Eustace Budgell

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Eustace Budgell (August 19, 1686 – May 4, 1737) was an English writer.

Born in St. Thomas near Exeter, Budgell was educated at Oxford, was a cousin of Addison, who took him to Ireland and got him appointed to a lucrative office, which, however, he was foolish enough to throw away by lampooning the Viceroy. He assisted Addison in The Spectator, of which he wrote 37 numbers signed X. In these he imitates Addison's style with some success. Budgell, who was vain and vindictive, fell on evil days, lost a fortune in the South Sea Bubble, was accused of forging the will of Dr Matthew Tindal at the expense of his nephew, and committed suicide by throwing himself out of a boat at London Bridge. His suicide note famously said: "What Cato did, and Addison approved, cannot be wrong."

This article incorporates public domain text from: Cousin, John William (1910). A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature. London, J.M. Dent & sons; New York, E.P. Dutton.