THE SPECTATOR. WITH SKETCHES OF THE LIVES OF THE AUTHORS, AND EXPLANATORY NOTES. IN EIGHT VOLUMES. VOL. I. London: PRINTED FOR THE BOOKSELLERS. P PREFACE. ERHAPS there is no book in the English language that has been fo generally read and admired as the Spectator. It was fo popular at the time of its publication, that 20,000 papers were fometimes fold in a day. Nor has its reputation ever been on the decline. Notwithstanding the number of fimilar works, it fill retains its place at the head of periodical writings, like the moon among the ftars. Few years have paffed without producing one or two editions of it; and fo extenfive has been the fale, that it forms one of the books of every person who has any pretenfions to a library. Nor is the excellence of the Spectator inferior to its reputation. It was the joint production of feveral of the most distinguished geniuses of the age of men who poffeffed at once taste, learning, and religion, and who were influenced by an honourable defire of correcting the errors and of improving the manners of fociety. The plan of the Spectator was original, ingenious, and well executed. It enabled the' authors to convey inftruction in a form which could never give offence; but which, on the contrary, was fitted to attract the giddy, to charm the man of pleasure, as well as to edify the ferious and thoughtful. The variety of its fubjects is aftonishing; the fopperies of drefs are elegantly ridiculed; the improprieties in the manners of common life are humorously expofed; the principles of criticism are taught and beautifully illustrated; the most fublime truths and important duties are explained and enforced in a language which the vulgar muft understand and the man of taste admire. As we must all acknowledge the great pleasure and inftruction which we have received from the Spectator, we must also be gratified with fome account of the lives of the authors, and fuch anecdotes concerning the publication of the work as have been preferved to our times. The Spectator commenced on the 1ft of March 1711, under the direction of Steele, who was the editor. The principal contributors, befides Steele, were, Addison, Budgell, and Hughes; but they were alfo occafionally affifted by Parnell, Tickell, Grove, Ince, Martyn, Byrom, Parker, Henley, and others. To enhance the value of this edition, fuch particulars as are known and appear interefting respecting the principal writers are here fubjoined, and the names of the authors themselves are placed before their refpective papers. OF THE LIVES OF THE AUTHORS. SIR RICHARD STEELE. AS a writer of periodical effays, the name of Steele is intitled to the first place. Papers on a plan fomewhat fimilar to the Spectator had indeed been attempted with confiderable fuccefs in Italy, by Cafa in his Book of Manners, by Caftiglione in his Courtier; and in France, by La Bruyere in his Manners of the Age: "but before the Tatler and Spectator, if the writers for the theatre are excepted (fays Johnfon), England had no mafters of common life. No writers had yet un"dertaken to reform either the favagenefs of neglect or "the impertinence of civility; to teach when to speak or to be filent; how to refufe or how to comply. The "Tatler and Spectator reduced, like Cafa, the unfettled "practice of daily intercourfe to propriety and polite"nefs; and, like La Bruyere, exhibited the characters "and manners of the age.' It is allowed by all, that Steele had the merit of beginning and carrying on the Tatler, the firft periodical work in England of which the fubjects were literature, morality, and familiar life. Before his time we had many periodical publications on political and religious controverfy; but he muft undoubtedly be confidered as the father of such daily or weekly effays as teach the minuter decencies and inferior duties, and regulate the practice of elegant converfation. When we perufe, therefore, the numerous and valuable publications of the fame kind which have iffued from the prefs within these 80 years, we ought never to forget that it was Steele who fuggefted the idea to the English nation. If he himself borrowed it from foreign writers, of which we are by no means certain, we muft allow that he had the merit of highly improving a plan which before was imperfectly |