s Barnard,
A.M. Printed at Leeds, in 1742, 12mo" (Nichols).--Lady Elizabeth
Hastings, who came into a fortune upon the death of her brother George,
Earl of Huntingdon, settled at Ledstone House, where she was the Lady
Bountiful of the neighbourhood. Her whole estate, however, is said to
have been less than L3000 a year. The best of the clergy of the day were
among her friends. She helped Berkeley in his Bermuda Mission scheme,
and she befriended Miss Mary Astell. Ralph Thoresby, who visited her,
was "extremely pleased with the most agreeable conversation of the pious
and excellent Lady Elizabeth Hastings." ("Diary," ii. 82). She was one
of the numerous eligible ladies that the friends of Lord Raby,
afterwards Earl of Strafford, suggested to him as a suitable wife
("Wentworth Papers," pp. 29, 56). The character of Aspasia in this paper
has been attributed to Congreve, on the ground, apparently, that he knew
Lady Elizabeth Hastings' half-brother, Theophilus, afterwards Earl of
Huntingdon. See No. 49, note.]

[Footnote 408: The remainder of this paper is by Addison; see Steele's
Preface. Drury Lane Theatre was closed by an order of the Lord
Chamberlain, as mentioned in No. 30.]

[Footnote 409: Christopher Rich.]

[Footnote 410: A bargain.]

[Footnote 411: Valentini Urbani sang in Italian in the opera of
"Camilla," in 1707. His acting seems to have been better than his voice
(Burney's "History of Music," iv. 208).]

[Footnote 412: See No. 20.]

[Footnote 413: John Dennis's unsuccessful tragedy of "Appius and
Virginia" was produced in 1709. On that occasion he introduced a new
method of making thunder (see "Dunciad," ii. 226), which was found
useful by managers. Afterwards, when Dennis found his invention being
used in "Macbeth," he exclaimed, "'Sdeath! that's my thunder. See how
the fellows use me, they have silenced my tragedy, and they roar out my
thunder" (Oldys, MS. notes on Langbaine).]

[Footnote 414: "Baby" was often used for "doll."]

[Footnote 415: See No. 18.]

No. 43. [STEELE.

From _Saturday, July 16_, to _Tuesday, July 19_, 1709.

Bene nummatum decorat suadela Venusque,
HOR. 1 Ep. vi. 38.

* * * * *

White's Chocolate-house, July 18.

I write from hence at present to complain, that wit and merit are so
little encouraged by people of rank and quality, that the wits of the
age are obliged to run within Temple