mean time gone to work himself, and produced half an act, which he afterwards completed, but with brevity irregularly difproportionate to the foregoing parts; like a task performed with reluctance, and hurried to its conclufion.

It may yet be doubted whether Cato was made publick by any change of the author's purpose; for Dennis charged him with raifing prejudices in his own favour by falfe pofitions of preparatory criticism, and with poisoning the town by contradicting in the Spectator the eftablished rule of poetical juftice, because his own hero, with all his virtues, was to fall before a tyrant. The fact is certain; the motives we must guess.

Addifon was, I believe, fufficiently difpofed to bar all avenues against all danger. When Pope brought him the prologue, which is properly accommodated to the play, there were these words, Britons, arife, be worth like this approved; meaning nothing more than, Britons erect and exalt yourselves to the approbation of publick virtue. Addifon was frighted left he fhould be thought a promoter of infurrection, and the line was liquidated to Britons, attend.

Now, heavily in clouds, came on the day, the great, the important day, when Addifon was to ftand the hazard of the theatre. That there might, however, be left as little to hazard as was poffible, on the laft night Steele, as himself relates, undertook

dertook to pack an audience. This, fays Pope, had been tried for the first time in favour of the Diftreft Mother;

and was now, with more efficacy, practifed for Cato..

The danger was foon over.

The

whole nation was at that time on fire

with faction. The Whigs applauded

every line in which Liberty was mentioned, as a fatire on the Tories; and the Tories echoed every clap, to fhew that the fatire was unfelt. The ftory of Bo-lingbroke is well known. He called Booth to his box, and gave him fifty guineas for defending the caufe of Li-berty fo well against a perpetual dictator. The Whigs, fays, Pope, defign a fecond * Spence.

prefent,

prefent, when they can accompany it with as good a fentence.

The play, fupported thus by the emu lation of factious praife, was acted night after night for a longer time than, I believe, the publick had allowed to any drama before; and the author, as Mrs. Porter related, wandered through the whole exhibition behind the scenes with: reftlefs and unappeafable folicitude..

When it was printed, notice was given: that the Queen would be pleased if it was dedicated to her; but as he had defigned that compliment elsewhere, he found bimfelf obliged, fays Tickell, by his duty on the one hand, and his honour on the other, to fend it into the world without any dedication

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Human

Human happiness has always its abatements; the bright ft fun-fhine of fuccefs is not without a cloud. No fooner was Cato offered to the reader than it was attacked by the acute malignity of Dennis, with all the violence of angry criticifin. Dennis, though equally zealous, and probably by his temper more furious than Addifon, for what they called liberty, and, though a flatterer of the Whig ministry, could not fit quiet at a fuccefsful play; but was eager to tell friends and enemies, that they had mifplaced their admirations. The world was too ftubborn for inftruction; with the fate of the cenfurer of Corneille's Cid, his animadverfions fhewed his anger with

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