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relate. He was fent firft. to Amesbury fchool under the care of the Reverend Mr. Naish, the prefent .Sub-dean of Sarum; afterwards removed to Sarum fchool under the tuition of the Reverend Mr. Taylor; and from thence to the Charter Houfe London, under the learned Dr. Ellis, where he laid the foundation of his friendship with the late Sir Richard Steele, "which (fays the author of the Memoirs of Sir Richard) lafted as long as they

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lived, except the interruption of a few "little bickerings on certain economical "occafions, which however foon termi"nated in a good underflanding on both fides. For it was by Mr. Addison that he was first introduced to the acquaintance of the Earls of Halifax and Sunderland, by whofe means Mr. Steele "was made Gazeteer, one of his first pre" ferments." There is a tradition in the town where he was born, relating to a little excurfion Mr. Addifon made when a boy [A]. We are told that it was in Oxford he first became acquainted with the

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[A] A little excurfion he made when a boy.] 'Twas this: Being at a country-fchool, he committed fome flight fault, when his fear of being corrected for it was fo great, that he ran away from his father's houfe and fled into the fields, where he lived upon fruits and took up his lodging in a hollow tree, til upon the publication of a reward to whoever fhould find him, he was difcover'd and restored to his parents.

late Earl of Halifax, that great patron of the Learned, who nevertheless was very fatyrically characteris'd (a circumstance that is but too common) by a noted Gentleman for the great favour he fhewed to fome of the brighteft men his cotemporaries. We fhall give feveral lines from the Poem we hint at, which is written with fome fpirit [B]. Whilft at the University

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[B] We shall give several lines from the Poem &c.] It is entitled Faction display'd, printed in one of the volumes of State Poems, 8vo, 1703. where, under the Character of Bathillo, that Earl is faid to be shadowed, and a description is also given of his Band of Penfion Poets, as they are called.

Laft rofe Bathillo deck'd with borrowed bays
Renown'd for others projects, others lays,
A gay pragmatical pretending tool
Opiniatively wife and pertly dull.

A Demy-State/man talkative and loud,
Hot without courage, without merit proud;
A leader fit for the unthinking crowd.
With dapper gesture, but with haughty look
His lewd affociates vainly be bespoke :
Do you perform the Politician's part,
I'll bring th' affiance of the Mufes art.
The Poet-tribe are all at my devoir,
And write as I command, as I infpire.
Congreve for me Paftora's death did mourn,
And her white name with fable verse adorn.
Rowe too is mine and of the Whiggish train,
'Twas he who fung immortal Tamerlane ;
Tho' now be dwindles to an humbler firain.

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he contracted many debts, all which, after his return from Italy, he difcharged very honourably with interest. A very plaufible reafon is given why the author of the Tatler affumed a fictitious character [C]. There

I help'd to polish Garth's rough aukward lays, Taught him in tuneful lines to found our party's praise.

Walsh votes with us, who tho' he never writ,

Yet paffes for a critic and a wit.

Van's bawdy plotlefs Plays were once our boaft,
Bat now the Poet's in the builder loft.
On Addison we fafely may depend,
A penfion never fails to gain a friend.
Thro Alpine bills he shall my name refound,
And make his Patron known in claffic ground.
Thefe pay the tribute to my merit due,
Call me their Horace and Mecenas too.
Princes but fet unsettled on their thrones,
Unless fupported by Apollo's fons.

Auguftus bad the Mantuan and Venufian Mufe,
And happier Naffau has his Mountagues.
But Anna that ill-fated Tory Queen

Shall feel the vengeance of the Poet's pen.

[C] Why the author of the TATLER affum'd a fictitious character.] We find this in a mifcellaneous paper of thofe times, containing a conference between Sir Hefter Ryley and Mr. Aaron Hill, where the latter tells him, "My relation (Efq; Bickerftaff) is as far from the family of the Bickerstaffs as my "true age is from my pretended one, proceeding not "from his inclination to impofe upon the world, but "the knowledge he has of its vitiated tafte: Pride and conceit are the epidemic difeafes of the age and a fool or knave won't hear themselves. "" defcribed

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There is an epigram of Mr. Addifon not inferted in his works [D]. A sharp but witty

"described by any particular perfon; parties and pre

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judices are become fo common, and their influ"ences fo univerfal, that it is neceffary where a per"fon would be believed by every body, he fhould "be known by no body: For instead of liftening to "the good advice of the man, we are ftudying how, by retorting upon his frailties, to alleviate our 46 own (1)."

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[D] There is an epigram of Mr. Addison's not inferted in his works.] As it very poffibly was made off hand, the ingenious Editor perhaps did not think it worthy the great and more labour'd pieces of our excellent author. However, as most of our readers will in all probability not think it unworthy of his genius, we therefore fhall infert it here, with the occafion of its being written, which is as follows: Mr. Addison was in 1703 a Member of the Kit-Cat Club. It was ufual for the bright Wits who com pofed it, to celebrate the feveral beauties they toafted, in verfe, which they wrote on their drinking glaffes. Among thefe ingenious pieces, which were fo many Epigrams, (preferved in the fifth voJume of Dryden's Mifcellany) we meet with one written by Mr. Addison, which is as follows:

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On the Lady Manchester.

While haughty Gallia's Dames, that Spread
O'er their pale cheeks, an artful red,
Bebeld this beauteous franger there (2),
In native charms, divinely fair;
Confufion in their looks they fhew'd;
And with unborrow'd blushes glow'd.

(1) Sir Heft. Ryley's Vifions 12°, p. 107. printed in 1710.

(a) The Earl of Manchester was our Emballador at Paris, and was accompanied by his Lady.

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witty anfwer of his is related concerning a of English verfes which were submitted to his perufal and correction [E]. Our author kept his Tragedy of Cato by him, but unfinished, for feveral years, and we find it had taken air before it appeared on the ftage, as appears by a compliment that was paid

[E] A sharp but witty answer of bis is related.] This is told by a Gentleman, (a perfon of great veracity,) who a few years fince was well known in Grays-Inn. The ftory is as follows: A certain author was introduced by a friend to Mr. Addison, who was defired to perufe and correct a copy of English Verses, which were then prefented to him. Mr. Addison took the Verfes, which he afterwards found very ftupid; and obferving that, above twelve lines from Homer were prefixed to them by way of motto, he only erazed the Greek lines, but did not make any amendments in the Poem, and return'd it. The author feeing this, defired his friend who had introduced him, to enquire of Mr. Addison the reafon of his doing it; expecting however to hear that his Poem was fo beautiful, that it had no occafion for any foreign embellishment. But his friend putting the queftion to Mr. Addison, he said, "That "whilft the ftatues of Caligula remain'd all of a "piece, they were little regarded by the people; "but that when he fixed the heads of Gods upon "unworthy fhoulders, he profaned them, and made "himself ridiculous. I therefore, fays he, made no "more confcience to feparate Homer's Verfes from "this Poem, than the thief did who ftole the filver "head from the brazen body (3) in Weftminster"Abbey."

(3) In Henry the Seventh's chapel.

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