AN ILLUSTRATIVE ESSAY ON WIT AND HUMOUR. THE facetious Dr. King the civilian, one of the minor, or rather the minim poets, who have had the good luck to get into the Collections, tells us, that he awoke one morning, speaking the following words "out of a dream," Nature a thousand ways complains, This seems to be a very tragical conclusion for " poor human nature;" but the Doctor had probably been taking his usual potations over-night, and so put his waking thoughts into plaintive condition; for had he reflected on that "art of wit" which he professed, and opposed pleasures to pains, instead of "laughter," as the correct wording of his proposition required, he would have discovered that B |