The Life of Oliver Goldsmith, by Washington Irving
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Newbery, of Picture-book Memory — How to keep up Appearances — Miseries of
Authorship — A Poor Relation — Letter to Hodson
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Social Condition of Goldsmith — His Colloquial Contests with Johnson — Anecdotes
and Illustrations
- 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
- 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
- More Hack Authorship — Tom Davies and the Roman History — Canonbury Castle —
Political Authorship — Pecuniary Temptation — Death of Newbery the elder
- 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
- 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
- Reduced again to Book-building — Rural Retreat at Shoemaker’s Paradise — Death of
Henry Goldsmith — Tributes to his memory in The Deserted Village
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Publication of the Deserted Village — Notices and Illustrations of it
- 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
- Death of Goldsmith’s Mother — Biography of Parnell — Agreement with Davies for the
History of Rome — Life of Bolingbroke — The Haunch of Venison
- 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
- Marriage of Little Comedy — Goldsmith at Barton — Practical Jokes at the Expense
of his Toilet — Amusements at Barton — Aquatic Misadventure
- Dinner at General Oglethorpe’s — Anecdotes of the General — Dispute about Dueling
— Ghost Stories
- Mr. Joseph Cradock — An Author’s Confidings — An Amanuensis — Life at Edgeware —
Goldsmith Conjuring — George Colman — The Fantoccini
- 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
- Invitation to Christmas — The Spring-velvet Coat — The Haymaking Wig — The
Mischances of Loo — The fair Culprit — A dance with the Jessamy Bride
- 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
- A Newspaper Attack — The Evans Affray — Johnson’s Comment
- 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
- Changes in the Literary Club — Johnson’s objection to Garrick — Election of
Boswell
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- The Funeral — The Monument — The Epitaph — Concluding Reflections