Heroic poem, written at the request of Lord Halifax, and celebrating Marlborough’ s victory at Blenheim.

Staged at Drury Lane and proved successful, partly because it was perceived as a defense of the Whigs. Protrays the last days of Cato (95-46BC), the “conscience of Rome” who was severely critical of Caesar and the Triumvirate, and his suicide after defeat at Utica. Translated into several languages, Voltaire called it the finest tragedy in the English language and Dr. Johnson considered it “unquestionably the noblest production of Addison’s genius”, although he described it as “rather a poem in dialogue than a drama, rather a succession of just sentiments in elegant language than a representation of natural affections.”

A comedy staged anonymously at Drury Lane without success.