every individual consider what would be for the good of the whole, and sincerely to give into it? Were these measures faithfully pursued, France could never be formidable to England; nor the protestant religion here be under any apprehension from the restless and encroaching spirit of the Ro man. THE THE, PRESENT STATE OF W IT. IN A LETTER TO A FRIEND IN THE COUNTRY. FIRST PRINTED IN MAY 1711. " Dr. "Dr. Friend was with me, and pulled out a twopenny pamph. "let just published, called the State of Wit*, giving a character "of all the papers that have come out of late. The author seems "to be a whig; yet he speaks very highly of a paper called The "Examiner, and says he supposes the author of it is Dr. Swift, "But above all things he praises the Tatlers and Spectators; and I "believe Steele and Addison were privy to the printing of it. "Thus one is treated by those impudent dogs!" Journal to Stella, May 14, 1711. The light thrown by this little tract on the various periodical papers of the time when it was written will, we doubt not, be deemed a sufficient reason for having preserved it in this Collection. It is somewhat remarkable, that it was advertised at the end of the original Examiner of May 17, and not at all in the Spectator.-Though published anonymously; from the initials J. G. being placed at the conclusion, and from its singular impartiality, there is great reason to suppose it the production of Mr. Gay. THE THE PRESENT STATE- OF WIT, ET C. SIR, WESTMINSTER, MAY 3, 1711. You acquaint me, in your last, that you are still so busy building at that your friends must not hope to see you in town this year; at the same time you desire me, me, that you may not be quite at a loss in conversation among the beau monde next winter, to send you an account of the present state of wit in town; which, without farther preface, I shall therefore endeavour to perform, and give you the histories and characters of all our periodical papers, whether monthly, weekly, or diurnal, with the same freedom I used to send you our other town news. I shall only premise, that as you know I never cared one farthing either for whig or tory; so I shall consider our writers purely as they are such, without any respect to which party they may belong. Dr. King has for some time lain down his Monthly Philosophical Transactions, which, the titlepage informed us at first, were only "to be continued as "they * "they sold ;" and though that gentleman has a world of wit, yet, as it lies in one particular way of raillery, the town soon grew weary of his writings; though I cannot but think, that their author deserves a much better fate than to languish out the small remainder of his life in the Fleet prison. About the same time that the doctor left off writing, one Mr. Ozell put out his Monthly Amusement, which is still continued; and, as it is generally some French novel or play indifferently translated, is more or less taken notice of as the original piece is more or less agreeable. As to our weekly papers; the poor Review is quite exhausted, and grown so very contemptible, that, * Monthly Transactions began in January 1708-9; and ended in September 1709. + John Ozell, a voluminous translator; who, having incurred the displeasure of Mr. Pope, was very severely handled by him and his Commentator, in the Dunciad and the notes upon it. Mr. Ozell published hardly any thing original; and his translations are not in much repute. He was auditor general of the city and bridge accompts, of St. Paul's cathedral, and of St. Thomas's hospital; and is said to have been a very worthy man, and an excellent companion. He died Oct. 15, 1743. This paper was entirely the production of Daniel de Foe, who was equally famous for politicks and poetry. He set out in life as a hosier; but in that situation being very unsuccessful, he was induced to apply to his pen for subsistence. He was invited in 1694 to settle at Cadiz, as an agent to the English merchants; which he declined from patriotick motives; and was some time after ap pointed accomptant to the commissioners of the glass duty. For one of his performances he was condemned to the pillory; and, when exalted above his fellows, he cheerfully underwent the punishment, and wrote "A Hymn to the Pillory," as a defiance to the ministry. He published many books and pamphlets; but is perhaps |