fent Earl of Sunderland. The opera of Rofamond was written, while he poffeffed that employment. What doubts foever have been raised about the merit of the mufic, which, as the Italian taste at that time began wholly to prevail, was thought fufficiently inexcufable, becaufe it was the compofition of an Englishman; the poetry of this piece has given as much pleasure in the closet, as others have afforded from the ftage, with all the affiftance of voices and inftruments.

The comedy called The Tender Hufband appeared much about the fame time, to which Mr. Addifon wrote the prologue. Sir Richard Steele furprised him with a very handfome dedication of this play, and has since acquainted the public, that he owed fome of the most taking fcenes of it to Mr. Addifon.

His next step in his fortune, was to the post of Secretary under the late Marquis of Wharton, who was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the year 1709. As I have propofed to

to

touch but very lightly on thofe parts of his life, which do not regard him as an author, I fhall not enlarge upon the great reputation he acquired by his turn to bufinefs, and his unblemished integrity, in this and other employments. It must not be omitted here, that the falary of keeper of the records in Ireland was confiderably raised, and that poft bestowed upon him, at this time, as a mark of the Queen's favour. He was in that kingdom, when he firft difcovered Sir Richard Steele to be author of The Tatler, by an obfervation upon Virgil, which had been by him communicated to his friend, The affiftance, he occafionally gave him afterwards in the course of the paper, did not a little contribute to advance its reputation; and, upon the change of the ministry, he found leifure to engage more conftantly in that work, which however was dropt at laft, as it had been taken up, without his participation.

2.

In the last paper, which closed those celebrated performances, and in the preface to the laft volume, Sir Richard Steele has given to Mr. Addifon the honour of the moft applauded pieces in that collection. But as that acknowledgment was delivered only in general terms, without directing the public to the feveral papers: Mr. Addifon, who was content with the praise arifing from his own works, and too delicate to take any part of that which belonged to others, afterwards thought fit to distinguish his writings in the Spectators and Guardians, by fuch marks as might remove the leaft poffibility of mistake in the most undiscerning readers. It was neceffary that his fhare in the Tatlers should be adjusted in a complete collection of his works; for which reafon Sir Richard Steele, in compliance with the request of his deceased friend, delivered to him by the editor, was pleased to mark with his own hand thofe Tatlers, which are inferted in this edition, and

even

even to point out feveral, in the writing of which they both were concerned.

The plan of the Spectator, as far as it regards the feigned perfon of the 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 otherwise be obscure, 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 Perfonæ, or as fo many pictures for an ornament and explication of the whole. As for the diftinct papers, they were never or seldom shown to each other by their refpective authors; who fully anfwered the promife 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 VOL. I. letters

a

letters fent in by the numerous correfpondents of the Spectator, to have executed his large share of this task, in fo exquifite a manner; if he had not 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 moulded into the form in which they now appear. Such are the effays upon Wit, the Pleafures of the Imagination, the Critique upon Milton, and fome others, which I thought to have connected in a continued feries in this edition; though they were at first published with the interruption of writings on different fubjects. But as fuch a scheme would have obliged me to cut off feveral graceful introductions and circumstances, 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 greatest part of the last act was added

by