The word
_facetus_ seems to have undergone the same transition in Latin, for
Horace speaks of Virgil having possessed the _facetum_ in poetry.
Humour may be dry--may consist of subtle inuendoes of a somewhat
uncertain character not devoid of pleasantry, perhaps, but indistinctly
felt, and not calculated to raise laughter. This has led some to observe
that in contradistinction to it--"Wit is sharply defined like a
crystal." So Mr. Dallas writes, "Wit is of the known and definite;
humour is of the unknown and indefinable. Wit is the unexpected
exhibition of some clearly defined contrast or disproportion; humour the
unexpected indication of a vague discordance, in which the sense or the
perception of ignorance is prominent." "Wit is the comedy of knowledge,
humour of ignorance." But we must observe in opposition to this view
that humour may be too clearly defined, as in puns or caricatures, it
may be broad--but who ever heard of broad wit. The retort often made by
those who have been severely hit, "You're very witty," or "You think
you're very witty," could not be expressed by, "You're very humorous,"
which would have neither irony nor point, not implying any pretension.
Nothing that smells of the lamp, or refers much to particular
experience, or second-hand information, deserves the name of wit, and
although it may be recorded in writing, it generally implies impromptu
speech.
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