the lords, the people had no wish to increase their power. The tendency of the bill, as Steele obferved in a letter to the earl of Oxford, was to introduce an aristocracy; for a majority in the house of lords, fo liniited, would have been defpotick and irrefiftible.

To prevent this fubverfion of the ancient eftablishment, Steele, whose pen readily feconded his political paffions, endeavoured to alarm the nation by a pamphlet called The Plebeian. To this an anfwer was published by Addifon, under the title of The Old Whig, in which it is not discovered that Steele was then known to be the advocate for the commons. Steele replied by a fecond Plebeian; and, whether by ignorance or by courtesy, confined himfelf to his question, without any personal notice of his opponent. Nothing hitherto was committed against the laws of friendship, or proprieties of decency; but controvertifts cannot long retain their kindness for each other. The Old Whig anfwered the Plebeian, and could not forbear fome contempt of little Dicky, whofe trade it was to write pain

phlets." Dicky, however, did not lofe his fettled. veneration for his friend; but contented himself with quoting fome lines of Cato, which were at once detection and reproof. The bill was laid afide during that feffion; and Addison died before the next, in which its commitment was rejected by two hundred and fixty-five to one hundred and feventyfeven.

Every reader furely muft regret that these two illuftrious friends, after fo many years paft in confidence and endearment, in unity of Intereft, confor

mity of opinion, and fellowship of study, should finally part in acrimonious oppofition. Such a controverfy was "Bellum plufquam civile," as Lucan expreffes it. Why could not faction find other advocates? but among the uncertainties of the human state, we are doomed to number the inftability of friendship.

Of this dispute I have little knowledge but from the Biographia Britannica. The Old Whig is not inferted in Addifon's works; nor is it mentioned by Tickell in his Life; why it was omitted, the biographers doubtlefs give the true reafon; the fact was too recent, and thofe who had been heated in the contention were not yet cool.

The neceffity of complying with times, and of fparing perfons, is the great impediment of biography. Hiftory may be formed from permanent monuments and records; but Lives can only be written from perfonal knowledge, which is growing every day less, and in a fhort time is loft for ever. What is known can feldom be immediately told; and when it might be told, it is no longer known. The delicate features of the mind, the nice difcriminations of character, and the minute peculiarities of conduct, are foon obliterated; and it is furely better that caprice, obftinacy, frolick, and folly, however they might delight in the defcription, fhould be filently forgotten, than that, by wanton merriment and unfeafonable detection, a pang fhould be given to a widow, a daughter, a brother, or a friend, As the process of these narratives is now bringing me among my contemporaries, I begin to feel myfelf walking upon afhes under which the fire is not " extinguished,"

.

"extinguished," and coming to the time of which it will be proper rather to say "nothing that is false, " than all that is true."

earl of Warwick to Mr. Gay, who had not visited

The end of this ufeful life was now approaching, -Addison had for fome time been oppreffed by fhortness of breath, which was now aggravated by a dropfy; and, finding his danger preffing, he prepared to die conformably to his own precepts and profes fions. During this lingering decay, he fent, as Pope relates, a meffage by the Gay, defiring to see him. him for fome time before, obeyed the fummons, and found himself received with great kindness. The purpose for which the interview had been folicited was then difcovered. Addison told him, that he had injured him; but that, if he recovered, he would recompenfe him. What the injury was he did not explain; nor did Gay ever know, but supposed that fome preferment defigned for him had, by Addison's intervention, been withheld.

Lord Warwick was a young man of very irregular life, and perhaps of loofe opinions. Addison, for whom he did not want refpect, had very diligently endeavoured to reclaim him; but his arguments and expoftulations had no effect. One experiment, however, remained to be tried: when he found his life near its end, he directed the young lord to be called; and when he defired, with great tenderness, to hear his last injunctions, told him, "I have fent for you, that you may fee how a "Chriftian can die." What effect this awful scene

* Spence.

had

had on the earl, I know not: he likewife died himfelf in a fhort time.

In Tickell's excellent Elegy on his friend are these lines:

He taught us how to live; and, oh! too high

The price of knowledge, taught us how to die

in which he alludes, as he told Dr. Young, to this moving interview.

Having given directions to Mr. Tickell for the publication of his works, and dedicated them on his death-bed to his friend Mr. Craggs, he died June 17, 1719, at Holland-houfe, leaving no child but a daughter.

Of his virtue it is a fufficient teftimony, that the refentment of party has tranfmitted no charge of any crime. He was not one of those who are praised only after death; for his merit was fo generally acknowledged, that Swift, having obferved that his election paffed without a conteft, adds, that, if he propofed himself for king, he would hardly have been refufed.

His zeal for his party did not extinguish his kindnefs for the merit of his opponents: when he was fecretary in Ireland, he refufed to intermit his acquaintance with Swift.

Of his habits, or external manners, nothing is fo often mentioned as that timorous or fullen taciturnity, which his friends called modefty by too mild a name. Steele mentions with great tenderness "that remark"able bashfulness, which is a cloak that hides and "muffles merit ;" and tells us, "that his abilities

Who died at Bilton, in Warwickshire, at a very advanced age, in 1797. See Gent. Mag. vol. LXVII. p. 256. 385. N. 66 were

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❝ were covered only by modefty, which doubles the ❝ beauties which are seen, and gives credit and esteem to all that are concealed." Chesterfield affirms, that "Addifon was the moft timorous and aukward man that he ever faw." And Addison, speaking of his own deficience in conversation, used to say of himself, that, with refpect to intellectual wealth, "he could draw bills for a thousand pounds, though " he had not a guinea in his pocket."

That he wanted current coin for ready payment, and by that want was often obstructed and diftreffed; that he was often oppreffed by an improper and ungraceful timidity; every teftimony concurs to prove but Chesterfield's reprefentation is doubtless hyperbolical. That man cannot be fuppofed very unexpert in the arts of converfation and practice of life, who, without fortune or alliance, by his usefulness and dexterity, became fecretary of ftate; and who died at forty-feven, after having not only ftood long in the highest rank of wit and literature, but filled one of the most important offices of ftate.

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The time in which he lived had reafon to lament his obftinacy of filence; "for he was," fays Steele, above all men in that talent called humour, and "enjoyed it in fuch perfection, that I have often reflected, after a night spent with him apart from "all the world, that I had had the pleature of con"verfing with an intimate acquaintance of Terence "and Catullus, who had all their wit and nature, "heightened with humour more exquifite and de"lightful than any other man ever poffeffed." This is the fondness of a friend; let us hear what is told

us by a rival: "Addifon's converfation *," fays