far the testimony of the marquis of Hallifax in favour of our
author's performance, and we have good reason to conclude, that the
translation, is not without great merit, when so accomplished a judge
has praised it.

We cannot be certain in what year our author died, but it was probably
some time about the revolution. He appears to have been a man of very
considerable genius, to have had an extraordinary natural vein of
humour, and an uncommon flow of pleasantry: he was certainly born a
poet, and wrote his verses easily, but rather too loosely; his numbers
being frequently harsh, and his stile negligent, and unpolished. The
cause of his Life being inserted out of chronological order, was an
accident, the particulars of which are not of importance enough to be
mentioned.

[Footnote 1: M. Cotton's works are printed together in one volume, 12mo.
The thirteenth edition is dated 1751.]

* * * * *

The Right Honourable Joseph Addison, Esq;

This elegant writer, to whom the world owes so many obligations, was
born at Milton near Ambrosbury in the county of Wilts (of which place
his father, Mr. Lancelot Addison, was then rector) on the 6th of May
1672; and being not thought likely to live, was baptized on the same
day, as appears from the church register. When he grew up to an age fit
for going to school, he was put under the care of the rev. Mr. Naish at
Ambrosbury. He afterwards removed to a school at Salisbury, taught by
the rev. Mr. Taylor, thence to the Charter-house, where he was under the
tuition of the learned Dr. Ellis, and where he contracted an intimacy
with Mr. Steel, afterwards Sir Richard, which continued as long as Mr.
Addison lived. He was not above fifteen years old when he was entered of
Queen's College, Oxford, in which his father had been placed: where he
applied himself so closely to the study of classical learning, that in
a very short time he became master of a very elegant Latin stile, even
before he arrived at that age when ordinary scholars begin to write good
English.

In the year 1687 a copy of his verses in that tongue fell into the hands
of Dr. Lancaster dean of Magdalen College, who was so pleased with them,
that he immediately procured their author's election into that house
[1]; where he took the degrees of bachelor, and matter of arts. In the
course of a few years his Latin poetry was justly admired at both the
universities, and procured him great repu