_ Dr. Johnson represents. 
CHALMERS’S BRITISH ESSAYISTS. 
by most persons as entirely of Addison’s 
invention. 
«* Sir Roger was not the creature of Addi- 
son’s, but of Steel’s fancy; and it is not easy 
to discover why all writers on this subject 
should appear norant of a fact so neces- 
sary to be known, and So easily ascertained. 
In Tickell’s edition of Addison‘’s works, and 
in every subsequent edition, (Dr. Beatie’s 
not excepted) No.2, is reprinted, but ascribed 
to Steele, with an apology for joining it with 
Addison’s papers, on account of its connec- 
tion with what follows. Steele, in truth, 
sketched the character of every member of 
the club, except that of the Spectator. The 
merit, therefore, of what Dr. Johnson calls 
* the delicate or discriminated idea,’ or ‘ the 
original delineation’ of Sir Roger, beyond all 
controversy, belongs to him; and the cha- 
racter of the Baronet, it must be observed, 
is, in that paper, very different from what 
His ¢ singularities 
proceed from his good sense,’ not, J allow, 
a very common source of singularities, in 
the usual acceptation of that word; and be- 
fore he was ‘ crossed in love by the perverse 
widow, he was a gay man of the town.’ 
And with respect to the care Addison took 
of the Knight’s chastity, and his resentment 
of the story told of him in No.410, which 
is certainly a deviation from the character as 
he completed it, we may observe, that the 
original limner represents him as ‘ humble 
in his desires after he had forgot his cruel 
beauty, insomuch that it is reported he has 
frequently offended in point of chastity with 
beggars and gypsies,’ though he qualifies 
this by adding, that ¢ this is looked upon, by 
his friends, rather as matter of raillery than 
truth.’ He is represented as now in his fif- 
ty-sixth year, and the story, therefore, of 
his endeavouring to persuade a strumpet to 
retire with him inte the country, as related 
in 410, some think by Tickell, was cer- 
tainly unnatural. 
‘* The truth appears to have been, that 
Addison was charmed with his colleague's 
outline of Sir Roger, thought it capable of 
extension and improvement, and might pro- 
bably determine to make it in some measure 
his own, by guarding, with a father’s fond- 
néss, against any violation that might be 
offered. How well he has accomplished this 
needs not be told : yet he neither laid hold on 
what he considered as Stecle’s property, nor 
did he wish to monopolize the worthy 
knight. Sir Roger's notion, that ‘ none but 
men of fine parts deserve to be hanged ;’ and 
his illustration of this curious position, in 
No. 6, were written by Siecle. The first 
paper, relating to the visit to Sir Roget's 
country seat, is Addison's, the second 
Steele's, the third Addison’s, and the fourth 
Steele’s ; and this last has so much of the’ 
Addisonian humour, that notiing but posi- 
tive evidence could have deprived him of the 
honour of being supposed the author of it: 
the same praise may be givén to No, 112, 
also by Steele. The sum of the account, 
however, is this: Sir Roger's adventures, 
opinions, and conversation, occur in twenty- 
six papers: of these Addison wrote fifteen, 
Steele seven, Budgell three, and ‘Tickell one; 
if, as is supposed, he was the author of the 
obnoxious No. 410. It must be observed 
too, that the widow-part of Sir Roger's his- 
tory was of Stecle’s providing, in No. 113, 
and 118. Addison, no doubt, attended to 
the /eep of Sir Roger's character, and Steele, 
with his usual candour, might follow a plan 
which he reckoned superior to his own; but 
it cannot be just to attribute the totality of 
the character either to the one or the other.” 
In December 1712, the Spectator hay™ 
ing been brought to the end of the se” 
venth volume, was for a time suspended. 
Steele retired from the editorship, and in 
March 1713 commenced a new daily ses 
ries of periodical essays, under the name 
of the Guardian. Of this paper 175 num- 
bers were published, 71 of which were 
written by the editor, and exhibit several 
specimens of his very best manner; 51 
came from the pen of Addison, and the 
remainder were furnished principally by 
Berkeley, Pope, and ‘Vickell. The politi- 
cal aspect of the times was now becom- 
ing very critical, and Steele being a man 
not only of warm feelings but of extra- 
vagant habits, quarrelled with his book- 
seller, abruptly términated the Guar- 
dian and immediately ‘commenced the 
Englishman, which, ‘from its political 
character, has been excludéd by Mr. 
Chalmers from this collection. “ Soon 
after Budgell, with the assistance of Ad- 
dison, resumed the Spectator, a plan in 
whichSteele appears to have had no share, 
Of this continuation only a single yo- 
lume was published, to which Addiscn 
contributed about a fourth part. 
The Hanoverian succession and rebel- 
lion of 1715, with its consequences, di- 
vided the nation into furious parties, and 
the advantages of addressing the pub- 
lic, through the medium of periodical es- 
says, being now well understood,,a mul-- 
titude of political works on this plan made 
their appearance, intermixed occasionally 
with observations on literature and man- 
ners: none of ‘them, however, obtained 
more than temporary celebrity. 
After a long. interval, appeared in 
March 1749 the first number of the Ran- 
bler, a work of very considerable intrin- 
sic merit, and displaying surprising vi- 
gour of mind in the author, especially 
when it is considered that the whole of 
the assistance received by him did not 
