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 stranger to the world, probably faw the felfifhnefs of Pope's friendfhip; and, refolving that he should have the confequences of his officioufnefs to himself,' 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 fubsequent review, in compliance with the popular practice of the ftage. Such an authority it is hard to reject; yet the love is so intimately mingled with the whole action, that it cannot easily 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? * Spence. At At the publication the Wits feemed proud to pay their attendance with encomiastick verfes: The beft are from an unknown hand, which will perhaps lofe somewhat of their praise when the author is known to be Jeffreys. > Cato had yet other honours. It was censured 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 Jesuits of St. Omer's into Latin, and played by their pupils. Of this verfion a copy, was fent to Mr. Addifon : it is to be wished 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 criticifm on the English play. But the tranflator and the critick are now forgotten. Dennis lived on unanswered, and therefore little read: Addison knew the policy of literature literature too well to make his enemy important, by drawing the attention of the pub-. lick upon a criticism, which, though fometimes intemperate, was often irrefragable. While Cato was upon the stage, another daily paper, called The Guardian, was pub- ́ lished 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 ferious: 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 burlefque. 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 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 discontent 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 eagerness he laid hold on his proportion of the profits. Many of these papers were written with powers truly comick, with nice difcrimination of characters, and accurate observation of natural or accidental deviations from propriety; but it was not fuppofed that he had tried a comedy on the stage, till Steele, after his death, declared him the author of the Drummer; this however Steele did not know to be true by any direct testimony; for when Addison put the play into his hands, he only told him, VOL. II. A a it it was the work of a Gentleman in the Company; and when it was received, as is confeffed, with cold difapprobation, 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 Addison, and it is now printed with his other poetry. Steele carried the Drummer to the playhouse, and afterwards to the prefs, and fold the copy for fifty guineas. To the opinion of Steele may be added the proof fupplied by the play itself, of which the characters are fuch as Addifon would have delineated, and the tendency fuch as Addifon would have promoted. That it fhould have been ill received would raise wonder, did we not daily fee the capricious diftribution of theatrical praife. He was not all this time an indifferent fpectator of publick affairs. He wrote, as different exigences 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, |
