lies buried
in Westminster Abbey.

106 Lord Chesterfield sends these verses to Voltaire in a characteristic
letter.

107 Steele replied to Dennis in an _Answer to a Whimsical Pamphlet,
called __"__The Character of Sir John Edgar__"_. What Steele had to
say against the cross-grained old Critic discovers a great deal of
humour:

"Thou never didst let the sun into thy garret, for fear he should
bring a bailiff along with him....

"Your years are about sixty-five, an ugly, vinegar face, that if you
had any command you would be obeyed out of fear, from your
ill-nature pictured there; not from any other motive. Your height is
about some five feet five inches. You see I can give your exact
measure as well as if I had taken your dimension with a good cudgel,
which I promise you to do as soon as ever I have the good fortune to
meet you....

"Your doughty paunch stands before you like a firkin of butter, and
your duck-legs seem to be cast for carrying burdens.

"Thy works are libels upon others, and satires upon thyself; and
while they bark at men of sense, call him knave and fool that wrote
them. Thou hast a great antipathy to thy own species; and hatest the
sight of a fool but in thy glass."

Steele had been kind to Dennis, and once got arrested on account of
a pecuniary service which he did him. When John heard of the
fact--"'Sdeath!" cries John; "why did not he keep out of the way as I
did?"

The _Answer_ concludes by mentioning that Cibber had offered Ten
Pounds for the discovery of the authorship of Dennis's pamphlet; on
which, says Steele,--

"I am only sorry he has offered so much, because the _twentieth
part_ would have over-valued his whole carcass. But I know the
fellow that he keeps to give answers to his creditors will betray
him; for he gave me his word to bring officers on the top of the
house that should make a hole through the ceiling of his garret, and
so bring him to the punishment he deserves. Some people think this
expedient out of the way, and that he would make his escape upon
hearing the least noise. I say so too; but it takes him up half an
hour every night to fortify himself with his old hair trunk, two or
three joint-stools, and some other lumber, which he ties together