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in the star-chamber and high commiflion courts, prisoner. The least number of the laudatoris and the fury with which he persecuted the difen. amongst the Romans was ten. ters, and all who presumed to contradi&t his fenti- (1.) LAUDER, (from Lade, Celt. i. c. the palments, exposed him to popular hatred. While, fage of a river,] a parish of Scotland, in Ber. however, we continue to apply to his public con- wickshire, 8 miles long from N. to S. and noduct, the harsh epithets which originated probably where above 4 broad ; seated on the banks of the in the malice of his enemies, we must, in justice, Lauder. The air is pure; the foil light and fanallow fome palliation to be due on the score of the dy, but fertile and bighly cultivated : the ground temper of the times, and of the unhappy laxity rises gradually on each'fide of the river to bills introduced by his predecessor Abbot, whose errors mostly green. Good crops of wheat, oats, barley, he thought it his duty to correct, and which he flax, hay, turnips, and potatoes, are raised ; and certainly intended to correa by legal means. Be- the hills afford pafture for about 10,000 theep. fides his Answer to Fisher, he publifhed feverał The population, in 1791, was about 2000 fouls

, Sermons, and other works.

and had increased ios fince 1755. Moor-ftone (2.) * LAUD. n. f. [laus, Latin.] 1. Praise ; ho- abounds, and there are fome copper mines, but four paid ; celebration.

not wrought. Adder stones, arrow Aones, and Doubtless, O guest, great laud and praise ftones of various fanciful shapes, resembling snails, were mine,

worms, &c. are often found, especially after hea. Reply'd the fwain, for spotless faith divine: vy rains. There are relics of several ancient If, after social rites, and gifts beltow'd, Pictish camps : and Roman, Englifh, and Scotch

I ftain'd my hospitable hearth with blood. Pope. coins of Julius Cæfar, Lucius Flaminias, Edward 7. That part of divine worship which consists in 1. Alexander I. and III. &c. are often found in the praise. We have certain hymns and services, parish. which we say daily of laud and thanks to God for (2.) LAUDER, a river in the above parish, which, his marvellous works. Bacon.- In the book of after turning about 26 mills in a course of 10 miles, Psalms, the lauds make up a very great part of it. falls into the Tweed. Government of the Tongue.

13.) LAUDER, an ancient royal borough in the (3.) Laud, (Ø 1, def. 2.) See LALDES. above parish (N° 1.), lately much improved. la (4.) LAUD, ST, a town of France, in the dep. of the reign of K. James III. the nobility, wbom be Maine and Loire, 3 miles S. of Angers, and 44 had fummoned to meet him in this town, on pubNNW. of Brissac.

lic businets, seized his favourite minister, Sir Ro* To LAUD. v. a. (laudo, Latin.] To praise; bert Cochran, whom he bad raised from the rank to celebrate.- thou almighty and eternal Cre- of a common mason to be E. of Mar, and bung ator, having considered the heavens, the work of him with his associates, over Lauder bridge, in fight thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou of the king and his army. Lauder has s fairs, on haft ordained, with all the company of heaven, we the 3d Friday of June, and the 4th of July, Aug. laud and magnify thy glorious name. Bentley, O&. and Nov. It joins with Jedburgh, Hadding

(1.) LAUDA, a town of Franconia, in the bi. ton, Dunbar, and N. Berwick, in electing a repreShopric of Wurzburg, on the Tauber; 25 miles fentative in the imperial Parliament. It is 22 SSE. of Heilbronn, and 28 SSW. of Wurzburg. miles S. of Edinburgh, and 24 W. of Berwick. (2.) LAUDA. See LAUDICK.

Lon. 3. 5. W. Lat. 55. 36. N. * LAUDABLE.adj. (laudabilis, Latin.] 1. Praife- (4.) LAUDER, William, a native of Scotland, worthy; commendable.

educated at the university of Edinburgh, where he I'm in this earthly world, where to do harm finished his studies with great reputation, and acIs often laudable ; birt to do good, sometimes quired a confiderable knowledge of the Latin Accounted dang'rous folly.

Shak. tongue. In May 22, 1734, he received a teftimo-Affection endeavours to correct natural defects, nial from the head of the univerfity, certifying and has always the laudable aim of pleafing, that he was a fit person to teach humanity in any though it always misses it. Locke. 2. Ilealthy; school or college whatever. In 1739, he publisbed falubrious.-Good blood, and a due projectile at Edinburgh, an edition of Jobnfton's Psalms. In - motion or circulation, are necessary to convert 1742, he was recommended by Mr Patrick Cuthe aliment into laudable animal juices. Arbuthnot ming, and Mr Colin Maclaurin, profeffors of on Aliments.

church biftory and mathematics, to the mastership * LAUDABLENESS. n. f. (from laudable.] of the grammar school at Dundee, then vacarit

. Praise-wortbinefs.

Whether he succeeded in the application or not, is * LAUDABLY. adv. (from laudable.] In a man. uncertain ; but a few years afterwards he figured ner deserving praife.-Obsolete words may be lau. in London, where he contrived to ruin the repa. dably revived, when either they are founding or tation of MILTON; an attempt which ended in significant. Dryden.

the deftruction of his own, His reason for the at(1.) * LAUDANUM. n. S. (A cant word, from tack probably sprung from the virulence of a viclaudo, Latin.) A soporifick tincture.

lent party spirit, which triomphed over every prin(2.). LAUDANUM. See OPIUM.

ciple of honour and honesty. He began firkt 10 LAUDATIO, in a legal senfe, was anciently retail part of his design in The Gentleman's Magathe leftimony delivered in court of the accused zine, 1747; and finding that his forgeries were person's good behaviour and integrity of life. It not detected, was encouraged in 1951 to collect resembled the custom which prevails in our trials, them, with additions, into a volume, entitled, an of calling perfong to speak to the character of the Ejay in Milton's Use and Imitation of the Mederas

n.

in his Paradife Loft; 8vo. The fidelity of his quotations had been doubted by several people; and the falfehood of them was foon after demonitrated by Dr Douglas, late bishop of Salisbury, in a pamphlet entitled, " Milton vindicated from the Charge of Plagiarism brought against him by Lauder, and Lauder himself convicted of feveral Forgeries and grofs Impositions on the Public: In a Letter humbly addressed to the Right Honourable the Earl of Bath, 1751," 8vo. The appear ance of this Detection overwhelmed Lauder with confufion. He subscribed a confeffion, dictated by a learned friend, wherein he ingenuously acknowledged his offence, which he profeffed to have been occafioned by the injury he had recei. ved from the disappointment of his expectations of profit from the publication of Johnfton's Pfalms. This misfortune he afcribed to a couplet in Mr Pope's Dunciad, book iv. ver. 3. and from thence originated his rancour against Milton. He afterwards imputed his conduct to other motives; abufed the few friends who continued to countenance him; and, finding that his character was not to be retrieved, quitted the kingdom, and went to Barbadoes, where he fome time kept a school. His behaviour there was mean and despicable; and he paffed the remainder of his life in univerfal contempt." He died (fays Mr Nichols) fome time about the year 1771, as my friend Mr Reed was informed by the gentleman who read the funeral fervice over him."

(5.) LAUDER FORT, an ancient fabric, in the above parish (N° 1.), on the fide of the river (No 2.), about soo years old, erected by Edward I. during his invafion of Scotland. It was rebuilt and converted into an elegant manfion, in the end of the 17th century, by the Earl of Lauderdale. One of the ancient apartments, ornament. ed with rich stucco work, is preserved as a relic of antiquity.

LAUDERDALE, a district of Berwickshire.

LAUDES, LAUDS, the 2d part of the ordinary office of the breviary, faid after matins; though, heretofore, it ended the office of the night. The laudes confift principally of pfalms, hymns, &c. whence the name, from laus, laudis, praise.

LAUDICK, or LAUDA, a town of Poland, in the palatinate of Kalifch; 20 miles SE. of Gnefna.

LAUDICONI, amongst the Romans, applauders who for reward entered the rehearsal rooms, attended the repetition of plays, and were in wait. ing when orations were pronounced, in order to raife or increase the acclamation and applause.

LAUDOHN, Gideon, baron DE, a celebrated. general in the imperial fervice, born in 1716, was a native of Livonia, and defcended from a Scottith family. He made his first campaigns under Marthal Munich, in the war of 1738, between the Ruffians and Turks; and was at the taking of Oczakow, Choczim, and Stawutzchane, where the Turks were entirely defeated. Frederick the Great refufed, in 1741, to take young Laudohn into his fervice, faying he did not like his countenance. But he afterwards faid that he often admired the position of other generals, but had ever dreaded the battles of Laudohn. In 1756, when but just entered into the fervice of the house of

Auftria, with the rank of lieutenant-colonel, he made fuch a rapid progrefs, that within lefs than a year he was a general of artillery, and within three years commander in chief of the whole army. He rescued Olmutz, when besieged by the Pruffians; beat the king himself at Frankfort on the Oder; at Zorndorf, took General Fouquet prifoner; carried Glatz and Schweidnitz by affault, and ftopped the progress of Frederick, in a war which might otherwife have proved fatal to the house of Auftria. In 1778, when elevated to the rank of marshal, at the head of 60,000 men he hindered Henry, brother to the king of Prufia, from joining his army to that of the king. At Dubicza, Novi, Gradifca, and Belgrade, in the late war between the Emperor and the Turks, he had but to prefent himself before the place, and fay with Cæfar, Veni, vidi, vici. But at his head. quarters in Moravia, he was feized with a fever, in confequence of an operation he underwent for an obftruction in the urethra. His impatience under the medical applications, the impetuous ardour of his character, and the knowledge, above all, of his importance in the war, contributed to irritate his mind, and promote the violence of the fever. He refifted the application of cataplafms, before and after the incifions were made, with a fatal obftinacy, which raised the inflammation to fuch a height, that he expired under the acceffion of the fever on the 14th of July 1790, in the 74th year of his age.

LAVE, a river of France, which runs into the Lys, near Bethune, in the dep. of the Straits of Calais.

(1.)* To LAVE. v. a. [lavo, Lat.] 1. To wash; to bathe.

Unfafe, that we muft lave our honours In these fo flatt'ring ftreams.

Shak.

But as I rofe out of the laving ftream, Heav'n open'd her eternal doors, from whence The spirit defcended on me like a dove.

Milton.

With roomy decks, her guns of mighty ftrength,

Whofe low-laid mouths each mounting billow laves,

Deep in her draught, and warlike in her length,

She seems a fea-wasp flying on the waves.

Dryden,

2. [Lever, French.] To throw up; to lade; to draw out.

Though hills were set on hills, And feas met feas to guard thee, I would through:

I'd plough up rocks, steep as the Alps, in dust,
And lave the Tyrrhene waters into clouds,
But I would reach thy head.
Ben Johnson.
Some flow their oars, or ftop the leaky fides,
Another bolder yet the yard beftrides,
And folds the fails; a fourth with labour laves
Th' intruding feas, and waves eject on waves.

Dryden.

(2.) * To LAVE. v. n. To wash himself; to bathe.

In her chafte current oft the goddess laves And with celeftial tears augments the waves. 29992

Popea

*T.

T. LAVEER, v. n. To change the direc- by 6 capital burgesses, who are for life, and choose tion often in a course.

the inferior officers. The church and its fteeple, How easy 'tis when destiny proves kind, which is 137 feet high, are reckoned the fineft in With full spread fails to run before the wind : the county. Its tenor bell, though not much But those that 'gainst stiff gales laveering go, more than a ton, has as deep a note as a bell of Must be at once resolv'd, and skilful too. Drgd. twice that weight. Here is a free school and a LAVELANET, a town of France, in the dep. bridewell, part of which is a workhouse, where of the Arriege, 9 miles S. of Mirepoix, and 12 the poor children, &c. of the parish are employed NE. of Tarascon.

in spinning hemp, fax, and yarn ; there are also LAVELD, LAVELT, or LAFELT, a village of other considerable charities. The tenants of the France, in the dep. of the Ourte, and late bishop- manor and the other inhabitants were always exric of Liege. In 1747, a battle was fought near empted from serving at any court held for its it between the French under Marshal Saxe, and hamlet. They bave that tenure of land called the allies under the Duke of Cumberland, in BOROUGH ENGLISH. The markets are on Tues. which the latter were defeated. It is 4 m. W. day, and on Thursday for wool; the fairs on of Liege.

Shrove-Tuesday and October 10. It lies 61 miles LAVELINE, a town of France, in the dep. of from London. the Votges; s miles SE. of St Diey.

LAVENO, a town of Italy, in the dep. of the LAVELLO, a town of Naples, in the prov. of Lario, district of Como, and ci-devant duchy of Balilicata, and a bishop's see; 6 miles N. of Ve. Milan; 18 miles WNW. of Como. nosa, and 30 N. by E. of Naples. Lon. 15. 55. E. LAVENSAR, an illand of Ruflia, in the Gulf Lat. 41. 5. N.

of Finland ; 60 miles W. of Petersburg. LAVEN, or LAVERDAL, a river of Norway, LAVENSTEIN, or LOENSTEIN, a town of which runs into the N. sea, near Larvigen. Franconia in Culmbach ; near a copper mine;

LAVENAU, a town of Germany, in Lower 12 miles S. of Saalfield, and 14 NW. of LichtenSaxony, and principality of Calenberg.

berg. (1.) LAUENSURG, a town of Lower Saxony, (1.) LAUENSTEIN, a town of Lower Saxin Saxe Lauenburg, on the right bank of the Elbe, ony, in Calenberg ; 9 miles E. of Hameln. built by Henry the Lion. It has a toil on the (2.) LAUENSTEIN, a town of Upper Saxony, Elbe, and lies 30 miles SE. of Hamburg, and 48 in Meissen, 18 miles S. of Dresden. Lon. 31. 31. $SW. of Lubeck.

E. Lat. 31. 42. N. (2, 3.) LAUENBURG, a town of Upper Sax- LAVENZA, a town of Italy, in the dep. of ony, capital of a lordship so named, in Pomerania, Panaro, and district (late duchy) of Modena. on the Lehe, 36 miles WNW. of Dantzick, and (1.) * LAVER. n. f. [lavoir, Fr. from lave.] 50 ENE. of Polnow.

A washing vessel. (1.) * LAVENDER. n. 1. (lavendula, Lat.) A Let us go find the body where it lies plant.--It is one of the verticillate plants, whose Soak'd in his en’mies blood, and from the hower confifts of one leaf, divided into two lips; Atream, the upper lip, standing upright, is roundish, and, With lavers pure and cleaning herbs, wash off for the most part, bifid; but the under lip is cut The clodded gore.

Milton, into three segments, which are almoft equal: these He gave her to his daughters, to imbathe flowers are disposed in whorls, and are collected In nectar'd lavers strew'd with asphodil. into a Nender spike upon the top of the falks.

Milton. Miller.—The whole lavender plant has a highly Young Aretus from forth his bridal bow'r aromatick smell and taste, and is famous as a ce- Brought the full laver o'er their hands to pour. phalick, nervous, and uterine medicine. Hill.

And then again he turneth to his play, (2.) LAVER, in scripture history, was a sacred To spoil the pleasures of that paradise: utensil placed in the court of the Jewish taber

The wholesome fage, and lavender Aill grey, nacle, conlisting of a bason, whence they drew Rank smelling rue, and cummin good for eyes. water by cocks, for washing the hands and feet

Spenser. of the officiating priefts, and also the entrails and (2.) LAVENDER. See LAVANDULA.

legs of the victims. (3.) LAVENDER COTTON. See SANTOLINA. (3.-5.) LAVER, in geography, the name of 3 (4.) LAVENDER, SEA See Statice, No 2, 3. contiguous parishes of England, in Eflex, about

LAVENHAM, or LANHAM, a pleasant and 21. miles N. by W. of London, diftinguished by pretty large town of Suffolk, on a branch of the the epithets of High, Little, and Magdalen. In river Bret, whence it rises gradually to the top of a High Laver the illuftrious John Locke spent the hill; on which its church, a very handsome Gothic last 10 years of his life, at the seat of Sir Francis ftru&ure, is seated ; wherein are severil ancient Marsham, Bart. where he died in 1704. See monuments, and a spacious market-place, with 9 Locke. divisions, in a very healthy free air. Ji had formers LAVERDIERE, a town of France, in the dep. ly a very confiderable trade in blue cloth; and bad of the Var; 6 miles N. of Barjols. three guilds or companies, with each their hall. LAVERNA, in antiquity, the goddess of thieves It has ftill a considerable manufactory of serges, and cheats among the Romans, who honoured Thalloons, says, stuffs, and fine yarn spun for Lon her with public worship, because she was suppo. don; and many hundred loads of wool are annu. fed to favour those who wished that their designs ally delivered from its wool hall. It is governed might not be discovered, Varro says, that she

bad

Pope.

had an altar near one of the gates of Rome; hence called porta lavernalis.

LAVERNICK, a town of Pruffia, in Culm. LAUF, a town of Franconia, in Nuremberg. LAUFEN, a town of Switzerland, in Zurich, 2 miles S. of Schaffhaufen.

(1.) LAUFFEN, a town of Bavaria, in Salzburg, on the Salza, 11 miles NNW. of Salzbug, and 26 NE. of Kuffstein. Lon. 30. 41. E. of Ferro. Lat. 47. 25. N.

(2.) LAUFFEN, a town of Germany, in the circle of the Upper Rhine, and bishopric of Basle; 6 miles S. of Basle, and 16 N. of Soleure. Lon. 23. 9. E. of Ferro. Lat. 47. 25. N.

(3.) LAUFFEN, a town of Switzerland, with a fort, in Zurich, near a celebrated cataract on the Rhine.

(4.) LAUFFEN, a town of Suabia, in Wurtemburg, on the Neckar; 4 miles S. of Heilbron, and 16 N. of Stutgard. Lon. 26. 51. E. Ferro. Lat. 49. 1. N.

(1.) LAUFFENBURG, an ancient county of Auftrian Suabia, purchased by D. Leopold from John the younger count of Hapsburg, for 12,000 florins, in 1387.

(2.) LAUFFENBURG, a fortified town of Snabia, the capital of the above county, and one of the 4 foreft towns; feated on both fides of the Rhine, over which it has a bridge, connecting the two parts of the town, near a fall in the river. It lies 18 miles E. of Bafle, and 26 W. of Schaffhausen. Lon. 8. 2. E. Lat. 47. 35. N.

LAUFEN, a town of Germany, in the archduchy of Auftria; 18 miles S. of Gmund.

LAUFFNITZ, a river of Germany, which rifes in Stiria, and runs into the Raab, near St Gothard, in Hungary; 10 miles S. of Furftenfeld. LAUGERIA. See LAUGIERIA.

* LAUGH. n. f. [from the verb.] The convulfion caused by merriment; an inarticulate expreffion of fudden merriment.—

Me gentle Delia beckons from the plain, Then hid in fhades, eludes her eager fwain; But feigns a laugh, to see me search around, And by that laugh the willing fair is found. Pope's Spring. (1.) To LAUGH. v. a. [blahan, Saxon; lachen, German and Dutch; lach, Scottish.] 1. To make that noife which fudden merriment excites.You saw my mafter wink and laugh upon you. Shak. There's one did laugh in's fleep, and one cried, Murther!

They wak'd each other.

At this fufty stuff

Shak.

The large Achilles, on his preft-bed lolling, From his deep cheft laughs out a loud applause. Sbak. -Laughing caufeth a continual expulfion of the breath with the loud noise, which maketh the interjection of laughing, fhaking of the breaft and fides, running of the eyes with water, if it be violent. Bacon. 2. [In poetry.] To appear gay, favourable, pleasant, or fertile.

Entreat her not the worse, in that I pray You ufe her well; the world may laugh again, And I may live to do you kindness, if You do it her. Shak.

Then laughs the childish year with flowrets crown'd. Dryden.

The plenteous board, high-heap with cates divine,

And o'er the foaming bowl the laughing wine.

Pope.

3. To LAUGH at. To treat with contempt; to ridicule.

Presently prepare thy grave;

Lie where the light foam of the sea may beat Thy grave-ftone daily; make thine epitaph, That death in thee at others lives may laugh.

Shak. -Twere better for you, if 'twere not known in council; you'll be laugh'd at. Shak.-The diffolute and abandoned, before they are aware of it, are betrayed to laugh at themselves, and upon reflection find, that they are merry at their own expenfe. Addison.

No wit to flatter left of all his store;
No fool to laugh at, which he valued more.

Pope.

(2.) To LAUGH. v. a. To deride; to scorn.Be bloody, bold and refolute; laugh to fcorn The pow'r of man.

Shak. -A wicked foul fhall make him to be laughed to fcorn of his enemies. Eccluf. vi. 4.

* LAUGHABLE. adj. [from laugh.] Such as may properly excite laughter.

Nature hath fram'd ftrange fellows in her
time:

Some that will evermore peep through their eye,
And laugh like parrots at a bagpiper;
And others of fuch vinegar aspect,

That they'll not show their teeth in way of fmile,

Though Neftor fwear the jeft be laughable.

Shak.

-Cafaubon confesses Perfius was not good at turning things into a pleasant ridicule; or, in other words, that he was not a laughable writer. Dryd. * LAUGHER. n. f. [from laugh.] A man fond of merriment.

I am a common laugher. Shak. -Some fober men cannot be of the general opinion, but the laughers are much the majority. Pope.

LAUGHI, a mountain and territory of France, in Piedmont.

* LAUGHINGLY. adv. [from laughing.] In a merry way; merrily.

* LAUGHINGSTOCK. n. f. [laugh and flock.] A butt; an object of ridicule.

The forlorn maiden, whom your eyes have feen

The laughing-flock of fortune's mockerie.

Spenfer. -Pray you, let us not be laughing-flocks to other mens humours. Shak.-Supine credulous frailty exposes a man to be both a prey and laughingflock at once. L'Eftrange.

(1.) * LAUGHTER. n. f. [from laugh.]__ Convulfive merriment; an inarticulate expreffion of fudden merriment.—

[blocks in formation]

The worst returns to laughter.

of the mufcles of the face, and a pleasant agitation of the vocal organs, is not merely voluntary, or totally within the jurifdiction of ourselves. Brown.

Shak. these words: "That which makes objects ridi The act of laughter, which is a fweet contraction culous, is fome ground of admiration or efterm connected with other more general circumftances comparatively worthlefs or deformed: or it is fome circumftance of turpitude or deformity con. nected with what is in general excellent or beau tiful; the inconfiftent properties exifting either in the objects themselves, or in the apprehenfion of the perfon to whom they relate; belonging al ways to the fame order or class of beings; imply. ing fentiment and defign, and exciting no acute or vehement commotion of the heart."-4. Hutchefon has given another account of this ludicrous quality, and feems to think that it is the contraft or oppofition of dignity and meanners which occafions laughter.

1 We find not that the laughter-loving dame Mourn'd for Anchifes. Waller. Pain or pleasure, grief or laughter. Prior. (2.) LAUGHTER is an affection peculiar to mankind, occafioned by fomething that tickles the fancy. In laughter, the eye-brows are raifed about the middle, and drawn down next the nose; the eyes are almost shut; the mouth opens and fhows the teeth, the corners of the mouth being drawn back and raised up; the cheeks feem puffed up, and almost hide the eyes; the face is usually red; the noftrils are open; and the eyes wet.

(3.) LAUGHTER, CAUSE OF, ANATOMICALLY CONSIDERED. Authors attribute laughter to the 5th pair of nerves, which fending branches to the eye, ear, lips, tongue, palate, and mufcles of the cheek, parts of the mouth, præcordia, &c. there hence arifes a fympathy, or confent, between all these parts; fo that when one of them is acted upon, the others are proportionably affected. Hence a favoury thing feen, or smelt, affects the glands, and parts of the mouth; a thing feen, or heard, that is shameful, affects the cheeks with blushes: on the contrary, if it please and tickle the fancy, it affects the præcordia, and mufcles of the mouth and face with laughter; if it caufe fadnefs and melancholy, it likewife affects the præcordia, and demonftrates itself by causing the glands of the eyes to emit tears. Dr Willis accounts for the pleasure of kiffing from the fame cause; the branches of this fifth pair being spread to the lips, the præcordia, and the genital parts; whence arifes a fympathy between those parts.

(4.) LAUGHTER, DIFFERENT OPINIONS RESPECTING THE MENTAL EXCITING CAUSES OF. The affection of the mind by which laughter is produced, is feemingly so very different from the other paffions with which we are endowed, that it hath engaged the attention of very eminent per fons to find it out. 1. Ariftotle, in the fifth chapter of his Poetics, obferves of comedy, that "it imitates thofe vices or meanneffes only which partake of the ridiculous:-now the ridiculous (adds he) confifts of fome fault or turpitude not attended with great pain, and not deftructive." 2. "The paffion of laughter (fays Mr Hobbes) is nothing elfe but fudden glory arifing from fome fudden conception of fome eminency in ourselves, by comparison with the infirmity of others, or with our own formerly. For men (continues he) laugh at the follies of themselves pait, when they come fuddenly to remembrance, except when we bring with them any fudden difhonour." 3. Aken. fide, in the third book of his excellent poem, treats of ridicule at confiderable length. He gives a detail of ridiculous characters; ignorant pretenders to learning, boaftful foldiers, and lying travellers, hypocritical churchmen, conceited politicians, &c. Having finished the detail of characters, he makes fome general remarks on the caufe of ridicule; and explains himself more fully in a profe definition, illuftrated by examples, in

(5.) LAUGHTER, DR BEATTIE'S ANALYSIS AND DISTINCTIONS OF. All these opinions are refuted by Dr Beattie in his Effay on Laughter and Ladi crous Compofition, where he has treated the fubject in a masterly manner. "To provoke laughter (fays he), is not effential either to wit or humour. For though that unexpected difcovery of refemblance between ideas fuppofed diffimilar, which is called suit-and that comic exhibition of fingular characters, fentiments, and imagery, which is denominted humour,-do frequently raife laughter, they do not raise it always. Addifon's poem to Sir Godfrey Kneller, in which the British kings are likened to heathen gods, is exqui fitely witty, and yet not laughable. An inquiry, therefore, into the diftinguishing characters of wit and humour has no neceflary connection with the present fubject. Some authors have treated of ridicule, without marking the diftinction between ridiculous and ludicrous ideas. But I prefume the natural order of proceeding in this inquiry, is to begin with ascertaining the nature of what is purely ludicrous. Things ludicrous and things ridiculous have this in common, that both excite laughter; but the former excite pure laughter, the latter excite laughter mixed with disapprobation and contempt. My defign is to analyfe and explain that quality in things or ideas, which makes them provoke pure laughter, and entitles them to the name of ludicrous of laughable. When certain objects, qualities, or ideas, occur to our fenfes, memory, or imagination, we fmile or laugh at them, and expect that other men fhould do the fame. To smile on certain occafions is not lefs natural, than to weep at the fight of distress, or cry out when we feel pain. There are different kinds of laughter. As a boy, paffing by night through a churchyard, fings or whiftles in order to conceal his fear even from himself; fo there are men, who, by forcing a fmile, endeavour fometimes to hide from others, and from themselves too perhaps, their malevolence or envy. Such laughter is unnatural. The found of it offends the ear; the features diftorted by it feem horrible to the eye. A mixture of hypocrify, malice, and cruel joy, thus difplayed on the countenance, is one of the moft hateful fights in nature, and transforms the "human face divine" into the vifage of a fiend. Similar to this is the fmile of a wicked perfon pleafing himself with the hope of accomplishing his evil purposes. Milton gives a striking picture of it in that wellknown paffage:

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