force or surprise the garrifon. The master, when Pigot was a school-boy, was barred-out at Lichfield, and the whole operation, as he faid, was planned and conducted by Addison, To judge better of the probability of this ftory, I have enquired when he was fent to the Chartreux; but, as he was not one of those who enjoyed the Founder's benefaction, there is no account preferved of his admisfion. At the fchool of the Chartreux, to which he was removed either from that of Salisbury or Lichfield, he pursued his juvenile studies under the care of Dr. Ellis, and contracted that intimacy with Sir Richard Steele, which their joint labours have so 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 fubjection to the predominating genius of Addifon, whom he always mentioned with reverence, and treated with obfequioufnefs. 2 Addison 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. But the fneer of jocularity was not the worft. Steele, whofe imprudence of generofity, 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 Addison, 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 provost of Queen's College; by whose 3 * Spence. recom recommendation he was elected into Magdalen College as a Demy, a term by which that fociety denominates thofe which are elfewhere 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 firft eminent by his Latin compofitions, which are indeed entitled to particular praise. He has not confined himself to the imitation of any ancient author, but has formed his style from the general language, such as a diligent perufal of the productions of different ages happened to fupply. His Latin compofitions feem to have had much of his fondnefs; for he collected a fecond volume of the Mufa Anglicana, perhaps for a convenient receptacle, in which all his Latin pieces are inferted, and where his Poem on the Peace has the first place. He afterwards presented the collection to Boi *He took the degree of M. A. Feb. 14, 1693. leau, leau, 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 profeffion of regard was probably the effect of his civility rather than approbation. Three of his Latin poems are upon fubjects on which perhaps he would not have ventured to have written in his own language. The Battle of the Pigmies and Cranes; The Barometer; and a Bowling-green. When the matter is low or fcanty, a dead language, in which nothing is mean because nothing is familiar, affords great conveniences; and by the fonorous magnificence of Roman fyllables, the writer conceals penury of thought, and want of novelty, often from the reader, and often from himself, In his twenty-fecond year he first shewed his power of English poetry, by fome verfes addreffed to Dryden; and foon afterwards published a tranflation of the greater part of the Fourth Georgick upon Bees; after which, fays Dryden, my latter fwarm is hardly worth the biving. About About the fame time he composed the arguments prefixed to the feveral books of Dryden's Virgil; and produced an Effay on the Georgicks, juvenile, fuperficial, and uninftructive, without much either of the fcholar's learning or the critick's penetration. His next paper of verfes contained a character of the principal English poets, inscribed to Henry Sacheverell, who was then, if not a poct, a writer of verfes; as is fhewn by his version of a small part of Virgil's Georgicks, published in the Mifcellanies, and a Latin encomium on queen Mary, in the Mufæ Anglicanæ. Thefe verfes exhibit all the fondness of friendship; but on one fide or the other, friendship was too weak for the malignity of faction. In this poem is a very confident and difcriminative character of Spenfer, whofe work he had then never read*. So little fometimes is criticism the effect of judgement. It is neceffary to inform the reader, that about this time he was introduced by Con * Spence. |