be very reasonably disputed." The joke was maintained by Swift and
others in various pieces, and when Partridge, in his almanac for 1709,
protested that he was still living, Swift replied, in "A Vindication of
Isaac Bickerstaff, Esq.," which was advertised in the fifth number of
the _Tatler_, that he could prove that Partridge was not alive; for no
one living could have written such rubbish as the new almanac. In
starting his new paper Steele assumed the name of the astrologer Isaac
Bickerstaff, rendered famous by Swift, and made frequent use of Swift's
leading idea. He himself summed up the controversy in the words, "if a
man's art is gone, the man is gone, though his body still appear."

Much has been written on the interesting question of the early history
of the periodical press; but with one exception none of its predecessors
had much effect on the _Tatler_. John Dunton's _Athenian Mercury_ was
the forerunner of our _Notes and Queries_; and it was followed by the
_British Apollo_ (1708-11), the second title of which was "Curious
Amusements for the Ingenious. To which are added the most Material
Occurrences, Foreign and Domestic. Performed by a Society of Gentlemen."
_The Gentleman's Journal_ of 1692-4, a monthly paper of poems and other
miscellaneous matter, was succeeded, in 1707, by Oldmixon's _Muses'
Mercury; or, The Monthly Miscellany_, a periodical which contained also
notices of new plays and books, and numbered Steele among its
contributors. Defoe's _Review_, begun in 1704, aimed at setting the
affairs of Europe in a clearer light, regardless of party; but, added
Defoe, "After our serious matters are over, we shall at the end of every
paper present you with a little diversion, as anything occurs to make
the world merry; and whether friend or foe, one party or another, if
anything happens so scandalous as to require an open reproof, the world
will meet with it there." Accordingly, of the eight pages in the first
number, one and a half pages consist of "Mercure Scandale; or, Advice