only proceeded to the highest excess of perfonal abuse, but concluded with manual chastisment before all the company.

"The difgrace attending this cruel treatment drove the poor lad into defpair, and he determined never more to fee any of his friends, but to remove to fome other country, where totally unknown, he might feek his fortune. He accordingly disposed of his books and cloaths, and left the college, but loitered about in Dublin till he had only a fhilling left in his pocket, when he fet out on his travels. His intention was to go on fhip-board at Cork, for fome other country, he knew not whither.

"On this fhilling he fupported himself, as he affirmed, for three days, and then parting by degrees with the cloaths off his back, was reduced to fuch extremity of famine, that, after fafting twentyfour hours, he thought a handful of grey peas, given him by a girl at a wake, the most comfortable repaft he ever made. By this time he began to be fenfible of his folly, and like the prodigal fon defirous of returning to his indulgent father. From his father's house he now was not fo diftant but that he contrived to fend to his brother, who came to him, cloathed and carried him back to college, where he effected fomething of a reconciliation with his tutor, but, as may easily be imagined, they were never afterwards on cordial terms.

"Soon after this event his worthy father died, of whom he gives an account in the Citizen of the

World,

World, under the character of the man in black, His good uncle Contarine endeavoured to fupply his lofs, and wifhed him to prepare for holy orders. But for the clerical profeffion he had no liking, having always a ftrong inclination for vifiting foreign countries; and when he did apply to the bishop he was rejected because he was too young. His uncle however procured him the office of private tutor in the family of a neighbouring gentleman, where he continued about a year: but being averse to the neceffary confinement he quitted his friends, and having faved about thirty pounds, and procured a good horfe, he left the country.

"His friends, after an absence of fix weeks, without having heard what had become of him, concluded he had quitted the kingdom; when he fuddenly returned to his mother's house without a penny, upon a poor little horfe not worth twenty fhillings, which he called Fiddle-Back. His mother, as might be expected, was highly offended, but his brothers and fifters had contrived to meet him there, and at length effected a reconciliation.

Being required to account for the lofs of his money and linen, and the horfe on which he had departed, he told them that he had been at Cork, where he had fold his horse, and paid for his paf

fage

The tradition in the diocese of Elphim is, that he was rejected by bishop Synge, to whom he offered himself a candidate, either because he had neglected the profeffional ftudies, or from a (perhaps exaggerated) report of irregularities at college.

fage for America, to a captain of a fhip. But the winds proving contrary for three weeks, he had amufed himself by feeing every thing curious in and about that city, and on the day the wind proved fair, being engaged with a party in an excursion into the country, his friend, the captain, had fet fail without him. He continued in Cork till he had only two guineas left, out of which he paid forty fhillings for Fiddle-Back, and when he wished to return home he had only the remaining crown* in his pocket. Although this was rather too little for a journey of a hundred and twenty miles, he had intended to vifit on the road not far from Cork, a dear friend he had known in college, who had often preffed him to spend a fummer at his house, and on whose affistance he depended for fupplies. In this expectation he had given half his little ftock to a poor woman in his way, who had folicited relief for herself and eight children, their father having been feized for rent and thrown into jail.

"He found his friend just recovering from a fevere illness; who received him in his cap and flippers, but expreffed the greatest joy to fee him, and eagerly inquired what agreeable occafion had fo happily brought him into that country. Oliver delighted to think his diftreffes were now at an end, concealed no part of them from his hoft; to gratify his fine feelings and to excite his fympathy, he

Two guineas in Irish currency is 21. 5s. 6d.

repre

represented in the strongest terms not only his prefent deftitute condition, but the little profpect he had of returning home, on account of having fo highly difobliged his family, and obferved, that it muft be a work of time, and of long interceffion, before he could again expect to be received into fayour. The melancholy filence with which his affecting tale was heard, he attributed to the tendereft compaffion; and the frequent fighs of his friend, as he walked about rubbing his hands, and deeply loft in thought, confoled him under the difmal recital. The uncommon length of his friend's filence enabled him to renew the fubject, and to expatiate on his hopeless fituation, till it was at length terminated by his hofts obferving very drily, how inconvenient it was for him to receive company in his prefent state of weakness; that he had no provifion in the house for a healthy perfon; he had nothing but flops and milk diet for himself; of which, if he pleased, Mr. Goldsmith might partake, but he feared it would not foon be got ready. This was dismal news to our hungry traveller, who, alas! had fafted the whole day, and it was not till fix o'clock, when an old woman appeared and fpread the table, on which the laid a fmall bowl of fagoe for her master, and a porringer of four milk, with a piece of brown bread for his gueft. This being foon difpatched, the invalid pleaded the neceffity of going early to bed, and left poor Oliver to his own meditations,

"In the morning confulting with his friend on his unfortunate fituation, he advised him to haften home without lofs of time, as his family must be highly offended at his abfence. On this Oliver ventured to folicit the loan of a guinea for the fupport of himself and his horfe on the road. Here again his hoft gravely advised him against running in debt, and urged that his own illness had deprived him of all his cafh. But, my dear friend, faid he, you may fell your horfe for money fufficient to bear your charges, and I will furnish you with another for the journey. When Oliver defired him to produce this fteed, he drew from under a bed an oaken ftaff. At which the poor youth was fo provoked, that he was going to apply it to his pate, when a loud. knocking at the gate gave notice of the approach of a vifitant. This was a neighbouring gentleman of a very engaging afpect; to whom, as if nothing had happened, our traveller was prefented as the very ingenious young friend who had been mentioned to him with fuch high encomiums while they were at college.

"The vifit concluded with an invitation of the two friends to dine at that gentleman's house on the morrow. To this Oliver at firft reluctantly confented, but as he really stood in want of a dinner, at length he went, and was highly pleased with the entertainment. In the evening, when they were about to return, their hoft, who had obferved fome glances which fhewed all was not right between the

two