want of novelty, often from the reader, and often from himself.

In his twenty-fecond year he first fhewed his power of English poetry, by fome verfes addreffed to Dryden; and foon afterwards published a translation of the greater part of the Fourth Georgick upon Bees; after which," fays Dryden, my "latter fwarm is hardly worth the hiving."

66

About the fame time he compofed the arguments prefixed to the feveral books of Dryden's Virgil; and produced an Effay on the Georgicks, juvenile, fuperficial, and uninstructive, without much either of the fcholar's learning or the critick's penetration.

His next paper of verfes contained a character of the principal English poets, infcribed to Henry Sacheverell, who was then, if not a poet, a writer of verfes; as is fhewn by his verfion of a small part of Virgil's Georgicks, published in the Mifcellanies, and a Latin encomium on Queen Mary, in the Mufa Anglicane. These verses exhibit all the fondness of friendship; but, on one fide or the

* A letter which I found among Dr. Johnfon's papers, dated in January 1784, from a lady in Wiltshire, contains a difcovery of fome importance in literary hiftory, viz. that by the initials H. S. prefixed to the poem, we are not to understand the famous Dr. Henry Sacheverell, whofe trial is the most remarkable incident in his life. The information thus communicated is, that the verfes in queftion were not an addrefs to the famous Dr. Sacheverell, but to a very ingenious gentleman of the fame name, who died young, fuppofed to be a Mankfman, for that he wrote the hiftory of the Ifle of Man.-That this perfon left his papers to Mr. Addison, and had formed a plan of a tragedy upon the death of Socrates.-The lady fays, fhe had this information from a Mr. Stephens, who was a fellow of Merton College, a contemporary and intimate with Mr. Addifon in Oxford, who died, near 50 years ago, a prebendary of Winchester. H.

The Hiftorian of the Isle of Man was William Sacheverell. N. other,

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 criticifm 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 Addifon was then learning the trade of a courtier, and fubjoined Montague as a poetical name to thofe 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 reprefented as an enemy to the Church, he would never do it any injury but by withholding Addifon from it.

Soon after (in 1695) he wrote a poem to king William, with a rhyming introduction addressed. 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. Addifon was careffed both by Somers and Montague.

In 1697 appeared his Latin verfes on the peace of Ryfwick, which he dedicated to Montague, and which was afterwards called by Smith "the beft

* Spence.

“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 public 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 leisure 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 justly confidered as the most elegant, if not the moft fublime, 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, becaute 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 fhort, his obfervations are fuch as might be fupplied by a hafty view, and confist chiefly in comparifons of the prefent face of the country with the defcriptions 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 moft amufing 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 fay, that they might have been written at home. His elegance 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 ufelefs. The victory at Blenheim (1704) fpread 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 propofe 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 abufes fhould in time be rectified; and that, if a man could be found capable of the task then propofed, he should not want an ample recompenfe. Halifax then named Addi fon, but required that the Treasurer fhould apply to him in his own perfon. Godolphin fent the mes

fage by Mr. Boyle, afterwards lord Carleton; and Addifon, having undertaken the work, communicated it to the Treasurer, 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, first to Sir Charles Hedges, and in a few months more to the earl of Sunderland.

About this time the prevalent tafte for Italian operas inclined him to try what would be the effect of a musical 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 juftice, he published it, with an infcription to the dutchefs of Marlborough; a woman without skill, 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 fuccefsful fcenes. To this play Addison fupplied a prologue.

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

Interest