Chapter I: Front Matter

Transcriber's note:

The letter "e" with a macron is rendered [=e] in this text.

The astute reader will notice there is no Chapter XV in the
Table of Contents or in the text. This was a printer's error
in the original book. The chapters were incorrectly numbered,
but no chapter was missing. This e-book has been transcribed
to match the original.

HISTORY OF ENGLISH HUMOUR

With an Introduction upon Ancient Humour.

by

THE REV. A. G. L'ESTRANGE,

Author of "The Life of the Rev. William Harness," "From the Thames to the Tamar," Etc.

In Two Volumes.

Vol. II.

London: Hurst and Blackett, Publishers, 13, Great Marlborough Street. 1878. All rights reserved.

CONTENTS OF THE SECOND VOLUME.

CHAPTER I.

Burlesque--Parody--The "Splendid Shilling"--Prior--Pope--Ambrose
Philips--Parodies of Gray's Elegy--Gay 1

CHAPTER II.

Defoe--Irony--Ode to the Pillory--The "Comical Pilgrim"--The
"Scandalous Club"--Humorous Periodicals--Heraclitus
Ridens--The London Spy--The British
Apollo 22

CHAPTER III.

Swift--"Tale of a Tub"--Essays--Gulliver's Travels--Variety
of Swift's Humour--Riddles--Stella's Wit--Directions
for Servants--Arbuthnot 44

CHAPTER IV.

Steele--The Funeral--The Tatler--Contributions of Swift--Of
Addison--Expansive Dresses--"Bodily Wit"--Rustic
Obtuseness--Crosses in Love--Snuff-taking 62

CHAPTER V.

Spectator--The Rebus--Injurious Wit--The Everlasting
Club--The Lovers' Club--Castles in the Air--The
Guardian--Contributions by Pope--"The Agreeable
Companion"--The Wonderful Magazine--Joe Miller--Pivot
Humour 77

CHAPTER VI.

Sterne--His Versatility--Dramatic Form--Indelicacy--Sentiment
and Geniality--Letters to his Wife--Extracts
from his Sermons--Dr. Johnson 99

CHAPTER VII.

Dodsley--"A Muse in Livery"--"The Devil's a Dunce"--"The
Toy Shop"--Fielding--Smollett 113

CHAPTER VIII.

Cowper--Lady Austen's Influence--"John Gilpin"--"The
Task"--Goldsmith--"The Citizen of the World"--Humorous
Poems--Quacks--Baron Münchausen 127

CHAPTER IX.

The Anti-Jacobin--Its Objects and Violence--"The
Friends of Freedom"--Imitation of Latin Lyrics--The
"Knife Grinder"--The "Progress of Man" 141

CHAPTER X.

Wolcott--Writes against the Academicians--Tales of a
Hoy--"New Old Ballads"--"The Sorrows of Sunday"--Ode
to a Pretty Barmaid--Sheridan--Comic Situations--"The
Duenna"--Wits 150

CHAPTER XI.

Southey--Drolls of Bartholomew Fair--The "Doves"--Typographical
Devices--Puns--Poems of Abel Shufflebottom 164

CHAPTER XII.

Lamb--His Farewell to Tobacco--Pink Hose--On the
Melancholy of Tailors--Roast Pig 175