far as is consistent with the constitution and liberties of the nation. All these considerations put together have, I confess, wholly taken off my first surprise; and the same considerations make me hope, that all true friends to the king, and to the public happiness, (which now depends entirely upon the firm establishment of the present Royal Family,) will not let their general suspicion, or their particular bias, have such power over them, as to move them to join with their own enemies, in a point, in which, if they should, by any unforeseen accident, have success, I am confident, they would very heartily, as well as fruitlessly, repent of their own proceedings. When persons who have always shown themselves enemies to liberty, and professors of the principles of slavery; who have ever expressed a hatred of the revolution, and of everything built upon it; and have ever been the supports of the Popish and Jacobite interest in these nations: when such, I say, put on a zeal for liberty, it is a morál demonstration that it is all a mock show; and that they themselves think quite otherwise of what they oppose, than they would seem to think. If it were really their opinion, that the alteration now proposed, would either help the cause which they have espoused, or be any prejudice to a government which they hate, I am very confident, they would not enter into the opposition of it, with that warmth and heat which they now profess. But they foresee that their hopes must in proportion abate, with those heats and disturbances which alone keep them alive; and for this reason it is, that they now take into their mouths the words and topics which they have ever hitherto ridiculed and exploded in order to keep off the thing which they heartily hate, the settlement of the present government in peace and quiet at home, and in honour and glory abroad. And this is one very good reason why all who truly wish well to that settlement, should unite in the alteration of that which is the chief, if not the only, thing left to keep up the spirits and designs of its enemies. But if, when it is in our power to put some stop to our present corruptions and distractions, and to establish the glory of our king and the happiness of our country, in a method perfectly consistent with all our rights and liberties, we are guided by the insinuations of those who hate us, and refuse to do it, we must thank ourselves for all that follows. It will lie at our door to answer for all the consequences of such a neglect. From those, with whom we join in it, we have no returns, but contempt, reproaches, and insults. In fine, I can consider the triennial return of our elections no otherwise than as what hath made us, and still continues us, the most divided and most corrupted of nations; what was at first by many contrived, and still in its own nature tends, to oppose the designs of the best kings, and to promote those of the worst; leading to an universal debauchery of the manners and tempers of the electors, as well as to make the elected themselves weary enough of such perpetual contests and charge, to incline sometime or other to thoughts which would not otherwise find admittance; influencing the people to think easily of becoming a prey to the highest bidder; keeping up the spirits of our common enemies, and creating diffidence and uneasiness in our best friends; introducing and increasing all excesses of violence and mutual revenge; serving a multitude of bad purposes, which have a peculiar malignity at this particular juncture, without having one good effect fit to be named in opposition to them; and all this occasioned by the shortness of the interval allowed, either to put an end to such evils or to cultivate anything that is good. To cure all these entirely, nothing can perhaps be thought of, but what would introduce greater. To apply something that may put an end to some of them, and abate and diminish the rest, is a matter that deserves the regard of every good Briton; and, I believe, at this time, nothing at all effectual can be thought of, without an alteration of the triennial elections. I am, &c. ADDISON AND STEELE'S JOINT ASSIGNMENT TO SAMUEL BUCKLEY, THE BOOKSELLER, OF ONE HALF SHARE OF THE FIRST SEVEN VOLUMES OF THE SPECTATOR. WHEREAS there is already printed four volumes of the Spectators which include from number one to number three hundred seventy-one and whereas there is two volumes more now printing which will take in from number three hundred twenty-one to number four hundred and eighty or thereabouts which will make six volumes and whereas it is intended by the authors whose names are hereinafter mentioned to continue writing the said Spectator to the end of this present month of November which will make a seventh volume Now know all men by these presents that Joseph Addison of St. James' Westminster Esq. and Richard Steele of St. Giles' in the fields Esq. for and in consideration of the sum of five hundred seventy and five pounds to them or one of them in hand paid by Samuel Buckley of London printer and bookseller the receipt whereof they the said Joseph Addison and Richard Steele do hereby respectively acknowledge They the said Joseph Addison and Richard Steel have and each and either of them hath granted bargained sold assigned transferred and set over and by these presents they the said Joseph Addison and Richard Steele do and each and either of them doth grant bargain sell assign transfer and set over unto the said Samuel Buckley his executors administrators and assigns all that their full and sole right and title of in and to one moiety or full half share of the copys of all and every the above mentioned seven volumes of Spectators which said moiety or full half share to remain unto the said Samuel Buckley his heirs and assigns for ever-In witness whereof the said Joseph Addison and Richard Steele have hereunto set their hands and seals this Tenth day of November anno Dom. 1712. Witnesses, Richard Thwaites. David Verdon, at the Fountain Tavern in the Strand. JOSEPH ADDISON. BUCKLEYS RE-ASSIGNMENT OF THE ABOVE TO TONSON AFTER TWO YEARS' USE. KNOW all men by these presents that I Samuel Buckley of London stationer for and in consideration of the sum of five hundred pounds to me in hand paid by Jacob Tonson Jun. of London stationer the receipt whereof I do hereby acknowledge do by these presents grant bargain sell and set over unto the said Jacob Tonson the full and sole right of in and to the within-mentioned copy of a book entitled the Spectator the said copy to remain unto the said Jacob Tonson his heirs and assigns for ever-In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this thirteenth of October 1714. SAM. BUCKLEY. Sealed and delivered in the presence of Thomas Glenister. ASSIGNMENT WITH TONSON FOR THE EIGHTH VOLUME OF THE SPECTATOR. KNOW all men by these presents that I Joseph Addison of the parish of St. Clements Danes in the county of Middlesex for and in consideration of the sum of fifty-three pounds fifteen shillings of good and lawful money of Great Britain, to me in hand paid by Jacob Tonson jun. of London Bookseller the receipt whereof he the said Joseph Addison doth hereby acknowledge he the said Joseph Addison hath bargained sold assigned and set over and by these presents doth bargain sell assign and set over all that his full and sole right and title of in and to the copy of the eighth vol. of the Spectator from number five hundred and fifty-six inclusive to number six hundred and thirty-five inclusive-which said copy to be and remain unto the said Jacob Tonson his heirs and assigns for ever-In witness whereof the said Joseph Addison hath herewith set his hand and seal this twenty-seventh day of August 1715. J. ADDISON. Sealed and delivered being first stamped according to the several Acts of Parliament in the presence of Thos Tickell. Jas Pinckney. RELATING CHIEFLY TO ADDISON'S APPOINTMENTS. ADDISON'S MEMORIAL TO QUEEN ANNE, (For augmentation of salary as Keeper of the Irish records,) Forwarded by Lord treasurer GODOLPHIN to the EARL OF WHARTON, LORD-LIEUTENANT OF IRELAND. MY VERY GOOD LORD, Inclosed I send your Excellency a petition' to Her Majesty from Joseph Addison, Esq., Keeper of the Records in the Birmingham Tower within Dublin Castle, praying for the reasons therein mentioned, That such a Salary may be annexed thereunto as Her Majesty shall think proper for an office of such consequence, care, and trust, and that so nearly concerns the rights of the Crown, and the properties of private persons. I desire your Excellency will please to consider the allegation of the said petition; and report to me your opinion thereupon; and what salary you conceive reasonable to be annexed to the said office, to the end I may lay the same before the Queen for a further signification of Her Majesty's pleasure. I am, &c. 9 January, 1709. GODOLPHIN. Underwritten, The Queen grants £400 a year. MY LORD, ADDISON TO LORD TOWNSHEND.2 Enclosing a Memorial. (Whitehall,) May 31st, 1715. Though Mr. Secretary Stanhope has been pleased to promise that he will lay before your Lordship the case of the 1 The petition itself has not been found, but we have before us the official grant, signed Godolphin, St. James's, 24th Feb. 1709, and addressed to the Lord-Lieut. of Ireland. It sets out that the Lord-Lieutenant, in his report on Addison's Petition, had suggested £500 per annum as a proper allowance for examining, digesting, transcribing, and cataloguing the Irish Records, and that the Queen thereupon granted £400 per annum from Christmas last past." In a note at page 427, we have inadvertently said (but upon historical report) that Queen Anne raised this appointment to £300 per annum. We were not then aware of the pre sent document. 2 Lord Townshend was then Secretary of State. He was afterwards appointed Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, but he never went over. well-drawn character of him see Lord Mahon, i. p. 155, et seq. For a |