general systems of education, because many of the details may be inapplicable to particular individuals. Were it distinctly foreseen, that the youth of to-day is to be the distinguished poet, statesman, or mathematician of a future period, his education might be varied, possibly with advantage, though this by no means follows; for exclusive devotion to one pursuit is as objectionable in education as in other things. But the bent of a boy's mind cannot always be ascertained with precision; even his wishes cannot safely be trusted; and he must, therefore, as the sure method of disciplining and enlarging his faculties, follow "that path which his tutors, and not his inclinations, have chalked out." That colleges enrich the prudent, is sometimes true; but who are to be rewarded,-the attentive or the negligent? That the ingenious are neglected is so far from being the fact, that young men who exhibit proofs of talent at college are noticed, praised, and even remembered long after the occasion, in a greater degree than their share of merit probably deserved; as the future lives of many have furnished little evidence of superiority. Ingenuity, therefore, in whatever form displayed, rarely passes without its reward. But if the implied compact entered into with such institutions, that of conforming to the system by which they are conducted, be disregarded, no just cause for complaint can fairly exist if their benefits be withheld. Poets, indeed, may think otherwise; and several of our distinguished names in that class looked back with little satisfaction to the period of their lives spent at a University; willing, perhaps, to forget their own errors or negligences in the occasional defects or mistakes observed in their instructers; but it is idle for the inexperienced to find fault with modes of study or the restraints of discipline. When a student complains of his college, the probability is, that the college has much more reason to complain of him. The truth of the simile employed as illustrative of the force of juvenile passions, although repeated in three other passages of his writings, is very questionable; for many of our greatest men require no such apology for their youth: the allusion, however, is to himself. A certain thoughtlessness, supposed to belong to the poetical temperament, became early developed, and a facility of temper that rarely resisted importunity of any kind, gave him the character of good nature. His disposition, naturally social and generous, found encouragement in kindred associations with youth. Passions at such seasons, he informs us, lead to pleasure; and his, from all the accounts that can now be gleaned, appear not to have been inactive, although no specific breaches of propriety, or of college discipline, were at that period laid to his charge. The general effect is supposed to have fostered that disinclination to the proper studies of the place, which on other occasions he felt disposed to attribute wholly to taste: the expenses incurred in amusements but ill suited the nature of his supplies, at all times of a scanty description. A story has been told of his having at this period formed an imprudent female attachment; which, but for interposition of some of his friends, was likely to have terminated in marriage. One of the qualifications which ensured popularity among fellowstudents, but often dangerous to the possessor from the temptations to which it leads, was the talent of singing a good song. His voice, naturally tolerable, acquired more power by cultivation, and by a little taste and skilful management became very agreeable. In London, to a late period of life, he amused his friends with Irish songs, exhibiting much of the peculiar humour of his country. A taste for music formed an additional recommendation, though perhaps with no considerable knowledge of it as a science. He played tolerably well on the German flute; it is recorded that even at this time whenever vexed by temporary annoyances he had recourse to this instrument, and blew it with a kind of mechanical vehemence till his equanimity of temper returned. Early in 1747, his father, whose character he took pleasure in sketching in several of his productions, died; the induction of his successor, the Rev. Mr. Wynne, taking place in the March of that year. The wealth of the family, never as we have seen great, or as he himself hints, well husbanded, necessarily suffered a serious diminution: the means of the widow were little more than sufficient to provide the necessaries of life for the other branches of her family: remittances to Oliver therefore ceased, and his prospects became darker than ever. In this situation it would have been necessary to have withdrawn from college, but for the occasional contribution of friends, among whom his uncle Contarine formed the principal: these were from their nature limited, and perhaps irregular. His difficulties were consequently considerable, during the whole of his subsequent stay in the university, and no doubt often occasioned that state of " squalid poverty" of which Dr. Wilson speaks. In this situation a constitutional buoyancy, or, as he phrases it in another place, "a knack at hoping," kept him from despair; but, when combined with the reproaches of his tutor, rendered frequent despondency and depression unavoidable. Under such circumstances, he was more than once driven to the necessity of pawning his books, until the stated supply arrived, or some friendly hand interposed to release them; when on such emergencies Beatty† would lend him others for the purposes of study. The disposal of the books coming to the knowledge of the tutor, he, in addition to bitter taunts and reprehension, said that he was like the silly fellow in Horace-Mutat quadrata rotundis. There is, we are assured, no stimulus to ingenuity like distress. Goldsmith was now taught for the first time to draw upon his resources in a mode which, however beneath the dignity, was not inappropriate to the calling of the future poet. This was the composition of street ballads, to which Beatty knew him frequently to resort when in want of small sums for present exigencies. The price of these was five shillings each, and all that he wrote found a See "Of the Opera in England," "Schools of Music," Works, vol, i., and various passages in his writings. + Communicated by his son, the Rey. Mr. Beatty. + Ibid. ready sale at a shop known as the sign of the Rein-deer, in Mountrath Street. None of the names of these verses were recollected at the time Mr. Beatty related the fact to his friends, but popular occurrences commonly supplied the subjects. Poor as they may be supposed to have been in character, from the remuneration received and the class for whom intended, he is said to have exhibited for his offspring all the partiality of a parent, by strolling the streets at night to hear them sung, and marking the degree of applause which each received from the auditors. CHAPTER III. Riot of the Students.-Sentence upon Goldsmith and others.-Absents himself from the University.-Anecdotes.—Takes the degree of B. A.-His Father. In May, 1747, a riot of the students of Trinity College, in which he took part, had nearly involved him in more serious difficulties than any yet experienced, although his tutort (for such was the character of this gentleman) was said to have encouraged privately what he was afterwards called upon to punish in his corporate capacity. A few of the particulars are given by Dr. Wilson, in the postscript to the letter to Malone already quoted : "Several scholars were expelled for raising a sedition and riot in the city of Dublin. 'Twas occasioned by a report that a scholar had been arrested in Fleet Street. To revenge this supposed insult, a numerous body of scholars rushed into town under the command of Gallows Walsh,-who in those days was controller-general of riots, -explored the dens of the bailiffs, conducted the prisoners in triumph to the college, and pumped them soundly in the old cistern. In those days of primitive simplicity, the pumping of constables was a very fashionable amusement. The commander then proposed breaking open Newgate, and making a general jail delivery. The enterprise was attempted, but failed for want of cannon. Roe, who was the constable of the castle, and was well supplied with artillery, repulsed the assailants; and some townsmen, whose curiosity induced them to become spectators of this futile attempt, were killed in the action. "Goldsmith, though not a principal, was present at the transaction, and was publicly admonished for aiding and abetting the riot,-in Mr. Crofton Croker is now making an extensive collection of the ballads of Ireland; and it is just possible that by peculiar allusion or phraseology, something of Goldsmith may be detected. + Communicated by Mr. Webbe, author of "Travels on the Rhine, in Switzerland, and Italy." the words of the sentence, quod seditioni favisset et tumultuantibus opem tulisset." In a portion of the juvenile correspondence of Edmund Burke lately discovered, and of which the writer has to regret he had not the use on a previous occasion, another account of this transaction appears, written by a fellow-student, afterwards the Rev. William Dennis, LL. D., Rector of Dunmore in the diocess of Tuam.* This gentleman was, with a few youthful friends in college named Hamilton, Mohun, Buck, Brennan, and one or two more, a member of the debating society formed by Burke-private in its nature, and meant merely for their own amusement. Many of the exercises, amusements, friendships, and even letters of these youthful associates, seem from a large packet of correspondence still in existence, to have been in common; and their proceedings were communicated in joint letters to Richard Shackleton, son of their former schoolmaster at Ballitore, of which the following is one. The subjects discussed were usually literary-chiefly poetry, criticism, and the drama; and furnish evidence of what the writer has elsewhere advanced,† that the mind of Burke was as active in degree in very early, as in later life. No apology will be necessary for giving the letter at length, although the latter part only relates to our subject; it is illustrative of the characteristics, perhaps the operations, of mind. We find here in juxta-position the different occupations at the same university, at the same moment, and when nearly of the same age, of Burke and Goldsmith; the sedateness of pursuit, the industry and labour for self-improvement of the future statesman, contrasted with the inconsiderate love of frolic and careless jollity of the future poet; yet both destined to become distinguished ornaments of their country. The first part of the letter, though written by Burke, is not signed by him, this being left for Dennis, who was to conclude it, which he does with a mock heroic account of the riot, as indeed all their communications were couched in a jocular vein. Shackleton's letters in return were likewise addressed to them in common. "May 28, 1747. "SCENE I-BURKE, DENNIS.-The Club-room.-DENNIS goes away about some Business.-Manet BURKE solus. "As the committee appointed for the trial of Dennis has just now broke up without doing any thing, for want of members sufficient, I have time enough on my hands to write what you desire-an account of the proceedings of our society since your departure; in which you have been a perfect prophet, for Mohun was formally expelled last lustrum by the censor, Mr. Dennis. After an examination of his conduct from the first foundation of the society, it was To this was added that of Clare and Clonshambo, in the diocess of Kildare, through the interest of Burke. The correspondence is in the hands of his grandson, Mr. W. Crawford, now a member of the English Bar, and to whom I am indebted for the perusal of this and many more letters. † Life of Burke, 2d ed. vol. i. p. 15. and passim. found exceeding bad, without one virtue to redeem it, for which he suffered the above sentence. He was tried some time before (Burke, pres.) for his bad behaviour; but behaved still worse at trial, which brought fresh punishments on him, and at length expulsion. This is not the only revolution in our club. Mr. Buck's conduct much altered for the worse; we seldom see him, for which he has not been spared. Dennis, Hamilton, and your humble ha! ha! attend constantly; Cardegrif, as we expected, middling. You all this while are uneasy to know the cause of Dennis's accusation; it is no less than an attempt to overturn this society, by an insolent behaviour to the president and society. I am the accuser; and when you know that, you will tremble for him. I must congratulate you likewise on the censor's minor thanks, which you received with a declaration that had you entered earlier into the society you had been entitled to the grand thanks. The censor gave himself the grand thanks, and the same to me. "We had, during your absence, the following debates very well handled-On the Stadtholder-Burke, an oration; lenity to the rebels, a debate-Dennis for, Burke against; Prince of Orange to harangue his troops-Dennis; the sailors in a ship turning piratesDennis for, Burke and Hamilton against; Cataline to the Allobroges -Dennis; General Huske for engaging at Falkirk-Burke; Hawley against Dennis; Brutus the First to the Romans-Burke. Hamilton is now president, and a very good one. You use me oddly in your letter; you accuse me of laziness, and what not (though I am likely to fill this sheet.) I did not expect this from your friendship, that you should think I would, in your absence, refuse you my company for a few lines, when I attended you in town for many a mile. You behave to me just after the manner that a vile prologue I've read desires the audience to use the actors- But if you damn, be it discreetly done; flatter us here, and damn us when you're gone' (you see I have not lost my faculty of quoting Grub Street ;) just so, when here you blarney me; in the country you abuse me; but that shall not hinder me from writing on, for (to show you my Latin) tenet insanabile multos scribendi cacoethes. Come we now to Sharf-the beginning is dark, indeed, but not quite void of connexion, for whose good effects, &c.' connects with the first line; all the rest is, properly, between parenthesis. Phaetont sells well still; tell me exactly what is said concerning his appearance in print in the country. Miss Cotter is quite charmed with your writings, and more of them would not be disagreeable to that party. I have myself almost finished a piece-an odd one; but you shall not see it until it comes out, if ever: write the rest, Pantagruel, for I can stay no longer;-past nine.-I am now returned, and no Pantagruel. Your oration on Poverty is, I think, very good, and has * A name given to one of the party, but to whom does not appear. † Juvenile productions, the nature of which does not appear. Shackleton and Burke communicated their writings to each other for mutual correction. + Supposed to be the daughter of a bookseller, with whom these young writers were connected in their publications. |