rm is narrative, with occasional dialogue, and
approaches that of the conundrum, and the wit though far from subtle
is often effective. Though the names of the authors of some of these
books are known, the authorship of others is in doubt. They were to a
considerable extent not attributable to one man, but were the bright
sayings of the day.

The first chapter of the present volume, entitled "Early English
Wit," brings together, in modernized form, some of the brightest of
these sayings. The strangest thing about such a collection is to
discover of what antiquity some current conundrums are. That is
notably true of one taken from "Demaundes Joyous," printed by Wynkyn
de Worde in 1511, namely:

"_Demaund._ How many straws go to a goose's nest?

"_A._ None, for lack of feet.

Besides the puns which may be made within a language itself, through
the variety of meanings of words and the similarity of sound in
different words, there is a certain class of hybrid puns and
conundrums which is made by the interchange of languages. The
following story illustrates this class: A newly appointed and bashful
young curate was visiting a young ladies' school in his parish. The
ordeal of facing so many blooming young misses was endured until, the
class in Virgil having been found ill-prepared and the teacher having
requested that the translation be made word for word, he was startled
by the declaration made by a pretty young lady, "We kiss him in turn"
(_Vicissim_, in turn), whereupon he ungallantly fled.

When Laud was Archbishop to Charles I, it is related that the Court
Jester made the punning grace, "Great praise be to God and little
Laud to the Devil," which resulted in his banishment by the
Archbishop.

Shakespeare uses the conundrum with a masterly hand, ringing many
changes upon it and producing many effects, both grave and gay. An
example of the quizzical dialogue which has the wit of the conundrum
as its basis, is found in "Twelfth Night," Act I., scene 5:

_Clown._ Good madonna, why mournest thou?

_Olivia._ Good fool, for my brother's death.

_Clown._ I think his soul is in hell, madonna.

_Olivia._ I know his soul is in heaven, fool.

_Clown._ The more fool, madonna, to mourn for your brother's soul
being in heaven.

While the conundrum ranks as the formal literary representative of
the spontaneous pun, the literature of wit is alive with the naked
pun in its original state. Pope, Hood, Lamb,