, the first of a class of writers called the British Essayists, which
, the first of a class of writers
called the British Essayists, which is peculiar to this
country, was born at Dublin in 1671. Mis family, of
English extraction, was genteel. His father, who was a
counsellor at law, and private secretary to James, the first
duke of Ormond, sent his son, then very young, to London, where he was placed in the Charter-house by the
duke, who was one of the governors of that seminary.
From thence he was removed to Merton college, Oxford,
and admitted a postmaster in 1691. In 1695 he wrote a
poem on the funeral of queen Mary, entitled the “Procession.
” His inclination leading him to the army, he rode
for some time privately in the guards. He became an
author first, as he tells us himself, when an ensign of the
guards, a way of life exposed to much irregularity; and,
emg thoroughly convinced of many things, of which he
often repented, and which he more often repeated, he
wrote for his own private use a little book called “The
Christian Hero,
” with a design principally to fix upon his
own mind a strong impression of virtue and religion, in
opposition to a stronger propensity towards unwarrantable
pleasures. This secret admonition was too weak; and
therefore, in 1701, he printed the book with his name, in
hopes that a standing testimony against himself, and the
eyes of the world upon him in a new light, might curb his
desires, and make him ashamed of understanding and
seeming to feel what was virtuous, and yet of living so
contrary a life. This, he tells us, had no other effect, but
that, from being thought a good companion, he was soou
reckoned a disagreeable fellow. One or two of his acquaintance thought fit to misuse him, and try their valour
upon him; and every body, he knew, measured the least
levity in his words or actions with the character of “The
Christian Hero.
” Thus he found himself slighted, instead
of being encouraged, for his declarations as to religion; so
that he thought it incumbent upon him to enliven his character. For this purpose he wrote the comedy, called
u The Funeral, or Grief a- la- Mode,“which was acted in
1702; and as nothing at that time made a man more a
favourite with the public than a successful play, this, with
some other particulars enlarged upon to -advantage, obtained the notice of the king; and his name, to be proTided for, was, he says, in the last table-book ever worn
by the glorious and immortal William the Third.
He had before this obtained a captain’s commission in
lord Lucas’s regiment of fusileers, by the interest of lord
Cutts, to whom he had dedicated his
” Christian Hero,“and who likewise appointed him his secretary. His next
appearance as a writer, as he himself informs us, was in the
office of Gazetteer; where he worked faithfully, according
to order, without ever erring, he says, against the rule
observed by all ministries, to keep that paper very innocent and very insipid. He received this appointment in
consequence of being introduced by Addison to the acquaintance of the earls of Halifax and Sunderland. With
Addison he had become acquainted at the Charter-house.
His next productions were comedies;
” The Tender Husband“being acted in 1703, and
” The Lying Lover“in 1704. In 1709 he began
” The Taller;“the first
number of which was published April 12, 1709, and the
last Jan. 2, 1711. This paper greatly increased his reputation and interest; and he was soon after made one of the
commissioners of the Stamp-office. Upon laying down
” The Tatler,“he b'egan, in concert with Addison,
” The
Spectator,“which began to be published March 1, 1711
after that,
” The Guardian,“the first paper of which
came out March 12, 1713; and then,
” The Englishman,“the first number of which appeared Oct. 6, the same year.
Besides these works, he wrote several political pieces,
which were afterwards collected, and published under the
title of
” Political Writings," 1715, 12mo. Oneofthes6
will require to be mentioned particularly, because it was
attended with remarkable consequences relating to himself.