guests with a more
perfect and courtly grace than this gentleman. A frugal dinner, consisting
of a slice of meat and a penny loaf, was awaiting the owner of the
lodgings. "My wine is better than my meat," says Mr. Addison; "my Lord
Halifax sent me the burgundy." And he set a bottle and glasses before his
friends, and eat his simple dinner in a very few minutes, after which the
three fell to, and began to drink. "You see," says Mr. Addison, pointing
to his writing-table, whereon was a map of the action at Hochstedt, and
several other gazettes and pamphlets relating to the battle, "that I, too,
am busy about your affairs, captain. I am engaged as a poetical gazetteer,
to say truth, and am writing a poem on the campaign."

So Esmond, at the request of his host, told him what he knew about the
famous battle, drew the river on the table, _aliquo mero_, and with the
aid of some bits of tobacco-pipe, showed the advance of the left wing,
where he had been engaged.

A sheet or two of the verses lay already on the table beside our bottles
and glasses, and Dick having plentifully refreshed himself from the
latter, took up the pages of manuscript, writ out with scarce a blot or
correction, in the author's slim, neat handwriting, and began to read
therefrom with great emphasis and volubility. At pauses of the verse the
enthusiastic reader stopped and fired off a great salvo of applause.

Esmond smiled at the enthusiasm of Addison's friend.

"You are like the German burghers," says he, "and the princes on the
Mozelle; when our army came to a halt, they always sent a deputation to
compliment the chief, and fired a salute with all their artillery from
their walls."

"And drunk the great chief's health afterward, did not they?" says Captain
Steele, gaily filling up a bumper;--he never was tardy at that sort of
acknowledgement of a friend's merit.

"And the duke, since you will have me act his grace's part," says Mr.
Addison, with a smile and something of a blush, "pledged his friends in
return. Most serene Elector of Covent Garden, I drink to your highness's
health," and he filled himself a glass. Joseph required scarce more
pressing than Dick to that sort of amusement; but the wine never seemed at
all to fluster Mr. Addison's brains; it only unloosed his tongue, whereas
Captain Steele's head and speech were quite overcome by a single bottle.

No matter what the verses were, and, to say truth, Mr. Esmond found some
of them more t