could have been resorted to; but, unfortunately, it was prostituted to the worst of all purposes,— to sow the seeds of scepticism and infidelity. Having deviated widely from the path of rectitude, and plunged himself into difficulties from which he hesitated not attempting to extricate himself by means the most dishonest, he was willing, it is probable, to believe, that the precepts which so forcibly arraigned and condemned his conduct, were the result of imposture on the one hand, and credulity on the other. It is certain, that he was the intimate associate of all the deistical writers of his day, and was generally esteemed by the public as perfectly sceptical with regard to revealed religion: a suspicion which was confirmed by the part he took in publishing Tindal's Christianity as old as the Creation*.

* It was said to be the Doctor's request in his last testament, that the second part of this work, and his other pieces, collected into a volume, should be given to the public by our author. This he frequently spoke of doing, and of adding a life of his deceased friend; but he never carried his designs into execution. As it was reported that Dr. Conybeare was rewarded with the deanery of Christchurch, for answering the first part of "Christianity as old as the Creation," Mr. Budgell used to say, that he hoped that the Dean would live a little while longer, that he might have the pleasure, by the publication of the second part, of making him a bishop.

Biographia Britannica, vol. ii. p. 692.

He was about this time also one of the conductors of the Craftsman, and wrote a variety of letters, pamphlets, and poems, principally on political and temporary subjects; but which, though circulated with some avidity at the period of their production, are now altogether worthless and insignificant. In 1732, however, he brought forward a work of some historical value, entitled, "Memoirs of the Life and Character of the late Earl of Orrery, and of the Family of the Boyles ;" and, towards the close of the same year, he commenced a weekly pamphlet or magazine, called The Bee, which extended to one hundred numbers, and formed eight volumes in octavo.

During the publication of this periodical paper, an event occurred which covered our author with indelible disgrace and infamy. Dr. Matthew Tindal, with whom he had been upon terms of familiarity and friendship, died, and in his will a bequest was found of two thousand one hundred pounds, nearly the whole of his property, to Mr. Budgell. As Tindal had a favourite nephew, who was in narrow circumstances, and to whom he had always expressed an intention of leaving the bulk of his fortune, this disproportionate gift to Budgell excited no small astonishment; nor did the world forbear affirm

ing, that the will was entirely the fabrication of our author. The consequence of such a charge was, a contest between Mr. Nicholas Tindal, the nephew, and Budgell, with regard to its authenticity; and as many very suspicious circumstances were developed during the course of the enquiry, the will was set aside.

An attempt so nefarious as this, met with the castigation which it merited in many of the papers and journals of the day; and Budgell, under the supposition that Pope had written some very severe animadversions on his conduct in the Grub-street Journal, abused that gentleman in one of his Bees in the most acrimonious and indecent manner. The poet, who, there is every reason to believe, was altogether innocent of the deed, took no other revenge than by ranking Budgell, in the Prologue to his Satires, among the libellers of his fame, and by alluding, with his usual epigrammatic wit, to this foul stain on the character of his adversary:

Let Budgell charge low Grub-street on my quill,
And write whate'er he please-except my will.

Budgell had now lost all that could render life desirable; he was involved in extreme poverty, and vexed with perpetual law-suits; his character was irretrievably ruined, and he felt no reli

ance on the mercies and consolations of religion. In this situation, and after having, in vain, attempted to resume the practice of his profession, he at length came to the dreadful resolution of annihilating at once his miseries and his existence. He accordingly, on May the fourth, 1737, after having filled his pockets with stones, took a boat at Somerset-stairs, and having ordered the waterman to shoot London-bridge, threw himself, whilst it passed the arch, into the Thames; he sank immediately, nor was the body discovered until some days afterwards, when it was found much bruised and defaced.

On his bureau this unhappy man had left the following sentence, written on a slip of paper, and intended as a vindication of the rash action which he was about to commit:

What Cato did, and Addison approved,
Cannot be wrong.

a conclusion totally unfounded, and indicative either of extreme imbecility or absolute derangement. No man could be more abhorrent of an action so diametrically opposite to the very letter and spirit of religion, than Mr. Addison; and, with regard to the death of Cato, the scenic propriety and consistency of which he was under the necessity of generally adher

ing to, according to the truth of history, he has in some degree violated the fact, from the very wish of obviating any mischief which might arise from such an example, though evidently the consequence of mistaken virtue, and occurring anterior to the promulgation of Christianity. He has represented Cato, in the struggles of dissolution, exclaiming,

- yet methinks a beam of light breaks in
On my departing soul. Alas! I fear

I've been too hasty. O ye powers that search
The heart of man, and weigh his inmost thoughts,
If I have done amiss, impute it not-

The best may err, but you are good, and- -Oh!"

Budgell left a natural daughter, whom, it is said, the morning before he committed suicide, he would willingly have persuaded to a partici pation in his crime.

From the fate of this misguided man a use. ful lesson may be drawn; though possessed of considerable abilities, of a competent fortune, of great and powerful connections, and admired and respected in the early period of his life, the pride of self-opinion, and the fury of ungoverned resentment, blasted all his hopes and views, and gradually led him into the commission of errors and extravagances, which at length terminated in gaming, forgery, infidelity, and suicide,