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Page 24
To these you are to add the perfect _good Breeding_ and _Civility_ of
the Knight upon every Occasion; which are some Kind of Merit in his
Favour, and entitle him to Respect, by the Rules of common Gentility
and Decency; At the same time his Courage, his Honour, Generosity,
and Humanity, are conspicuous in every Act and Attempt; The _Foibles_
which he possesses, besides giving you exquisite Pleasure, are wholly
inspir'd by these worthy Principles; Nor is there any thing base, or
detestable, in all his Temper or Conduct; It was from hence that the
DUKE and the DUTCHESS were extremely delighted with his Visit at their
_Castle_; And you yourself, if he existed in real Life, would be fond
of his Company at your own Table; which proves him, upon the whole, to
be an amiable Character;--It is therefore no wonder that Signior _Don
Quixote of la Mancha_ has been so courteously receiv'd in every
Country of _Europe_.
Thus delightfully wrought, as this History is, with _Humour_ and
_Ridicule_, yet _Cervantes_, still fearful of tiring you with too much
of the _Errantry_, has introduc'd the most charming Variety of other
Adventures; --All along in the pacific Intervals, you are inform'd of
the private Occurrences between the Knight and his 'Squire; And from
these, where it is least to be expected, you are surpriz'd with the
most high and delicious Repast;-- Nothing can be more pregnant with
Mirth, than the Opposition continually working between the grave
Solemnity and Dignity of _Quixote_, and the arch Ribaldry and Meanness
of _Sancho_; And the Contrast can never be sufficiently admir'd,
between the _excellent fine Sense_ of the ONE, and the _dangerous
common Sense_ of the OTHER.
It is here that the Genius and Power of _Cervantes_ is most admirably
shewn; He was the greatest Master that ever appear'd, in finely
opposing, and contrasting his Characters. It is from hence that you
feel a Poignancy and Relish in his Writings, which is not to be met
with in any others; The natural Reflexions and Debates of _Quixote_
and _Sancho_ would have been barren, insipid, and trite, under other
Management; But _Cervantes_, by his excellent Skill in the _Contrast_,
has from these drawn a Regale, which for high, quick, racy Flavour,
and Spirit, has yet never been equall'd.
It may here be enquir'd, What Species of Composition or Character is
the most pleasurable, and mirthful, in all Nature?--In _Falstaff_,
you have _Humour_ embelish'd with _Wit_; In _Quixote_, _Humour_ made
poignant with _Ridicule_; And it is certain that _Humour_ must always
be the Ground-work of such Subjects, no Oddities in inanimate Objects
being capable of interesting our Passions so strongly, as the Foibles
of Persons in real Life;--The chief Substance of _Johnson_'s
Compositions is _Humour_ and _Satire_; upon which Plan, as hath been
already observ'd, he is oblig'd to demolish, and render detestable,
his own Characters;--_Humour_ and _Raillery_ are also capable
of furnishing a Repast of quick Relish and Flavour; In written
Compositions, the Attack of the _Raillery_, as well as the Reception
of it, may be happily conducted, which in other accidental Encounters
are liable to Hazard; All Peevishness or Offence is thus easily
avoided, and the Character attack'd is sav'd from being really
contemptible;--But then indeed the Pleasure you are to receive
generally depends upon the Confusion of the Person attack'd, without
there being in reason a sufficient Cause for this Confusion;--It is
for want of this just Foundation, that the Pleasure arising from
_Raillery_ is apt to come forth with less Freedom, Fulness, and
Conviction, though with more Delicacy, than that which is derived
from _Wit_, or _Ridicule_;--However, _Humour_ and _Raillery_ united
together, when the _Raillery_ is founded upon some _real_
Embarrassment in the Circumstance, as well as in the Confusion of the
Person attack'd, will furnish a very high Entertainment; which has
Pretensions to rival either _Humour_ and _Wit_, or _Humour_ and
_Ridicule_.
To give an Instance of _Humour_ and _Raillery_, I shall insert
_Horace_'s famous Description of his Embarrassment with an impertinent
Fellow. This indeed is entitl'd, in almost all the Editions of
_Horace_, a _Satire_, but very improperly, as the Subject is not
_Vice_ or _Immorality_;
Ibam fort� vi� sacr�, sicut meus est mos,
Nescio quid meditans nugarum, at totus in illis:
Accurrit quidam notus mihi nomine tantum;
Arrept�que manu, Quid agis, dulcissime rerum?
Suaviter, ut nunc est, inquam: & cupio omnia qu� vis.
Cum affectaretur, Num quid vis? occupo. At ille,
N�ris nos, inquit; docti sumus. H�c ego: Pluris
Hoc, inquam, mihi eris. Miser� discedere qu�rens,
Ire mod� ocy�s, interdum consistere: in aurem
Dicere nescio quid puero: c�m sudor ad imos
Manaret talos. O te, Bollane, cerebri
Felicem: aiebam tacitus! C�m quidlibet ille
Garriret, vicos, urbem laudaret; ut illi
Nil respondebam: Miser� cupis, inquit abire.
Jamdudum video: sed nil agis: usque tenebo:
Persequar: hinc qu� nunc iter est tibi? Nil opus est te
Circumagi: quemdam volo visere, non tibi notum:
Trans Tiberim long� cubat is, prop� C�saris hortos.
Nil habeo quod agam, & non sum piger: usque sequar te,
Demitto auriculas ut iniqu� mentis asellus,
C�m gravius dorso subiit onus. Incipit ille:
Si ben� me novi, non Viscum pluris amicum,
Non Varium facies; nam quis me scribere plures
Aut citi�s possit versus? quis membra movere
Mollius? invideat quod & Hermogenes, ego canto.
Interpellandi locus hic erat: Est tibi mater,
Cognati, queis te salvo est opus? Haud mihi quisquam:
Omnes composui. Felices! nunc ego resto:
Confice: namque instat fatum mihi triste, Sabella
Qu�d puero cecinit divin� mota anus urn�,
Hunc neque dira venena, nec hosticus auferret ensis,
Nec laterum dolor, aut tussis, nec tarda podagra;
Garrulus hunc quando consumet cumque loquaces.
Si sapiat, vitet, simul atque adoleverit �tas.
Ventum erat ad Vest�, quart� jam parte diei
Pr�terit�; & casu tunc respondere vadato
Debebat: qu�d ni fecisset, perdere litem.
Si me amas, inquit, paul�m h�c ades. Inteream, si
Aut valeo stare, aut novi civilia jura:
Et propero qu� scis. Dubius sum quid faciam, inquit;
Ten� relinquam, an rem. Me, sodes. Non faciam, ille;
Et pr�cedere coepit. Ego, ut contendere durum est
Cum victore, sequor. Mec�nas quomodo tecum?
Hinc repetit. Paucorum hominum, & mentis ben� san�.
Nemo dexteri�s fortuna est usus. Haberes
Magnum adjutorem, posset qui ferre secundas,
Hunc hominem velles si tradere: dispeream, ni
Summ�sses omnes. Non isto vivimus illic
Qu� tu rere modo, domus hac nec purior ulla est,
Nec magis his aliena malis: nil m� officit unquam,
Ditior hic, aut est quia doctior: est locus uni
Cuique suus. Magnum narras, vix credibile. Atqui
Sic habet. Accendis, quare cupiam magis illi
Proximus esse. Veils tantummod�: qu� tua virtus,
Expugnabis; & est qui vinci possit: eoque
Difficiles aditus primos habet. Haud mihi deero,
Muneribus servos corrumpam: non, hodie si
Exclusus fuero, desistam: tempera qu�ram:
Occurram in triviis: deducam. Nil sine magno
Vita labore dedit mortalibus. H�c dum agit, ecce
Fuscus Aristius occurrit mihi carus, & illum
Qui pulchr� n�sset. Consistimus. Unde venis? &
Quo tendis? rogat, & respondet. Vellere coepi,
Et prensare manu lentissima brachia, nutans,
Distorquens oculos, ut me eriperet. Mal� salsus
Ridens dissimulare: mecum jecur urere bilis.
Cert� nescio quid secret� velle loqui te
Aiebas mecum. Memini ben�; sed meliori
Tempora dicam: hodie tricesima sabbata, vin'tu
Curtis Jud�is oppedere? Nulla mihi, inquam,
Religio est. At m�, sum paulo infirmior; unus
Multorum ignosces; ali�s loquar. Hunccine solem
Tam nigrum surrexe mihi: Fugit improbus, ac me
Sub cultro linquit. Casu venit obvius illi
Adversarius; &, Qu� tu turpissime! magn�
Inclamat voce; &, Licet antestari? Ego ver�
Oppono auriculam; rapit in jus. Clamor utrinque
Undique concursus. Sic me servavit _Apollo_.
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