ever equalled him; and perhaps none ever excelled him -in touching the passions, particularly that of love.

But though Otway possessed, in so eminent a degree, the rare talent of writing to the heart, yet he was not very favourably regarded by some of his contemporary poets; nor was he always successful in his dramatic composi tious. After experiencing many reverses of fortune, in regard to his circumstances, but generally changing for the worse, he at last died wretchedly in a public house on Tower-Hill, April 14, 1685, whither he had retired to avoid the pressure of his creditors. Some have said, that hunger compelling him to fall too eagerly upon a piece of bread, of which he had been some time in want, the first mouthful choaked him, and instantly put a period to his days,

SIR RICHARD STEELE

Was born about the year 1677, in Ireland, in which kingdom one branch of the family was possessed of a considerable estate in the county of Wexford. His father, a counsellor at law in Dublin, was private secretary to James Duke of Ormond, but he was of English extraction, and his son, while very young, being carried to London, he put him to school at the Charter-house, whence he was removed to Merton College, in Oxford, where he was admitted a post-master in 1692. His inclination and genius being turned to polite literature, he commenced author during his residence in the university, and actually finished a comedy; which, however, he thought fit to suppress, as unworthy of his genius. Mr. Steele was well-beloyed and respected by the whole society, and had a good interest with them after he left the university, which he did without taking any degree, in the full resolution to enter into the ariny. This step was highly displeasing to his friends; but the ardour of his passion for a military life rendered him deaf to any other proposal. Not being able to procure a better station, he entered as a private gentleman in the horse-guards, notwithstanding he thereby lost the succession to his Irish estate. However, as he had a flow of good nature, a generous openness and frankness of spirit, and a sparkling vivacity of wit, these qualities rendered him the delight of the soldiery, and procured him an ensign's commis

sion in the guards. In the mean time, as he had made choice of a profession which set him free from all the ordinary restraints on youth, he spared not to indulge his inclinations in the wildest excesses. Yet his gaieties and revels did not pass without some cool hours of reflection, and in these it was that he drew up his little treatise, entitled The Christian Hero, with a design, if we may believe himself, to be a check upon his passions. For this use and purpose it had lain some time by him, when he printed it in 1701, with a dedication to Lord Cutts, who had not only appointed him his private secretary, but procured for him a company in Lord Lucas's regiment of fusileers. The whole plan and tenour of our author's book was such a flat contradiction to the general course of his life, that it became a subject of much mirth and raillery but these shafts had no effect; he persevered invariably in the same contradiction, and, though he had no power to change his heart, yet his pen was never prostituted to his follies. Under the influence of that good sense, he wrote his first play, which procured him the regard of King William, who resolved to give him some essential marks of his favour; and though, upon that Prince's death, his hopes were disappointed, yet, in the beginning of Queen Anne's reign, he was appointed to the profitable place of Gazetteer. He owed this post to the friendship of Lord Halifax, and the Earl of Sunderland, to whom he had been recommended by his school-fellow, Mr. Addison. That gentleman also lent him an helping hand in promoting the comedy, called The Tender Husband, which was acted in 1704, with great success. But his next play, The Lying Lover, found a very different fate. Upon this rebuff from the stage, he turned the same humourous current into another channel; and, early in the year 1709, he began to publish The Tatler; which admirable paper was undertaken in concert with Dr. Swift. His reputation was perfectly established by this work; and, during the course of it, he was made a commissioner of the stamp-duties, in 1710. Upon the change of the ministry the same year, he sided with the Duke of Marlborough, who had several years entertained a friendship for him; and, upon his Grace's dismission from all employments, in 1711, Mr. Steele addressed a letter of thanks to him for the services done to his country. However, as our author still continued to hold his place in the stampoffice under the new administration, he forbore entering

with his pen upon political subjects. But, adhering more closely to Mr. Addison, he dropped The Tatler; and afterwards, by the assistance chiefly of that steady friend, he carried on the same plan, under the title of The Spectator. The success of this paper was equal to that of the former, which encouraged him, before the close of it, to proceed upon the same design in the character of The -Guardian. This was opened in the beginning of the -year 1713, and was laid down in October the same year. But, in the course of it, his thoughts took a stronger turn to politics; he engaged with great warmth against the ministry, and, being determined to prosecute his views that way, by procuring a seat in the House of Commons, he immediately removed all obstacles thereto. For that purpose, he took care to prevent a forcible dismission from his post in the stamp-office, by a tinely resignation of it to the Earl of Oxford; and, at the same time, gave up a pension, which had been, till this time, paid him by the Queen, as a servant to the late Prince George of Denmark. This done, he wrote the famous Guardian, upon the demolition of Dunkirk, which was published August 7, 1713; and the parliament being dissolved the next day, the Guardian was soon followed by several other warm polilical tracts against the administration. Upon the meeting of the new parliament, Mr. Steele having been returned a member for the borough of Stockbridge, in Dorsetshire, took his seat accordingly in the House of Commons, but was expelled thence in a few days after, for writing several seditious and scandalous libels, as he had been indeed forewarned by the author of a periodical paper, called The Examiner. Presently after his expulsion, he published proposals for writing the History of the Duke of Marlborough. At the same time he also wrote The Spinster; and set up a paper, called The Reader. He also, continued publishing several other things in the same spirit, until the death of the Queen. Immediately after which, as a reward for these services, he was taken into favour by her successor to the throne, King George I. and appointed Surveyor to the royal Stables of Hampton-Court, and put into the commission of the peace in the county of Middlesex; aud, having procured a licence for chief manager of the royal company of comedians, he easily obtained it to be changed the same year, 1714, into a patent from his Majesty, appointing him Governor of the said Company during his