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in the wrong, and commanded them, with an authority which perfectly well became him, to surrender themselves to his arguments for virtue and good sense.

It is incredible to conceive the effect his writings have had on the town; how many thousand follies they have either quite banished, or given a very great check to: how much countenance they have added to virtue and religion; how many people they have rendered happy, by showing them it was their own fault if they were not so; and lastly, how entirely they have convinced our fops and young fellows of the value and advantages of learning.

He has, indeed, rescued it out of the hands of pedants and fools, and discovered the true method of making it amiable and lovely to all mankind. In the dress he gives it, it is a most welcome guest at tea-tables and assemblies, and it is relished and caressed by the merchants on the 'Change; accordingly, there is not a lady at court, nor a banker in Lombard Street, who is not verily persuaded, that Captain Steele is the greatest scholar and best casuist of any man in England.

Lastly, his writings have set all our wits and men of letters upon a new way of thinking, of which they had little or no notion before; and though we cannot yet say that any of them have come up to the beauties of the original, I think we may venture to affirm, that every one of them writes and thinks much more justly than they did some time since.

The vast variety of subjects which he has treated of in so different a manner, and yet all so perfectly well, made the world believe that it was impossible they should all come from the same hand. This set every one upon guessing who was the 'squire's friend; and most people at first fancied it must be Dr Swift; but it is now no longer a secret, that his only great and constant assistant was Mr Addison.

This is that excellent friend to which Mr Steele owes so much, and who refuses to have his name set before those pieces which the greatest pens in England would be proud to own. Indeed, they would hardly add to this gentleman's reputation, whose works in Latin and English poetry, long since convinced the world that he was the greatest master in Europe of those two languages.

I am assured from good hands, that all the visions, and

other tracts in that way of writing, with a very great number of the most exquisite pieces of wit and raillery throughout the lucubrations, are entirely of this gentleman's composing; which may, in some measure, account for that different genius which appears in the winter papers from those of the summer, at which time, as the Examiner often hinted, this friend of Mr Steele was in Ireland.

Mr Steele confesses, in his last volume of the Tatler, that he is obliged to Dr Swift for his Town Shower, and the Description of the morning; with some other hints received from him in private conversation.

I have also heard, that several of those letters which came as from unknown hands were written by Mr Henley; which is an answer to your query, who those friends are whom Mr Steele speaks of in his last Tatler.

But to proceed with my account of our other papers. The expiration of Bickerstaff's lucubrations was attended with much the same consequences as the death of Melibous's ox in Virgil; as the latter engendered swarms of bees, the former immediately produced whole swarms of little satirical scribblers.

One of these authors called himself the Growler; and assured us, that, to make amends for Mr Steele's silence, he was resolved to growl at us weekly, as long as we should think fit to give him any encouragement. Another gentleman, with more modesty, called his paper the Whisperer. And a third, to please the ladies, christened his the Tell-tale.

At the same time came out several Tatlers; each of which, with equal truth and wit, assured us that he was the genuine Isaac Bickertaff. *

It may be observed, that when the 'squire laid down his pen, though he could not but foresee that several scribblers would soon snatch it up, which he might, one would think, easily have prevented, he scorned to take any further care about it, but left the field fairly open to any worthy successor. Immediately some of our wits were for forming them

• "Upon Steele's leaving off, there were two or three Tatlers came out ; and one of them holds on still, and to-day it advertised against Harrison's; and so there must be disputes which are genuiue, like the straps for razors."-Journal to Stella, January 13, 1710-11.

selves into club, headed by one Mr Harrison, and trying how they could shoot in this bow of Ulysses; but soon found that this sort of writing requires so fine and particular a manner of thinking, with so exact a knowledge of the world, as must make them utterly despair of success.

They seemed, indeed, at first to think, that what was only the garnish of the former Tatlers was that which recommended them, and not those substantial entertainments which they everywhere abound in.

Accordingly they were continually talking of their maid, nightcap, spectacles, and Charles Lillie. However, there were now and then some faint endeavours at humour, and sparks of wit; which the town, for want of better entertainment, was content to hunt after, through a heap of impertinences; but even those are at present become wholly invisible, and quite swallowed up in the blaze of the Spec

tator.

You may remember I told you before, that one cause assigned for the laying down the Tatler was want of matter; and, indeed, this was the prevailing opinion in town, when we were surprised all at once by a paper called the Spectator, which was promised to be continued every day, and was written in so excellent a style, with so nice a judgment, and such a noble profusion of wit and humour, that it was not difficult to determine it could come from no other hands but those which had penned the Lucubrations.

This immediately alarmed these gentlemen who (as it is said Mr Steele phrases it) had the "censorship in commission." They found the new Spectator come on like a torrent, and swept away all before him; they despaired ever to equal him in wit, humour, or learning (which had been their true and certain way of opposing him); and therefore rather chose to fall on the author, and to call out for help to all good Christians, by assuring them, again and again, that they were the first, original, true, and undisputed Isaac Bic

kerstaff.

Meanwhile, the Spectator, whom we regard as our shelter from that cloud of false wit and impertinence which was breaking in upon us, is in every one's hand, and a constant topic for our morning conversation at tea-tables and coffeehouses. We had at first, indeed, no manner of notion how

a diurnal paper could be continued in the spirit and style of our present Spectators; but, to our no small surprise, we find them still rising upon us, and can only wonder from whence so prodigious a run of wit and learning can proceed; since some of our best judges seem to think that they have hitherto, in general, outshone even the 'squire's first Tatlers. Most people fancy, from their frequency, that they must be composed by a society I, with all, assign the first place to Mr Steele and his friend.

*

I have often thought that the conjunction of those two great geniuses (who seem to stand in a class by themselves, so high above all our other wits) resembles that of two famous statesmeri in a late reign, whose characters are very well expressed in their two mottos, PRODESSE QUAM CONSPICI; and OTIUM CUM DIGNITATE. † Accordingly, the first was continually at work behind the curtain; drew up and prepared all those schemes and designs, which the latter still drove on; and stood out exposed to the world, to receive its praises or censures.

Meantime, all our unbiassed well-wishers to learning are in hopes, that the known temper and prudence of one of these gentlemen, will hinder the other from ever launching out into party, and rendering that wit, which is at present a common good, odious and ungrateful to the better part of the nation.

If this piece of imprudence does not spoil so excellent a paper, I propose to myself the highest satisfaction in reading it with you, over a dish of tea, every morning next winter. As we have yet had nothing new since the Spectator : § it only remains for me to assure you, that I am yours, &c.

J. G. P. S.-Upon a review of my letter, I find I have quite

* Lord Somers.

+ The Earl of Halifax.

It is well known that Steele at length took fire, and introduced politics, not indeed into the Spectator, but into the Guardian.

"The Spectators are printed in a larger and a smaller volume; so I believe they are going to leave them off; and indeed people grow weary of then, though they are often prettily written." Journal to Stella, November 2, 1712.-We fear there was (to say the best of it) some prejudice in this prediction. A similar reflection is thrown out on the Tatler.-N.

forgotten the British Apollo ;* which might possibly happen from its having of late retreated out of this end of the town into the city; where I am informed, however, that it still recommends itself by deciding wagers at cards, and giving good advice to the shopkeepers and their apprentices.

APPENDIX, No. IV.

LIST OF TRACTS COMPOSED BY SWIFT,

In support of Lord Oxford's Administration.

BESIDES Conducting the Examiner from November 1710 to 1711, Swift, during the ministry of Lord Oxford, wrote the following Tracts in prose:

Short Character of the Earl of Wharton. 1710.

Remarks on a Letter to the Seven Lords of the Committee, appointed to examine Gregg. 1711.

A New Journey to Paris.

1711.

Some Advice to the October Club. 1711.

Some Reasons to Prove, that no one is obliged, by his Principles as a Whig, to oppose the Queen, in a Letter to a Whig Lord [Lord Ashburnham]. To which is annexed, a Supposed Letter from the Pretender to another Whig Lord [Lord Wharton]. 1712. A Pretended Letter of Thanks from Lord Wharton to the Lord Bishop of St Asaph, in the name of the Kitcat Club; to which are added, Remarks on the Bishop's Preface. 1712.

The Conduct of the Allies, and of the late Ministry, in beginning and carrying on the present War. 1712.

"The British Apollo, or Curious Amusements for the Ingenious; to which are added the most material Occurrences, foreign and domestic. Performed by a Society of Gentlemen."

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