Curiosities & wonders > Reflections upon laughter

UPON LAUGHTER. 21
Again, any little accident to which we have
joined the idea of raeannefs, befalling a per-
Ibn of great gravity, ability, dignity, is a mat¬
ter of Laughter, for the very fame rcafon;
thus the ftrange contortions of the body in a
fall, the dirtying of a decent drefs, the natu¬
ral funftions which we ftudy to conceal from
fight, are matter of Laughter, when they oc¬
cur to oblervation in perfons of whom we have
high ideas: nay, the very human form has
the ideas of dignity fo generally joined with it,
that even in ordinary perfons fuch mean acci¬
dents are matter of jeft; but ftill the jeft is in-
creafed by the dignity, gravity, or modefty
of the perlbn; which Ihews that it is this con-
trafr, or oppofition of ideas of dignity and
meannefs, which is the occafion of Laughter,
We generally imagine in mankind lome
degree of wifiiom above other animals, and
have high ideas of them on this account. If
then along with our notion of wifilom in our
fellows, there occurs any inftance of grofs in¬
advertence, or great miftake; this is a great
caufe of Laughter. Our countrymen are ve¬
ry lubjeft to little trips of this kind, and fur-
nifh often fbme diverfion to their neighbours,
not only by miftakes in their Ipeech, but in
aftions. Yet even this kind of Laughter can¬
not well be laid to arife from our fenfe of lu-
periority. This alone may give a fedate joy,
but