to have been ardent and uniform; in the THEATRE, No. 12, he laments the loss of her as the best woman that ever man had; and adds, that 'she frequently lamented and pined at his neglect of himself.' Their correspondence throws considerable light on her character; if she is to be blamed for a narrow, teazing, and suspicious temper, it is no less evident that her temper was occasionally soured by the distresses in which her husband's imprudence involved him; and she may be excused if the prospect of want rendered her parsimonious, and unfriendly to the schemes and projects by which he had often deceived himself as well as her.

Such are the outlines of the life of Sir RICHARD STEELE. To have entered into a detail of his political conduct and writings, would have led us into a field very wide, and to most readers very barren of entertainment. It has rarely hap pened that political writings, unless eminently mischievous, have long survived the cause which gave them birth, and the contests which swelled them into importance. The best performances of this kind are preserved with little care, and read, if read at all, with little interest. If they settle a date, or illustrate a minute point of history, it is as much as can be expected from them in an age which has forgot the zeal of former parties in the turbulence of its own. It must be added, however, that the most scrupulous inquiry into STEELE's political character has left him the merit of being useful to his party, formidable to his opponents, and frequently too honest to be friendly to his own interest.

The TATLER, like many other eminent superstructures, rose from small beginnings. It does not appear that the author foresaw to what per

fection this method of writing might be brought, when he should by the aid of his illustrious colleague be able to reject his first plan. By dividing each paper into compartments, he appears to have consulted the ease with which an author may say a little upon many subjects, who has neither leisure nor inclination to enter deeply on a single topic. This, however, did not proceed either from distrust in his abilities, or in the favour of the public; for he at once addressed them with confidence and familiarity; but it is probable that he did not foresee to what the continued practice of writing will frequently lead a man whose natural endowments are wit and eloquence, superadded to a knowledge of the world, and a habit of observation.

The first paper of the TATLER, as has been already noticed, made its appearance on Tuesday, April 12, 1709 and the days of publication were fixed to be Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. In the selection of a name for the work, STEELE affords an early instance of delicate raillery, by informing us that the name TATLER was invented in honour of the fair sex; and that in such a character he might indulge with impunity the desultory plan he first laid down, with a becoming imitation of the tattle and gossip of the day. His paper professed to embrace accounts of gallantry, pleasure, and entertainment,' under the head

*Mr. George Chalmers, in his excellent Life of Defoe, thinks that the plan of the Tatler may have been suggested by Defoe's 'REVIEW, consisting of a Scandal Club, on Questions of Theology, Morals, Politics, Trade, Language, Poetry, &c.' published about the year 1703. More than a hint, however, could not be derived from a farrago, so unworthy of the talents afterwards displayed by Defoe in his Robinson Crusoe;

'White's Chocolate-house;' poetry*' under that of Will's Coffee-house;' and 'learning' under that of the Grecian:' foreign and domestic news' from 'St. James's Coffee-house ;' and 'other articles' from his own apartment,' and sometimes from Shire-lane.' This plan was preserved for a considerable time, until his pen became more accustomed to essay-writing, and the assistance of his friend ADDISON enabled him to adopt a more regular method.

The Dramatic articles are numerous, and are said to have been serviceable to the theatre. CIBBER acknowledges the force and influence of the TATLER in filling the play-houses; yet STEELE had no share in the management of the play-house in Drury-Lane for several years after this period. We have seen however that he was a dramatic writer, and was always anxious for the improvement of the stage; and that, with ADDISON and other writers, he wished to hasten the time, all hope of which seems now given up, when the morals of the age should be reformed by what they called a well-regulated theatre.'

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In Dr. BURNEY's History of Music (Vol. iv. p. 225, et seqq.) are some valuable strictures on those papers in the TATLER and SPECTAtor, which STEELE and ADDISON wrote to ridicule

* Before POPE'S MESSIAH was inserted in the Spectator, the author submitted it to the perusal of STEELE, and corrected it in compliance with his criticisms. From POPE this was no inconsiderable acknowledgment of STEELE's judgment. I may add here that Wycherley, in a letter to Pope, dated May 17, 1709, says, But hitherto your Miscellanies have safely run the gauntlet through all the coffee-houses; which are now entertained with a whimsical new newspaper called the TATLER, which I suppose you have seen.' It was at STEELE's suggestion that POPE wrote The Dying Christian to his Soul.'

Operas. It is the opinion of this learned and ingenious author, that some part of the SPECTA TOR's severity is to be ascribed to want of skill in the art of Music; some to peevishness; and the rest to national prejudice, and the spirit of party in favour of our domestic theatres." · ADDISON, though he had visited Italy, and was always ambitious of being a judge of music, discovers, whenever he mentions the subject, a total want of sensibility, as well as knowledge of the art. This opinion, Sir JOHN HAWKINS, who will not allow ADDISON merit of any kind, had before ventured to express. From Dr. BURNEY, it is decisive.

The articles of public news were of more importance to the TATLER. They were all written by STEELE, who was then Gazetteer, and therefore had the advantage of other newspapers in accuracy and perhaps in priority of intelligence. This increased the circulation of the paper, and rendered it important as a vehicle for advertisements, many of which are curious and illustrative of the manners of the times*. The foreign intelligence has been preserved in all editions of the work, though it is not easy to know why. It incumbers the volumes with information which is now of no importance, and delivered in a manner from which the writer can derive no honour.`

of an

The CHARACTER of the author was assumed with sufficient consequence for the purpose imaginary Censorship. The family name, BICKBRSTAFF, was not altogether fictitious. In No. 3, mention is made of Mr. John Bickerstaff, a player, and it is said there was another of that

Specimens have been judiciously selected by the Annotators on the TATLER, in the Edit. oct. 1806.

name then resident in London. But neither of these had the honour of suggesting this family designation. It was the use which SWIFT had made of it that inclined STEELE to give a preference to what had already acquired some popularity, and might be easier repeated and remembered than a newer fiction. This circumstance has led the author of his life in the Biographia Britannica to assert that he commenced the TATLER 'in concert with SWIFT.' For this there is no founda tion, unless a polite acknowledgment of greater services than STEELE received from that writer. And still less ground has this Biographer for accusing STEELE of ingratitude in preferring ADDISON to SWIFT

STEELE appears to have begun the paper without any concert, or hope of other assistance than what might come spontaneously. His chief dependence was on his intelligence, which gave him a superiority over his contemporaries, who were merely news-writers, and had never discovered that a periodical paper might furnish instruction of a better and more lasting kind. In the other parts of the TATLER, he was at first less careful; his style had a familiar vulgarity not unlike that of the journalists of the age, which he adopted either in compliance with the prevailing manner, or by way of disguise. In one paper he acknowledges incorrectness of style,' and writing in an air of common speech.' All this however became a Tatler, and for some time he aimed at no higher charactert. But when associated with

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* See STEELE's original preface, 1710, prefixed to the first volume of this edition.

STEELE in reply to TICKELL's assertion that ADDISON advanced the Tatler, says, very candidly, 'It was advanced indeed, for it was raised to a greater thing than I intended it; for the elegance, purity, and correctness, which