The art was naturally cultivated and its results appreciated in the circle formed by such men as Congreve, Bolingbroke, and chesterfield and the like, by whom witty conversation was cultivated as a fine art.
"English Literature and Society in the Eighteenth Century"
Leslie Stephen
chesterfield tells us that he never spoke without trying to express himself as well as possible; and Pope carries out the principle in his poetry.
"English Literature and Society in the Eighteenth Century"
Leslie Stephen
Not only Bolingbroke but such men as chesterfield and Walpole were indifferent or contemptuous.
"English Literature and Society in the Eighteenth Century"
Leslie Stephen