No. 396. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 1712. Barbara, Celarent, Darü, Ferio, Baralipton. hands at HAVING a great deal of business upon my present, I shall beg the reader's leave to present him with a letter that I received about half a year ago from a gentleman of Cambridge, who styles himself Peter de Quir. I have kept it by me some months; and though I did not know at first what to make of it, upon my reading it over very frequently, I have at last discovered several conceits in it: I would not therefore have my reader discouraged if he does not take them at the first perusal. "SIR, "TO MR. SPECTATOR. "THE monopoly of puns in this university has been an immemorial privilege of the Johnians*; and we cannot help resenting the late invasion of our ancient right as to that particular, by a little pretender to clenching in a neighbouring college, who in an application to you by way of letter, a while ago, styled himself Philobrune. Dear Sir, as you are by character a profest well-wisher to speculation, you will excuse a remark which this gentleman's passion for the brunette has suggested to a brother theorist: it is an offer towards a mechanical account of his lapse *The students of St. John's college. to punning, for he belongs to a set of mortals who value themselves upon an uncommon mastery in the more humane and polite part of letters. "A conquest by one of this species of females gives a very odd turn to the intellectuals of the captivated person, and very different from that way of thinking which a triumph from the eyes of another, more emphatically of the fair sex, does generally occasion. It fills the imagination with an assemblage of such ideas and pictures as are hardly any thing but shade, such as night, the devil, &c. These portraitures very near overpower the light of the understanding, almost benight the faculties, and give that melancholy tincture to the most sanguine complexion, which this gentleman calls an inclination to be in a brown-study, and is usually attended with worse consequences, in case of a repulse. During this twilight of intellects, the patient is extremely apt, as love is the most witty passion in nature, to offer at some pert sallies now and then, by way of flourish, upon the amiable enchantress, and unfortunately stumbles upon that mongrel miscreated, to speak in Miltonic, kind of wit, vulgarly termed the pun. It would not be much amiss to consult Dr. TW, who is certainly a very able projector, and whose system of divinity and spiritual mechanics obtains very much among the better part of our undergraduates, whether a general intermarriage, enjoined by parliament, between the sisterhood of the olive-beauties and the fraternity of the people called quakers, would not be a very serviceable expedient, and abate that overflow of light which shines within them so powerfully, that it dazzles their eyes, and dances them into a thousand vagaries of error and enthusiasm. These reflections may impart some light towards a discovery of the origin of punning among us, and the foundation of its prevailing so long in this famous body. It is notorious, from the instance under consideration, that it must be owing chiefly to the use of brown jugs, muddy belch, and the fumes of a certain memorable place of rendezvous with us at meals, known by the name of Staincoat Hole: for the atmosphere of the kitchen, like the tail of a comet, predominates least about the fire, but resides behind, and fills the fragrant receptacle above-mentioned. Besides, it is further observable, that the delicate spirits among us, who declare against these nauseous proceedings, sip tea, and put up for critic and amour, profess likewise an equal abhorrence for punning, the ancient innocent diversion of this society. After all, Sir, though it may appear something absurd that I seem to approach you with the air for an advocate for punning, you who have justified your censures of the practice in a set dissertation upon that subject*, yet I am confident you will think it abundantly atoned for by observing, that this humbler exercise may be as instrumental in diverting us from any innovating schemes and hypotheses in wit, as dwelling upon honest orthodox logic would be in securing us from heresy in religion. Had Mr. Wn's + researches been confined within the bounds of Ramus or Crackenthorp, that learned newsmonger might have acquiesced in what the holy oracles pronounced upon the deluge like other Christians; and had the surprising Mr. L- -y been content with the employment of refining upon Shakspeare's points and quibbles, for which he must be allowed to have a superlative genius, and now and then penning a catch or a ditty, instead of inditing odes and sonnets, the gentlemen of the bon goût in the pit would never have been put to all that grimace in damning the frippery of state, + Mr. Whiston. *See Spec. No. 61. de in securing Wn's tr of Ramus ger might ha pronounced and had the the empl Land qui supe eyes, and dances them in & USED TAHU a catch for and enthusiasm. These reflections & some light towards a discore nets, the thed lever hav of ing the frippe itling ng in this famous pec: It is notorious. from instance under consideration that it must be chiefly to the use of brown jugs, muddy belch. he fumes of a certain memorable place of rens with us at meals, known by the name of at Hole: for the atmosphere of the kitchen. etail of a comet, predominates least about the resides behind, and fills the fragrant recepe-mentioned. Besides, it is further observthe delicate spirits among us, who dest these nauseous proceedings, sip tea, and ritic and amour, profess likewise an equal for punning, the ancient innocent diver ciety. After all, Sir, though it may thing absurd that I seem to approach you for an advocate for punning, you who ed your censures of the practice in a tion upon that subject, yet I am con think it abundantly atoned for by this humbler exercise may be as indeerting us from any innovating potheses in wit, as dwelling upon doge would be in securing us from Hai Mr. Wn's + researches within the bounds of Ramus or CrackHearned newmonger might have acquithe hair maces pronounced upon the Per Christians and had the surprising been content with the employment of Shakspeare's points and qubbles, for The allowed to have a merlative gethe penning a carey or a ditty. Codes and sonnets, the gentlemene the pit would never have been pat danning the inner S if A ng th, ten talk rac hted and ot acunder d that e same |