Reflections Upon Laughter, and Remarks Upon the Fable of the Bees and Remarks upon The fable of the bees By Francis Hutcheson, Pre-1801 Imprint Collection (Library of Congress)
He goes on to give a few additional uses that laughter (and with it ridicule) serves -- restoring perspective, correcting minor vices, etc. (Most of the work, however, is devoted to arguing against the Hobbesian theory that laughter involves a comparison with others that makes us feel superior; this more social angle is part of Hutcheson's counter-theory.)
