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Virtue and Vice
799. Joviality
"It is imagined by many that, whenever they aspire to please,
they are required to be merry, and to show the gladness of their
souls by flights of pleasantry and bursts of laughter. But,
though these men may be for a time heard with applause and
admiration, they seldom delight us long. We enjoy them a little,
and then retire to uneasiness and good humour, as the eye gazes
awhile on eminences glittering with the sun, but soon turns
aching away to verdure and to flowers."
Johnson: Rambler #72 (November 24, 1750)
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