He Addison cannot be compared as a poet to Pope, who was far his fuperior in that capacity; but I cannot help forming a different opinion of his poetic effays, from what Mr. Warton entertains of them, who feems rather prejudiced against this great man's works. fays the firft of his poems, addreffed to Dryden, Sir John Somers, and King William, are languid, profaic, and void of any poetical imagery or fpirit: that the poem to Dryden is languid, I grant ; but why he should couple the other two, particularly that to King William, I cannot fo clearly perceive; as it abounds with fome very poetical ftrokes, and is compofed with fpirit: it has on the whole too much merit to be characterised in fuch contemptible terms. His account of the greatest English poets contains. fome very beautiful lines, particularly where where he fpeaks of Cowley and Milton, the latter of whom is celebrated with. great fpirit. This ingenious author's opinion of the merit of the letter from Italy, I believe will not be generally adopted. To fay that there are no poetic strokes of enthusiasm in it, is far from being true. And let the reader himself judge whether the following lines contains only a phlegmatic elegy on Raphael, the term by which our author characterifes them. Fain would I Raphael's god-like art rehearse, And show th' immortal labours in my verse, Where from the mingled ftrength of fhade and light; A new creation rifes to my fight; Such heav'nly figures from his pencil flow, Here pleafing airs my ravish'd foul confound, Here Here domes and temples rife in diftant views, The next poem of Mr. Addifon's, which the author of the effay on Pope ex amines, is the Campaign. t. Addifon's works, vol. i. p. 51. The only merit Mr. Budgel, in the life of the late Lord Orrery, tells us : "Soon after the battle of Blenheim, Mr. Boyle (late Lord Carleton) then chancellor of the exchequer, was entreated by the Lord Godolphin, to go to Mr. Addifon, and defire him to write fomething that might tranfmit the memory of that glorious victory to pofterity. As I believe this story is not commonly known, and as I think it does honour to the late Lord Halifax (whofe memory I must ever love and refpect) I fhall lay it before my readers. Upon the arrival of the news of the victory of Blenheim, the Lord Treasurer Godolphin, in the fulness of his joy, meeting with the late Lord Halifax, told him, it was pity the memory of fuch a victory should be ever forgot; he added, that he was pretty fure merit he allows it, is its containing fomé well wrought defcriptions and pathetic ftrokes, his Lordship, who was fo diftinguished a patron of men of letters, must know some perfon, whose pen was capable of doing juftice to the action. My Lord Halifax replied, that he did indeed know fuch a perfon; but would not defire him to write upon the fubject his Lordship had mentioned. The Lord Treasurer entreating to know the reason of fo unkind a refolution, Lord Halifax briskly told him, that he had long with indignation obferved, that while too many fools and blockheads were maintained in their pride and luxury, at the expence of the public, fuch men as were really an honour to their country, and to the age they lived in, were fhamefully fuffered to languish in obfcurity that, for his own part, he would never defire any gentleman of parts and learning, to employ his time in celebrating a miniftry, who had neither: the justice nor generofity to make it worth his while. The Lord Treafurer calmly replied, that he would ferionfly confider of what his Lordship VOL. II. F had ftrokes, but blames the management of the poem in general, and calls it a ga zette had faid, and endeavour to give no occafion for fuch reproaches for the future; but that, in the prefent cafe, he took it upon himself to promise, that any gentleman whom his Lordship fhould name to him, as a perfon capable of celebrating the late action, should find it worth his while to exert his genius upon that fubject. The Lord Halifax, upon this encouragement, named Mr. Addison; but infifted that the Lord Treasurer himself should fend to him. His Lord fhip promised to do fo; and accordingly defired Mr. Boyle to go to him. Mr. Addison, who was at that time indifferently lodged, was furprized the next morning with a vifit from the Chancellor of the Exchequer; who, after having acquainted him with his bufinefs, added, that the Lord Treafurer, to. encourage him to enter upon his subject, had already made him one of the commiffioners of appeals; but entreated him to look upon that poft only as an earnest of fomething more confiderable. In |