formance which left the objections to the play in their full force, and therefore difcovered more defire of vexing the critick than of defending the poet. Addison, who was no ftranger to the world, probably faw the selfishness of Pope's friendship; and, refolving that he should have the confequences of his officiousness to himfelf, informed Dennis by Steele, that he was forry for the infult; and that, whenever he should think fit to anfwer his remarks, he would do it in a manner to which nothing could be objected. The greatest weakness of the play is in the fcenes of love, which are faid by Pope to have been added to the original plan upon a fubfequent review, in compliance with the popular practice of the stage. Such an authority it is hard to reject; yet the love is fo intimately mingled with the whole action, that it cannot eafily be thought extrinfick and adventitious; for, if it were taken away, what would be left or how were the four acts filled in the firft draught? At the publication the Wits feemed proud to pay their attendance with encomiaftick verses. The best are from an unknown hand, which will perhaps lose somewhat of their praife when the author is known to be Jeffreys. Cato had yet other honours. It was cenfured as a party-play by a Scholar of Oxford; and defended in a favourable examination by Dr. Sewell. It was tranflated by Salvini into Italian, and acted at Florence; and by the Jefuits of St. Omer's into Latin, * Spence. and and played by their pupils. Of this verfion a copy was fent to Mr. Addison: it is to be wifhed that it could be found, for the fake of comparing their verfion of the foliloquy with that of Bland. A tragedy was written on the fame fubject by Des Champs, a French poet, which was tranflated with a criticism on the English play. But the translator and the critick are now forgotten. Dennis lived on unanswered, and therefore little read. Addifon knew the policy of literature too well to make his enemy important by drawing the attention of the publick upon a criticism, which, though fometimes intemperate, was often irrefragable. While Cato was upon the ftage, another daily paper, called The Guardian, was published by Steele. To this Addison gave great affiftance, whether occafionally or by previous engagement is not known. The character of Guardian was too narrow and too serious it might properly enough admit both the duties and the decencies of life, but feemed not to include literary fpeculations, and was in fome degree violated by merriment and burlesque. What had the Guardian of the Lizards to do with clubs of tall or of little men, with nefts of ants, or with Strada's prolufions? * Of this paper nothing is neceffary to be faid, but that it found many contributors, and that it was a continuation of the Spectator, with the fame elegance, and the fame variety, till fome unlucky fparkle from a Tory paper fet Steele's politicks on fire, and wit at once blazed into faction. He was foon too hot hot for neutral topicks, and quitted the Guardian to write the Englishman. - The papers of Addison are marked in the Spectator by one of the letters in the name of Clio, and in the Guardian by a hand; whether it was, as Tickell pretends to think, that he was unwilling to ufurp the praise of others, or, as Steele, with far greater likelihood, infinuates, that he could not without difcontent impart to others any of his own. I have heard that his avidity did not fatisfy itself with the air of renown, but that with great eagernefs he laid hold on his proportion of the profits. тек. Many of these papers were written with powers truly comic, with nice difcrimination of characters, and accurate obfervation of natural or accidental deviation from propriety; but it was not fuppofed that he had tried a comedy on the ftage, till Steele after his death declared him the author of the Drummer. This however Steele did not know to be true: by any direct teftimony; for, when Addison put the play into his hands, he only told him, it was the work of a "Gentleman in the Company;" and when it was received, as is confeffed, with cold difappro-. bation, he was probably lefs willing to claim it.. Tickell omitted it in his collection; but the teftimony of Steele, and the total filence of any other claimant, has determined the publick to affign it to: Addifon, and it is now printed with his other poetry. Steele carried the Drummer to the play-houfe, and afterwards to the prefs, and fold the copy for fifty guineas. To the opinion of Steele may be added the proof supplied by the play itself, of which the characters are are fuch as Addison would have delineated, and the tendency fuch as Addison would have promoted. That it fhould have been ill-received would raise wonder, did we not daily see the capricious distribution of theatrical praise. He was not all this time an indifferent spectator of publick affairs. He wrote, as different exigencies required (in 1707), The prefent State of the War, and the Neceffity of an Augmentation; which, however judicious, being written on temporary topicks, and exhibiting no peculiar powers, laid hold on no attention, and has naturally funk by his own weight into neglect. This cannot be faid of the few papers entitled The Whig Examiner, in which is employed all the force of gay malevolence and humourous fatire. Of this paper, which just appeared and expired, Swift remarks, with exultation, that "it is now "down among the dead men *." He might well rejoice at the death of that which he could not have killed. Every reader of every party, fince perfonal malice is past, and the papers which once inflamed the nation are read only as effufions of wit, muft wish for more of the Whig Examiners; for on no occafion was the genius of Addifon more vigorously exerted, and on none did the fuperiority of his powers more evidently appear. His Trial of Count Tariff, written to expofe the Treaty of Commerce with France, lived no longer than the question that produced it. * From a Tory song in vogue at the time, the burthen where◄ of is, And he, that will this health deny, Not Not long afterwards, an attempt was made to revive the Spectator, at a time indeed by no means favourable to literature, when the fucceffion of a new family to the throne filled the nation with anxiety, difcord, and confufion; and either the turbulence of the times, or the fatiety of the readers, put a stop to the publication, after an experiment of eighty numbers, which were afterwards collected into an eighth volume, perhaps more valuable than any of those that went before it. Addifon produced more than a fourth part; and the other contributors are by no means unworthy of appearing as his affociates. The time that had paffed during the fufpenfion of the Spectator, though it had not leffened his power of humour, seems to have increased his difpofition to seriousness: the proportion of his religious to his comick papers is greater than in the former feries. The Spectator, from its re-commencement, was published only three times a week; and no difcriminative marks were added to the papers. To Addifon Tickell has afcribed twenty-three *. The Spectator had many contributors; and Steele, whose negligence kept him always in a hurry, when it was his turn to furnish a paper, called loudly for the Letters, of which Addifon, whofe materials were more, made little ufe; having recourse to sketches and hints, the product of his former ftudies, which he now reviewed and completed: among these are named by Tickell the Effays on Wit, thofe on the * Numb. 556, 557, 558, 559.561, 562. 565. 567, 568, 569. 571. 574, 575. 579. 580. 582, 583, 584, 585. 590. 592. 598. боо. VOL. X. H Pleafures |