crown, to fupport him in his travels. If the uncommonnefs of a favour, and the diftinction of the perfon who confers it, enhance its value: nothing could be more honourable to a young man of learning, than fuch a bounty from so eminent a patron.

How well Mr. Addifon anfwered the expectations of my Lord Somers, cannot appear better, than from the book of Travels he dedicated to his Lordship at his return.

It is not hard to conceive, why that performance was at first but indifferently relifhed by the bulk of readers; who expected an account, in a common way, of the customs and policies of the feveral governments in Italy, reflexion upon the genius of the people, a map of their provinces, or a measure of their buildings. How were they disappointed, when, inftead of fuch particulars, they were prefented only with a journal of poetical travels, with remarks on the present picture of the country, compared with the landskips drawn by claffic

claffic authors, and other the like unconcerning parts of knowledge! One may easily imagine a reader of plain fenfe, but without a fine tafte, turning over these parts of the volume, which make more than half of it, and wondering how an author, who seems to have fo folid an understanding, when he treats of more weighty fubjects in the other pages, fhould dwell upon fuch trifles, and give up fo much room to matters of mere amusement. There are indeed but few men fo fond of the ancients, as to be tranfported with every little accident, which introduces to their intimate acquaintance. Perfons of that caft may here have the fatisfaction of feeing annotations upon an old Roman poem, gathered from the hills and valleys where it was written. The Tiber and the Po ferve to explain the verfes that were made upon their banks, and the Alps and Apennines are made commentators on those authors, to whom they were subjects fo many centuries ago. Next to perfonal

perfonal converfation with the writers themselves, this is the fureft way of coming at their fenfe; a compendious and engaging kind of criticifm, which convinces at firft fight, and fhews the vanity of conjectures, made by antiquaries at a distance. If the knowledge of polite literature has its ufe, there is certainly a merit in illuftrating the perfect models of it, and the learned world will think fome years of a man's life not miffpent in fo elegant an employment. I fhall conclude what I had to fay on this performance, by obferving, that the fame of it increafed from year to year, and the demand for copies was so urgent, that their price rofe to four or five times the original value, before it came out in a second edition.

The Letter from Italy to my Lord Halifax may be confidered as the text upon which the book of Travels is a large comment, and has been esteemed by thofe, who have a relish for antiquity, as the most exquifite of his poetical performances. A translation of it by Signior Salvini,

Salvini, profeffor of the Greek tongue at Florence, is inferted in this edition, not only on the account of its merit, but because it is the language of the country which is the subject of this poem.

The materials for the Dialogues upon Medals, now firft printed from a manufcript of the Author, were collected in the native country of thofe Coins. The book itself was begun to be caft into form at Venice, as appears from a letter to Mr. Stepney, then minifter at that court, dated in November 1702.

Some time before the date of this letter, Mr. Addison had designed to return to England, when he received advice from his friends that he was pitched upon to attend the army under Prince Eugene, who had just begun the war in Italy, as fecretary from his Majesty. But an account of the death of King William, which he met with at Geneva, put an end to that thought; and as his hopes of advancement in his own country were fallen with the credit of his friends, who were out of power at the beginning

beginning of her late Majefty's reign, he had leifure to make the tour of Germany in his way home.

He remained for fome time, after his return to England, without any public employment, which he did not obtain till the year 1704, when the Duke of Marlborough arrived at the highest pitch of glory, by delivering all Europe from flavery, and furnished Mr. Addison with a fubject worthy of that genius which appears in his poem called The Campaign. The Lord-Treasurer Godolphin, who was a fine judge of poetry, had a fight of this work, when it was only carried on as far as the applauded fimile of the Angel; and approved the poem, by bestowing on the author, in a few days after, the place of Commiffioner of appeals, vacant by the removal of the famous Mr. Locke to the council of trade.

His next advancement was to the place of under-fecretary, which he held under Sir Charles Hedges, and the pre

fent