went through with the fifth act; not that he was diffident of Mr. Hughes's ability, but knowing that no man could have so perfect an idea of his design as himself, who had been so long and so carefully thinking of it. "I was told this," says Mr. Maynwaring, "by Mr. Hughes, and I tell it to shew that it was not for the love scenes, that Mr. Addison consented to have his tragedy acted, but to support the old Roman and English public spirit among his countrymen.'

Queen Anne was so well pleased with this tragedy, that she signified a wish of having it dedicated to her. Addison, however, had intended otherwise, and therefore it was sent from the press without any dedication, whereby, says Tickell, the author neither forfeited his duty nor his honour.

Upon the death of her majesty, the lords of the Regency appointed Mr. Addisson their secretary. His friend, on this occasion, was Lord Halifax, who informed him, that as he expected the white staff, he intended to recommend him to his majesty to be one of the secretaries of state. Mr. Addison replied, that he had not so high an aim, and desired him to remember that he was not a speaker in the House of Commons. Lord Halifax briskly replied, "Come, prythee, Addison, no unseasonable modesty. I made thee secretary to the regency with this very view. Thou hast now the best right of any man in England to be secretary of state; nay; it will be a sort of

Arthur Maynwaring, Esq. author of " The Medley," &c.

displacing

displacing thee not to make thee so. If thou couldest but get over that silly sheepishness of thine that makes thee sit in the house, and hear a fellow prate for half an hour together, who has not a tenth part of thy good sense, I should be glad to see it; but since I believe that is impossible, we must contrive as well as we can. Thy pen hath already been an honour to thy country, and I dare say will be a credit to thy king."

This post, however, he at that time did decline, and accepted a second time that of secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, who was the Earl of Sunderland, and the noble generosity and independence of Addison's disposition appeared very remarkable on this occasion. Party spirit never ran higher than at this time, insomuch that it was deemed heresy to be seen in company with men who were opposed to the administration. When the Earl of Sunderland, who was well acquainted with Addison's friendship for Dean Swift, communicated to him the information of this appointment, he said to him, "There are some people in Ireland, who are not agreeable to me, with whom I hope you will not converse when you go thither." Addison, who knew whom his Lordship meant, replied, "He was much obliged for the honour intended him, but that he could not comply with his lordship's request, as he would not sacrifice his friendship for Dr. Swift to be made chief-governor of that kingdom."

In 1715, he published the Freeholder, which is a

kind of political Spectator, and was a very seasonable and serviceable paper at that critical period. The year following, he married the Countess Dowager of Warwick, after a very long courtship, which did not, by any means terminate to his comfort. Addison had been tutor to her son, and two of his letters to his lordship, are too amusing to be omitted here. They were written when the earl was very young:

"My dear Lord,

"I have employed the whole neighbourhood in looking after bird's nests, and not altogether without success. My man found one last night; but it proved a hen's with fifteen eggs in it, covered with an old broody duck, which may satisfy your lordship's curiosity a little, though I am afraid the eggs will be of little use to us. This morning I have news brought me of a nest that has abundance of little eggs, streaked with red and blue veins, that, by the description they give me, must make a very beautiful figure on a string. My neighbours are very much divided in their opinion upon them: Some say they are a sky-lark's, others will have them to be a canarybird's; but I am much mistaken in the turn and colour of the eggs, if they are not full of tom-tits. If your lordship does not make haste, I am afraid they will be birds before you see them; for, if the account they gave me of them be true, they can't have above two days more to reckon.

"Since I am so near your lordship, methinks, after having passed the day among more severe studies, you may often take a trip hither, and relax yourself with these little curiosities of nature. I assure you, no less a man than Cicero commends the two great friends of his age, Scipio and Lælius, for entertaining themselves at their country houses, which stood on the sea-shore, with picking up cockle-shells, and looking after birds'-nests. For which reason I shall conclude

this learned letter with a saying of the same author in his Treatise on Friendship: Absint autem tristitia, et in omni re severitas habent illa quidem gravitatem; sed amicitia debet esse lenior et remissior, et ad omnem suavitatem facilitatemque morum proclivior. If your lordship understands the elegance and sweetness of these words, you may assure yourself you are no ordinary Latinist; but if they have force enough to bring you to Sandy End, I shall be very well pleased.

"I am, my dear lord,

"Your lordship's most affectionate and
"most humble servant

*May 20, 1708."

"J. ADDISON.

"My dearest Lord,

"I can't forbear being troublesome to your lordship whilst I am in your neigbourhood. The business of this is to invite you to a concert of music, which I have found out in a neighbouring wood. It begins precisely at six in the evening, and consists of a blackbird, a thrush, a robin-red-breast, and a bull-finch. There is a lark, that, by way of overture, sings and mounts till she is almost out of hearing; and afterwards, falling down leisurely, drops to the ground, as soon as she has ended her song. The whole is concluded by a nightingale, that has a much better voice than Mrs. Tofts, and something of the Italian manner in her divisions. If your lordship will honour me with your company, I will promise to entertain you with much better music and more agreeable scenes, than you ever met with at the opera; and will conclude with a charming description of a nightingale, out of our friend Virgil

Qualis populo merens Philomela sub umbrâ
Amissos queritor fœtus, quos durus arator
Observans nido implumes detraxit; at illa
Flet noctem, ramoque sedens, miserabile carmen
Integrat, & moestis late loca questubus implet.

So

So, close in poplar shades, her children gone
The mother nightingale laments alone;

Whose nest some prying churl had found, and thence
By stealth convey'd th' unfeather'd innocence.
But she supplies the night with mournful strains,

And melancholy music fills the plains.

DRYDEN.

"Your Lordship's most obedient,

"May 27, 1708.

"J. ADDISON.

It has been said, that Addison first discovered that his addresses to the Countess of Warwick, would not be unacceptable, from the manner of her receiving such an article in the newspapers, of his own inserting, at which, when he read it to her, he affected great concern and astonish

ment.

The temper of the countess, however, was not adapted to his; and it was observed, that Peace, Addison, and his wife could not dwell in one house, though a large one. That mansion was Holland House, wherein Addison died. From domestic jars our author used frequently to go to a coffee-house at Kensington, and there drown his cares in a solitary glass, and in thinking.

But he was called off from this disagreeable course of life, in April, 1717, when he was appointed one of the principal Secretaries of State. His health however, which had been impaired by an asthmatick disorder, suffered exceedingly by an advancement so much to his ho