a poetical pleasantry, consisting in applying the verses written on one subject, by way of ridicule, to another; or in turning a serious work into burlesque, by affecting to observe, as nearly as possible, the same rhymes, The parody was first introduced by the Greeks, from whom the name has been borrowed. It comes pretty near to what some of the modern writers call travesty. Others, however, have more accurately distinguished between a parody and burlesque, observing, that the change of a single word may parody a verse, or that of a single letter a word. Thus, in the case of a word, Cato exposed the inconsistent disposition of Marcus Fulvius Nobilior, by changing Nobilior into Mobilior. Another kind of parody consists in the mere application of some known verse, or portion of a verse, in a writer, without making any change in it, with a view to expose it. A fourth instance is that of writing verses in the taste and style of authors little approved. The rules of parody regard the choice of a subject, and the manner of treating it. The subject should be a known and celebrated work; and as to the manner, it should be an exact imitation, with an intermixture of good-natured pleasantry.