理查德·斯梯尔（Richard Steele，1672-1729）是与
约瑟夫·艾迪生齐名的
散文家。他们幼年一同在卡特
公学（Charterhouse）就读，后来又同时进入
牛津大学。但斯梯尔中途辍学，自愿担任军职。
1700年左右，他开始了笔墨生涯，写了宗教论文《基督教徒的英雄》（The Christian Hero），接着又写了几个喜剧，但真正使他在文学界取得地位的是他的小品文。1708年，他创办了著名的《闲话报》（The Tatler），后来又与艾迪生合办杂志《旁观者》（The Spectator）。在政治见解上，斯梯尔与艾迪生一样，都是倾向于
辉格党（Whig）的。
Sir Richard Steele, the Dublin born dramatist and politician, was knighted in 1717. He is best known for co-authoring the periodicals, The Tatler and The Spectator. The Tatler—published from Tuesday April 12, 1709 to Volume No. 271, Tuesday January 2, 1711—is noteworthy to freemasons for its several references to Freemasonry.
His named portrait is centrally placed on the Engraved List of Lodges in the print entitled Les Free-Masons published in the 1735 edition of Bernard Picart‘s Cerérémonies et costumes religieuses de tous les peuple du monde. There is no viable explanation as to why Sir Richard Steele appears on the print, especially as there is no evidence of his ever having become a freemason.