Editing Joseph Addison (section)

===Political career===
Addison returned to England at the end of 1703. For more than a year he remained unemployed, but the [[Battle of Blenheim]] in 1704 gave him a fresh opportunity to distinguish himself. The government, specifically [[Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin|Lord Treasurer Godolphin]], commissioned Addison to write a commemorative poem about the battle, and he produced ''The Campaign'', which was received with such satisfaction that he was appointed Commissioner of Appeals in Halifax's government.<ref>Deighton, Ken (ed.). ''Coverley Papers from The Spectator''. New York, 1964: Macmillan.</ref> 

His next literary venture was an account of his travels in Italy, ''Remarks on several parts of Italy, &c., in the years 1701, 1702, 1703'', published in 1705 by [[Jacob Tonson]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Addison |first=Joseph  |title=Remarks on Several Parts of Italy, &c. in The Years 1701, 1702, 1703 |url=https://archive.org/stream/remarksonseveral00addi#page/n5/mode/2up |publisher=J. and R. Tonson |place=London |access-date=23 April 2013 |year=1767 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> 

In 1705, with the [[Whigs (British political party)|Whigs]] in power, Addison was made Under-Secretary of State and accompanied Lord Halifax on a diplomatic mission to Hannover, Germany. A biography of Addison states: "In the field of his foreign responsibilities Addison's views were those of a good Whig. He had always believed that England's power depended upon her wealth, her wealth upon her commerce, and her commerce upon the freedom of the seas and the checking of the power of France and Spain."<ref>Peter Smithers, ''The Life of Joseph Addison'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1954), p. 382.</ref>

In 1708 and 1709, Addison was a Member of Parliament for the borough of [[Lostwithiel (UK Parliament constituency)|Lostwithiel]]. He was soon appointed secretary to the new [[Lord Lieutenant of Ireland]], [[Thomas Wharton, 1st Marquess of Wharton|Lord Wharton]]. Under the direction of Wharton, he was an MP in the [[Irish House of Commons]] for [[Cavan Borough (Parliament of Ireland constituency)|Cavan Borough]] from 1709 until 1713. In 1710, he represented [[Malmesbury (UK Parliament constituency)|Malmesbury]], in his home county of [[Wiltshire]], holding the seat until his death in 1719.{{cn|date=December 2022}}