—­To compare a Girl’s Bosom to Snow for its Whiteness I apprehend to be WIT, notwithstanding the Authority of so great a Writer to the contrary.  For there is a Lustre resulting from the natural and splendid Agreement between these Objects, which will always produce WIT; such, as cannot be destroyed, though it will quickly be rendered trite, by frequent Repetition.

This Problem, How far SURPRIZE is, or is not, necessary to WIT, I humbly apprehend, may be thus solved.—­In Subjects which have a natural and splendid Agreement, there will always be WIT upon their Arrangement together; though when it becomes trite, and not accompanied with Surprize, the Lustre will be much faded;—­But where the Agreement is forced and strained, Novelty and Surprize are absolutely necessary to usher it in; An unexpected Assemblage of this Sort, striking our Fancy, and being gaily admitted at first to be WIT; which upon frequent Repetition, the Judgment will have examined, and rise up against it wherever it appears;—­So that in short, in Instances where the Agreement is strained and defective, which indeed are abundantly the most general, Surprize is a necessary Passport to WIT; but Surprize is not necessary to WIT, where the Agreement between the two Subjects is natural and splendid; though in these Instances it greatly heightens the Brillancy.

The subsequent Remark of Mr. Addison, That the Poet, after saying his Mistress’s Bosom is as white as Snow, should add, with a Sigh, that it is as cold too, in order that it may grow to WIT, is I fear, very incorrect.  For as to the Sigh, it avails not a Rush; and this Addition will be found to be only a new Stroke of WIT, equally trite, and less perfect, and natural, than the former Comparison.

It may also be observed, That Mr. Addison has omitted the Elucidation of the original Subject, which is the grand Excellence of WIT.  Nor has he prescribed any Limits to the Subjects, which are to be arranged together; without which the Result will be frequently the SUBLIME or BURLESQUE; In which, it is true, WIT often appears, but taking their whole Compositions together, they are different Substances, and usually ranked in different Classes.

All that Mr. Congreve has delivered upon WIT, as far as I know,
appears in his Essay upon HUMOUR, annexed to this Treatise.  He
there says,
  To define HUMOUR, perhaps, were as difficult, as to define WIT;
  for, like that, it is of infinite Variety. 
—­Again, he afterwards adds,
  But though we cannot certainly tell what WIT is, or what HUMOUR
  is, yet we may go near to shew something, which is not WIT, or