wift, the writers most associated
with the _Tatler_, have been taken from contemporary engravings in the
British Museum; and the imaginary portrait of Isaac Bickerstaff in the
last volume is from a rare picture drawn by Lens in 1710 as a
frontispiece to collections of the original folio numbers._

G. A. A.

_August 1898._

INTRODUCTION

When the first number of the _Tatler_ appeared in 1709, Steele and
Addison were about thirty-seven years of age, while Swift, then still
counted among the Whigs, was more than four years their senior. Addison
and Steele had been friends at the Charterhouse School and at Oxford,
and though they had during the following years had varying experiences,
their friendship had in no way lessened. Addison had been a fellow of
his college, had gained the patronage of Charles Montague and Lord
Somers, had made the grand tour, and published an account of his
travels; had gained popularity by his poem "The Campaign," written in
celebration of the victory at Blenheim; had been made an Under-Secretary
of State, and finally (in December 1708) had been appointed secretary to
Lord Wharton, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Steele, on the other hand,
had enlisted in the Guards, without taking any degree; had obtained an
ensign's commission after dedicating to Lord Cutts a poem on Queen
Mary's death; and had written a little book called "The Christian Hero,"
designed "to fix upon his own mind a strong impression of virtue and
religion, in opposition to a stronger propensity towards unwarrantable
pleasures." At the close of the same year (1701) he brought out a
successful comedy, "The Funeral," which was followed by "The Lying
Lover" and "The Tender Husband," plays which gave strong evidence of the
influence of Jeremy Collier's attack on the immorality of the stage.
"The Tender Husband" owed "many applauded strokes" to Addison, to whom
it was dedicated by Steele, who wished "to show the esteem I have for
you, and that I look upon my intimacy with you as one of the most
valuable enjoyments of my life." In 1705 Steele married a lady with
property in Barbados, and on her death married, in 1707, Mary Scurlock,
the "dear Prue" to whom he addressed his well-known letters. For the
rest, he had been made gentleman-waiter to Prince George of Denmark, and
appointed Gazetteer, with a salary of L300, less a tax of L45 a year. He
was disappointed in his hopes of obtaining the Under-Secretaryship
vacated by Addis