eased with thinking the Providence of
the Almighty hath sufficient Blessings in store for him, and will
certainly discharge the Debt, though I am not made the happy
Instrument of doing it.

'However, nothing in my power shall be wanting to shew my Gratitude; I
will make it the Business of my Life to thank him, and shall esteem
(next to him) those my best Friends, who give me greatest Assistance
in this good Work. Printing this Letter would be some little Instance
of my Gratitude; and your Favour herein will very much oblige

_Your most humble Servant, &c._

W. C.

Nov. 24th.

T.

[Footnote 1: _Ximena_, or the _Heroic Daughter_, a Tragedy taken from
the _Cid_ of Corneille, by Colley Gibber. The play was not published
until after Steele's pamphlet, 'The Crisis,' had exposed him to
political and (as it necessarily followed in those days) personal
detraction. Cibber then dedicated his play to Steele, referring to the
custom of his calumniators, since they could not deny his literary
services, to transfer all the merit of them to Addison, upon whom he had
so generously heaped more than the half of his own fame, and said:

"Your Enemies therefore, thus knowing that your own consent had partly
justified their insinuations, saved a great deal of their malice from
being ridiculous, and fairly left you to apply to such your singular
conduct what Mark Antony says of Octavius in the play:

'Fool that I was! upon my Eagle's wings
I bore this Wren, 'till I was tired with soaring,
And now, he mounts above me.'"

True-hearted Steele never read his relation to his friend in this
fashion. With how fine a disregard of conventional dignity is the latter
part of this paper given by Steele to the kind effort to help in setting
a fallen man upon his legs again!]

[Footnote 2: See No. 248. To this Mr. Moreton was addressed the letter
signed W. S., from Sir William Scawen.]

* * * * *

No. 547. Thursday, November 27, 1712. Addison.

'Si vulnus tibi monstrata radice vel herba
Non fieret levius, fugeres radice vel herba
Proficiente nihil curarier--'

Hor.

It is very difficult to praise a Man without putting him out of
Countenance. My following Correspondent has found out this uncommon Art,
and, together with his Friends, has celebrated some of my Speculations
after such a concealed but diverting manner, th