cry was raised against foreigners, on the acceffion of George I. The True-born Englishman was revived, rather by Roberts the bookfeller, than by De Foe the Author *. But the perfecutions of party did not cease when De Foe ceafed to be a party-writer. He was infulted by Boyer, in April 1716, as the author of The Triennial Act impartially stated: " but, whatever was offered," fays Boyer," against the Septennial Bill, was fully confuted by the ingenious and judicious Jofeph Addifon, Efquire." Whether De Foe wrote in defence of the people's rights, or in fupport of the law's authority, he is to be cenfured: whether Addifon defended the Septennial Bill, or the Peerage Bill, he is to be praised. With the fame misconception of the fact, and malignancy of fpirit, Tolland reviled † De Foe for writing an t answer to The State Anatomy, in 1717. The time however will at last come, when the world will judge of men from their actions rather than pretenfions.

The death of Anne, and the acceffion of George I. feem to have convinced De Foe of the vanity of party-writing. And from this eventful epoch, he appears to have studied how to meliorate rather than to harden the heart; how to regulate, more than to vitiate, the practice of life.

Early in 1715 he published The Family Inftructor, in three parts: 1ft, relating to fathers and children; 2d, to masters and fervants; 3d, to husbands and wives. He carefully concealed his authorship, left the good effects of his labour should be obstructed by the great imperfections of the writer. The world

* It was entered at Stationers-Hall, for J. Roberts, the 18th of February 1715-16.-† 2d Mem. p. 27, &c.

was

was then too busy to look immediately into the work. The bookseller foon procured a recommendatory letter from the Reverend Samuel Wright, a wellknown preacher in the Black-Friars. It was praised from the pulpit and the prefs: and the utility of the end, with the attractiveness of the execution, gave it, at length, a general reception *. The Author's first design was to write a Dramatic Poem; but the fubject was too folemn, and the text too copious, to admit of restraint, or to allow excurfions. His purpose was to divert and inftruct, at the fame moment; and by giving it a dramatic form, it has been called by fome A religious play. De Foe at laft fays with his usual archness: As to its being called a play, be it called fo, if they please: it must be confessed, fome parts of it are too much acted in many families among us. The Author wishes, that either all our Plays were as useful for the improvement and entertainment of the world, or that they were less encouraged. There is, I think, fome mysticism in the preface, which, it were to be defired, a judicious hand would expunge, when The Family Inftructor shall be again reprinted; for, reprinted it will be, while our language endures; at least, while wise men fhall continue to confider the influences of religion and the practice of morals as of the greatest use to fociety.

* The family of George I. had been inftructed by the copy of this book, which is in The Museum, It would feem from the title page and Mr. Wright's letter being printed on a different paper from the work itself, that both were added after the first publication. The Family Inftructor and Mr. Wright's letter were entered at Stationers Hall, for Emanuel Mathews, on the 31ft of March, 1715.

De Foe afterwards added a fecond volume, in two parts; ft, relating to Family Breaches; 2dly, to the great Miftake, of mixing the Paffions in the managing of Children. He confidered it, indeed, as a bold adventure to write a second volume of any thing; there being a general opinion among modern readers, that fecond parts never come up to the fpirit of the first. He quotes Mr. Milton, for differing from the world upon the question, and for affirming with regard to his own great performances, That the people had a general fenfe of the lofs of Paradife, but not an equal guft for regaining it. Of De Foe's fecond volume, it will be easily allowed, that it is as inftructive and pleafing as the first. His Religions Courtship, which he published in 1722, may properly be confidered as a third volume: For the design is equally moral, the manner is equally attractive, and it may in the fame manner be called a Religious Play.

But the time at length came, when De Foe was to deliver to the world the most popular of all his performances. In April 1719, he published the well-known Life and surprising Adventures of Robinfon Crufoe. The reception was immediate and univerfal; and Taylor, who purchased the manuscript after every bookfeller had refused it, is faid to have gained a thousand pounds. If it be inquired by what charm it is that thefe furprising Adventures should have instantly pleased, and always pleased, it will be found, that few books have ever so naturally mingled amusement with inftruction. The attention is fixed, either by the fimplicity of the narration, or by the variety of the incidents; the heart is amended by a vindication of the ways of God to man: and the understanding is informed, by various

examples,

examples, how much utility ought to be preferred to ornament: the young are inftructed, while the old are amused.

Robinson Crufoe had scarcely drawn his canoe afhore, when he was attacked by his old enemies, the favages. He was affailed first by The Life and Strange Adventures of Mr. D—— De F-, of London, Hofier, who has lived above Fifty Years by himself in the Kingdoms of North and South Britain. In a dull dialogue between De Foe, Crufoe, and his man Friday, our Author's life is lampooned, and his miffortunes ridiculed. But he who had been ftruck by apoplexy, and who was now discountenanced by power, was no fit object of an Englishman's fatire. Our Author declares, when he was himself a writer of fatiric poetry, "that he never reproached any man for his private infirmities, for having his houfe burnt, his ships caft away, or his family ruined; ǹor had he ever lampooned any one, because he could not pay his debts, or differed in judgment from him." Pope has been juftly cenfured for pursuing a vein of fatire extremely diffimilar. And Pope placed De Foe with Tutchen, in The Dunciad, when our Author's infirmities were greater and his comfort lefs. He was again affaulted in 1719, by An Epiftle to D De F-, the reputed Author of Robinson Crusoe." Mr. Foe," fays the letter-writer, "I have perused your pleasant story of Robinson Crufoe; and if the faults of it had extended no further than the frequent folecifms and incorrectness of ftyle, improbabilities, and fometimes impoffibilities, I had not given you the trouble of this Epistle. "Yet," faid Johnson to Piozzi, "was there ever any thing written by mere man, that was wifhed longer

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longer by its readers, except Don Quixote, Robinfon Crufoe, and the Pilgrim's Progress ?" This epistolary critic, who renewed his angry attack when the fecond volume appeared, has all the dulnefs, without the acumen, of Dennis, and all his malignity, without his purpose of reformation. The Life of Crufoe has paffed through innumerable editions, and has been tranflated into foreign languages, while the criticifm funk into oblivion.

De Foe fet the critics at defiance while he had the people on his fide. As a commercial legiflator he knew, that it is rapid fale which is the great incentive: and, in August 1719, he published a second volume of Surprising Adventures, with fimilar fuccefs. In hope of profit and of praife, he produced in Auguft 1720, Serious Reflections during the Life of Robinfon Crufoe, with his Vifion of the Angelic World. He acknowledges, that the prefent work is not merely the product of the two firft volumes, but the two first may rather be called the product of this: the fable is always made for the moral, not the moral for the fable. He however did not advert, that inftruction must be infinuated rather than enforced. That this third volume has more morality than fable, is the caufe, I fear, that it has never been read with the fame avidity as the former two, or fpoken of with the fame approbation. We all prefer amufement to inftruction; and he who would inculcate ufeful truths, muft ftudy to amufe, or he will offer his leffons to an auditory, neither numerous, nor attentive.

The tongue of detraction is feldom at reft. It has often been repeated, that De Foe had furreptitiously appropriated the papers of Alexander Selkirk, a

Scotch

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