A farrago of several pieces being a supplement to his poems, characters, heroick pourtraits, letters, and other discourses formerly published by him / newly written by Richard Flecknoe.

OF VVIT.

VVIT, like Beauty, has somewhat in it of Divine, and they profane either, who use them to vitious ends; it is rather a slight then force of the spirit, and is chiefly exprest in quick expedients and reparties. The French call it le point de l'esprit, be••ause it is sharp, and easily pe∣netrates things; whence clenches and quibbles are not wit, because they go no farther then the outward word: It is that, in pleasant and factious discourse, as eloquence is, in grave and serious; and well comports with jest & raillerie, but no wayes with profaneness and scurrilitie; it is the spirit and quintessence of speech, extracted out of the substance of things; and a spiritual fire that rarefies and renders every thing spiritual like it s••lf; it is a soaring quality, that just as Dedalus wings, elevates those who have it above other men; and is the same in

the brain, as Nobility is in the blood. In fine, it is somewhat above expression; and easier to admire, then tell you what it is: not acquir'd by Art and Stu∣dy, but Nature and Conversation; and is so volatile a thing, as it is altogether as vo∣latile to describe: Rendring those who have it, good and vertuous, as well as witty men; and whosoever is otherwise, we may well conclude, wants as much of wit, as they do of being such.