,
and without any assigned reason, the _Spectator_ was brought to a
conclusion in December, 1712, and in the following spring Steele started
the _Guardian_, which might have been as fortunate as its predecessor,
had not the editor's zeal tempted him to diverge to politics. He had
also a disagreement with his publisher, and the _Guardian_ was allowed
but a short life of 175 numbers. Of these about fifty were due to
Addison, and upwards of eighty to Steele.

Steele's political ardour was irrepressible, and a paper in the
_Guardian_ (No. 128), demanding the abolition of Dunkirk, called forth a
pamphlet from Swift, in which the weaknesses of his former friend are
sneered at and denounced with enough of truthfulness to enhance their
malice. After allowing that Steele has humour, and is no disagreeable
companion 'after the first bottle,' Swift adds, 'Being the most
imprudent man alive, he never follows the advice of his friends, but is
wholly at the mercy of fools and knaves, or hurried away by his own
caprice, by which he has committed more absurdities in economy,
friendship, love, duty, good manners, politics, religion, and writing
than ever fell to one man's share.' A little later, in anticipation of
the Queen's death, Steele published _The Crisis_ (1714), a political
pamphlet, which led to his expulsion from the House of Commons. It was
answered by one of the most masterly of Swift's pamphlets, _The Public
Spirit of the Whigs_, in which it is suggested that Steele might be
superior to other writers on the Whig side 'provided he would a little
regard the propriety and disposition of his words, consult the
grammatical part, and get some information in the subject he intends to
handle.'

The reader is chiefly concerned with Steele as an essayist, and it is
unnecessary to follow his career in the House of Commons and out of it.
Yet there is one anecdote too characteristic to be omitted in the
briefest notice of his life. Lady Charlotte Finch had been attacked in
the _Examiner_ 'for knotting in St. James's Chapel during divine
service, in the immediate presence both of God and her Majesty, who were
affronted together.' Steele denounced the calumny in the _Guardian_.
Upon taking his seat as member for Stockbridge, he was attacked by the
Tories on account of _The Crisis_, which they deemed an inflammatory
libel, and defended himself in a speech which occupied three hours. When
he left the House, Lord Finch, who, like Steele, w