It is not hard to love thofe from whom nothing can be feared, and Addison never confidered Steele as a rival; but Steele lived, as he confeffes, under an habitual fubjection to the predominating genius of Addifon, whom he always mentioned with reverence, and treated with obfequiousness.

Addison *, who knew his own dignity, could not always forbear to fhew it, by playing a little upon his admirer; but he was in no danger of retort: his jefts were endured without refiftance or refentment.

But the fneer of jocularity was not the worft. Steele, whofe imprudence of generofity, or vanity of profufion, kept him always incurably neceffitous, upon

* Spence.

A 3

fome

fome preffing exigence, in an evil hour, borrowed an hundred pounds of his friend, probably without much purpose of repayment; but Addifon, who seems to have had other notions of a hundred pounds, grew impatient of delay, and reclaimed his loan by an execution. Steele felt with great fenfibility the obduracy of his creditor; but with emotions of forrow rather than of anger.

In 1687 he was entered into Queen's College in Oxford, where, in 1689, the accidental perufal of fome Latin verfes gained him the patronage of Dr. Lancafter, afterwards provoft of Queen's College; by whofe recommendation he was elected into Magdalen College as a Demy, a term by which that fociety denominates

nominates thofe which are elsewhere called Scholars; young men, who partake of the founder's benefaction, and fucceed in their order to vacant fellowships*.

Here he continued to cultivate poetry and criticism, and grew firft eminent by his Latin compofitions, which are indeed entitled to particular praife. He has not confined himself to the imitation of any ancient, author, but has formed. his ftile from the general language, fuch as a diligent perufal of the productions of different ages happened to fupply.

His Latin compofitions feem to have had much of his fondnefs; for he collected a fecond volume of the Mufa Anglicana, perhaps for a convenient receptacle, in which all his Latin pieces

*He took the degree of M. A. Feb. 14, 1693.

are inferted, and where his Poem on the Peace has the first place. He afterwards prefented the collection to Boileau, who from that time conceived, fays Tickell, an opinion of the English genius for poetry. Nothing is better known of Boileau than that he had an injudicious and peevish contempt of modern Latin, and therefore his profeffion of regard was probably the effect of his civility rather than approbation.

Three of his Latin poems are upon fubjects on which perhaps he would not have ventured to have written in his own language. The Battle of the Pigmies and Cranes; The Barometer; and a Bowlinggreen. When the matter is low or scanty, a dead language, in which nothing is

mean

mean becaufe nothing is familiar, affords great conveniences; and by the fonorous magnificence of Roman fyllables, the writer conceals penury of thought, and want of novelty, often from the reader, and often from himfelf.

In his twenty-fecond year he firft fhewed his power of English poetry, by

fome verfes addreffed to Dryden; and foon afterwards published a tranflation of the greater part of the Fourth Geor gick upon Bees; after which, fays Dryden, my latter fwarm is hardly worth the biving.

About the fame time he composed the arguments prefixed to the feveral books of Dryden's Virgil; and produced