It is odd to observe how the Humourist is affected by contemptuous Treatment.  An Insult of this Sort, which justly excites the Resentment of others, terrifies him:  It sets him upon suspecting himself, and upon doubting whether he be really that Person of superior Sense to the rest of the World, which he has long fancied.  The Apprehension, that he actually deserves the Contempt which is put upon him, and that he is no more than one of the common Herd, almost distracts him; And instead of violently depreciating, or attacking again, the Person who has contemn’d him, he will incessantly court his Favour and good Opinion, as a Cordial he wants, though without seeming to do so.  This is a very extraordinary Weakness, and such as the Humourist would be infinitely uneasy to find ever observ’d.

The Humourist, though he quickly espies, and contemns the Contradictions of others, is yet wilfully attach’d to several himself, which he will sometimes persue through a long Course of his own Mortification.—­It may be often observ’d, that he will avoid the Company he likes, for fear they should think he needs their Support.—­ At the same time, if he happens to fall into Company, which he tallies not with, instead of avoiding this Company, he will continually haunt them:  For he is anxious, lest any Imputation of a Defeat should stand out against him, and extremely sollicitous to wipe it away; Besides, he cannot endure it should be thought that he is driven from the Pit.  —­Thus, in the first Instance, his Pride shall persuade him to neglect the Company he likes; and shall force him, in the last, to follow the Company he hates and despises.

It is also observable that the Humourist, though he makes it his Point to regulate his Conduct only by his own Conviction, will sometimes run counter to it, merely from his Disdain of all Imitation.  Thus he will persist in a wrong Course, which he knows to be such, and refuse his Compliance with an Amendment offer’d by others, rather than endure the Appearance of being an Imitator.  This is a narrow Side of the Humourist; and whenever he is turn’d upon it, he feels great Uneasiness himself.  It strikes a durable Pain into his Breast, like the constant gnawing of a Worm; and is one considerable Source of that Stream of Peevishnesss incident to Humourists.

Upon the same Principle of scorning all Imitation, the Humourist seldom heartily assents to any speculative Opinion, which is deliver’d by another; for he is above being inform’d or set right in his Judgment by any Person, even by a Brother Humourist.  If two of this Cast happen to meet, instead of uniting together, they are afraid of each other; and you shall observe one, in order to court the good Opinion of the other, produce a Specimen of his own Perfection as an Humourist; by exhibiting some unusual Strain of sensible Oddity, or by unexpectedly biting a poor Insipid; which the other Humourist shall answer again in the same manner, in order to display his Talents.