they do not feem to come up to the main defign of fuch narrations, which, I humbly prefume, fhould be principally intended for the use of politic perfons, who are fo public-spirited

which Swift affected to conceal, and would not disclose to his moft intimate companions.

Confidering what is faid in Steele's dedication of The Drummer to Congreve, we may well admit in its greatest latitude the teftimony of Mr. Thomas Tickell, who has left it on record, that Steele began and concluded the Tatler without the concurrence of Addifon. The great obligations of this work to that writer are acknowledged with ample and generous juftice, in the fine-turned compliments paid to him by Steele, in the preface above mentioned. We know likewife, on Steele's authority, that these papers contain many of Addifon's pleasantries and oblique ftrokes, which would never have come into day-light but under the fhelter of Bickerstaff's name, or, to speak more properly, if that prudent man could not have relied entirely on the inviolable friendship and fecrecy of Bickerstaff's creator, who fuffered himself patiently to be traduced and calumniated for them. Addifon was unquestionably an able, an useful, and the principal auxiliary; but this Annotator thinks it needless to make any apology for his having confidered Steele, throughout the whole courfe of these elegant writings, as the rightful chief and head of the STAFFS. It was Steele, who firft enlifted Addifon, and all the worthies of the Staffian-family, in the entertainment and fervice of their country. It was he, whofe fruitful genius and unbounded philanthropy contrived to incorporate them into a moft beneficial fociety, endowed them with advantages never thought of before, and directed and fupported them with addrefs and ability, in the promotion of knowledge and tafte, of virtue and religion. He it certainly was, who by his own unremitted exertions, and at his own expence and perfonal hazard, for a courfe of years rendered them fignally ferviceable to their contemporaries, and fpecial. benefactors to their pofterity, as they continue to be at this day; when their writings are ftill likely to be, while our language remains, among the first books by which both fexes are initiated in the elegancies of knowledge.'

as to neglect their own affairs to look into tranfactions of state. Now thefe gentlemen, for the most part, being perfons of strong zeal, and weak intellects, it is both a charitable and neceffary work to offer fomething, whereby fuch worthy and well-affected members of the commonwealth may be inftructed, after their reading, what to think; which fhall be the end and purpose of this my paper, wherein I fhall, from time to time, report and confider all matters of what kind foever that fhall occur to me, and publifh fuch my advices and reflections every Tuesday, Thurfday, and Saturday in the week, for the convenience of the post. I refolve to have fomething which may be of entertainment to the fair fex, in honour of whom I have invented the title of this paper. I therefore earnestly defire all perfons, without dif tinction, to take it in for the present gratis, and

Even with regard to the many excellent performances in the course of these papers, of which Steele was not himself the author, as they would not have feen the light but by the means of his contrivance and publications, and his zeal and addrefs in conducting them, the public was then and is now indebted to him for their benefits; and whatever Steele might owe to Addifon, and other writers, whom he probably paid, and overpaid with his usual ge. nerofity, certainly we owe to Steele what was originally written by Addifon and them. Dr. Johnfon's pleafing obfervations on this work it would be improper to tranfcribe, and unpleasant to cenfure. The reader may confult the doctor's inftructive and entertaining account in his Life of Addifon. A general reference to it is all that is neceffary here; fome few little miftakes and inaccuracies in it, fo far as the illuftration of thefe papers renders it requifite, will be fufficiently obviated, as occafions ferve, in the courfe of the following notes.

taken. Original T.

hereafter at the price of one penny, forbidding all Hawkers to take more for it at their peril. And I defire all perfons to consider, that I am at a very great charge for proper materials for this work, as well as that, before I refolved upon it, I had settled a correfpondence in all parts of the known and knowing world. And forafmuch as this globe is not trodden upon by mere drudges of business only, but that men of spirit and genius are justly to be esteemed as confiderable agents in it, we fhall not, upon a dearth of news, prefent you with musty foreign edicts, or dull proclamations, but shall divide our relation of the paffages which occur in action or discourse throughout this town, as well as elfewhere, under fuch dates of places as may prepare you for the matter you are to expect in the following manner.

All accounts of gallantry, pleasure, and entertainment, fhall be under the article of White's Chocolate-houfe; poetry, under that of Will's Coffee-house"; Learning, under the

White's Chocolate-house was then lower down in St. James's-street than at present, and on the other fide. d' Will's Coffee-house was on the North fide of Ruffelstreet in Covent Garden, where the wits of that time ufed to affemble, and where Dryden had, when he lived, been accustomed to prefide. Johnfon's Lives,' &c. vol. IV. p. 15, 8vo ed. 1781. And where, it may be added, he was once feverely cudgelled. Wood, Ath. Oxon. II. p. 804.

6

Mr. Dryden étoit tous les jours dans ce caffé, ou il fe rendoit un nombre confiderable de gens d'epée poëtes & beaux efprits. Cet auteur parloit-là fort librement de fes ouvrages & de ceux d'autrui. Dans fes difcours & dans fes ecrits il affectoit un grand mepris pour les poëtes François, qu'il pilloit néanmoins impitoiablement.' Le Babillard.

title of Grecian; foreign and domestic news, you will have from St. James's Coffee-house; and what else I have to offer on any other fubject fhall be dated from my own Apart

ment,

f

"I once more defire my reader to confider, that as I cannot keep an ingenious man to go daily to Will's under two-pence each day, merely for his charges; to White's under fixpence; nor to the Grecian, without allowing him fome plain Spanish, to be as able as others at the learned table; and that a good obferver cannot speak with even Kidney at St. James's without clean linen; I fay, thefe confiderations will, I hope, make all perfons willing to comply with my humble requeft (when my gratis ftock is exhaufted) of a penny apiece; efpecially fince they are sure of fome proper amusement, and that it is impoffible for me to want means to entertain them, having, befides the force of my own parts, the power of divination, and that I can, by cafting a figure, tell you all that will happen before it comes to pass.

But this laft faculty I fhall use very sparingly, and speak but of few things until they

* The Grecian was, and ftill is, in Devereux-court in the Strand; probably the most antient coffee-house in or about London. In 1652 an English Turkey-merchant brought home with him a Greek fervant, who firft opened a houfe for making and felling coffee,

f Kidney was one of the waiters at St. James's Coffeehoufe. See p. 11; and N° 10, N° 26, &c.

Not speak of any thing till it is paffed. Original T.

are paffed, for fear of divulging matters which offend our fuperiors'.'

may

White's Chocolate-house, April 7.

The deplorable condition of a very pretty gentleman, who walks here at the hours when men of quality first appear, is what is very much lamented. His history is, That, on the ninth of September, 1705, being in his oneand-twentieth year, he was wathing his teeth at a tavern window in Pall Mall, when a fine equipage paffed by, and in it a young lady who looked up at him; away goes the coach, and the young gentleman pulled off his night-cap, and inftead of rubbing his gums, as he ought to do, out of the window until about four of the clock, fits him down, and spoke not a word until twelve at night; after which he began to enquire if any body knew the lady? The company asked what lady? but he said no more, until they broke up at fix in the morning. All the enfuing winter he went from church to church every Sunday, and from play-house to play-house every night in the week; but could never find the original of the picture which

h In juftice to Steele, it ought to be obferved here, that no undue selfishnefs, or fear of offending fuperiors, ever reftrained him from fpeaking and publishing freely, when he conceived it to be his duty. See Guardian, No 53, paffim, which contains a fpirited and unanswerable apology for fome parts of Steele's conduct and writings. Alas!' fays he, what is there in all the gratifications of fenfe, the accommodations of vanity, or any thing that fortune can give to please a human foul, when they are put in competition with the interests of truth and liberty?' &c. Ibidem.

The fame introduction was prefixed to No 2, and No 3.