The Life of Oliver Goldsmith

by

Washington Irving

eBooks@Adelaide
2004

Table of Contents

PREFACE

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. 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
  8. Newbery, of Picture-book Memory—How to keep up Appearances—Miseries of Authorship—A Poor Relation—Letter to Hodson
  9. 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
  10. 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
  11. 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
  12. 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
  13. 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
  14. 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
  15. 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 Poem
  16. 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
  17. 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
  18. Social Condition of Goldsmith—His Colloquial Contests with Johnson—Anecdotes and Illustrations
  19. 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
  20. 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
  21. More Hack Authorship—Tom Davies and the Roman History—Canonbury Castle—Political Authorship—Pecuniary Temptation—Death of Newbery the elder
  22. 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
  23. 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
  24. Reduced again to Book-building—Rural Retreat at Shoemaker’s Paradise—Death of Henry Goldsmith—Tributes to his memory in The Deserted Village
  25. Dinner at Bickerstaff’s—Hiffernan and his Impecuniosity—Kenrick’s Epigram—Johnson’s Consolation—Goldsmith’s Toilet—The bloom-colored

    26. Coat—New Acquaintances—The Hornecks—A touch of Poetry and Passion—The Jessamy Bride

  26. Goldsmith in the Temple—Judge Day and Grattan—Labor and Dissipation—Publication of the Roman History—Opinions of it—History of Animated Nature—Temple Rooker—Anecdotes of a Spider
  27. Honors at the Royal Academy—Letter to his brother Maurice—Family Fortunes—Jane Contarine and the Miniature—Portraits and Engravings—School Associations—Johnson and Goldsmith in Westminster Abbey
  28. Publication of the Deserted Village—Notices and Illustrations of it
  29. The Poet among the Ladies—Description of his Person and Manners— Expedition to Paris with the Horneck Family—The Traveler of Twenty and the Traveler of Forty—Hickey, the Special Attorney—An Unlucky Exploit
  30. Death of Goldsmith’s Mother—Biography of Parnell—Agreement with Davies for the History of Rome—Life of Bolingbroke—The Haunch of Venison
  31. Dinner at the Royal Academy—The Rowley Controversy—Horace Walpole’s Conduct to Chatterton—Johnson at Redcliffe Church—Goldsmith’s History of England—Davies’s Criticism—Letter to Bennet Langton
  32. Marriage of Little Comedy—Goldsmith at Barton—Practical Jokes at the Expense of his Toilet—Amusements at Barton—Aquatic Misadventure
  33. Dinner at General Oglethorpe’s—Anecdotes of the General—Dispute about Dueling—Ghost Stories
  34. Mr. Joseph Cradock—An Author’s Confidings—An Amanuensis—Life at Edgeware—Goldsmith Conjuring—George Colman—The Fantoccini
  35. Broken Health—Dissipation and Debts—The Irish Widow—Practical Jokes—Scrub—A Misquoted Pun—Malagrida—Goldsmith proved to be a Fool—Distressed Ballad–Singers—The Poet at Ranelagh
  36. Invitation to Christmas—The Spring-velvet Coat—The Haymaking Wig —The Mischances of Loo—The fair Culprit—A dance with the Jessamy Bride
  37. Theatrical delays—Negotiations with Colman—Letter to Garrick—Croaking of the Manager—Naming of the Play—She Stoops to Conquer—Foote’s Primitive Puppet Show, Piety on Pattens—First Performance of the Comedy—Agitation of the Author—Success—Colman Squibbed out of Town
  38. A Newspaper Attack—The Evans Affray—Johnson’s Comment
  39. Boswell in Holy–Week—Dinner at Oglethorpe’s—Dinner at Paoli’s—The policy of Truth—Goldsmith affects Independence of Royalty—Paoli’s Compliment—Johnson’s Eulogium on the Fiddle—Question about Suicide—Boswell’s Subserviency
  40. Changes in the Literary Club—Johnson’s objection to Garrick—Election of Boswell
  41. Dinner at Dilly’s—Conversations on Natural History—Intermeddling of Boswell—Dispute about Toleration—Johnson’s Rebuff to Goldsmith—His Apology—Man-worship—Doctors Major and Minor—A Farewell Visit
  42. Project of a Dictionary of Arts and Sciences—Disappointment—Negligent Authorship—Application for a Pension—Beattie’s Essay on Truth—Public Adulation—A high-minded Rebuke
  43. Toil without Hope—The Poet in the Green-room—In the Flower Garden—At Vauxhall—Dissipation without Gayety—Cradock in Town—Friendly Sympathy—A Parting Scene—An Invitation to Pleasure
  44. A return to Drudgery—Forced Gayety—Retreat to the Country—The Poem of Retaliation—Portrait of Garrick—Of Goldsmith—of Reynolds—Illness of the Poet—His Death—Grief of his Friends—A last Word respecting the Jessamy Bride
  45. The Funeral—The Monument—The Epitaph—Concluding Reflections

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Last updated Sunday October 31 2004.

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