;

Virgil's Georgicks, published in the Miscellanies and a Latin encomium on Queen Mary, in the Mufa Anglicana. These verfes exhibit all the fondness of friendship; but, on one fide or the other, friendship was afterwards too weak for the malignity of faction. In this poem is a very confident and difcriminate character of Spenfer, whofe work he had then never read *. So little fometimes is criticism the effect of judgement. It is neceffary to inform the reader, that about this time he was introduced by Congreve to Montague, then Chancellor of the Exchequer : Addison was then learning the trade of a courtier, and fubjoined Montague as a poetical name to those of Cowley and of Dryden.

By the influence of Mr. Montague, concurring, according to Tickell, with his natural modefty, he was diverted from his original defign of entering into holy orders. Montague alleged the corruption of men who engaged in civil employments without liberal education; and declared, that, though he was represented as an enemy to the Church, he would never do it any injury but by withholding Addison from it.

Soon after (in 1695) he wrote a poem to king William, with a rhyming introduction addreffed to lord Somers. King William had no regard to elegance or literature; his ftudy was only war; yet by a choice of minifters, whofe difpofition was very different from his own, he procured, without intention, a very liberal patronage to poetry. Addison was careffed both by Somers and Montague.

* Spence.

In 1697 appeared his Latin verses on the peace of Ryfwick, which he dedicated to Montague, and which was afterwards called, by Smith, "the best "Latin poem fince the Æneid." Praise must not be too rigorously examined; but the performance cannot be denied to be vigorous and elegant.

Having yet no publick employment, he obtained (in 1699) a penfion of three hundred pounds a year, that he might be enabled to travel. He ftaid a year at Blois *, probably to learn the French language; and then proceeded in his journey to Italy, which he furveyed with the eyes of a poet.

While he was travelling at leifure, he was far from being idle: for he not only collected his obfervations on the country, but found time to write his Dialogues on Medals, and four Acts of Cato. Such at least is the relation of Tickell. Perhaps he only collected his materials, and formed his plan.

Whatever were his other employments in Italy, he there wrote the letter to lord Halifax, which is juftly confidered as the most elegant, if not the most sublime, of his poetical productions. But in about two years he found it neceffary to haften home; being, as Swift informs us, diftreffed by indigence, and compelled to become the tutor of a travelling Squire, because his penfion was not remitted.

At his return he published his Travels, with a dedication to lord Somers. As his ftay in foreign countries was short, his obfervations are fuch as might be fupplied by a hafty view, and confift chiefly in comparisons of the prefent face of the

* Spence.

country

country with the descriptions left us by the Roman poets, from whom he made preparatory collections, though he might have fpared the trouble, had he known that fuch collections had been made twice before by Italian authors

The most amusing paffage of his book is his account of the minute republick of San Marino; of many parts it is not a very fevere cenfure to say, that they might have been written at home. His élegance of language, and variegation of profe and verfe, however, gains upon the reader; and the book, though a while neglected, became in time fo much the favourite of the publick, that before it was reprinted it rofe to five times its price.

When he returned to England (in 1702), with a meanness of appearance which gave teftimony of

the difficulties to which he had been reduced, he found his old patrons out of power, and was therefore, for a time, at full leifure for the cultivation of his mind; and a mind fo cultivated gives reafon to believe that little time was loft.

But he remained not long neglected or useless. The victory at Blenheim (1704) spread triumph and confidence over the nation; and lord Godolphin, lamenting to lord Halifax, that it had not been celebrated in a manner equal to the fubject, defired him to propose it to fome better poet. Halifax told him, that there was no encouragement for genius; that worthless men were unprofitably enriched with publick money, without any care to find or employ thofe whofe appearance might do honour to their country. To this Godolphin replied, that fuch abuses should in time be rectified; and that, if a

man

man could be found capable of the task then propofed, he fhould not want an ample recompenfe. Halifax then named Addifon, but required that the Treasurer should apply to him in his own perfon. Godolphin fent the meffage by Mr. Boyle, afterwards lord Carleton; and Addison, having undertaken the work, communicated it to the Treafurer, while it was yet advanced no further than the fimile of the Angel, and was immediately rewarded by fucceeding Mr. Locke in the place of Commiffioner of Appeals.

In the following year he was at Hanover with lord Halifax and the year after he was made under-fecretary of state, firft to Sir Charles Hedges, and in a few months more to the earl of Sunderland.

About this time the prevalent taste for Italian operas inclined him to try what would be the effect of a mufical Drama in our own language. He therefore wrote the opera of Rofamond, which, when exhibited on the ftage, was either hiffed or neglected; but, trufting that the readers would do him more justice, he published it, with an infcription to the dutchess of Marlborough; a woman without fkill, or pretenfions to fkill, in poetry or literature. His dedication was therefore an inftance of fervile abfurdity, to be exceeded only by Joshua Barnes's dedication of a Greek Anacreon to the Duke.

His reputation had been fomewhat advanced by The Tender Hufband, a comedy which Steele dedicated to him, with a confeffion that he owed to him feveral of the most fuccessful scenes. To this play Addifon füpplied a prologue.

When the marquis of Wharton was appointed lord lieutenant of Ireland, Addison attended him as his fecretary; and was made keeper of the records in Birming

VOL. X.

G

Birmingham's Tower, with a falary of three hundred pounds a year. The office was little more than nominal, and the falary was augmented for his accommodation.

Intereft and faction allow little to the operation of particular difpofitions, or private opinions. Two men of perfonal characters more oppofite than those of Wharton and Addison could not eafily be brought together. Wharton was impious, profligate, and fhameless, without regard, or appearance of regard, to right and wrong *: whatever is contrary to this may be faid of Addison; but as agents of a party they were connected, and how they adjusted their other fentiments we cannot know.

Addison must however not be too haftily condemned. It is not neceffary to refuse benefits from a bad man, when the acceptance implies no approbation of his crimes; nor has the fubordinate officer any obligation to examine the opinions or conduct of thofe under whom he acts, except that he may not be made the inftrument of wickedness. It is reafonable to fuppofe that Addifon counteracted, as far as he was able, the malignant and blafting influence of the Lieutenant; and that at least by his intervention fome good was done, and fome mischief prevented.

66

When he was in office, he made a law to himself, as Swift has recorded, never to remit his regular fees in civility to his friends: for," faid he, "I "may have a hundred friends; and, if my fee be "two guineas, I fhall, by relinquishing my right, "lose two hundred guineas, and no friend gain more

* Dr. Johnfon appears to have blended the character of the Marquis with that of his fon the Duke. N.

"than