Date: 1796

"In London much false Wit is sold, / As Sheffield coin is pass'd for gold!"

— Courtenay, John Lees (1775?-1794)

Date: 1796

"And oft in WIT you're cheated there, / As you're deceiv'd in Wedgewood Ware."

— Courtenay, John Lees (1775?-1794)

Date: 1796

"Your stanzas must not only chime, / But sense refin'd keep pace with rhime, / As with their paste, Cooks raisins mingle, / Rich thoughts must knead with sterile jingle."

— Courtenay, John Lees (1775?-1794)

Date: 1796

"WIT on all points is out of season, / It's use is to embroider reason."

— Courtenay, John Lees (1775?-1794)

Date: 1796

"Good sense like cloth, the ground-work place, / And then sow on your Wit and lace."

— Courtenay, John Lees (1775?-1794)

Date: 1796

"Some hurt themselves by flippant WIT, / As too much GAS, balloons will split;-- / With buoyant splendour, up they rise, / The spirit bursts, the bubble dies."

— Courtenay, John Lees (1775?-1794)

Date: 1796

"By Locke, true WIT is best defin'd, / Her pleasant pictures lure the mind; / Associations sudden rise, / And seize the fancy by surprise."

— Courtenay, John Lees (1775?-1794)

Date: 1796

"The effect [of wit on the mind] is strong,--because it's odd, / Like fire electric from a clod; / Or when fix'd air puts out a light, / Tho' vital makes it blaze more bright."

— Courtenay, John Lees (1775?-1794)

Date: 1796

"Discordant tho' the ideas be, / In Fancy's logic they agree; / As in the Ark by special grace, / Mice liv'd with Cats, yet throve apace."

— Courtenay, John Lees (1775?-1794)