Introduction

The facetia ¹ , as a literary form, has an ancient lineage, while, if we regard it merely as a humorous tale or jocular anecdote, its history must be almost as old as the first laughs and smiles of prehistoric man. To go back no further, we may trace it in a direct line through Latin literature, to the Greek apophthegm. Facetiœ, in the literary sense, are also to be found in Oriental literature, especially the Persian and the Arabian.