that little feems not to have pleafed Addifon, who, when he difmiffed him from the club, changed his opinions. Steele, had made him, in the true fpirit of unfeeling commerce, declare that he "would not "build an hofpital for idle people;" but at laft he buys land, fettles in the country, and builds not a manufactory, but an hofpital for twelve old hufbandmen, for men with whom a merchant has little acquaintance, and whom he commonly confiders with little kindness.

I

Of effays thus elegant, thus inftructive, and thus commodiously distributed, it is natural to fuppofe the approbation general, and the fale numerous. once heard it obferved, that the fale may be calculated by the product of the tax, related in the last number to produce more than twenty pounds a week, and therefore stated at one-and-twenty pounds, or three pounds ten fhillings a day: this, at a halfpenny a paper, will give fixteen hundred and eighty * for the daily number.

This fale is not great; yet this, if Swift be credited, was likely to grow lefs; for he declares that the Spectator, whom he ridicules for his endless mention of the fair fex, had before his recefs wearied his readers.

The next year (1713), in which Cato came upon the ftage, was the grand climacterick of Addifon's reputation. Upon the death of Cato, he had, as is faid, planned a tragedy in the time of his travels,

*That this calculation is not exaggerated, that it is even much below the real number, fee the notes on the Tatler, ed. 1786, yol. VI. p. 452, N.

and

and had for several years the four first acts finished, which were fhewn to fuch as were likely to fpread their admiration. They were feen by Pope, and by Cibber, who relates that Steele, when he took back the copy, told him, in the defpicable cant of literary modefty, that, whatever fpirit his friend had fhewn in the compofition, he doubted whether he would have courage fufficient to expose it to the cenfure, of a British audience.

The time however was now come, when thofe, who affected to think liberty in danger, affected likewise to think that a ftage-play might preferve it; and Addison was importuned, in the name of the tutelary deities of Britain, to fhew his courage and his zeal by finishing his defign.

To refume his work he feemed perverfely and unaccountably unwilling; and by a request, which perhaps he wished to be denied, defired Mr. Hughes to add a fifth act. Hughes fuppofed him ferious; and, undertaking the supplement, brought in a few days fome scenes for his examination; but he had in the mean time gone to work himself, and produced half an act, which he afterwards completed, but with brevity irregularly difproportionate to the foregoing parts, like a task performed with reluctance, and hurried to its conclufion.

It may yet be doubted whether Cato was made publick by any change of the author's purpose; for Dennis charged him with raifing prejudices in his own favour by falfe pofitions of preparatory criticifm, and with poifoning the town by contradicting in the Spectator the established rule of poetical juftice, because his own hero, with all his virtues, was

to

to fall before a tyrant. The fact is certain; the motives we must guess.

Addison was, I believe, fufficiently disposed to bar all avenues against all danger. When Pope brought him the prologue, which is properly accommodated to the play, there were thefe words, "Britons, arife! "be worth like this approved;" meaning nothing more than, Britons, erect and exalt yourselves to the approbation of public virtue. Addison was frighted, left he should be thought a promoter of infurrection, and the line was liquidated to " Britons, attend."

Now, heavily in clouds came on the day, the << great, the important day," when Addifon was to ftand the hazard of the theatre. That there might, however, be left as little hazard as was poffible, on the first night Steele, as himself relates, undertook to pack an audience. This, fays Pope, had been tried for the first time in favour of the Diftreft Mother; and was now, with more efficacy, practised for Cato.

The danger was foon over. The whole nation was at that time on fire with faction. The Whigs applauded every line in which Liberty was mentioned, as a fatire on the Tories; and the Tories echoed every clap, to fhew that the fatire was unfelt. The ftory of Bolingbroke is well known. He called Booth to his box, and gave him fifty guineas for defending the caufe of Liberty fo well against a perpetual dictator. The Whigs, fays Pope, defign a fecond prefent, when they can accompany it with as good a fentence.

* Spence,

The

The play, fupported thus by the emulation of fac tious praise, was acted night after night for a longer time than, I believe, the publick had allowed to any drama before; and the author, as Mrs. Porter long. afterwards related, wandered through the whole exhibition behind the fcenes with reftlefs and unappeafable folicitude.

When it was printed, notice was given that the Queen would be pleafed if it was dedicated to her; "but, as he had defigned that compliment elfe"where, he found himself obliged," fays Tickell, "by his duty on the one hand, and his honour on "the other, to fend it into the world without any de"dication."

Human happiness has always its abatements; the brightest fun-fhine of fuccefs is not without a cloud. No fooner was Cato offered to the reader, than it was attacked by the acute malignity of Dennis, with all the violence of angry criticism. Dennis, though equally zealous, and probably by his temper more furious than Addison, for what they called liberty, and though a flatterer of the Whig miniftry, could not fit quiet at a fuccefsful play; but was eager to tell friends and enemies, that they had mifplaced their admirations, The world was too stubborn for inftruction; with the fate of the cenfurer of Corneille's Cid, his animadverfions fhewed his anger without effect, and Cato continued to be praised.

Pope had now an opportunity of courting the friendship of Addifon, by villifying his old enemy, and could give refentment its full play without appearing to revenge himself. He therefore publifhed A Narrative of the Madness of John Dennis; a performance

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, pro bably faw the selfishness of Pope's friendfhip; and, refolving that he should have the confequences of his officiousness to himself, informed Dennis by Steele, that he was forry for the infult; and that, whenever he should think fit to answer his remarks, he would do it in a manner to which nothing could be objected.

The greatest weakness of the play is in the scenes 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 so intimately mingled with the whole action, that it cannot eafily be thought extrinfick and adventi tious; for, if it were taken away, what would be left? or how were the four acts filled in the first 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 fomewhat of their praise 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. Sewel. It was tranflated by Salvini into Italian, and acted at Florence; and by the Jefuits of St. Omer's into Latin,

* Spence.

and