But, whatever might be the difpofition of the lords, the people had no wish to increase their power. The tendency of the bill, as Steele obferved in a letter to the earl of Oxford, was to introduce an Aristocracy; for a majority in the house of lords, fo limited, would have been defpotick and irrefifible.

To prevent this fubverfion of the ancient cftablishment, Steele, whofe pen readily feconded his political paffions, endeavoured to alarm the nation by a pamphlet called The Plebeian; to this an answer was published by Addison, under the title of The Old Whig, in which it is not difcovered that Steele was then known to be the advocate for the commons. Steele replied by a fecond Plebeian; and, whether by ignorance or by courtefy, confined himself to his question, without any perfonal notice of his opponent. Nothing hitherto was committed against the laws of friendship, or proprieties of decency; but controvertifts cannot long retain their kindness for each other. The Old Whig anfwered the Plebeian, and could not forbear fome contempt of little Dicky, whofe trade it was to write. pamphlets.' Dicky however did not lofe his fettled veneration for his friend; but contented himself with quoting fome lines of Cato, which were at once detection and reproof. The bill was laid afide during that feffion, and Addifon died before the next, in which its commitment was rejected by two hundred fixty-five to one hundred feventy-feven.

Every reader furely must regret that these two illuftrious friends, after so many years paft in confidence and endearment, in unity of intereft, conformity of opinion, and fellowship of ftudy, fhould finally part in acrimonious oppofition. Such a controverfy was Bellum pluf

диаль

quam civile, as Lucan expreffes it. Why could not faction find other advocates? But, among the uncertainties of the human ftate, we are doomed to number the inftability of friendship.

Of this difpute I have little knowledge but from the Biographia Britannica. The Old Whig is not inferted in Addison's works, nor is it mentioned by Tickell in his Life; why it was omitted the biographers doubtlefs give the true reafon; the fact was too recent, and those who had been heated in the contention were not yet cool.

The neceffity of complying with times, and of sparing perfons, is the great impediment of biography. History may be formed from permanent monuments and records; but Lives can only be written from perfonal knowledge, which is growing every day lefs, and in a fhort time is loft for ever. What is known can feldom be immediately told; and when it might be told, it is no longer known. The delicate features of the mind, the nice difcriminations of character, and the minute peculiarities of conduct, are foon obliterated; and it is furely better that caprice, obftinacy, frolick, and folly, however they might delight in the description, should be filently forgotten, than that, by wanton merriment and unfeasonable detection, a pang should be given to a widow, a daughter, a brother, or a friend. As the process of these narratives is now bringing me among my contemporaries, I begin to feel myself walking upon afhcs under which the fire is not extinguished, and coming to the time of which it will be proper rather to fay nothing that is false, than all that is true.

The end of this ufeful life was now approaching.Addison had for fome time been oppreffed by fhortness

of

of breath, which was now aggravated by a dropfy; and, finding his danger preffing, he prepared to die conformably to his own precepts and profeffions.

During this lingering decay, he fent, as Pope relates *, a message by the earl of Warwick to Mr. Gay, defiring to see him: Gay, who had not vifited him for fome time before, obeyed the fummons, and found himself received with great kindnefs. The purpose for which the interview had been folicited was then difcovered: Addifon told him that he had injured him; but that, if he recovered, he would recompenfe him. What the injury was he did not explain; nor did Gay ever know; but fuppofed that fome preferment defigned for him had, by Addison's intervention, been withheld.

Lord Warwick was a young man of very irregular life, and perhaps of loose opinions. Addison, for whom he did not want refpect, had very diligently endeavoured to reclaim him; but his arguments and expostulations had no effect. One experiment, however, remained to be tried: when he found his life near its end, he directed the young lord to be called; and when he defired, with great tenderness, to hear his last injunctions, told him, I have fent for you that you may fee bow a Chriftian can die. What effect this awful fcene had on the earl, I know not; he likewife died himself in a fhort time.

In Tickell's excellent Elegy on his friend are these lines:

He taught us how to live; and, oh! too high
The price of knowledge, taught us how to die.

Spence.

In

In which he alludes, as he told Dr. Young, to this moving interview.

Having given directions to Mr. Tickell for the publication of his works, and dedicated them on his deathbed to his friend Mr. Craggs, he died June 17, 1719, at Holland-houfe, leaving no child but a daughter.

Of his virtue it is a fufficient teftimony, that the refentment of party has tranfmitted no charge of any crime. He was not one of thofe who are praised only after death; for his merit was fo generally acknowledged, that Swift, having obferved that his election paffed without a conteft, adds, that, if he had propofed himself for king, he would hardly have been refused.

His zcal for his party did not extinguifh his kindnefs for the merit of his opponents: when he was fecretary in Ireland, he refufed to intermit his acquaintance with Swift.

Of his habits, or external manners, nothing is fo often mentioned as that timorous or fullen taciturnity, which his friends called modefty by too mild a name. Steele mentions with great tenderness" that remark"able bafhfulnefs, which is a cloak that hides and "muffles merit;" and tells us, that "his abilities were "covered only by modefty, which doubles the beau"ties which are feen, and gives credit and esteem to "all that are concealed." Chefterfield affirms, that "Addison was the most timorous and aukward man "that he ever faw." And Addifon, fpeaking of his own deficience in converfation, ufed to fay of himself that, with respect to intellectual wealth," he could "draw bills for a thousand pounds, though he had not "a guinea in his pocket."

That he wanted current coin for ready payment, and by that want was often obftructed and diftreffed; that he was oppreffed by an improper and ungraceful timidity, every teftimony concurs to prove; but Chefterfield's reprefentation is doubtlefs hyperbolical. That man cannot be fuppofed very unexpert in the arts of converfation and practice of life, who without fortune or alliance, by his usefulness and dexterity, became secretary of state; and who died at forty-feven, after having not only stood long in the highest rank of wit and literature, but filled one of the most important offices of ftate.

The time in which he lived had reafon to lament his obftinacy of filence: "for he was," fays Steele, "above all men in that talent called humour, and en

joyed it in fuch perfection, that I have often re"flected, after a night fpent with him apart from all "the world, that I had had the pleasure of converfing "with an intimate acquaintance of Terence and Catul

lus, who had all their wit and nature, heightened "with humour more exquifite and delightful than any "other man ever poffeiled." This is the fondness of a friend; let us hear what is told us by a rival. "Addifon's converfation," fays Pope, "had fome

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thing in it more charming than I have found in any "other man. But this was only when familiar: be"fore ftrangers, or perhaps a fingle ftranger, he pre"ferved his dignity by a stiff filence.”

This modefty was by no means inconfiftent with a very high opinion of his own merit. He demanded to be the firit name in modern wit; and, with Steele to echo him, used to depreciate Dryden, whom Pope and Congreve defended against them . There is no rea

* Spence.

Tonfon and Spence.

fon