Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1843-09-06
Fauquier Springs, August ~, 1913. ~
SWIFT. voLTAIRE, AND ADDISON


The following comparison OF these eminent wits is from
article Joseph Addison evidently from the pen of
Mr.. Macauley in the last number Of the Edinburgh Re-
view Nat. Int
The three eminent OF the of ridcue,
during the eighteenth century were we conceive Addison
Swift and NUaire Which OF the three had the greatest
power of moving laughter may be questioned. But each
OF them, within his domain, supreme. Noltaire Is
the prince OF buiioons. His mcrmcnts without disguise
or restraint He gambos he grns; he shakes his Sides he
shoots the tongue The OF Swift is the very op
posite this. He laughter but Joins
lie appears IN his works such he appeared in society,"
All the company convu!sed in meTTiment, while the
Dean the author of the mh preserves nvncibe CRAWL
V and sourness OF aspect and gives uerance TO the
most eccentric and ludlcrous ancies, with the air OF 4
| reading the communion service.
The OF Addison remote from that of Swift
from that Of Yotaire He neither laughs out like the French
wit nor like the Irish wit throws double portion of sevu'i
~ into his while laughing iny; preserves
look peculiarly his owna look Vt demure serenity, dis
turbed only by arh sparkle Of the eye almost mper
cepuble elevation OF the brow amos impercepube curl
OF the lip His neither that OF Jack Pudding
oa Cync. is that Of gentleman, in whom the quick
nature and good breeding.
We that the humor of Addison is in opinion Of
more delicious flavor than the humOr of either Swift
NuiNe. Thus much at least is ccTain-that both Swift
and Noltare have been successfully mimcked, and
man has yet been able mimic Addison The letter of
the Able Coyer to Pansophe is Voaire oil over and
posed, during long time, the Acldcmicians OF Paris.
There passages III ATbuihnors satircal works which
VIC, at least cannot distinguish from Sws best writing.
/ Addison
their model-though several have copied his dcon
with happy eiect-none has been able catch the tone of
his pleasantly. In the World, IN the Connosseur, the
Mirror IN the LOunger there papers written
IL obvious imitation Of his Tuiiers and Spectators Most
Of these papers have merit many very lively and
amusing but there is single which could be pass.
ed oil Addlsons critic Of the smallest pcrspcaciiy
But that which chiefly distinguishes ddison from Swift
from Eolture from almost all the great of dicule
u the grace, the HObeness the moral purity, which find
in his menment. Severity, gradually hardening and
darkening into misanropy, chaTacterzes the works Of
swift The nature of VOltarc was indeed inhuman
but he vencraed nothing. Neither in the pieces Of
art m the puTCst examples Of yruc-ncithcr in the
could he anything but subjects for drOcTy The
solemn and august the theme, the more monkey
his Frimucing aud chacrnR. The nirt of Swift is the
mh OF Mephis,ophes; the mirt Of Yoliare is the mrih
OF Puck IT, as Soamc Jenyns oddly imagined, a portion
OF the happiness Of Seraphim and made perfect
derived from an exquisite perception Of the udcrous their
Hh must surely be none other than the mirth Of Addison
nirh consistent with tender compassion for all that
Is fra, and with profound for all that is
sublime. Nothing great, nothing amiable, no moral
duty, doctrine OF natural revealed religion has
ever been associated by Addison with any degrading
ldea Ills humanity - without parallel in literary
history The highest proof OF human virtue is possess
boundless power, without abusing No kind of power
formidable than the Of men ridiculous; and that
power Addison possessed in boundess
y that power was abused by Swift and VoltaTc, is well
known. But Of Addison may be confidently affirmed that
he had blackened no mans character; nay that would be
difficult, II not impossible find, in all the volumes which
he has left ne, single which be called ungener
Gus or unkind. Net he had dcuctors, whose maigniy
might have seemed o. Justify terrible revenge that
which men, superior HMM genius wrcuked on citcs
worth and on Franc de Popgnan. lie a politicians he
was the best writer Of his pary he lived in times Of ctco
eKcemont-in times when persons Of high character and
station stopped tOscurry such practsod only by
the basest Of mankind. Yet provocatonand no example
/ could induce him TO return railing for railing