THE Addifonian Mifcellany. BEING A Selection of Valuable Pieces, from those justly Celebrated and Classic Works, the PRINTED FOR JOSEPH BUMSTEAD. adi SOLD BY HIM AT NO. 20, UNION-STREET: - BY THOMAS AND ANDREWS, NEWBURY-STREET, BI E.AND 1801. 270. g. by3. THE LIFE OF JOSEPH ADDISON, ESOF T HE justly admired Addison, was born May 1st, 1672, at Milton in Wiltshire, England, where his father Dr. Lancelot Addison was rector. Addison is supposed by some writers, to have produced upwards of a fourth part of the Spectator and Guardian, besides feveral other works of merit. He was appointed secretary to the regency on the death of queen Anne; being required to fend notice to Hanover, of that circumstance, and that the throne was vacant. To do this would not have been difficult to any man but Addison, who was so distracted by a choice of expression, on this occasion, that the lords, who could not wait for the niceties of criticism, called Mr. Southwell, a clerk in the house, and ordered him to dispatch the message. Southwell readi ly told what was neceffary, in the common stile of bu finess, and boasted his having done what appeared too hard for Addifon. In 1716, he married the countess dowager of Warwick. He is said to have firit become acquainted with this lady, when he was tutor to her fon. It is reported, that his marriage did not add much to his happiness; the countess always remembered her rank, and treated the former tutor of her fon with but little ceremony. It is well known, that Mr. Addifon hath left behind him no inducement to ambitious matches. He was made fecretary of state, in 1717; but it is generally allowed that he was. not well calculated for that station; being no orator, he could not harangue in the house of commons in defence of the government. He foon relinquished this office, and obtained a penfion of 1500l per annum. Dr. Samuel Johnson's admirable delineation of the character of Addifon, concludes thus, "He employed wit on the side of virtue and religion; he not only made the proper use of wit himself, but taught it to others; and from his time it has been generally fubfervient to the cause of reafon and truth. He has difsipated the prejudices that had long connected gaiety with vice, and easiness of manners with laxity of principles. He has restored virtue to its dignity, and taught innocence not to be ashamed. This is an elevation of literary character, above all "Greek, above all Roman name." No greater felicity can genius attain than that of having purified intellectual pleasure, feparated mirth from indecency, and wit from licentiousness; of having taught a fucceffion of writers to bring elegance and gaiety to the aid of goodness; and if I may use expreffions yet more awful, of having "turned many to righteousness." "As a teacher of wifdom he may be confidently followed his religion has nothing in it enthusiastic or fuperftitious; he appears neither weakly credulous, nor wantonly sceptical; his morality is neither dangeroufly lax, not impractically rigid." Addison, has given abundant proof of his firm belief of Chriftianity, and his zeal against unbelievers, in his evidences of the Chriftian religion. "Let it be fuppofed, fays he, that a heathen philofopher, who flourished within fixty years of our Saviour's crucifixion, after having thewn that falfe miracles were generally wrought in obscurity, and before few or no witneffes, treating on the miracles of Chrift, should have thus expressed himself?" "But the works of Christ were always feen true; they were feen by those who were healed, and those who were raifed from the dead. Many of the perfons who were thus healed and raised, were feen, not only at the time the miracles were wrought on them, but many years aftewards. They were seen while Christ was upon earth, and after his afcenfion; nay, fome of them were living in our da,s!" "I am confident you would regard such a teftimony as highly favourable to Christianity. But this evidence, in fact, we have in behalf of our religion; for these were the words of Quadratus, an Athenian philofopher, who lived at the period above mentioned. But a convert, you fay, to Chriftianity! Reflect a moment. Does not this very circumstance give efficary to his attestation? Had he continued a Pagan philofopher, the world would have doubted the fincerity of his relation. But he had so thoroughly examined our Saviour's hiftory, and the excellence of the religion he taught; and was so perfectly convinced of the truth of both, that he became a proselyte to the Chriftian faith, and to it died a martyr*." Addison's writings on religious subjects certainly discover a folid and pious frame of mind; and his general conduct through life gives us a convincing proof, that what he wrote were the genuine feelings of his heart. But his virtue shone out brightest at his death; for, after a long and manly, but wain ftruggle with his distempers, (the asthma and dropsy) he dismissed his physicians, and with them all hopes of life; but did not dismiss his concern for the living; having fent for the young Earl of Warwick who was nearly related to him; upon this nobleman's arrival he was almost gone; young Warwick, thus addressed him: "Dear Sir, you sept for me; I believe, and hope, you have fome commands; I shall hold them most dear." May Aftant ages not only Evidences, p. 21. |