c

OLIVER GOLDSMITH, M. B.

THE life of a Scholar," Dr. Goldsmith has remarked, "feldom abounds with adventure: his "fame is acquired in folitude; and the hiftorian, who only views him at a distance, must be content with a dry detail of actions by which he is fcarce distin"guished from the rest of mankind; but we are fond "of talking of thofe who have given us pleafure; not "that we have any thing importantt to fay, but because "the fubject is pleafing."

Oliver Goldsmith, fon of the Reverend Charles Goldfmith, was born in Elphin, in the county of Rofcommon, in Ireland, in the year 1729. His father had four fons, of whom Oliver was the third. After being well inftructed in the claffics, at the fchool of Mr. Hughes, he was admitted a fizer in Trinity College, Dublin, on the 11th of June, 1744. While he refided there, he exhibited no fpecimens of that genius, which, in maturer years, raised his character fo high.

On the

27th of February, 1749, O. S. (two years after the regular time,) he obtained the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Soon after he turned his thoughts to the profeffion of phyfic; and, after attending fome courfes of anatomy in Dublin, proceeded to Edinburgh, in the year 1751, where he ftudied the feveral branches of medicine under the different profeffors in that university. His beneficent difpofition foon involved him in unexpected difficulties; he was obliged precipitately to leave Scotland, in confequence of having engaged himfelf to pay a confiderable fum of money for a fellowftudent.

The beginning of the year 1754, he arrived at Sun derland, near Newcastle, where he was arrested at the fuit of one Barclay, a taylor in Edinburgh, to whom he had given fecurity for his friend. By the good offices

A 3

of

of Laughlin Maclane, Esq. and Dr. Sleigh, who were then in the college, he was foon delivered out of the hands of the bailiff, and took his paffage on board a Dutch fhip to Rotterdam, where, after a short stay, he proceeded to Bruffels. He then vifited great part of Flanders; and, after paffing some time at Strafbourg and Louvain, where he obtained the degree of Bachelor in Phyfic, he accompanied an English gentleman to Geneva.

It is undoubtedly a fact, that this ingenious unfortunate man made most part of his tour on foot. He had left England with very little money; and being of a philofophic turn, and at that time poffeffing a body capable of fuftaining every fatigue, and a heart not eafily terrified by danger, he became an enthufiaft to the defign he had formed of feeing the manners of different countries. He had some knowledge of the French language, and of mufic: he played tolerably well on the German flute; which, from amufement, became, at fome times, the means of fubfiftence. His learning produced him an hofpitable reception at moft of the religious houfes he visited; and his mufic made him welcome to the peasants of Flanders and Germany.

On his arrival at Geneva, he was recommended as a proper perfon for a travelling tutor to a young man, who had been unexpectedly left a confiderable fum of money by his uncle Mr. S.******. This youth, who was articled to an attorney, on the receipt of his fortune, determined to fee the world..

During his continuance in Switzerland, Goldsmith affiduously cultivated his poetical talent, of which he had given fome ftriking proofs at the college of Edinburgh. It was from hence he fent the first sketch of his delightful epiftle, called the Traveller, to his brother Henry, a clergyman in Ireland, who, giving up fame and fortune, had retired with an amiable wife to happiness and obfcurity, on an income of only forty pounds a year. The great affection Goldsmith bore for this brother, is expreffed in the Poem before mentioned, and gives a ftriking picture of his fituation.

From

From Geneva Mr. Goldsmith and his pupil proceeded to the fouth of France, where the young man, upon fome disagreement with his preceptor, paid him the fmall part of his falary which was due, and embarked at Marseilles for England. Our wanderer was left once

more upon the world at large, and paffed through a number of difficulties in traverfing the greatest part of France. At length his curiofity being gratified, he bent his courfe towards England, and arrived at Dover, the beginning of the winter, in the year 1758.

His finances were fo low on his return to England, that he with difficulty got to the metropolis, his whole stock of cash amounting to no more than a few halfpence. Being an entire ftranger in London, his mind was filled with the moft gloomy reflections, in confequence of his embarraffed fituation. He applied to feveral apothecaries, in hopes of being received in the capacity of a journeyman; but his broad Irish accent, and the uncouthnefs of his appearance, occafioned him to meet with infult from most of the medical tribe. At length, however, a chymift, near Fish-street, ftruck with his forlorn condition, and the fimplicity of his manner, took him into his laboratory, where he continued till he discovered that his old friend Dr. Sleigh was in London.*

Goldsmith, unwilling to be a burden to his friend, a fhort time after, eagerly embraced an offer which was made him to affift the late Rev. Dr. Milner, in instructing the young gentlemen at the academy at Peckham; and acquitted himself greatly to the Doctor's fatisfaction for a fhort time; but, having obtained fome reputation by the criticisms he had written in the Monthly Review, Mr. Griffith, the principal proprietor, engaged him in the compilation of it; and refolving to purfue the profeffion of writing, he returned to London, as the mart where abilities of every kind were fure of meeting diftinction and reward. Here he determined to

It was Sunday," faid Goldfmith, when I paid him a vifit; and it is to be fuppofed, in my beft cloaths. Sleigh fcarcely knew me: fuch is the tax the unfortunate pay to poverty. However, when he did recollect me, I found his heart as warm as ever; and he fnared his purfe and his friendship with me during his continuance iú Londen,”

adopt

adopt a plan of the ftricteft economy, and, at the clofe of the year 1759, took lodgings in Green-ArbourCourt, in the Old Bailey, where he wrote feveral ingenious pieces. His firft works were, The Bee, a weekly pamphlet ; and An Enquiry into the Prefent State of Polite Learning in Europe. The late Mr. Newbery, who, at that time, gave great encouragement to men of literary abilities, became a kind of patron to Goldfmith, and introduced him as one of the writers in the Public Ledger,* in which his Citizen of the World originally appeared, under the title of Chinese Letters."

Through the generofity of Mr. Newbery, for whom he had written and compiled a variety of pieces, or, in other terms, had held the " pen of a ready writer," our Author was enabled to fhift his quarters from GreenArbour Court to Wine-Office-Court, in Fleet-ftreet, where he put the finishing stroke to his Vicar of Wakefield. Having conciliated the efteem of Dr. Johnson by that paffport to the human heart, flattery, he gave fo ftrong a recommendation of Goldfmith's Novel, that the Author obtained fixty pounds for the copy; a fum far beyond his expectation, as he candidly acknowledged to a literary friend. But as Goldfmith's reputation, as a writer, was not yet established, the bookfeller was doubtful of the fuccefs of the Novel, and kept the manufcript by him till the Traveller appeared, when he published it with great advantage.

Among many other perfons of distinction who were defirous to know our Author, was the Duke of Northumberland; and the circumftance that attended his introduction to that nobleman, is worthy of being related, in order to fhew a striking trait of his character.t

During this time (according to another account) he wrote for the British Magazine, of which Dr. Smollet was then editor, most of thofe Effays and Tales, which he afterwards collected and published in a feparate volume. He alfo wrote occafionally for the Critical Review; and it was the merit which he difcovered in criticising a deípicable tranflation of Ovid's Fafti, by a pedantic fchool-mafter, and his Enquiry into the prefent State of Learning in Europe, which firft introduced him to the acquaintance of Dr. Smollett, who recommended him to feveral of the literati, and to moft of the bookfellers, by whom he was afterwards patronifed.

I was invited,' faid the Doctor, by my friend Percy, to wait upon the Duke, in confequence of the fatisfaction he had received from the perufal of one of my productions. I dreffed myself in the beft manner I could, and, af for Audying fome compliments I thought neceffary on fuch an occafion, pro

ceeded

Dr. Goldsmith, in 1765, produced his Poem of the Traveller, which obtained the commendation of Dr. Johnfon, who candidly acknowledged," that there had not been fo fine a Poem fince the time of Pope." But fuch was his diffidence, that he kept the manufcript by him fome years; nor could he be prevailed on to publifh it, till perfuaded by Dr. Johnfon, who furnished him with fome ideas for its enlargement.

This Poem, in confequence of the reception it met with from the public, enhanced his literary character with the bookfellers, and introduced him to the notice of feveral perfons eminent for their rank and fuperior talents, as Lord Nugent, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Dr. Nugent, Beauclerc, Mr. Dyer, &c. Thefe diftinguished characters were entertained with his converfation, and highly pleafed with his blunders at the fame time they admired the elegance of his poems and the fimplicity of the man. He published, the fame year, a Collection of Effays, which had previously appeared in the newspapers, magazines, and other periodical publications. But The Vicar of Wakefield, published in 1766, established his reputation as a Novelift.

7

Goldfmith's finances augmented with his fame, and enabled him to live in a fuperior ftyle; for, foon after the publication of his Traveller, he changed his lodg

ceeded to Northumberiand houfe, and acquainted the fervants that I had particular bufinefs with his Grace. They newed me into an antichamber, where, after waiting fome time, a gentleman, very elegantly dreffed, made his appearance. Taking him for the Duke, I delivered all the fine things I had compofed, in order to compliment him on the honour he had done me; when, to my great aftonifhment, he told me I had miftaken him for his mar ter, who would fee me immediately. At that inftant the Duke came into the apartment and I was fo confounded on the occafion, that I wanted words barely fufficient to exprefs the fenfe I entertained of the Duke's politene fs, and went away exceedingly chagrined at the blunder I had committed."

The Doctor, at the time of this vifit, was much embarrafled in his circumftances; but, vain of the honour done him, was continually mentioning it. One of thofe ingenious executors of the law, a bailiff, who had a writ againft him, determined to turn this circumftance to his own advantage. He wrote him a letter, that he was fteward to a nobleman who was charmed with reading his laft production, and had ordered him to defire the Doctor to appoint a place where he might have the honour of meeting him, to conduct hiin to his Lordthip. The vanity of poor Goldfmith immediately fwallowed the bait: he appointed the British Coffee-houfe, to which he was accompanied by his friend Mr. Hamilton, the printer of the Critical Review, who in vain remonftrated on the fingularity of the application. On entering the coffee-room, the bailiff paid his refpects to the Doctor, and defired that he might have the honour of immediately attending him. They had fcarce entered Pall-Mall, in their way to his Lordship, when the bailiff produced his writ. Mr. Hamilton generously paid the money, and redeemed the Doctor from captivity,.

ings