A.

ADDISON

Parr Sculp

The Right Honourable, JOSEPH ADDISON, Efq;

T

HIS Gentleman was the Son of Dr. Lancelot Addifon, Dean of Litchfield and Coventry, by his Wife Jane, whofe Maiden Name was Gulftone. He was born at Milefion, or Milfton, near Amesbury in Wiltfire, on the firft of May, in the Year 1672, and was very early put under the Care of the Rev. Mr. Naifh, at the School of Amefbury, but was foon after removed to Salisbury School, and from thence to the Charter-Houfe in London, where, it is faid, the first Acquaint

ance and Intimacy began between him and Sir Richard Steele, which continued as long as he lived. From the Charter-Houfe he went to Queen's College, Oxford, and in about two Years after, was elected into Magdalene-College, and there took his Degrees of Batchelor and Mafter of Arts. One of the first Specimens he gave of his extraordinary Genius in Poetry, was a fhort Copy of English Verfes, dated from Magdalene-College, 1693 when the Author was not zz Years of Age, to Mr. Dryden, apon his Tranflations of Virgil, Horace, Juvenal, Perfius, and Ovid. He soon after gave a Verfion of the fourth Georgic, prefixed to Mr. Dryden's Tranflation of Virgil. There are fome other Pieces wrote in his Youth, which nòf being of the Dramatic Kind, we shall make no mention of; only that one was addreffed to his Friend Mr. Henry Sacheve rell, who afterwards made fo great a Noife in the World, and whofe Principles in Politics being very different from our Author's, their Intimacy not only ceased, but Mr. Addifon in fome of his Papers, let him feel the Lash of his Satire, M

and

Mufe can give:

I leave the Arts of Poetry and Verfe

To them, that practise 'em with more Succefs.

Of greater Truths I'll now pre

pare to tell, And fo, dear Friend and Mufe, farewell.

But this Defign of his going into Orders, was over-ruled by his Friend the Earl of Halifax, that great Patron of the Mufes, and all the polite Arts, who, as Sir Richard Steele informs us, made warm Inftances to the Head of Magdalene-. College, not to infift upon his going into Orders, but fuffer him to come into Bufinefs, where Men of liberal Educations were so much wanted. That noble Lord concludes his Letter, that however he might be reprefented as no Friend to the Church, he would never do it any other

than

The Latin Poems of Mr. Addifon, published in the Mufa Anglicana, were not only admired at Home, but Monfieur Boileau, the celebrated French Poet, upon perufing them, is faid to have conceived a greater Idea of the Genius of the Englih Nation for Poetry, he ever had before, and fhewed the Author very great Civilities when he was in France; for by the Intereft of the Lord Sommers, Mr. Addifon procured a Penfion of three hundred Pounds a Year from the Crown to support his Expences in travelling to France and Italy. In the Year 1701, he wrote, A Letter to the Lord Halifax from Italy, in Verfe, which is looked upon as one of his finest Pieces in that fort of Poetry. The Author had also so much Efteem in the laft mentioned Nation, that this Letter was tranflated into Italian, by Sig. Salvini, Profeffor of the Greek Tongue at Florence.

When our Author was about to return to England, in the Year 1702, he received Letters from his Friends, to let him know, that he was defigned to attend the Army under Prince Eugene, in Italy, as Secretary from King William; but a Stop was put to this, by the Death of his Majefty; Account of which he received

an

at

at Geneva. And his Friends having loft their Interest in the Beginning of Queen Anne's Reign, which prevented his farther Advancement, he had Leifure to make the Tour of Germany in his Way Home. It was at Vienna he began to methodize his Book of Medals, which is a curious Piece on that Subject; it did not appear in his Life-time; but Mr. Tickell, who was his Executor, gave the Public a correct Edition of all his Works, firft published it, after his Deceafe, with an excellent Poem of Mr. Pope's before it.

In the Year 1704, the glorious Victory gained by the Duke of Marlborough at Blenbeim, furnish'd Mr. Addifon witha Subject worthy that great Genius, which appears in his Poem called The Campaign.

The Lord High Treasurer Godolphin faw this Work when it was carried on no farther than the admired Simile of the Angel, to whom the Duke of Marlborough, for his fedate -and calm Courage in the midft of Dangers, is compared:

So when an Angel, by Divine Command,

With rifing Tempefts shakes a

guilty Land,

And pleas'd th' Almighty's Or ders to perform, Rides on the Whirlwind, and directs the Storm.

The Lord Treasurer, a good Judge of Poetry, was fo highly pleased with this, that a few Days after he had read it, he fhewed his Approbation, by beftowing on the Author, the Place of one of the Commiffioners of Appeals in the Excife, vacant by the great Mr. Locke's being removed to the Council of Trade.

In the Year 1705, he attended the Lord Halifax to Hanover; in the Year 1706, he was made Secretary to Sir Charles Hedges, Secretary of State, and continued fo to the Lord Sunderland, who fucceeded him. When the Lord Wharton was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, in the Year 1709, he made Mr. Addifon Secretary for that Kingdom; and her Majefty, as a Mark of her Favour to him, bestowed on him the Poft of Keeper of the Records in Ireland.

It was while he was in that Kingdom, that he firft difcovered Mr. Steele (afterwards Sir Richard) to be the Author of The Tatler, by an Obfervation on Virgil which he had communicated to him. He lent fo much Affiftance afterwards to that Paper, that Sir Richard Steele, in the Clofe of M 2

its

it, allows him the Honour of being Author of the most applauded Pieces in it. He had a great Share alfo in The Spectators and Guardians: thofe excellent Pieces are too well well known, and too much admired, to need any Commendation here.

When the Miniftry was changed in the latter Part of Queen Anne's Reign, and he expected no farther Employment, he had formed a Defign of compofing an English Dictionary, which he thought much wanting in our Language; but being foon after brought into Bufinefs again, that noble Defign was dropt, which the World have reafon to regret.

Upon the Death of the Queen he was appointed Secretary to the Lords Juftices; and the Earl of Sunderland, becoming a fecond Time Secretary of State, in the Year 1714, he was again made Secretary for Ireland; and when the Lord Sunderland refigned the Poft of Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, he was made one of the Lord Commiflioners of Trade.

In the Year 1713, Mr.Addijon published his celebrated Paper, called The Freeholder, wrote in Defence of Liberty?. and the prefent happy Eftablishment. In the Year 1716, he married the Countefs of Warwick. The good Under

And frown on Titles to ally

with Fame; Not Edward's Star emboss'd with Silver Rays, Can vie in Glory with thy Con fort's Bays;

His Country's Pride does Homage

to thy Charms,

And ev'ry Merit crowds into thy Arms.

While others gain light Con

quefts by their Eyes, 'Tis thine with Wifdem to fubdue the Wife:

To their foft Chains while
Courtly Beaus fubmit,
Tis thine to lead in Triumph
Captive Wit.:

Her fighing Vaffals let Clarinda boaft,

Of lac'd and languishing Cockades the Toaft,

In Beauty's Pride unenvied let

her reign,

And share that wanton Empire

with the Vain: For Thee the Arts of Greece

and Rome combine, And all the Glories Cato gain'd are thine Still Warwick, in thy boafted Rank of Life, But more illuftrious than when

Warwick's Wife. Come forth, reveal thy felf, thou chofen Bride, And few great Naffau's Poet by thy Side; Thy bright Example fhall in

fruct the Fair, And future Nymphs fhall make 1 Renown their Care ; : Embroid'ry less ball charm the 5Virgin's Eye, And kind Coquets for Plumes lefs frequent die.

Secure Shall Beauty reign, the Mufe its Guard;

The Mufe fhall triumph, Beauty its Reward.

Mr Addifon, in the Year 1717, was raifed to the high Poft of one of his Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State; but the close Application which that Employment required, fo much impaired his Health, that he was obliged to refign it in a fhort Time; and tho' he feemed fomewhat better in his firft Recefs from Bufinefs; yet a Relapfe into his former Disorder of an Asthma, attended with a Dropfy, took from the World all that could die of this great Man, on the 17th of June 1719. He left behind him one Daughter by the Countess of Warwick, now, living; his Dramatic Offsprings

are,..

"

I. ROSAMOND, an Opera fet to Mufic after the Italian Manner, performed at the Queen's Theatre in the Haymarket, 1706, inscribed to the Duchefs of Marlborough. This Opera had no very great Succefs on the Stage, but has always been thought an agreeable Entertainment in the Closet. It was new set to Mufic fome Years ago, and performed at the little French Theatre in the Hay-market.

II. Cato, a Tragedy, acted at the Theatre Royal in DruM 3 ry-lane,