return. This will convince you how little I am an ingrate; for I believe you will allow, no one that is fo mean as to be forgetful of kindneffes, ever fails in returning injuries. As for the verfes you quote of mine *, they are still my opi nion; and your fex, as well as your quality of a gentlewoman (a justice you would not do my birth and education), fhall always preserve you against the pen of your provoked most humble servant,

RICH. STEELE,

LETTER

CCCLXXXIV †.

TO Mrs. MARY STEELE,

The tender mother,

The fond wife,

The prudent miftrefs,

The frugal housekeeper,
The chearful companion,
The happy flave to

Her powerful husband,

RICHARD STEELE.

* The verses of STEELE here alluded to, according to Mrs. Manley's account of them, are as follows:

66

Against a woman's wit 'tis full as low,

"Your malice as your bravery to fhew."

This infcriptive epiftle feems to have been Steele's first thought for a dedication to his " Lady's Library." He afterwards elegantly enlarged it, in an admirable letter, which is printed in the fecond volume, p. 419. In the "Theatre," N XII. Steele laments the lofs of her as the best woman that ever man had, and fays, that the frequently lamented and pined at his neglect of himself.

ADDITIONAL NOTES.

P. 24. Letter XXV. is mis-directed; and should be addreffed "To Mrs. Steele." See, on this head, a correction in p. 33. — Letter XXVI. is directed " To Mrs. Scurlock, at her Lodgings, "Carmarthen, South Wales." Mrs. Scurlock the younger, afterwards Lady Steele, appears to have been coy, rather a prude, and unwilling to let it be known that Steele did not fue her ladyfhip long time in vain. She certainly was defirous to prolong the time of the courtship, which was wondrous short, not exceeding, so far as I can find, the space of one short month. Let it however be remembered, that this difdainful, capricious beauty was befieged by a master of the art of love, and at the time, as the teftifies, as agreeable and pleasant a man as any in England. See p. 269.

P. 30, 31. All the letters in these two pages should have been directed "To Mrs. Steele ;" and Letter XXXVIII. is, "To "Mrs. Steele, at Mrs. Scurlock's, laft houfe, right hand, in "Swallow Street."

P. 35. Letter XXXIV. is directed "To Mrs. Steele, at her "house, third door from German Street, left hand, in Berry "Street."

P. 44. Letter LXI. is addreffed "To Mrs. Steele, at her "houfe in The Wick, near Hampton Court." Steele was still at this houfe " April 7, 1711;" when he addreffed Lord Halifax "from the Hovel at Hampton Wick." This adds fome degree of credibility to the relation given by Victor; and makes it probable, that when Steele fays, in one of these letters (p. 46), that he had paid Addifon his 1000l. he might mean that he had given him a bond and judgment on that house and its furniture, as his fecurity for the payment of it; it may be in a twelvemonth; and poffibly Addison might wait for three or four years before he entered up his execution.

P. 49. Letter LXIX. is directed "To Mrs. Steele, at her "house in Hampton Wick, with ten pounds, carriage paid is." P. 57. Letter LXXXIV. is directed “To Mrs. Steele, at "Mrs. Hardreffe's houfe, in Kensington Square."

P. 83, laft note, for "first child” read " second child.”

P. 90. Prince Eugene, who was at Court in January 1711-12, honoured Steele about that time by standing godfather to his fecond fon, Eugene. See p. 222.

P. 99. Letter CLXXVII. feems to allude to his refignation of the place of a Commiffioner of the Stamp-office, fee vol. II. p. 371. It was just after this period that Addifon faid of him, in a letter to Mr. Hughes (Oct. 12, 1713), “I am in a thousand "troubles for poor Dick, and with that his zeal for the publick may not be ruinous to himself; but he has fent me word, that "he is determined to go on; and that any advice I can give him "in this particular will have no weight with him." Mr. Addifon, as the event fhewed, was too true a prophet.

P. 104, note, l. 7, read, “ Mr. Auditor Foley, Mr. Auditor 66 Harley," &c.-Mr. Pope, in a letter to Congreve, March 19, 1713-14, fays, "Yefterday Mr. Steele's affair was decided. I "am forry I can be of no other opinion than you, as to his "whole carriage and writings of late. But certainly he has not "only been punished by others, but fuffered much even from his "own party, in the point of character, nor (I believe) received 6 any amends in that of intereft, as yet; whatever may be his "profpects in future. This gentleman, among a thousand others, "is a great inftance of the fate of all who are carried away by party-spirit, of any fide. I with all violence may fucceed as "ill; but am really amazed that fo much of that four and per"nicious quality should be joined with fo much natural good"humour as I think Mr. Steele is possessed of."-In "The Poft"Boy," April 27, 1714, is advertised as just published, “John "Dennis the sheltering Poet's Invitation to R. Steele, the ex"cluded Party-Writer and Member, to come and live with him

in The Mint. In Imitation of Horace, Ep. V. Lib. I. Price "3d. Fit to be bound up with the Crifis." This is preserved in the "Supplement to Swift's Works."

P. 123. In 1716 Steele was appointed one of the Commiffioners for enquiring into the estates forfeited by the then late rebellion in Scotland. This carried him into that part of the united kingdom, where, how unwelcome a guest foever he might be to the generality, yet he received from feveral of the nobility and gentry the most diftinguishing marks of refpect, infomuch that he began to turn his thoughts upon the much-to-be desired, but hopclefs, project of perfecting the Union between the two king

doms,

doms, by extending it to the policy of Church as well as State. In this view he had frequent conversations with some of the Prefbyterian Minifters concerning the restoration of Epifcopacy, the ancient church-government of that nation; and often lamented this divifion in the ecclefiaftical administration, which ftill ferves to maintain a kind of alienation between the people. Sir Richard wifhed well to the interefts of Religion; and as he imagined that Union would promote it, he had fome thoughts of propofing it at Court; but that, as was likely, proved abortive.

Among thefe Scotch Minifters was one Hart, with whom Sir Richard commenced a friendship, and afterwards honoured him with his correfpondence. This Hart he use to ftile "the Hangman of the Gofpel;" for though he was a facetious, goodnatured man, yet he had fallen into a peculiar way of preaching what he called "the Terrors of the Law," and denounced anathemas from the pulpit without referve.-Our Knight also, during his ftay in Scotland, indulged his genius in fearching into the humours of low life; in which view he prepared a fplendid feaft at Edinburgh, and ordered his fervants to pick up all the beggars and poor people they could find in the freets for their guefts. The fervants obeyed, and Sir Richard foon faw himself at the head of forty or fifty beggars, together with fome poor de. cayed tradefmen. After dinner he plied them with punch and wine; and when the frolic was ended, he declared, that befides the pleasure of filling fo many empty bellies, he had learned hu. mour enough to make a good Comedy. (Shiels's Lives of the Poets, vol. IV. p. 118.)

END OF THE FIRST VOLUME.