A SELECT COLLECTION O F MISCELLANY POEMS. THE PROCESSION: ON THE FUNERAL OF QUEEN MARY. BY MR. STEELE *. 1695. HE days of man are doom'd to pain and ftrife; TH Quiet and ease are foreign to our life : No fatisfaction is, below, fincere ; Pleasure itself has fomething that's fevere: To His *This distinguished writer, who was a native of Dublin (his father being private secretary to James duke of Ormond), was educated with Mr. Addifon at the Charter-houfe. inclination taking a military turn, he entered into the guards, where he foon obtained an enfign's commiffion; and in that ftation commenced author, by writing his "Chriftian Hero," printed in 1701, and infcribed to the VOL. IV. B lord To wild excess their frantic humours fly, Their lord Cutts, under whom he ferved; and followed in the next year by The Funeral," a comedy; which recommended him to the notice of king William, but too late in that monarch's life to be of any ufe to Mr. Steele. In 1703 his "Tender Hufband" was acted; as was "The Lying Lovers" in 1704. His next appearance as a wrter was, in his own words," in the quality of the lowest minister of ftate, as gazetteer;" an office he owed to Mr. Addison's introducing him to the earls of Hallifax and Sunderland. In 1709 he began "The Tatler;" and was foon after made one of the commiffioners of the ftamp-office. When, he laid down this paper, we are told by Mr. Gay, his difappearing feemed to be bewailed as fome general calamity every one wanted so agreeable an amusement.: ́ and the coffee-houses began to be fenfible that. the Efquire's lucubrations alone had brought them more customers than all their other news-papers put together. It must indeed "be confeffed, that never man threw-up his pen under ftronger temptations to have employed it longer; his re"putation was at a greater height than, I believe, -ever 66 any living author's was before him. It is reafonable to "fuppofe that his gains were proportionably confiderable; read him with pleafure and good-will; and the every.one "Tories, in refpect to his other good qualities, had almoft forgiven his unaccountable imprudence in declaring against them. Lastly, it was highly improbable, if he threw off "a cha Their wonted luxury all orders leave, With joint consent to be their felves, and grieve. The "a character, the ideas of which were fo ftrongly impreffed "in every one's mind, however finely he might write in any "new form, that he thould meet with the fame reception. "To give you my own thoughts of this gentleman's writings, "I fhall in the first place obferve, that there is this noble "difference between him and all the reft of our polite and "gallant authors: the latter have endeavoured to please the age by falling-in with them, and encouraging them in "their fashionable vices, and falfe notions of things. It would have been a jeft fome time fince, for a man to have "afferted that any thing witty could be faid in praise of a "married ftate; or that devotion and virtue were any way ne"ceffary to the character of a fine gentleman. Bickerstaff ven"tured to tell the town, that they were a parcel of fops, fools, -6 and vain coquettes; but in such a manner, as even pleased "them, and made them more than half-inclined to believe "that he spoke truth. Inftead of complying with the false ❝fentiments or vicious tastes of the age, either in morality, "criticifm, or good-breeding; he has boldly affured them, "that they were altogether in the wrong, and commanded "them, with an authority which perfectly well became him, to forrender themfelves to his arguments for virtue and "good-fenfe. It is incredible to conceive the effect his "writings have had on the town; how many thousand fol"lies they have either quite banished, or given a very great "check to; how much countenance they have added to "virtue B 2 |