the most eminent Roman poets. This is supposed to have been written about 1692, and is allowed to contain many useful obser vations; but nobody has hitherto ventured to decide positively whether it is, or is not, Mr. Addison's. «A Discourse on ancient and modern Learning;" the time when it was written is uncertain, but probable as early as the former. It was preserved amongst the manuscripts of the lord Somers, which after, the death of sir Joseph Jekyl, being publicly sold, this little piece came to be printed in 1739, and was as well received as it deserved. To these we must add. "The Old Wig, No. 1. and 2." Pamphlets written in defence of the peerage-bill in 1719.

In the latter end of 1718, and in the beginning of 1719, the peerage-bill began first to be talked of, and the scope of the bill was this: That instead of the sixteen peers sitting in parliament as representatives of Scotland, there should be, for the future, nine hereditary peers, by the junction of nine out of the body of the Scotch nobility, to the then sixteen sitting peers. That six English peers should be added, and the peerage then to remain fixed; the crown to be restrained from making any new lords, but upon the extinction of families. What was the real view of that extraordinary scheme, it is not our business to enquire. It is sufficient for our purpose to observe, that it gave a great alarm to the nation, and many papers were written with great spirit against it: amongst the rest one called "The Plebeian," said to fall from the pen member of the house of commons; and now known to have been written by sir Richard Steele. To this several answers were published, and abundance of pieces written in support of this project, none of which however were favorably received.

of a

At length came forth the Old Whig, No. 1. on the state of the peerage, with remarks on the Plebeian; a quarto pamphlet, written with great perspicuity, in a nervous style, not without some severe reflections on the Plebeian. The author of that paper did not suffer it to remain long unanswered.

In his second number, he replied to all the arguments therein made use of, treating the author with a good deal of asperity, alledging among other things, that the pamphlet had a very proper title, the author, if he was a whig, seeming so old as to have forgotten his principles. There does not appear however, any thing

in the Old Whig, which betrays the author's knowledge of the Plebeian coming from sir Richard Steele; neither is there any thing in the second Plebeian, which intimates the writer's having the least suspicion, that the Old Whig was Mr. Addison's.

The second Old Whig was written in support of the first, and in answer to the second Plebeian. It is a very judicious, and at the same time a very warm and humourous, pamphlet; from the very beginning of which it is apparent, that the author knew, or at least was resolved to consider, sir Richard as the author of the Plebeian. He styles him the perfect master of the vocation of pamphlet-writing in one place; calls him little Dickey in another; tells him he has made the most of a bad cause in a third; and advises him as a friend in the close, if he goes on in the new vocation, to take care he be as happy in the choice of his subject as he is in the talents of a pamphleteer.

The fourth Plebeian contains an answer to the second Old Whig, It is written with much greater virulence than any of the rest of the papers; his conclucion is very remarkable: "Authors," says he," in these cases are named upon suspicion, and if it is right as to the Old Whig, I leave the world to judge of this cause by comparison of this performance with his other writings; and I shall say no more of what is written in support of vassalage, but end this paper by firing every free breast with that noble exhortation of the tragedian,

Remember, O my friends, &c.

Mr. Addison's Cats,

This is sufficient to shew sir Richard's belief; nor hath any body questioned the truth of his conjecture. The peerage-bill went off notwithstanding for that sessions; and Mr. Addison died before it came on again,

It may not however be amiss to observe, that December 7th, 1719, on a motion in the house of commons, for committing the peerage-bill, it was carried in the negative, by 269, against 177.

Of the manner of Mr. Addison's death, some account has been given by Dr. Young. From him we learn, that after a long and manly, but vain struggle with his distemper, Mr. Addison dis

missed his physicians, and with them all hopes of life. But with his hopes of life he dismissed not his concern for the living, but sent for the young earl of Warwick, son to his lady by a former husband, who immediately came; but life now glimmering in the socket, the earl was silent. But after a decent and proper pause, his lordship said, “Dear sir, you sent for me: I believe and hope that you have some commands; I shall hold them most sacred." Forcibly grasping the earl's hand, Mr. Addison softly replied, "See in what peace a Christian can die!" He spoke with great difficulty, and soon expired.

Dr. Johnson observes of Addison, that "if any judgment be made from his books, of his moral character, nothing will be found but purity and excellence. Knowledge of mankind, indeed, less extensive than that of Addison, will shew, that to write and to live are very different. Many who praise virtue, do no more than praise it. Yet it is reasonable to believe, that Addison's professions and practice were at no great variance; since amidst that storm of faction in which most of his life was passed, though his station made him conspicious, and his activity made him formidable, the character given him by his friends was never contra dicted by his enemies: of those with whom interest or opinion united him, he had not only the esteem but the kindness; and of others, whom the violence of opposition drove against him, though he might lose the love, he retained the reverence.

"It is justly observed by Tickell, that he employed wit on the side of virtue and religion. He not only made the proper use of wit himself, but he taught it to others; and from his time it has been generally subservient to the cause of reason and of truth. He has dissipated the prejudice that had long connected gaiety with wit, and easiness of manners with laxity of principles. He has restored virtue to its dignity, and taught innocence not to be ashamed. This is an elevation of literary character, above all Greek, above all Roman fame. No greater felicity can genius attain, than that of having purified intellectual pleasure, separated mirth from indecency, and wit from licentiousness; and having taught a succession of writers to bring elegance and gaiety to the aid of goodness; and if I may use expressions yet more awful, of having turned many to righteousness."

Authorities. Tickell's 4to edition of Addison's Works, London, 1721. Cibber's Lives of the Poets. General Biographical Dictionary. Young's Conjectures on Original Composition. Johnson's Lives of the Poets,

THE LIFE OF

SIR CRISTOPHER WREN.

[A. D. 1632, to 1723.]

THIS celebrated architect and philosopher was the only son of Dr. Christopher Wren, rector of East-Knoyle in Wiltshire, where he was born on the 20th of October, 1632. He received a part of his education under the famous Dr. Busby, at Westminster-school; whence he was sent to Oxford, and admitted a gentleman commoner at Wadham-college, when he was about fourteen years of age. And the advancements which he made there in mathematical knowledge, before he was sixteen years of age, are spoken of by that eminent mathematician Mr. Oughtred, as very extraordinary. His uncommon abilities excited the attention and admiration of Dr. Wilkins, then warden of his college; and of Dr. Seth Ward, the Savilian professor of astronomy, who then resided in that college. By Dr. Wilkins he was introduced into the notice and favor of Charles, elector Palatine, to whom he presented several mechanical instruments of his own invention.

In 1647, he became acquainted with sir Charles Scarborough, at whose request he undertook the translating of Oughtred's Geometrical Dialing into Latin; and the same year he invented several other mathematical instruments, and wrote a treatise of spherical trigonometry in a new method. He took the degree of batchelor of arts in 1650: and the following year he published a short algebraical tracts relating to the Julian period. He was elected a fellow of All-souls college in the beginning of November, 1653, and on the 11th of December following he took the degree of master of arts.

In the mean time he became one of the first members of the Philo sophical Society at Oxford; at whose first assemblies in Wadhamcollege, he exibited many new theories, invention, experiments, and mechanic improvements

In 1657, he was elected professor of astronomy in Gresham-college and his lectures there on that science were attended by many eminent and learned persons. One subject of his lectures was upon telescopes, to the improvement of which he had greatly contributed. In 1658, he solved the problem proposed by the famous Mons. Pascal, under the feigned name of Jean de Montfert, to all the English mathematicians; and returned another to the mathematicians in France (formerly proposed by Kelper, and then solved likewise by Mr. Wren), of which they never gave any solution.

On the 5th of February, 1661, he was chosen Savilian professor of astronomy at Oxford, in the room of Dr. Seth Ward upon which he resigned his Gresham-professorship on the 8th of March following, and on the 15th of May entered on the other. On the 12th of September the same year, he was created doctor of civil law.

Among his other eminent accomplishments, Dr. Wren had already acquired so considerable a skill in architecture, that he was sent for the same year from Oxford, by order of Charles II. to assist sir John Denham, surveyor-general of his majesty's works. In 1663, he was chosen a fellow of the royal society, being one of those who were first appointed by the council after the grant of their charter. And not long after, it being expected that the king would make the society a visit, the lord Brounker, then president, by a letter, desired Dr. Wren's advice who was then at Oxford, what experiments would be most proper for his majesty's entertainment. To whom the doctor in his answer, dated July 30, 1663, recommends principally the Torricellian experiment, and the Weather Needle, as being not merely amusements, but useful, and likewise neat in the operation, and attended with little in.cumbrance.

The new institution of the Royal Society, Dr. Wren greatly promoted by many curious discoveries in astronomy, natural phi-' losophy, and other sciences, of which Dr. Thomas Sprat, after