Isaac Bickerstaff | Page 4

proved on
him that every night he said his prayers. It was fashionable to speak
frivolously of women, and affect contempt of marriage, though the
English were, and are, of all men the most domestic. Steele made it a
part of his duty to break this evil custom, to uphold the true honour of
womanhood, and assert the sacredness of home. The two papers in this
collection, called "Happy Marriage" and "A Wife Dead," are beautiful
examples of his work in this direction. He attacked the false notions of
honour that kept duelling in fashion. Steele could put his heart into the
direct telling of a tale of human love or sorrow, and in that respect was
unapproached by Addison; but he was surpassed by Addison in a subtle
delicacy of touch, in the fine humour with which he played about the
whims and weaknesses of men. The tenth paper in this volume, "A
Business Meeting," is a good example of what Addison could do in that

way.
Of the papers in this volume, the first was sent to Steele by the post,
and--Steele wrote in the original Preface to the completed
"Tatler"--"written, as I since understand, by Mr. Twisdon, who died at
the battle of Mons, and has a monument in Westminster Abbey,
suitable to the respect which is due to his wit and valour." The other
papers were all written by Steele, with these exceptions:--No. V.,
"Marriage of Sister Jenny," and No. VII., "The Dream of Fame," were
described by Steele, in a list given to Tickell, as written by himself and
Addison together. No. XIV., "The Wife Dead," is Steele's, with some
passages to which Addison contributed. No. XIII., "Dead Folks," was,
the first part, by Addison; the second part, beginning "From my own
Apartment, November 25," by Steele; Addison wrote No. X., "A
Business Meeting," No. XVI., "A very Pretty Poet," and No. XX.,
"False Doctoring." Addison joined Steele in the record of cases before
"Bickerstaff, Censor," No. XVIII. Of the twenty-six sections in this
volume, therefore, three are by Addison alone; one is in two parts,
written severally by Addison and Steele; four are by Addison and
Steele working in friendly fellowship, and without trace of their
separate shares in the work; eighteen are by Steele alone.
* Cassell's National Library.

ISAAC BICKERSTAFF, PHYSICIAN AND ASTROLOGER.

I.--THE STAFFIAN RACE.
From my own Apartment, May, 4, 17O9.
Of all the vanities under the sun, I confess that of being proud of one's
birth is the greatest. At the same time, since in this unreasonable age,
by the force of prevailing custom, things in which men have no hand
are imputed to them; and that I am used by some people as if Isaac
Bickerstaff, though I write myself Esquire, was nobody: to set the

world right in that particular, I shall give you my genealogy, as a
kinsman of ours has sent it me from the Heralds' Office. It is certain,
and observed by the wisest writers, that there are women who are not
nicely chaste, and men not severely honest, in all families; therefore let
those who may be apt to raise aspersions upon ours please to give us as
impartial an account of their own, and we shall be satisfied. The
business of heralds is a matter of so great nicety that, to avoid mistakes,
I shall give you my cousin's letter, verbatim, without altering a syllable.
"DEAR COUSIN, "Since you have been pleased to make yourself so
famous of late by your ingenious writings, and some time ago by your
learned predictions; since Partridge, of immortal memory, is dead and
gone, who, poetical as he was, could not understand his own poetry;
and, philomathical as he was, could not read his own destiny; since the
Pope, the King of France, and great part of his court, are either literally
or metaphorically defunct: since, I say, these things not foretold by any
one but yourself have come to pass after so surprising a manner: it is
with no small concern I see the original of the Staffian race so little
known in the world as it is at this time; for which reason, as you have
employed your studies in astronomy and the occult sciences, so I, my
mother being a Welsh woman, dedicated mine to genealogy,
particularly that of our family, which, for its antiquity and number, may
challenge any in Great Britain. The Staffs are originally of
Staffordshire, which took its name from them; the first that I find of the
Staffs was one Jacobstaff, a famous and renowned astronomer, who, by
Dorothy his wife, had issue seven sons--viz., Bickerstaff, Longstaff,
Wagstaff, Quarterstaff, Whitestaff, Falstaff, and Tipstaff. He also had a
younger brother, who was twice married, and had five sons--viz.,
Distaff,