and we parted very dryly; and I shall say nothing to Steele, and let them do as they will; but if things stand as they are he will certainly lose it unless I save him, and therefore I will not speak to him that I may not report to his disadvantage. Is not this vexatious? and is there so much in the proverb of proffered service? When shall I grow wise? I endeavour to act in the most exact points of honour and conscience, and my nearest friends will not understand it so." Later-on the 15th of December-he again alludes to the subject. "Lewis told me a pure thing. I had been hankering with Mr. Harley to save Steele his other employment, and have a little mercy on him, and I had been saying the same thing to Lewis, who is Mr. Harley's chief favourite. Lewis tells Mr. Harley how kindly I should take it if he would be reconciled to Steele, &c. Mr. Harley, on my account, falls in with it, and appoints Steele a time to let him attend him, which Steele accepts with great submission, but never comes, nor sends any excuse. Whether it was blundering, sullenness, or rancour of party, I cannot tell, but I shall trouble myself no more about him. I believe Addison hindered him out of mere spite, being grated to the soul to think he should ever want my help to save his friend." Such was Swift's story of the matter in 1710. Three years later, however, when political differences had widened the breach between Steele and himself, he published a pamphlet in which there was a less friendly account of the circumstances in dispute. Briefly it is as follows. Soon after the Sacheverell trial, Swift writes, Steele must needs corrupt his paper with politics, and libel Harley, who had made him Gazetteer. Hence, comments the Dean, when the new ministry came in, to avoid being dismissed he was forced to resign. It is also further alleged that when Steele, as a mere matter of form, tendered his thanks to Harley for his office, Harley gave the whole credit of the appointment to Arthur Mainwaring. Then Swift proceeds to say that Steele had complained to a gentleman of Harley's treatment, stating "he never had done Mr. Harley any injury, nor received any obligation from him." The gentleman (was the gentleman Swift himself?) thereupon produced the Tatler articles, of which Steele at once declared he was only the publisher, "for they had been sent him by other hands." This the gentleman considered "a very monstrous kind of excuse." To this remark Steele replied, "Well, I have libelled him, and he has turned me out, so we are equal." But neither would this be granted; and he was asked whether the place of Gazetteer were not an obligation? "No," said he, "not from Mr. Harley, for when I went to thank him, he forbad me, and said I must only thank Mr. Mainwaring." "It would be unwise," writes Mr. Dobson, who has carefully considered this question in his critical and interesting monograph on Steele,* "to attach too much importance to this statement, penned in all the bitterness of party feeling, and aggravated by personal irritation. But even from this it is possible to deduce certain conclusions by no means so unfavourable to Steele as his antagonist would have us to believe. If, as Swift says, Steele did not regard himself as indebted to Harley, it is difficult to fix upon him the charge of ingratitude, especially as tradition has, rightly or wrongly, associated his real benefactor Mainwaring with the offending utterances in the Tatler. His error, if error it were, lay in the negligence or want of judgment, which permitted the employment of a non-political paper for political purposes. But considering how he was surrounded by the opponents of Harley-by Addison, by Henley, by Halifax, by Sunderland, to the last of whom, as we have said, he probably owed his Commissionership of Stamps, it is easy to understand what pressure would be put upon him to harass a common enemy. As regards the backwardness to fall in with Swift's schemes, which Swift in his journal professes to regard as so disheartening, it seems even more capable of solution. Steele and Addison had not gone over, as Swift had, to the Tories, nor in the turn things had taken, were they inclined, after the fashion of some of their more time-serving colleagues, to cling to him like drowning men; † *English Worthies. Richard Steele. By Austin Dobson. "The Whigs were ravished to see me, and would lay hold on me as a twig while they are drowning." (Journal to Stella, Sept. 9th, 1710.) and although neither of them thought it necessary to come to open rupture with Swift the friend, it is most probable that both of them resented the patronising assistance, which at this moment may fairly be supposed to have been more than usually arrogant and exultant, of Swift the politician. With respect, also, to that famous visit to Harley which Steele never paid, it would seem that if he failed upon this occasion, he had at some later time an interview with the new Lord Treasurer, which, whether Swift knew of it or not, was wholly satisfactory in its results. For this he himself is the authority. 'When I had the honour of a short conversation with you, you were pleased not only to signify to me that I should remain in this office, but to add, that if I would name to you one of more value, which would be more commodious to me, you would favour me in it.' The proof that he remained in his Commissionership is furnished by a letter of the 4th June, 1713, containing the above extract, the object of which letter is the resignation of this very post. It appears therefore that Harley, who took from him the Gazetteer's place he had given him, refrained from taking from him the Commissionership he had not given him. That he did so without some tacit understanding is improbable. But whether it was definite or indefinite, whether it amounted to an armistice, or an armed neutrality, are things we may never know. What is clear is, the Tatler came to an end, and came to an end so suddenly that according to Swift-even Addison, whom he met on the very day of its decease, knew nothing of the matter-a rather incomprehensible statement, which is nevertheless confirmed by Steele himself." The sale of the Tatler, according to all accounts, was very extensive, and must have been a source of great emolument to Steele. The first four numbers were given gratis, and the price was then fixed at a penny, which was afterwards doubled. The size, folio, a half-sheet printed on both sides, deserved the character which an angry correspondent gave it when it first appeared, of " tobacco-paper and scurvy letter." The Tatlers, however, were afterwards collected in volumes, and reprinted in royal octavo and large letter at one guinea per volume. A numerous list of subscribers, "the greatest beauties and wits in the whole island of Great Britain," engaged to take the work at that then unprecedented price. These generous subscriptions were handsomely acknowledged by Steele. A. C. E. INTRODUCTORY. No. 1. TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 1709. [STEELE.] Quicquid agunt homines nostri est farrago libelli. Juv. Sat. i. 85, 86.* Whate'er men do, or say, or think, or dream, THOUGH the other papers, which are published for the use of the good people of England, have certainly very wholesome effects, and are laudable in their particular kinds, they do not seem to come up to the main design of such narrations, which, I humbly presume, should be principally intended for the use of politic persons, who are so public-spirited as to neglect their own affairs to look into transactions of state. Now these gentlemen, for the most part, being persons of strong zeal, and weak intellects, it is both a charitable and necessary work to offer something, whereby such worthy and well-affected members of the commonwealth may be instructed, after their reading, what to think; which shall be the end and purpose of this my paper, wherein I shall, from time to time, report and consider all matters of what kind soever that shall occur to me, and publish such my advices and reflections every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday in the week, for the convenience of the post. I resolve to have something which may be of entertainment to the fair sex, in honour of whom I have *This motto heads most of the earlier numbers of the Tatler. |