and all the other characters are rendered fubfervient.... Mrs. Oakley's jealous difpofition, her violence of temper, her unfteadiness of resolution when agitated by her prevailing foible, and the laboured artifices she makes ufe of to render herself and husband unhappy, are highly natural, and are drawn with fuch strong colours, and heightened by so many delicate touches of true nature, that it may truly be called a finished character: nor is Mr. Oakley's lefs fo. ....The fenfible feeling man, endued with fufficient refolution on proper and particular occafions, yet in the more general occurrences of life borne down by the torrent of female impetuofity, and giving way even in oppofition to his judgment for the fake of preferving domeftic quiet, is a character which every perfon, who has been ever fo little converfant with the world must have frequently met with among his acquaintance. Every one therefore must acknowledged it to be natural; yet have we never seen it set forth to pub. lic view fo clearly, or marked so distinctly to general obfervation as in the character of Mr. Oakley....The Major is a staunch old batchelor, the hearty and open frankness of whose difpofition renders him very amiable, and from whose discernment and observation an opportunity is afforded of introducing many just and valuable fentiments in regard to matrimonial happiness and mifery.

As to the conduct of the piece, it is truly admirable. The beft ufe imaginable is made of the plan which has been borrowed, and at the fame time the new characters are so intermingled with the general defign, as to appear to have originally belonged to it....The incidents are well connected and naturally introduced, forming a regular chain of confequences properly dependent on each other, and perhaps it would be difficult to point out among the catalogue of plays usually acted, a scene more truly comic or more ingeniously managed than that in the third act of this play, wherein all Mrs. Oakley's unjuft fufpicions are in appearance authorised and confirmed, and that without any thing being ftrained or outre, from the partially overhearing a converfation, wherein there was in reality no one circumftance intended to her injury. The incident of Harriet's fainting into Mr. Oakley's arms, and the accufations of Mr. Ruffet misunderstood by Mrs. Oakley, are happy conceptions, and the management of them as judiciously ex

ecuted as the thought is conceived.

The language appears to be elegant, easy and characteristic, and the sentiments bold, just and spirited. On the whole, I think it may justly be considered as the very best new comedy, that has made its appearance on the English stage for many years, and feems to afford us the agreeable hope of much future pleasure from fuch other pieces as the success of this may encourage the author to oblige the world with.

As to the performance, the parts were fo extremely well cast, and such a general emulation fhewed itself through the whole company for the support of their respec tive characters, that it was almost impoffi→ ble to point out where the greatest excellence lay. Mr. Garrick and Mrs. Pritchard, however, in the two principal parts were, what we have frequently feen them in others, inimitable. The conflicts of the paffions, in the most interefting fcenes, were strongly painted in the features of both; their conceptions of character did honour to themselves and to the Author, and their action was interspersed with many of those delicate, yet striking touches, which alone can distinguish the master, which point out the most perfect, the most intimate acquaintance with nature and the human heart, and which, perhaps, no 'performers befides themselves ever either conceived or executed. Mrs. Clive was very original in Lady Freelove, and Mr. King natural, and at the fame time not too extravagant in Sir Harry Beagle. Nor ought we to forget Mr. Ruffet, who from the fenfibility expressed in it by Mr. Burton, was rendered, even in the very height of all his abfurdities, an object not only of compaffion but of esteem.

Having faid thus much in due commendation of the piece and its performance, it would be injuftice not to take notice of the candour and judgment shewn by the audience, who received both with all the applaufe they merited, and did equal honour to themselves, by the disapprobation they expressed at a passage or two, which appeared in the first night's reprefentation to have some small tendency to indelicacy, but which were omitted on the fecond, and by the universal testimony they gave on both nights of their fatisfaction at other passages, wherein sentiments of virtue and morality were ftrongly inculcated. I am, &c.

The

diftinction, but also in regard to Mr. Addifon's character particularly: there did not therefore feem to be the leaft occafion for this precaution of Mr. Tickell, which certainly bordered upon a too eager officioufnefs.

When the old Spectator was laid down a new one appeared, which, though written by men of wit and genius, did not fucceed; and they had the good fenfe not to Without push the attempt too far.

question, the original Spectator will be always highly esteemed, not only as excellent in its nature and execution, but as truly honourable to the times in which it was received with fo much applaufe. This work is fo well known as to need little occafion for any remark. Every body who has read any thing, is acquainted with it. Difficult to be imitated, to be excelled impoffible; for wit, elegance, humour, learning, religion, piety, beauty of ftile, sublimity of expreffion, gracefulness of lan guage, and every excellence, alike diftinguished: that to read and not difcern, and at the fame time not to admire, must not only indicate an abfolute want of true Pofterity tafte, but a total infenfibility. must have a high idea of the manners and good fenfe of the British nation, when they are informed that twenty thousand of thefe papers were ufually fold in a day. The Guardian, a paper in the fame taste, and, which is faying much more, in the fame fpirit, entertained the town in the years 1713 and 1714. Mr. Addifon had a large fhare therein, and his papers were particularly relished: he alfo wrote once or twice in the Lover.

In 1713 appeared his famous Cato. He took up the defign of writing a tragedy upon that fubject, when he was very young; he actually wrote it while he was on his travels: however, he retouched it while he was in England, without any formed defign of bringing it on the stage. But fome friends of his believing that it might be advantageous in the caufe of liberty, he was prevailed on to make it fit for the stage; which he accordingly did, by adding the greatest part of the last act. When it appeared, it was gazed on as a Wonder; all parties applauded it; and it ran thirty-five nights without interruption: and, what was more to the author's reputation, the best judges declared in its fa

Mr. Pope himself.

vour, when they had read it, with the fame paffion the pit had done when it was first feen: Mr. Pope wrote the prologue, which is fublime, and Dr. Garth the epilogue, which is humorous. It was recommended by many excellent copies of verses, prefixed to it, all which are printed in Mr. Tickell's edition. Foreign nations have done this work of Mr. Addifon's as much honour as our own; and indeed it is one of thofe few performances which cannot receive more honour than it deferves. As a fpecimen of the universal applause it received, it may not be amifs to mention fome circumstances relating to its first appearance. They are contained in a letter from Mr. Pope to Sir William Trumbull, dated April 30, 1713. As to poetical af'fairs, fays he, I am content at prefent 'to be a bare looker on, and from a prac'titioner, turn an admirer, which is (as the world goes) not very ufual. Cato was 'not fo much the wonder of Rome in his days, as he is of Britain in ours; and although all the foolish industry poffible has been used to make it thought a party play, yet what the author once said of another, may the most properly in the 'world be applied to him on this occafion: "Envy itfelf is dumb, in wonder loft, "And factions strive who fhall applaud

him moft."

The numerous and violent claps of the whig-party on the one fide of the theatre, were ecchoed back by the tories on 'the other; while the author fweated be" hind the scenes with concern, to find their < applaufe proceeding more from the hand than the head. This was the cafe too of 'the prologue writer, who was clapped into a ftauuch whig, at almost every two lines. I believe you have heard, that af'ter all the applauses of the opposite faction, my lord Bolingbroke fent for Booth, who played Cato, into the box, between one of the acts, and prefented himwith fifty guineas, in acknowledgement (as he ex'preffed it) for defending the cause of li C berty fo well against a perpetual dictator. The whigs are unwilling to be distanced this way, and therefore defign a prefent to the fame Cato, very fpeedily; in the " mean time they are getting ready as good < a fentence as the former, on their fide: fo betwixt them it is probable that Cato if not more, with respect not only to the

" (as

tion. In France, a poet named Des Champs, having feen this tragedy, wrote another with the fame title, and dedicated it to the duke of Orleans. This was first exceffively cried up in France, then tranflated into English blank verfe, and published with a parallel of that piece, and the Cato of Mr. Addison, wherein the preference was given to the French performance. However, all this was the effect of pique, and the character of the French Cato could never be established. Befides the abovementioned versions and translations, this piece of Mr. Addifon's was either tranflated or imitated in the German language: but one of the greatest honours that ever was done to it, was the putting the foliloquy of Cato, which is one of the noblest things in our language, into a Latin drefs, which might have been read with admiration even by the critics in the court of Auguftus. Fame has attributed this to the late Dr. Atterbury, bishop of Rochester; and as it was fuperlatively fine, the world thought fame in the right, and fo it proved. Her majefty queen Anne was not the last in doing juftice to this performance of Mr. Addison; for she was pleased to fignify an inclination of having it dedicated to her: but as the author had propofed to dedicate it elfewhere, he was willing to avoid offending either his duty, or his honour, and fo fent it into the world without a dedication.

(as Dr. Garth expreffed it) may have fomething to live upon after he dies.' Immediately after the publication of this tragedy, there came abroad a pamphlet, intitled, "Obfervations upon Cato." This was written by Dr. Sewell, a very ingenious gentleman, and a good poet. The defign of this piece was to fhew, that the applaufe this tragedy had met with was founded in merit; it was a very accurate and entertaining criticism, and contributed not a little to the fecuring our poet the hearts of his readers, as well as of his audience. We are not however to fuppofe that Mr. Addifon had no enemies, or that there were not enow, who either did not like that tragedy, or pretended not to like it. Amongit these the formidable Mr. Dennis had the courage to attack it; first in a pamphlet, and again in a subsequent work, wherein he employed no less than feven letters, in endeavouring to pull the tragedy to pieces, and faying whatever an ill-natured man, with a tolerable share of wit, might be able to say, against the beft writen piece in the world. Another gentleman, who called himself a scholar of Oxford, confidered the play in quite a different light, that is, he confidered it as a political piece, and endeavoured to ferve his party, by turning the cannon upon the enemy. The title of this pamphlet was "Mr. Addison turned tory." It was, written with some spirit and vivacity. It was hardly worth while to take notice of the envious objections of these minor critics, which died, and were forgotten, almoft as foon as they were born; for the beft judges ever declared unanimously on the fide of Mr. Addison, and, as occafion offered, vindicated the merit of this tragedy against all opponents. Mr. Boyer tranflated it into French, the fame year it was published; but very indifferently. Abbe du Bos made an excellent verfion, of which, however, only the three firft fcenes were printed. Abbot Salvini tranflated it into Italian; his tranflation was acted at Leghorn with prodigious applaufe, and he afterwards published it at Florence. It is not known whether Signior Valetta's tranflation was ever printed; he was a young Neopolitan nobleman, who did it purely for his amusement. The jefuits at St. Omer tranflated it into Latin; and caused it to be acted by their pupils there, with great magnificence: they likewife fent Mr. Addison a copy of their tranfa

If Mr. Addison's leifure had been greater in the subsequent part of his life, we are told he would have written another tragedy, intitled, The Death of Socrates: but the honours due to what he had already performed deprived pofterity of this promifed labour. Upon the death of queen Anne, the lords juftices appointed Mr. Addifon their fecretary, which took him off from a design he had formed, of compo fing an English dictionary on the plan of a famous Italian one. There was fome thought of making him fecretary of ftate at that time; but he was at pains to decline it, and accepted a fecond time, under the earl of Sunderland, the post of secretary to the lord-lieutenant of Ireland: he held it however but a very little time; for, on the earl's being removed, he was made one of the lords of trade. In 1716 he married the countefs of Warwick; and on the first breaking out of the rebellion, he published the Freebolder, which is a kind of political Spectator. No person was con

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cerne