“Peace, friend Sancho,” answered Don Quixote; “for matters of war are, of all others, most subject to continual change. Now I verily believe, and it is most certainly the fact, that the sage Freston, who stole away my chamber and books, has metamorphosed these giants into windmills, on purpose to deprive me of the glory of vanquishing them, so great is the enmity he bears me! But his wicked arts will finally avail but little against the goodness of my sword.”
“God grant it!” answered Sancho Panza. Then, helping him to rise, he mounted him again upon his steed, which was almost disjointed.—Don Quixote.
THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
Though still serious-minded in the main, the world at the beginning of the Seventeenth century recognized and appreciated humor.
And, growing with what it fed upon the vein of humor became more marked and more important in literature.
Wherefore our outline must from now on be less comprehensive and more discriminating.
The field is getting too wide, the harvest too bountiful for gleaning, even for general reaping; we can now only pluck spears of ripened grain.
An Outline can touch only the high spots, and though many wonderful flashes of wit and humor occur in the works of the most serious writers space cannot be given to such, it must be conserved for the definitely and intentionally humorous writers.
This is greatly to be regretted, for not infrequently the jests of the serious-minded are more intrinsically witty than those of professed humorists.
As an example may be mentioned George Herbert, the famous clergyman who was called Holy George Herbert.