ere lie nibbling and sucking at an
_and_, a _by_, a _quis_ or a _quid_, a _sic_ or a _sicut_! and thus
minces the Text so small that his parishioners, until he _rendezvous_
[_reassemble_] it again, can scarce tell, what is become of it.

But "Shall we debar Youth of such an innocent and harmless recreation, of
such a great quickener of Parts and promoter of sagacity?"

As for the first, its innocency of being allowed of for a time; I am so
far from that persuasion that, from what has been before hinted, I count
it perfectly contagious! and as a thing that, for the most part, infects
the whole life, and influences most actions! For he that finds himself to
have the right knack of letting off a joque, and of pleasing the Humsters;
he is not only very hardly brought off from admiring those goodly
applauses, and heavenly shouts; but it is ten to one! if he directs not
the whole bent of his studies to such idle and contemptible books as
shall only furnish him with materials for a laugh; and so neglects all
that should inform his Judgement and Reason, and make him a man of sense
and reputation in this world.

And as for the pretence of making people sagacious, and pestilently
witty; I shall only desire that the nature of that kind of Wit may be
considered! which will be found to depend upon some such fooleries as
these--

As, first of all, the lucky ambiguity of some word or sentence.
O, what a happiness is it! and how much does a youngster count
himself beholden to the stars! that should help him to such a
taking jest! And whereas there be so many thousand words in the
World, and that he should luck upon the right one! that was so
very much to his purpose, and that at the explosion, made such a
goodly report!

Or else they rake LILLY's _Grammar_; and if they can but find two
or three letters of any name in any of the _Rules_ or _Examples_
of that good man's Works; it is as very a piece of Wit as any has
passed in the Town since the King came in [1660]!

O, how the Freshmen will skip, to hear one of those lines well
laughed at, that they have been so often yerked [_chided_] for!

It is true, such things as these go for Wit so long as they continue in
Latin; but what dismally shrimped things would they appear, if turned
into English! And if we search into what was, or might be pretended; we
shall find the advantages of Latin-Wit to be very small and slender, when
it c