LUCY AIKEN'S LIFE OF ADDISON.

THIS work is written in an elegant style and an amiable spirit ; but it rather supplies the "reading" public of the day with a modern- ized account of ADDISON and some of his contemporaries, than adds any thing to the existing knowledge of his career or to the means of estimating his character. By an examination of later pub- lications referriag to the times of ADDISON, Miss AIKEN has brought together some minute particulars connected with her hero's life, and by a careful research in the British Museum she has dug up some not very important correspondence. Through the kindness of the TrcicEct. family she has also had access to the papers of ADDISON'S protege and executor religiously preserved by that family as heirlooms; and she has abstracted some letters, chiefly written during his foreign tour, which throw light upon his private pursuits, anti are interesting front their graceful humour. There is also additional matter,—a usefhl and pleasant little account of ADDISON s father; with some episodical notices of Somalis, HALL- rex, and the elder WHARTON, the father of POPE'S Duke. But we h. ave learned nothing of consequence which is not already to be found in JOHNSON'. life, unless it be that ADDISON acted as tutor at

college, and that a negotiation for him to have served as travelling- enmpanion to the proud Duke of SOMERSET'S heir was on and fell off, as the tutor-to-be was dissatisfied with the terms. It is true, Miss AIKEN tells a " traditional" story of ADDISON, when a boy, having run away to avoid some juvenile punishment, and being found in a hollow-tree ; but she omits JOHNSON'S story of the " barring out," which rests upon better evidence.

Nor are we induced to change any opinion we have formed of his character from Miss AINEN's elegant defence of him. That he was a man of pure life, bating a slight addiction to the bottle, every one admits. That he was a man of prudent demeanour, is obvious from his passing unscathed even by a word through scenes of faction, when character, fortune, and country, were risked by the losing party, and sometimes life itself. The testimony of STEELE, POPE, and SWIFT, (the two last political enemies, and Poe. at the time a personal one,) proves his powers of pleasing in familiar company; and that he must have had the art of favourably impressing strangers in some way, is evident from his rise in life. CHESTERFIELD affirms that ADDISON was " the most timorous and awkward man" that he ever saw. " That he was often oppressed by an improper and ungraceful timidity," says JonissoN, "every testimony concurs to prove ; but Chesterfield's representation is doubtless hyperbolical. That man cannot be supposed very inexpert in the arts of conver- sation and practice of life, who without fortune or alliance, by his usefulness and dexterity, became Secretary of State ; and who died at forty-seven, after having not only stood long in the highest rank of wit and literature, but filled one of the most important offices of state."

Such success, and the qualities which conduce to it, are not, however, incompatible with littlenesses and meannesses, more lowering when understood than great offences. The trait preserved by SWIFT has a tendency this way,—that on his appointment to the Irish Secretaryship he resolved never to remit his fees in com- pliment to his friends; because, argued he, if my fee be two guineas and I have a hundred friends, I lose two hundred guineas and no friend gains more than two. The recovery of 100/. front STEELE by an execution illustrates it at large; and the excuse advanced by Miss AIKEN, that he did it to impress his friend and schoolfellow with a proper idea of economy, which he inculcated in a letter enclosing the balance after debt and expenses were discharged, does not mend the matter. His terror at the opening line of Pope's prologue to Cato, " Briton's arise," lest he should be thought to favour in- surrection, and the change of the word to " Britons attend," argue a man ever attentive to his own interest in the minutest particulars, and justify the trait subsequently ascribed to him by the same pen—" Dreading e'en fools." His communication IO DENNIS, when POPE published the Narrative of the Frenzy of John Dennis, though proper and justifiable, is of an analogous kind, and indicates a man who would never make an enemy if he coull help it. The civility he showed to POPE "ever after" the poet, in the first " heat " of his anger, sent him the sketch of what is now called the satire or character of ADDISON, is still stronger evidence; and perhaps his great rival might have added to the other traits of Atticus, that, be his passions or feelings what they might, he always kept them in subordination to his interest.

Notwithstanding the obvious aim of Miss AIKEN to exalt the character of her hero, we doubt whether she has placed his intel- lectual merits in their true light, or at least sufficiently impressed them upon the reader. The discoverer of any branch of letters or science, if the nature of things forbid his discovery front being per- fected at once, will be apt to be superseded by new advancement ; the describer of manners will cease to be popular when the modes that formed the manners have passed away ; and the reformer is apt to be neglected as soon as the reforms he struggled for are carried into effect. Such has been the fate of ADDISON. .The in- terest of statesmen soon induced them to take advantage of the printing-press to operate upon public opinion. Venice, Holland, and England, had a sart of newspapers at an early period ; and long before the time of ADDISON regular political Journals were published here. A foreign paper devoted to a notice of books was established ; and to STEELE belongs the merit of ori- ginating the Taller. But it was ADDISON who first gave variety, character, and elevation, to periodical literature. He popularized criticism : though far from being the inventor of the short tale and the allegory, he exhibited them in a new phase and uith additional graces; and he described the characters and manners of the day with an elegance of style, a truth of delineation, and a felicity of humour, which have never been equalled, though in strength he has often been excelled, and perhaps in weight of matter. But these are not his sole or his greatest merits. When he took up his pen, the domestic life of England was not freed from the traces of the Roman and feudal law, which made the father the tyrant rather than the master of his family. Our manners had engrafted on English boorishness the foreign corruption imported by the Restoration. The education of women was neglected; they were degraded into toys and drudges; and, being supposed to be incapable of choosing well in matrimony, freedom of choice was denied them. Men of eminence either in business or wit de- spised female society as society (for morals were loose enough); the "ladies' men" were as ignorant and frivolous as the ladies ; and all the graces of lighter literature were exercised on the side of corruption. To abate these evils was the aim of ADDISON; and he succeeded. To him and his followers is owing the more endearing freedom and equality of domestic life, a better under- standing of domestic duties, the elevation of the sex, and the im- proved tone of our lighter literature.

"lie not oily," say s JorussoN, "made the proper use of wit himself, but taught it to others; and from his time it has been generally subservient to the cause of reason and of truth. He has dissipated the prejudice that bad long connected gay ety with vice, and easiness of manners with laxity of principles. Be has restored virtue to its dioity, mai taught innocence not to be ashamed. This is an elevation of literary character 'above all Greek, above all Roman fame.' No greater felicity can genius attain than that of having purified in- tellectual pleasure, separated mirth from indecency, and wit from licentious- ness; of having taught a succession of writers to bring elegance and gayety to the aid of goodness; and, if I may use expressions yet more awful, of having turned many to righteousness."

To the readers of the present age, his name, like that of many authors, is traditional : he is rather mentioned than praised, and rather praised than read. But this is mainly the effect of the ac- complishment of his purpose. He was read as long as the faults he criticised or the life he described existed : and nothing will be en- duringly popular which is not large in its character, and based upon the general nature of man ; neither of which merits perhaps can be predicated of Annisors.

Whether Miss AIKEls'S publication will revive a taste for the per- usal of his works, may be doubted ; but she will at least bring his career pleasantly before those who make "modern publications of merit their sole repast" ; whilst the digressions touching some of ADDISON'S contemporaries, and the account of his tour in Italy, will be useful to those who know nothing of his times or works. To those who do, the correspondence will be the most attractive : and to this part we shall confine our extracts.

The following is a pleasant and lively letter, written to his patron MONTAGUE, afterwards Lord HALIFAX, when ADDISON had left England to travel on a pension. The original orthography and abbreviations are preserved.

" llonour'd Sir,

"I am now in a place where nothing is more usual than for mean people to press into 3. presence and conversation of great men and where modestie is so very scarce that I think I have not seen a Blush since my first Landing at Callice, which 1 hope may in some measure excuse me for presuming to trouble you with a Letter. However if I may not be allowd to Improve a little in 3, confidence of te Country I am sure I receive in it such Effects of your favour in 3e civilities my Ld Ambassador has bin pleas'd to show me that I cant but think it my Duty to make you acquainted with them; • I am sorry my Travails have not yet turnisht me with any thing else worth your know- ledge. As for the state of Learning; There is no Book comes out at present that has not something in it of an Air of Devotion. Dacier has biu fored to prove his Plato a very good Christian before be ventures upon his Translation and has so far comply'd with ). 'Past of the Age that his whole book is over- run with Texts of Scripture, and ye notion of prre-existence supposed to be Morn from two verses of the prophets. Nay 3. Humour is grown so universal that it is got among ye Poets who are ev'ry day publishing Lives of Saints and Legends in Rhyme. My Imperfect Acquaintance with 3. French tongue makes me incapable of learning any particular News of this Nature so that I must end my Letter as I begun it with my most humble Acknowledgments for all your favours.

"I am &c.

"To Charles Montague Esq.. &c.

Paris August 1699.

The following sketch of France and Frenchmen in 1699 is from a letter to the same individual, written at Blois, whither ADDisort went to study French.

"By what I have yet seen they are the Happiest nation in the World. Tis not in the pow'r of Want or Slavery to make 'em miserable. There is nothing to be met with in the Country but Mirth and Poverty. Ev'ry one sings, laughs and starves. Their Conversation is generally Agreeable ; for if they have any Wit or Sense, they are sure to show it. They never mend upon a Second meeting, but use all the freedom and familiarity at first Sight that a Long Intimacy or Abundance of wine can scarce draw from an Englishman : Their Women are perfect Mistresses in this Art of showing themselves to the best Advantage. They are always gay and sprightly and set off 3. worst Faces in Europe with ye best airs. Eery one knows how to give herself as charming a Look and posture as Sr. Godfrey Kneller cd draw her in. I cannot end my Letter without observing, that from what I have already seen of the world I cannot but set a particular mark upon those who shooed most in the Virtues of their Nation and least with its Imperfections. When therefore I see the Good sense of an Englishman in its highest perfection without any mixture of the Spleen, I hope you will excuse me if I admire the Character and am Am- bitious of subscribing myself Hon.., Sir, Ye), &c.

"To the Right Honourable Ch. Montague Elul,.

Blois 101'. 1699."

The names of MALIDIANCHE and BOILEAU may give some inte-

rest to the following account, though their English fame is much less than Abmsores.

"MR. ADDISON TO BISHOP HOUGH.

"My Lord

"I received ye honour of your Ldship's Letter at Paris, and am since got as far as Lyons in my way for Italy. I am at present very well content to quit y. French conversation, which since 3. promotion of their young prince begina to grow Insupportable. That wh was before ye vainest nation in 3. world is now worse than ever. There is scarce a man in it that does not give himself greater airs upon it, and look as well pleased as if he had rec'd some consider- able advancement in his own fortunes. The best company I have met with since my being in this country has been among y. men of Letters, who are generally easy of access, especially 3. Religious who have a great deal of time on their hands, and are glad to pass some of it off in 3. society of strangers. Their Learning for ye most part lies among 3. old schoolmen. Their public disputes run upon ye Controversys between the Thomists and Scotists, which they manage with abundance of Heat and False Latin. When I was at Paris I Visited 3. Pere Malbranclie, who has a particular esteem for 3. English Na- tion, where I believe he has more admirers than in his own. The French d c-- -011- care for following him through his Deep Researches, and generally look upon all 3. new Philosophy as Visionary or Irreligious. Malbranche himself told me that he was live and twenty years old before he had so much as heard of ye name of Des Cartea. His book is now reprinted with many Additions, among which he show'd me a very pretty hypothesis of Colours vs . is different from that of Cartesius or Mr. Newton, tho they may all three be True. He very much prais'd Mr. Newton's Mathematics, shook his bead at ye name of Hobbes, and told me he thought him a pauvre esprit. He was very solicitous about ye English translation of his work, and was afraid it had bin taken from an ill Edition of it. Among other Learned men I had ). honour to be introduc'd to Mr. Boileau, who is now retouching his works and putting 'em out in a new Impression. He is old and a little Deaf but talks in- comparably well in his own calling. He heartily hates an Ill poet and throws himself into a passion when he talks of any one that has not a high respect for Homer and Virgil. I don't know whether there is more of old Age or Truth in his Censures on y. French writers, but he wonderfully decrya y* pre- sent and extols very much his former cotetnporarys, especially his two in- timate friends Arnaud and Racine. I askt him whether he thought Tele- maque was not a good modern piece : be spoke of it with a great deal of esteem, and said that it gave us a better notion of Homer's stay of writing ye any translation of his works could do, but that it falls however infinitely short of Odyssee, for Mentor, says he, is eternally Preaching, but Ulysses shows us evry thing in his character and behaviour ye ye other is still pressing on us by his precepts and Instructions. Be said 3. punishment of bad Kings was very well invented, and might compare with any thing of that nature in ye 6th Eneid, and that ye deceit put on Telemaque s Pilot to make him misguide his master is more artful and poetical than 3. Death of Palinurus. I mention his discourse on this Author because it is at present)' Book 3' is every where talked of, and has a great many partizans for and against it in this country. I

i

found him as warm n crying up this man and 3. good poets in general, as he has bin in censuring 3* bad ones of his time, as we commonly observe ye man that makes • Best friend is 3e worst enemy. He talk'd very much of Cor- neille, allowing him to be an excellent poet, but at)' same time none of 3° best Tragique writers, for that be declaimed too frequently and made very fine Descriptions often when there was no occasion for 'ern. Aristotle, says he, proposes two passions 3' are proper to be raied by Tragedy, Terrour and Pity, hut Corneille endeavours at a new one eh is Admiration. He interlined in his Pompey (a" he told us ye late Duke of Comly thought 3. best Tragedy)' was ever written) where in 3. first scene ye King of Egypt runs into a very pompous and long description of y. battle oh Pharsalia, tho' he was then in a great hurry of affairs and had not himself bin present at it."

FOGS AND GERMAN COUNTS.

"The place where I am at present, by reason of its situation on the Loire and its reputation fury' Language, is very much Infested with Fogs and German Counts. These last are a kind of Gentlemen that are just come wild out of their country, and more noisy and senseless than any I have yet had 3• honour to be acquainted with. They are at y. Cabaret from morning to night, and I suppose come into France on no other account but to Drink."

There are touches of his "singular and matchless humour" in this letter to CONGIDEVE.

"MR. ADDISON TO ME. CONGREVE.

"Dear Sir

"I was very sorry to hear in your last Letter that you were so terribly afflicted with the Gout, tho for your Comfort I believe you are the first English poet that have bin complimented with the Distemper : I was myself at that time sick of a Feaver which I believe proceeded from the same Cause; But at present I am BO well Recover'd that 1 can scarce forbear beginning my letter with Tully'e preface, Si vales bane est Ego quidem Valeo. You must excuse me for giving you a Line of Latin now and then since I find myself in some danger of Losing the Tongue, for I perceive a new Language, like a new Mis- tress, is apt to make a man forget all his old ones. 1 assure you I met with a very Remarkable Instance of this nature at Paris in a poor Irish-man that had lost the little English he had brought over with him without being able to learn any French in its stead : I askt him what Language he spoke, he very Inno- cently answered me 'no Language Monsieur:' ad' as I afterwards found were all the words he was Master of in both Tongues. I am at present in a town Where all the Languages in Europe are spoken except English, which is not to

be beard I believe within fifty miles of the place. •

"In my opinion the pleasantest part of Versailles is the Gallery. Every one sees on each side of it something that will be sure to please him, for one of 'em commands a View of the finest Garden in the World, and the other is wainscoted with Looking-Glass. The History of the present King, till ye year 16*, is painted on the Roof by Le Brun, so that his Majesty has Actions enough by him to Furnish another Gallery much Longer than the first. He is represented with all the Terror and Majesty that you can Imagine in ev'ry part of the picture, and sees his Young face as perfectly drawn in the Roof as his present one in the side. The Painter has represented His most Xtian. Majesty under y. figure of Jupiter throwing thunderbolts all about the cieling and striking terror into ye Danube and Rhine that lie astonished and blasted Wtn Lightning a little above the Cornice."

• The sixteenth year of his reign must be meant.