Ad'dison, JOSEPH (1672-1719), an English poet and essayist, born at Milston, in Wiltshire. He studied at Oxford and won a name for himself by his easy, graceful Latin verse. After his graduation he was given a pension by the government, which enabled him to travel on the continent for several years. While in Italy he penned his poetical Letter to Lord Halifax. In 1704 he wrote The Campaign, a poem addressed to the duke of Marlborough, celebrating his victory at the battle of Blenheim, and this secured him several government appointments. He commenced to write for the Tattler in 1709 and for its successor, the Spectator, in 1711. His tragedy of Cato, produced in 1713, met with great success. His marriage to the dowager countess of Warwick occurred in 1716, but he gained little happiness from the union. Of Addison's poetry one or two sacred pieces will endure as long as the language; but it is by his essays in the Spectator that he is best known. For humor and poetic grace, for elegance of style and for good-humored satire, these essays remain unsurpassed. Best known is the delightful series on Sir Roger de Coverley, with its excellent character-drawing.