Author, and of the feveral characters that compose his club, was projected in concert with Sir Richard Steele. And, because many paffages in the course of the work would otherwife be obfcure, I have taken leave to infert one fingle paper, written by Sir Richard Steele, wherein those characters are drawn, which may ferve as a Dramatis Perfone, or as so many pictures for an ornament and explication of the whole. As for the distinct papers, they were never or feldom shown to each other by their refpective authors ; who fully answered the promise they had made, and far out-went the expectation they had raised, of purfuing their labour in the fame fpirit. and strength, with which it was begun. It would have been impoffible for Mr. Addifon, who made little or no use of letters fent in by the numerous correfpondents of the Spectator, to have executed his large fhare of this task, in fo exquifite a manner; if he had not VOL. I.

B

ingrafted

ingrafted into it many pieces, that had lain by him in little hints and minutes, which he from time to time collected, and ranged in order, and molded into the form in which they now appear, Such are the effays upon Wit, the Pleafures of the Imagination, the Critic upon Milton, and fome others, which I thought to have connected in a continued Series in this edition; though they were at first published with the interruption of writings on different fubjects. But as fuch a fcheme would have obliged me to cut off feveral graceful introductions, and circumftances, peculiarly adapted to the time and occafion of printing them, I durft not purfue that attempt.

The Tragedy of Cato appeared in public in the year 1713, when the greateft part of the laft Act was added by the Author to the foregoing, which he had kept by him for many years. He took up a defign of writing a play upon this fubject, when he was very

young at the University, and even attempted. fomething in it there, though not a line as it now ftands. The work was performed by him in his travels, and retouched in England, without any formed refolution of bringing it upon the Stage, 'till his friends of the first quality and diftinction prevailed with him to put the last finishing to it, at a time when they thought the doctrine of Liberty very feasonable. It is in every body's memory, with what applaufe it was received by the public; that the firft run of it lafted for a month; and then flopped, only because one of the performers became incapable of acting a principal part. The author received a meffage, that the Queen would be pleafed to have it dedicated to her: but as he had defigned that compliment elsewhere, he found himself obliged by his duty on the one fide, and his honour on the other, to fend it into the world without any. dedication.

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The fame

of

of this Tragedy foon fpread through Europe, and it has not only been tranflated, but acted in moft of the languages of Christendom. The tranflation of it into Italian, by Signor Salvini, is very well known; but I have not been able to learn, whether that of Signor Valetta, a young Neapolitan nobleman, has ever been made public.

If he had found time for the writing of another tragedy, the Death of Socrates would have been the story. And, however unpromifing that subject may appear, it would be prefumptuous to cenfure his choice, who was fo famous for raifing the noblest plants from the most barren foil. It ferves to fhew, that he thought the whole labour of fuch a performance unworthy to be thrown away upon those intrigues and adventures, to which the Romantic taste has confined modern Tragedy; and, after the example of his predeceffors in Greece,

would

would have employed the Drama to wear out of our minds every thing that is mean, or little; to cherish and cultivate that humanity which is the ornament of our nature; to foften infolence, to footh affliction, and to fubdue our minds to the difpenfations of Providence *.

Upon the death of the late Queen, the Lords Juftices, in whom the administration was lodged, appointed him their Secretary. Soon after his Majefty's arrival in Great-Britain, the Earl of Sunderland being constituted Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, Mr. Addifon became a fecond time Secretary for the affairs of that Kingdom; and was made one of the Lords-Commiffioners of Trade, a little after his Lordship refigned the poft of LordLieutenant.

The paper, called the Freeholder, was undertaken at the time, when the rebellion broke out in Scotland.

• Spectator. No. 39.

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The