You will believe we had a very
good time with these brethren, who were so far out of the dress of their
native country, and so lost to its dialect, that they were as much
strangers to themselves, as to their relation to each other. They took
up the whole discourse; sometimes the critic grew passionate, and when
reprimanded by the wit for any trip or hesitation in his voice, he would
answer, Mr. Dryden makes such a character on such an occasion break off
in the same manner; so that the stop was according to nature, and as a
man in a passion should do. The wit, who is as far gone in letters as
himself, seems to be at a loss to answer such an apology; and concludes
only, that though his anger is justly vented, it wants fire in the
utterance. If wit is to be measured by the circumstances of time and
place, there is no man has generally so little of that talent, as he who
is a wit by profession. What he says, instead of arising from the
occasion, has an occasion invented to bring it in. Thus he is new for no
other reason, but that he talks like nobody else; but has taken up a
method of his own, without commerce of dialogue with other people.
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