Literary Journals. g 1 5 



that they united the plans of two or three eminent 

 writers, is to give them but a small part of their 

 due praise. They superadded literature and cri- 

 ticism, and sometimes towered far above their pre- 

 decessors, and taught, with great justness of argu- 

 ment, and dignity of language, the most important 

 duties and sublime truths. All these topics were 

 happily varied with elegant fictions and refined 

 allegories, and illuminated with different changes 

 of style and felicities of invention. It is said by 

 Addison, in a subsequent work, that they had a 

 perceptible influence upon the conversation of that 

 time, and taught the frolic and the gay to unite 

 merriment with decency; an effect which they 

 can never wholly lose while they continue to be 

 among the first books, by which both sexes are 

 initiated in the elegances of knowledge."' 



The Spectator had not been supported more 

 than eighteen months when it was discontinued. 

 The year after, viz. in 1713, the Guardian was 

 undertaken by the same Editor, assisted by the 

 gentlemen before mentioned, as well as by Mr. 

 Pope, Dr. Berkley, and others, and continued a 

 little more than six months, with nearly the same 

 respectability and success which had attended its 

 predecessor. It was natural for the excellence 

 and the reputation of those papers to produce 

 many imitations. Accordingly, for a number 

 of years afterwards, periodical papers were con- 

 tinually announced, and pursued for a little while, 

 under different names, and upon various plans; 

 but they were generally feeble when compared 

 with the noble models which had gone before 

 them, and seldom commanded the public atten- 

 tion for any length of time. Among these might 

 be enumerated the Free-Thinker, the Humourist, 



e Life of Addison. 



