At Leyden he suffered all the viciffitudes of fortune at play, to which he was now unhappily addicted. One morning he came to a fellow-ftudent * with his pockets literally full of money, and with exultation counted out to him a large fum, which he had won the preceding evening. His friend earnestly preffed him to play no more, but to fecure his prefent gains as a fund for completing his medical studies. Oliver, who could always fee what was right, though he could not always purfue it, highly approved this advice, and declared his firm refolution to make it the rule of his future conduct. But the feductions of the gaming-table were irrefiftible, and he was foon after stripped of every fhilling. In this exigence he received pecuniary affiftance from the gentleman above-mentioned, with which he determined to quit Holland and to vifit the adjacent countries. But unfortunately his curiofity led him to view a garden, where the choiceft flowers were reared for fale, and it is well known to what a height of extravagance the Dutch florists have raised the price of these beautiful productions of nature when improved by art. Poor Goldsmith recollecting that his uncle was an admirer of fuch rarities, without reflecting on the reduced ftate of his own finances, was tempted to purchase fome of these coftly flower roots to be fent as a prefent to Ireland, and thereby left himself so little cafh

* The late Dr. Ellis, clerk of the Irish Houfe of Commons, from whom the following anecdotes are related.

VOL. I.

d

that

that he is faid to have fet out on his travels with only one clean fhirt, and no money in his pocket.

7.

He refolved to make the tour of Europe on foot, and to truft to Providence for his refources. He has obferved in his Enquiry into the prefent State of Polite Literature in Europe, Chap. XIII. that "Countries wear very different appearances to tra"vellers of different circumftances. A man, who is "whirled through Europe in his post-chaife, and the pilgrim, who walks the grand tour on foot, will "form very different conclufions, Haud inexpertus loquor*."

66

He was accustomed to give an account of his own travels fo nearly refembling thofe of the wanderer in his Vicar of Wakefield, that fome of the following particulars are believed to belong to himself. "I had fome knowledge of mufic, and now turned "what was once my amusement into a prefent means " of fubfiftence. Whenever I approached a pea"fant's houfe towards night-fall, I played one of 66 my moft merry tunes, and that procured me not "only a lodging but fubfiftence for the next day. "I once or twice attempted to play to people of "fashion, but they ftill thought my performance "odious, and never rewarded me even with a "trifle."

His claffical learning procured him also entertainment at the monafteries, especially thofe of the

* This laft claufe he omitted in his fecond edit.

Irish nation. And in fome of the foreign Univerfities and convents, upon certain days, theses are maintained against any adventitious difputant; for which, if the champion oppofes with fome dexterity, he may claim a gratuity in money, a dinner, and a bed for the night. This afforded another refource for our forlorn pilgrim. "Thus," fays he, "I fought my way from convent to convent, walk"ed from city to city, examined mankind more "nearly, and, if I may fo exprefs it, faw both sides "of the picture."

In this manner he travelled through Flanders, and some parts of France and Germany, till he arrived at Switzerland, where he first cultivated his poetical talents with succefs. For in his Dedication of the Traveller to his brother Henry, we are told that part of that delightful poem was written there. The golden mediocrity, which inhabits those rugged mountains, appears to have been most congenial to his feelings at that time; when feeking shel ter under the peafant's thatched but hofpitable roof, he became at once their favourite and that of the Muses. Hence it was, that defcending to Italy, he made his description of that country fo much more vigorous and picturesque than that of Addison ; though they both viewed it through pretty much the fame political opticks.

It has been related by former Biographers, that at Geneva, Goldfmith was engaged to be travelling tutor, or companion to a young Englishman, who,

having been bred an attorney, had fallen into poffeffion of a large fortune devolved to him from his uncle, a pawnbroker in London; and now refolved to improve himself by travel: but that through the fordid avarice of the pupil the tutor was foon releafed from his charge. But it has, however, been doubted by his intimate friends, whether this connection has not rather been imagined from the adventure in the novel, than really experienced by himself. He then went to Padua in Italy, where he ftaid fix months, and if he ever took any medical degree it was probably in this ancient school of medicine*. Of Italy he vifited all the northern part, and faw Venice, Verona, and Florence. But lofing his good uncle and generous benefactor while he was in Italy, he was obliged to travel through France to England, as heretofore, on foot; ftill lodging in convents, wherever he could find any of his own nation. He landed at Dover about the breaking out of the war in 1756. Such is the account he used to give of this peregrination, in which he spent about a year.

When he had croffed the fea he had ftill to ftem the tide of adverfity: for in England he found neither his German flute, nor his fkill in difputation

* However a former biographer says, "He took the degree of Bachelor of Phyfic at Louvain. (Life of Dr. O. Goldsmith, printed for Swan, 1774. 8vo.)

In February 1769, Dr. Goldfmith made an excurfion to Oxford with Dr. Johnson, and was admitted in that celebrated university ad eundem gradum, which he faid was that of M. B. See alfo his agreement with the bookfeller below.

would

would procure him a fupper, and he arrived in London in the extremity of diftrefs. He tried to be admitted an assistant in a school or academy, but even found that humble station at first difficult to obtain, for want of a recommendation or teftimonial. Oliver, relying on his talents, hoped at fome future period to emerge from this obfcurity; and, unwilling that these his inferior ftruggles fhould be afterwards remembered, made his application under a feigned name; and, when he was required to refer the mafter of the school to fome refpectable perfon for a character, he was in no fmall difficulty. In this exigence, he wrote to Dr. Radcliff, a mild benevolant man, who had been joint tutor with his perfecutor Wilder, in Trinity College, and had fometimes lectured the other's pupils. He explained to him his fituation, and told him that the fame poft which conveyed this information, would bring him another letter of inquiry from the fchoolmafter, to which he intreated the Doctor to return an answer. With this request he readily complied, and in a fubfequent letter he received a very entertaining account of our poet's travels and adventures*.

How long he retained this usher's place is not known; but that he had deeply experienced the miseries of fuch a fituation, might be collected not only from the paffages he has thrown into the mouth of his philofophical wanderer, in the Vicar of Wake

So we are told by Dr. Campbell in his Philofophical Survey of the South of Ireland.