OLIVER GOLDSMITH

A Biography

By Washington Irving

CONTENTS

PREFACE

CHAPTER ONE -- I. Birth and Parentage—Characteristics of the Goldsmith Race—Poetical Birthplace—Goblin House—Scenes of Boyhood—Lissoy—Picture of a Country Parson—Goldsmith’s Schoolmistress—Byrne, the Village Schoolmaster— Goldsmith’s Hornpipe and Epigram—Uncle Contarine—School Studies and School Sports—Mistakes of a Night

CHAPTER TWO -- II. Improvident Marriages in the Goldsmith Family—Goldsmith at the University—Situation of a Sizer—Tyranny of Wilder, the Tutor—Pecuniary Straits—Street Ballads—College Riot—Gallows Walsh—College Prize—A Dance Interrupted

CHAPTER THREE -- III. Goldsmith rejected by the Bishop—Second Sally to see the World—Takes Passage for America—Ship sails without him—Return on Fiddleback—A Hospitable Friend—The Counselor

CHAPTER FOUR -- IV. Sallies forth as a Law Student—Stumbles at the Outset—Cousin Jane and the Valentine—A Family Oracle—Sallies forth as a Student of Medicine—Hocus-pocus of a Boarding-house—Transformations of a Leg of Mutton—The Mock Ghost—Sketches of Scotland—Trials of Toryism—A Poet’s Purse for a Continental Tour

CHAPTER FIVE -- V. The agreeable Fellow-passengers—Risks from Friends picked up by the Wayside—Sketches of Holland and the Dutch—Shifts while a Poor Student at Leyden—The Tulip Speculation—The Provident Flute—Sojourn at Paris— Sketch of Voltaire—Traveling Shifts of a Philosophic Vagabond

CHAPTER SIX -- VI. Landing In England—Shifts of a Man without Money—The Pestle and Mortar—Theatricals in a Barn—Launch upon London—A City Night Scene—Struggles with Penury—Miseries of a Tutor—A Doctor in the Suburb—Poor Practice and Second-hand Finery—A Tragedy in Embryo—Project of the Written Mountains

CHAPTER SEVEN -- VII. Life as a Pedagogue—Kindness to Schoolboys—Pertness In Return—Expensive Charities—The Griffiths and the “Monthly Review”—Toils of a Literary Hack—Rupture with the Griffiths

CHAPTER EIGHT -- VIII. Newbery, of Picture-book Memory—How to keep up Appearances—Miseries of Authorship—A Poor Relation—Letter to Hodson

CHAPTER NINE -- IX. Hackney Authorship—Thoughts of Literary Suicide—Return to Peckham— Oriental Projects—Literary Enterprise to raise Funds—Letter to Edward Wells—To Robert Bryanton—Death of Uncle Contarine—Letter to Cousin Jane

CHAPTER TEN -- X. Oriental Appointment, and Disappointment—Examination at the College of Surgeons—How to procure a Suit of Clothes—Fresh Disappointment—A Tale of Distress—The Suit of Clothes in Pawn—Punishment for doing an act of Charity—Gayeties of Green-Arbor Court—Letter to his Brother—Life of Voltaire—Scroggins, an attempt at Hock Heroic Poetry

CHAPTER ELEVEN -- XI. Publication of “The Inquiry”—Attacked by Griffith’s “Review”—Kenrick, the Literary Ishmaelite—Periodical Literature—Goldsmith’s Essays—Garrick as a Manager—Smollett and his Schemes—Change of Lodgings—The Robin Hood Club

CHAPTER TWELVE -- XII. New Lodgings—Visits of Ceremony—Hangers-on—Pilkington and the White Mouse—Introduction to Dr. Johnson—Davies and his Bookshop—Pretty Mrs. Davies—Foote and his Projects—Criticism of the Cudgel

CHAPTER THIRTEEN -- XIII. Oriental Projects—Literary Jobs—The Cherokee Chiefs—Merry Islington and the White Conduit House—Letters on the History of England—James Boswell—Dinner of Davies—Anecdotes of Johnson and Goldsmith

CHAPTER FOURTEEN -- XIV. Hogarth a Visitor at Islington—His Character—Street Studies—Sympathies between Authors and Painters—Sir Joshua Reynolds—His Character—His Dinners—The Literary Club—Its Members—Johnson’s Revels with Lanky and Beau—Goldsmith at the Club

CHAPTER -- XV. Johnson a Monitor to Goldsmith—Finds him in Distress with his Landlady—Relieved by the Vicar of Wakefield—The Oratorio—Poem of The Traveler—The Poet and his Dog—Success of the Poem—Astonishment of the Club—Observations on the PoemFIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN -- XVI. New Lodgings—Johnson’s Compliment—A Titled Patron—The Poet at Northumberland House—His Independence of the Great—The Countess of Northumberland—Edwin and Angelina—Gosford and Lord Clare—Publication of Essays—Evils of a rising Reputation—Hangers-on—Job Writing—Goody Two-shoes—A Medical Campaign—Mrs. Sidebotham

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN -- XVII. Publication of the Vicar of Wakefield—Opinions concerning it—Of Dr. Johnson—Of Rogers the Poet—Of Goethe—Its Merits—Exquisite Extract—Attack by Kenrick—Reply—Book-building—Project of a Comedy

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN -- XVIII. Social Condition of Goldsmith—His Colloquial Contests with Johnson—Anecdotes and Illustrations

CHAPTER NINETEEN -- XIX. Social Resorts—The Shilling Whist Club—A Practical Joke—The Wednesday Club—The “Ton of Man”—The Pig Butcher—Tom King—Hugh Kelly—Glover and his Characteristics

CHAPTER TWENTY -- XX. The Great Cham of Literature and the King—Scene at Sir Joshua Reynolds’s—Goldsmith accused of Jealousy—Negotiations with Garrick—The Author and the Actor—Their Correspondence

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE -- XXI. More Hack Authorship—Tom Davies and the Roman History—Canonbury Castle—Political Authorship—Pecuniary Temptation—Death of Newbery the elder

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO -- XXII. Theatrical Maneuvering—The Comedy of False Delicacy—First Performance of The Good-Natured Man—Conduct of Johnson—Conduct of the Author—Intermeddling of the Press

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE -- XXIII. Burning the Candle at both Ends—Fine Apartments—Fine Furniture—Fine Clothes—Fine Acquaintances—Shoemaker’s Holiday and Jolly Pigeon Associates—Peter Barlow, Glover, and the Hampstead Hoax—Poor Friends among Great Acquaintances

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR -- XXIV. Reduced again to Book-building—Rural Retreat at Shoemaker’s Paradise—Death of Henry Goldsmith—Tributes to his memory in The Deserted Village

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE -- XXV. Dinner at Bickerstaff’s—Hiffernan and his Impecuniosity—Kenrick’s Epigram—Johnson’s Consolation—Goldsmith’s Toilet—The bloom-colored Coat—New Acquaintances—The Hornecks—A touch of Poetry and Passion—The Jessamy Bride