The De Coverley Papers — Joseph Addison

Joseph Addison (1672-1719) was an English essayist, poet and man of letters. His name is usually remembered alongside that of his long-standing friend, Richard Steele, with whom he founded The Spectator magazine. In 1693, he addressed a poem to John Dryden, the former Poet Laureate. His first major work, a book about the lives of English poets, was published in 1694 as well as his translation of Virgil's Georgics. In 1712, Addison wrote his most famous work of fiction, a play entitled Cato, a tragedy, which was based on the last days of Marcus Porcius Cato Uticensis. His other works include: The De Coverley Papers (1920) and Days with Sir Roger De Coverley (with Richard Steele). Sir Richard Steele (1672-1729) was an Irish writer and politician. His first published work, The Christian Hero (1701), attempted to point out the differences between perceived and actual masculinity. He afterwards became a dramatist, and his comedies, such as The Tender Husband (1703) were met with success.