Montague discussed the matter with Lord Somers, and these two concluded that just a trifle more maturity of that gently ironical mind, a little more seasoning of the gracious personality, and the State would have in Joseph Addison a servant of untold value.

Thus we see that England’s policy of selecting and training men for the consular and diplomatic service is no new thing.  It is a wonder that America has not ere this profited by the example.  The tradition holds that we must at least have a scholar and a gentleman for the Court of Saint James, and several times we have been put to straits to find the man.  The only way is to breed them and then bring them up in the way they should go.

But beyond the zealous desire of Montague and Lord Somers to educate good men for the diplomatic service, lurked the still more eager wish to secure able writers to plead and defend the party cause.  With this phase of the question America is more familiar; the policy of rewarding able speakers and ready writers with offices ready made or made to order has come to us ably backed by precedent untold.

Addison set himself to literary tasks, but still regarded himself as a scholar.  Leisure fitted his temperament—­he was never in haste, even when he was in a hurry, and he carried with him the air of having all the time there was.  Nothing is so ungraceful as haste.  Addison always had time to listen; and we make friends, not by explaining things to other folks, but by allowing others to explain to us.

The habit of attentive, sympathetic listening came to Addison early in life.  From his twenty-first to his twenty-seventh year he lived a studious life—­idle, his father called it—­writing essays, political pamphlets and Latin verse.  His political friends took care that some of the output was purchased, so that he was assured a comfortable living; but his success was not sufficient to inflate his cosmos with an undue amount of ego.

One small book of criticism which he produced about this time was entitled, “Account of the English Poets.”  A significant feature of the work is that Shakespeare is not mentioned, even once, while Dryden is placed as the standard of excellence, just as in “Modern Painters,” Ruskin takes Turner and lets him stand for one hundred, and all other artists grade down from this.

Addison merely reflected the taste of his time.  Shakespeare was not thought any more of two hundred years ago than we think of him now, with this difference—­that he is the author we now talk about and seldom read, but then they did not discuss him any more than we now go to see him played.

An interesting character by the name of Jacob Tonson appears upon the scene, as a friend of Addison in his early days.  Tonson enjoyed the distinction of being the father of the modern publishing business—­the first man to bring out the works of authors at his own risk and then sell the product to bookstores.  I believe it is Mr. Le Gallienne who has been so unkind as to speak of “Barabbas Tonson.”  Among Tonson’s many good strokes was his act in buying the copyright of “Paradise Lost” from Simmons, the bookseller, who had purchased all rights in the manuscript from the bereaved widow on a payment of eight pounds.