I. Ceci est conlirmé par les vers suivants

\Vlicii firsl Ihc Tallcr to a Mute was turriM, Grcat liritain for lier Censor's Silence iiiouriiM ; l'iùbb'd of liis sprightly licaiiis, slic wcpl llie Niijlil, 'Till Ihe Spectator rose-, and blaz'd as Briglil.

So thc first Mail, Ihc Siix's lirst Setting view'd, And sigh'd, till circliii^ Day lus Joys reiiew'd; Vol donblful liuw llial Second Su.N to iiamc, Whether a Briglit Succcssor, or Ibe Same.

So vvc — but Now froiii tliis Siispcnce are frecd, Silice ail iniist own, wlio Butli wilh Judgiueiit read, 'Tis tlie Same Su.N, aiid does //imst'i/'siiccecd. '

(An Epigraiu of tlie Sprclalor, dans Thc Tunbridge- Miscellany, 171:2. Voy. ma Bibliographie, V Tunbridge.)

JOSEPH ADDISOM. 3-21

eflorcés de plaire à leurs contemporains en les flattant, et en encourageant leurs vices à la mode et leurs idées fausses. On aurait ri, il y a quelque temps, d'entendre déclarer qu'on pouvait dire quelque chose de spirituel à l'éloge du mariage, et que la religion et la vertu étaient en quoi que ce soit nécessaires à un honnne élégant. Bickerstafï a eu le courage de dire à notre beau monde qu'il était une collection de fats, de sots et de vaines coquettes; mais il l'a dit de manière à lui faire même plaisir, et à le rendre plus qu'à moitié enclin à croire qu'il lui disait vrai.

Au lieu de s'accommoder aux fausses idées et aux goùls vicieux du siècle en fait de morale, de littérature ou de savoir-vivre, il a hardiment assuré aux gens qu'ils avaient tout à fait tort, et leur a ordonné, avec une autorité qui lui seyait parfaitement bien, de se rendre à ses arguments en faveur de la vertu et du bon sens.

Il est impossible de s'imaginer l'effet que ses écrits ont eu sur la ville; combien de milliers de folies ils ont ou entièrement supprimées ou sérieusement tenues en échec; en quelle faveur ils ont mis la vertu et la religion; combien de gens ils ont rendus heureux en leur montrant que c'était leur propre faute s'ils ne l'étaient pas; et enfin combien ils ont entièrement convaincu nos fats et nos jeunes cervelles de la valeur et des avantages du savoir.

A vrai dire, Bickerstafï a tiré le savoir des mains des pédants et des sots, et a découvert le moyen de le rendre aimable et séduisant à tout le genre humain. Dans le costume oh il le présente, c'est un convive très bien accueilli aux tables à thé et aux réunions du monde, et il est apprécié et choyé par les négociants qui fréquentent la Bourse '.

Enfin ses écrits ont inspiré à tous nos beaux esprits et à tous nos auteui's une nouvelle manière de penser dont ils avaient auparavant fort peu ouiJas du tout l'idée; et bien que nous ne puissions pas dire qu'aucun tfenx s'est élevé jusqu'aux beautés de l'original, je pense qu'on peut sans témérité affirmer que chacun d'eux écrit et pense beaucoup mieux qu'il ne faisait il y a quelque temps-...

1. How long and iiappily ilid QUI haac Iriumph in tlic universal Love and Favoiir of liis Readcrs ? Tlic Grave, llie C.liearful, tlie Wise, tlie Wilty, Old, Younj;, Ricli, and Poor, ail Sorts, tliough never so opposite in Character, wliellicr l'.?aux or Bisliops, Uakos or .Mcn of Business, Coquets or Slatesmen, Wtiigs or Tories, AU werc eqiially liis Friends, and Ihouglit tlieir Tea in a Morniiigliad nol ils Taste willioul liini. (Cibbcr, A'imeîia, dédicace à Steele.)

i. Wliile tlie World was under the daily Correction and Authority of your Lucuhralioua ; tlicir Innucncc on tlic Publick was not more visible in any one Instance than llie sudden Iinprovementj(I miglit say Kefornialion) of the Stage tliat immediatcly follow'd theni : Frrfm wbcncc it is now apparent, Ihat many I*apers (wliicli tlic Grave and Sevcrc llicn thought were llnown away upon Ihat Subjcct) werc, in your speakiiig lo the Théâtre, slill advancing the sanie Work...; to the end Ihat, whcnevcr yoii thought fit lo be silcnt, the Stage, as you had aniended it, miglit, by a kind of subslitntcd Power, continue to Posterity your pcculiar manner of makiiig the Improvcuicnt of their Minds thcir public Diversion.

Nothing but a Genius so universally rcvcr'd could, with sucli Candour and

BKLGAMF.. 21

Un des motifs assignés à la disparition du Babillard était le manque de matière; et, à vrai dire, c'était là l'opinion dominante, lorsque nous avons tout d'un coup été surpris par un journal appelé le Spectateur, qu'on promettait de nous donner tous les jours, et qui était écrit d'un style si excellent, avec un jugement si délicat et une telle abondance d'esprit et d'humour, qu'il n'était pas difficile de juger qu'il ne pouvait venir que des auteurs qui avaient écrit les « Élucubratious »

Quelques-uns des juges les plus compétents paraissent penser qu'en général les Spectateurs ont jusqu'ici éclipsé même les meilleurs Babillards... »

Plus loin le même écrit parle du Spectateur comme d'un « bienfait public *. >

Penetralion, hâve pointed ont its Faults and Misconduct, and so effectually hâve redeem'd its Uses and Excellence from Préjudice and Dis-favour. How oflcn hâve we known the most excellent Audiences drawn together ai a Day's Warning, by Ihe Influence or Warrant of a single Tatler, in a Season wlien our best Endcavours without it could not defray the Charge of the Performance? This powerful and innocent Artifice soon recover'd us into Fashion, and spiriled us up, to think such newFavour of our Auditors worthy of our utmost Industry; and 'lis to that Industry, so instructed, the Stage now owes its Picputation and Prosperity. (Cibber, dédicace de Ximena.)

1. ... His disappearing seem'd to be bewailed as some gênerai Calamily, evcry one wanted so agreeable an Amusement, and the Coffee-houses bcgan to be sensible, that the Esquires Lucubrations alone, had brought them more Customers, than ail their othcr News Papers put together.

It must, indeed, be confess'd, Ihat never Man threw up his Pen under Stronger Temptations to bave employed it longer; His Réputation was at a greater height than, I believe, cver any living Author's was beforc him.. Every one read him wilh Pleasure and Good-Will ; and Ihe Tories, in respect to his other Good Qualilies, had almost forgiven his unaccountablc Imprudence in dcclaring against them. Lastly, it was higlily improbable, tliat il ho threw off a Cliaracter, the Ideas of which were so strongly impress'd in evcry one's mind, however fiiiely he might write in any new form, that be should meet with the same réception.

To give you my own tlioughls of this Gentleman's Writings, I shall, in the first place, observe, that there is this noble diflerence between him and ail the rcst of our Polite and Gallant Authors : The lattor bave endeavour'd to plcase Ihe Age by falling in with them, and incouraging them in tlieir fashional)lc Vices, and false notions of tliings. It would liavebecn ajcst, soinctime since, for a Man to bave assertcd, that anylhing Witty could be said in praise of Ihc Marry'd State; or that Dévotion and Virtue were in any way nccessary to llic Cliaracter of a fine Gentleman. Dickersta/f vcntur'd to tell lIieTown, that lli.'y were a parcel of Fops, Fools and vain Cocquots ; lint in such a manner, as cven plcased tliem, and madc tliem more than half cndin'd to belicvc that hc spoke Truth.

Instead ofcomplying willi liie false Sentiments, or Vicious tasts of the Age, either in Morality, Criticism, or Good Breeding, lie bas boldly assur'd them, that they were altogether in the wrong, and commanded tliem, with

.ÎOSEPH ADDISON. 323

Un continuateur du Babillard disait que ses « élucubralions avaient fait plus de bien que tous les traités moraux qui eussent jamais été écrits en anglais* ». Un poète anonyme écrivait en 1712 que la jeunesse et la vieillesse étaient rendues

an Aulliority, wliich perfectly well bccanic him, to surrender thcmsolves to his Arguments, for Vertue and good Sensé.

'Tis incrcdible to conceivc the effcct his Writings hâve had on the Town; How many Thousand follies they hâve either quite banish'd, or given a very great clieck to ; how much Countenance they hâve added to Vertue and Religion; how many People they havc render'd happy, by shewingthcm it was their own fault if they werc not so; and lastly, how intirely they hâve convinc'd our Fops and Young Fellows of the value and advantagcs oi Learning.

He lias indeed rescucd it ont of the hands of Pédants and Fools, and discover'd the true method of making it amiable and lovcly to ail mankind : In the dress he gives it, 'lis a most welcome guest at Tea-Tablcs and Assemblies, and is relish'd and carcssed by the Merchants on the Change;...

Lastly, His Writings hâve set ail our Wits and Men of Letters upon a new way of Thinking, of which they had little or no Notion beforc ; and tho' wc cannot yet say that any of them bave corne up to the Beauties of the Original, I think we may venture to affirm, that every one of them Writes and Thinks much more justly than they did some time since...

You may rcmember I told you bcfore that one Cause assign'd for the laying down the Tatler was want of Matter; and, indeed this was the prevailing Opinion in Town, wlien we were Surpris'd ail at once by a Paper called The Spedator, which was promised to be continued every day, and was writ in so excellent a Stile, with so nice a Judgment, and such a noble profusion of Wit and Humour, that it was not difficult to détermine it could come from no other hands but Ihose which had pcnn'd the Lucubrations...

Mean while, The Spedator... is in every one's Hand, and a constant Topic for our Morning Conversation at Tea-Tables and Coffee-Houses. We had at first, indeed, no manncr of Notion how a Diurnal Paper could be continu'd in the Spirit and Slile of our présent Spedator.^; but to our no small Surprise, we find them still rising upon us, and can only wondcr from wlienrc so Prodigious a Run of Wit and Learning can procced; since some of our best Judges scem to liiink tliat llicy hâve hitherto, iu gênerai, out-shonc even the Esquires first Tallers. Most People Fancy, from tlicir frequency, that they must be eompos'd by a Society ; I, with ail, Assign the first Places to Mr. Sleele and His Friend...

Mean timc, ail our unbyassed well-wishers to Learning arc in hopes, tljat the known Tempcr and Prudence of one of thèse Gentlemen, will hindcr the other from ever lasiiing out into Party, and rcnd'ring that wit, which is at présent a Common Good, Odious and Ungratcful to the botter part of the Nation. (Gay i?|, Tha Présent State ofWit, signe J. G.).

1. ... A Gentleman who bas so cmiriently obliged the Puhlick, and whose Lucubrations iiave donc more Good than ail tiie Moral Discourscs tiiat were cvcr Writtcn in our longue. (The Tatler, with the Ciiaractcr of Mr. Stcele, alias, Isaac Didcersla/f E&q. n" 272. From Tuesdaij Januanj 2. to Thursday Januarij A. 1711. Ce numéro est relié à la suite du Babillard dans l'exemplaire du Drilish Muséum.)