pushed by shoals."

The Chancellor of the Exchequer went to Addison's humble lodgings and
asked him to write a poem in honor of the battle. Addison took the
town by storm with a simile in which the great general was likened to
the calm angel of the whirlwind. When people reflected how calmly
Marlborough had directed the whirlwind of war, they thought that no
comparison could be more felicitous. From that time Addison's fortunes
rose. Since his day no man relying on literary talents alone has risen
so high in state affairs. He was made assistant Secretary of State,
Secretary for Ireland, and finally chief Secretary of State.

Though Addison was a prominent figure in the political world, it is
his literary life that most concerns us. In his prime he wrote for
_The Tatler_ and _The Spectator_, famous newspapers of Queen Anne's
day, many inimitable essays on contemporary life and manners. Most
newspaper work is soon forgotten, but these essays are read by the
most cultivated people of to-day. In his own age his most meritorious
production was thought to be the dull tragedy of _Cato_, a drama
observing the classical unities. Some of his _Hymns_ are much finer.
Lines like these, written of the stars, linger in our memories:--

"Forever singing as they shine,
The hand that made us is divine."

Addison had a singularly pleasing personality. Though he was a Whig,
the Tories admired and applauded him. He was a good illustration of
the truth that if one smiles in the mirror of the world, it will
answer him with a smile. Swift said he believed the English would have
made Addison king, if they had been requested to place him on the
throne. Pope's jealous nature prompted him to quarrel with Addison,
but the quarrel was chiefly on one side. Men like Macaulay and
Thackeray have exerted their powers to do justice to the kindliness
and integrity of Addison.

Addison died at the age of forty-seven, and was buried in Westminster
Abbey.

[Illustration: RICHARD STEELE.]

Collaborates with Steele.--Under the pen name of Isaac Bickerstaff,
Richard Steele (1672-1729), a former schoolmate and friend of Addison,
started in 1709 _The Tatler_, a periodical published three times a
week. This discussed matters of interest in society and politics, and
occasionally published an essay on morals and manners. Steele was a
good-natured, careless individual, with a varied experience as
soldier, playwright, moralist, keeper of the official gaze