ADDISON.

OSEPH ADDISON was born on the

JOSE

first of May, 1672, at Milfton, of which his father, Lancelot Addifon, was then rector, near Ambrofebury in Wiltshire, and appearing weak and unlikely to live, he was christened the fame day. After the ufual domeftick education, which, from the character of his father, may be reasonably supposed to have given him ftrong impreffions of piety, he was com mitted to the care of Mr. Naifh at Ambrofebury, and afterwards of Mr. Taylor at Salisbury.

Not to name the fchool or the masters of men illuftrious for literature, is a kind of historical fraud, by which honest fame is injuriously diminished: I would therefore trace him through the whole process of his education. In 1683, in the beginning of his twelfth year, his father, being made dean of Litchfield, naturally carried

his family to his new refidence, and, I believe, placed him for fome time, probably not long, under Mr. Shaw, then master of the school at Litchfield, father of the late Dr. Peter Shaw. Of this interval his biographers have given no account; and I know it only from a story of a barring-out, told me, when I was a boy, by Andrew Corbet of Shropshire, who had heard it from Mr. Pigot his uncle.

The practice of barring-out was a favage licence, practifed in many fchools to the end of the last century, by which the boys, when the periodical vacation drew near, growing petulant at the approach of liberty, fome days before the time of regular recefs, took poffeffion of the school, of which they barred the doors, and bade their master defiance from the windows. It is not cafy to fuppofe that on fuch occafions the mafter would do more than laugh; yet, if tradition may be credited, he often struggled hard to force or furprise the garrifon. The mafter, when Pigot was a fchool-boy, was barred-out at Litchfield, and the whole operation, as he said, was planned and conducted by Addison.

To

To judge better of the probability of this ftory, I have enquired when he was sent to the Chartreux; but, as he was not one of those who enjoyed the Founder's benefaction, there is no account preferved of his admiffion. At the school of the Chartreux, to which he was removed either from that of Salisbury or Litchfield, he pursued his juvenile studies under the care of Dr. Ellis, and contracted that intimacy with Sir Richard Steele, which their joint labours have fo effectually recorded.

Of this memorable friendship the greater praise must be given to Steele. It is not hard to love those from whom nothing can be feared; and Addison never confidered Steele as a rival; but Steele lived, as he confeffes, under an habitual subjection to the predominating genius of Addison, whom he always mentioned with reverence, and treated with obfequiousness.

Addison*, who knew his own dignity, could not always forbear to fhew it, by playing a little upon his admirer; but he was in no danger of retort: his jefts were endured without.refiftance or refentment.

* Spence.

But

But the fneer of jocularity was not the worst. Steele, whofe imprudence of generosity, or vanity of profufion, kept him always incurably neceffitous, upon fome preffing exigence, in an evil hour, borrowed an hundred pounds of his friend, probably without much purpose of repayment; but Addifon, who seems to have had other notions of a hundred pounds, grew impatient of delay, and reclaimed his loan by an execution. Steele felt with great fenfibility the obduracy of his creditor; but with emotions of forrow rather than of anger*.

In 1687 he was entered into Queen's College in Oxford, where, in 1689, the accidental perufal of fome Latin verses gained him the patronage of Dr. Lancaster, afterwards provoft of Queen's College; by whofe recommendation he was elected into Magdalen College as a Demy, a term by

* This fact was communicated to Johnfon in my hearing by a perfon of unquestionable veracity, but whofe name I am not at liberty to mention. He had it, as he told us, from lady Primrose, to whom Steele related it with tears in his eyes. The late Dr. Stinton confirmed it to me, by faying, that he had heard it from Mr. Hooke, author of the Roman History; and he, from Mr. Pope. H.

See, Victor's Lette: s, vol. I. p. 328, this tranfaction fomewhat differently related. R.

which that society denominates those which are elsewhere called Scholars; young men, who partake of the founder's benefaction, and fucceed in their order to vacant fellowships *.

Here he continued to cultivate poetry and criticism, and grew first eminent by his Latin compofitions, which are indeed entitled to particular praife. He has not confined himself to the imitation of any ancient author, but has formed his style from the general language, fuch as a diligent perusal of the productions of different ages happened to fupply.

His Latin compofitions feem to have had much of his fondness, for he collected a fecond volume of the Mufe Anglicana, perhaps for a convenient receptacle, in which all his Latin pieces are inserted, and where his Poem on the Peace has the first place. He afterwards prefented the col-lection to Boileau, who, from that time, "conceived," fays Tickell," an opinion "of the English genius for poetry.", Nothing is better known of Boileau, than that he had an injudicious and peevish contempt of modern Latin, and therefore his

* He took the degree of M. A. Feb. 14, 1693. profeffion