Note 160 — III WIT AND HUMOUR IN DANTE

Dr. Reid, in an article on “Humour” (Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics, Vol. VI, p. 272), which had not yet appeared when these lines were written, describing the gift as follows: “Humour is invariably associated with alertness and breadth of mind, a keen sense of proportion, and faculties of quick observation and comparison. It involves a certain detachment from, or superiority to, the disturbing experiences of life. It appreciates the whimsicalities and contradictions of life, recognises the existence of what is unexpected or absurd, and extracts joy out of what might be a cause of sadness....”