Upon the whole, the Humourist is perhaps the least of all others, a despicable Character.  But Imitations, which are frequently seen of this Character, are excessively despicable.—­What can be more ridiculous, than a Wretch setting up for an Humourist, merely upon the Strength of disrelishing every Thing, without any Principle;—­The Servants, Drawers, Victuals, Weather,—­and growling without Poignancy of Sense, at every new Circumstance which appears, in public or private.  A perfect and compleat Humourist is rarely to be found; and when you hear his Voice, is a different Creature.—­In writing to Englishmen, who are generally tinged, deeply or slightly, with the Dye of the Humourist, it seem’d not improper to insist the longer upon this Character; However, let none be too fond of it; For though an Humourist with his Roughness is greatly to be preferr’d to a smooth Insipid, yet the Extremes of both are equally wretched:  Ideots being only the lowest Scale of Insipids, as Madmen are no other than Humourists in Excess.

It may be proper to observe in this place, that though all Ostentation, Affectation, and Imitation are excluded from the Composition of a perfect Humourist; yet as they are the obvious Foibles of some Persons in Life, they may justly be made the Subject of Humour.

For HUMOUR extensively and fully understood, is any remarkable Oddity or Foible belonging to a Person in real Life; whether this Foible be constitutional, habitual, or only affected; whether partial in one or two Circumstances; or tinging the whole Temper and Conduct of the Person.

It has from hence been observ’d, that there is more HUMOUR in the English Comedies than in others; as we have more various odd Characters in real Life, than any other Nation, or perhaps than all other Nations together.

That HUMOUR gives more Delight, and leaves a more pleasurable Impression behind it, than WIT, is universally felt and established; Though the Reasons for this have not yet been assign’d.—­I shall therefore beg Leave to submit the following.

1.  HUMOUR is more interesting than WIT in general, as the Oddities and Foibles of Persons in real Life are more apt to affect our Passions, than any Oppositions or Relations between inanimate Objects.

2.  HUMOUR is Nature, or what really appears in the Subject, without any Embellishments; WIT only a Stroke of Art, where the original Subject, being insufficient of itself, is garnished and deck’d with auxiliary Objects.

3.  HUMOUR, or the Foible of a Character in real Life, is usually insisted upon for some Length of Time.  From whence, and from the common Knowledge of the Character, it is universally felt and understood.—­Whereas the Strokes of WIT are like sudden Flashes, vanishing in an Instant, and usually flying too fast to be sufficiently marked and pursued by the Audience.