572 STEELE. tion.” Having thus put the House in good humour, he obtained the delay for which he asked, which circum stance raised his spirits so high, that on the very Monday which Mr. Harley had wished to appoint for his hearing, he inoved an address to the Queen concerning the demoli tion of Dunkirk, the favourite topic of the then Opposi tion, which, however, was rejected by a majority of two hundred and fourteen to one hundred and nine. On the 18th, the day appointed for his hearing, strangers being ordered, on the motion of one of the court party, to with draw, Mr. Steele was asked by Mr. Auditor Foley, whether he acknowledged the writings that bore his name? to which he answered, that he “did frankly and ingenuously own those papers to be part of his writings; that he wrote them in behalf of the house of Hanover, and owned them with the same unreservedness with which he abjured the Pretender.” On this Mr. Foley proposed that Mr. Steele should withdraw ; but it was carried, without a division, that he should stay and make his defence. He then requested that he might be allowed to answer what was urged against him, paragraph by paragraph; but this being refused, he proceeded, with the assistance of his friend Addison, who sat near him to prompt on occasion, to speak for three hours, with such temper, eloquence, and unconceit, as gave entire satisfaction to a l l who were not prejudiced against him. A t the conclusion o f this address, Steele withdrew, when Mr. Auditor Foley, confident i n his numbers, contented himself with merely moving the question. This occasioned a very warm debate, which lasted till eleven a t night, when, i n spite o f the opposition o f Mr. Robert Walpole, his brother Horatio, Lord Finch, and other distinguished members o f the House, i t was resolved b y a majority o f two hundred and forty-five t o one hundred and fifty-two, that a printed pamphlet, entitled, “The Englishman,' and one other pamphlet, entitled, “The Crisis,' written b y Richard Steele, Esq. a member o f this House, are scandalous and seditious libels,” &c. and that Mr. Steele, “for h i s offence
