; but if they would have us Laugh at them, they must fall short of us in those refpects which ftir up this paffion.

I am afraid I fhall appear too abstracted in my SPECULATIONS, if I fhew that when a man of wit makes us Laugh, it is by betraying fome oddness or infirmity in his own character, or in the reprefentation which he makes of others; and that when we Laugh at a brute, or even at an inanimate thing, it is at fome action or incident that bears a remote analogy to any blunder or abfurdity in reasonable creatures.

But to come into common life: I fhall pafs by the confideration of those stage coxcombs that are able to fhake a whole audience, and take notice of a particular fort of men who are fuch provokers of mirth in converfation, that it is impoffible for a club or merry meeting to subsist without them; I mean thofe honeft gentlemen that are always exposed to the wit and raillery of their well-wishers and companions; that are pelted by men, women, and children, friends, and foes, and in a word, ftand as butts in converfation, for every one to fhoot at that pleases. I know feveral of thefe butts who are men of wit and fenfe, though by fome odd turn of humour, fome unlucky caft in their perfon or behaviour, they have always the misfortune to make the company merry. The truth of it is, a man is not qualified for a butt, who has not a good deal of wit and vivacity, even in the ridiculous fide of his character. A ftupid butt is only fit for

the

the conversation of ordinary people: men of wit require one that will give them play, and beftir himself in the abfurd part of his behaviour. A butt with these accomplishments frequently gets the laugh of his fide, and turns the ridicule upon him that attacks him. Sir John Falstaff was an hero of this fpecies, and gives a good defcription of himself in his capacity of a butt, after the following manner: "Men of all forts" (fays that merry knight) "take a pride to gird at me. "The brain of any man is not able to invent any thing that tends to laughter more than I "invent, or is invented on me. I am not only witty in myself, but the caufe that wit is in "other men.'

86

C*.

N° 48. Wednesday, April 25, 1711.

Repperit

Per multas aditum fibi fæpè figuras

ŎVID. Met. xiv. 652.

Through various fhapes he often finds accefs.

MY

Y correspondents take it ill if I do not, from time to time, let them know I have received their letters. The most effectual way will be to publish some of them that are upon important fubjects; which I fhall introduce with a letter of my own that I writ a fortnight ago

By ADDISON, dated it is thought from Chelsea. See final Note to N° 7.

VOL. I.

T

to