Title:  An Essay towards Fixing the True Standards of Wit, Humour, Railery, Satire, and Ridicule (1744)

Author:  Corbyn Morris

Commentator:  James L. Clifford

Release Date:  July 7, 2005 [EBook #16233]

Language:  English

Character set encoding:  ASCII

*** Start of this project gutenberg EBOOK fixing the true standards of wit ***

Produced by David Starner, Louise Hope and the Online
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Series Two: 
Essays on Wit

No. 4

[Corbyn Morris]
An Essay towards Fixing the True Standards
of Wit, Humour, Raillery, Satire, and Ridicule
(1744)

With an Introduction by
James L. Clifford
and
a Bibliographical Note

The Augustan Reprint Society
November, 1947
Price:  $1.00

* * * * *

GENERAL EDITORS

Richard C. Boys, University of Michigan
Edward Niles Hooker, University of California, Los Angeles
H.T.  SWEDENBERG, Jr., University of California, Los Angeles

ADVISORY EDITORS

Emmett L. Avery, State College of Washington
Louis I. Bredvold, University of Michigan
Benjamin Boyce, University of Nebraska
CLEANTH Brooks, Yale University
James L. Clifford, Columbia University
Arthur Friedman, University of Chicago
Samuel H. Monk, University of Minnesota
James Sutherland, Queen Mary College, London

* * * * *

INTRODUCTION

The Essay here reproduced was first advertised in the London Daily Advertiser as “this day was published” on Thursday, 17 May 1744 (The same advertisement, except for the change of price from one shilling to two, appeared in this paper intermittently until 14 June).  Although on the title-page the authorship is given as “By the Author of a Letter from a By-stander,” there was no intention of anonymity, since the Dedication is boldly signed “Corbyn Morris, Inner Temple, Feb. 1, 1743 [44].”

Not much is known of the early life of Corbyn Morris.  Born 14 August 1710, he was the eldest son of Edmund Morris of Bishop’s Castle, Salop. (Alumni Cantabrigienses).  On 17 September 1727 he was admitted (pensioner) at Queen’s College, Cambridge, as an exhibitioner from the famous Charterhouse School.  Exactly when he left the university, or whether he took a degree, is not certain.