A very slight
change occurring suddenly will often cause an ejaculation of alarm or
admiration, especially among those of nervous temperament; but upon a
repetition the excitement is less, and the nerves are scarcely affected.
This peculiar law of the nervous system will account for the absence of
laughter on the relation of any old or well-known story. Both pleasure
and facial action are absent; but when we no longer feel the emotion of
humour, we still have some notion that certain ideas awakened it, and
would still do so under favourable circumstances,--that is when persons
first conceived them. Here then we can recognise humour apart from
novelty; but it is dead, its magic is no more. On the same principle, to
laugh before telling a good story lessens its force, just as to break
gradually melancholy tidings enables the recipient to bear them better.
But nothing so effectually damps mirth as to premise that we are going
to say something very laughable. Bacon observes, "Ipsa titillatio si
praemoneas non magnopere in risum valet." Novelty is necessary to produce
what Akenside felicitously calls "the gay surprise," but they are wrong
who maintain that this is the essence of the ludicrous. An ingenious
suggestion has been made that the reason why we cannot endure the
repetition of a humorous story is that on a second relation the element
of falsehood becomes too strong in proportion to that of truth.
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