would attract crowds to gaze at it, and thus they might hear of him, and see how well he could make a coat of so absurd a colour.'

The date of this dinner, October 16th, is creditable to Boswell's accuracy, as on reference to the tailor's account books already mentioned, it appears that a new suit of clothes of an expensive kind, is charged to Goldsmith on that day; the entry terms it "a half dress suit of ratteen, lined with silk," and the price twelve guineas. But his dress has been so often alluded to by contemporaries who either wrote or spoke of him, that it may amuse the reader and assist the future antiquary in tracing the fleeting and most changeable peculiarities of our garb, to subjoin a few of his bills.* By these it clearly appears he was by no means an economist in the article of dress any more

*"Mr. Oliver Goldsmith,

1767.

Dr.

Brick Court, Temple, No. 2, up two pair of stairs.

Brought from fol. 26.

March 4. To superfine suit complete

June 19. To suit complete

To black thickset breeches 28. To superfine frock suit

(Paid by a draft on Griffin, Feb. 6. 1768.)

than in other matters; yet the obligations thus incurred were pretty punctually paid until a short

July 22. To 2 yards of green livery cloth
Aug. 29. To suit cleaned

970

5 12

6

1 2 0

0 6 0

0 14 O

1 0 0

5 14 6

01 0

£32 2 0

(Paid Oct. 9. 1769, by a note on Mr. Griffin three months after

time before his death, at which period he proved to be 797. in debt, and this appears to have been lost

Brought over

£51 033

July 4. To suit

Sept. 8. To suit of mourning

(Paid £40 February 8. 1771, by a note of hand on Mr. Thos. Davies; and £23 Oct. 2d, by part of a note of hand on Griffin.)

1771.

Jan.

3.

To clothes' scouring and mending}

and pressing

3. To pair of best silk stocking breeches

24. To suit of clothes, lined with silk, }

gold buttons, &c.

Feb. 8. To best silk breeches
April 11.

To frock suit, lined with (illegible)
half trimmed with gold sprig but-

tons

0 4 6

2 5 6

9 17 6

to the tradesman, the remark of whose son shows their joint opinion of the debtor:-" My father,

(Of this, £50 was paid the 5th April, and £60

the 14th September, 1773.)

Balance

July 23. To tamboured buff waistcoat cleaned

and great coat ditto

35 3 0

£158 4 6

though a loser to that amount, attributed no blame to Goldsmith; he had been a good customer; and had he lived would have paid every farthing.' Half the sum owing by him was for clothes supplied to his nephew Hodson, of which he had taken upon himself the payment.

A few days previous to the dinner at Boswell's, his goodnature was shown on an occasion when the assistance of zealous friends is most kind, and is most wanted, towards a person for whom he had nevertheless no cordial regard. This was Baretti; whose name is sufficiently familiar to readers of the literary history of the day. He had been, as is well known, apprehended for the death of a man killed in a brawl in the street, when Goldsmith hearing of his misfortune hurried next morning before the committing magistrate, and bail being at first refused, accompanied him to Newgate, offering likewise the free use of his purse towards his subsistence and defence. This conduct exemplifies that benevolent impulse of which he has conveyed a better idea in a line, than others perhaps could accomplish in a paragraph

"His pity gave ere charity began."

He did not admire Baretti, and Baretti knew and resented the slight; Goldsmith had formed a low estimate of the literature and morals of Italy from what he had seen during his stay in that country, and this opinion of the nation at large extended to several individuals settled in England. He thought that Baretti and Martinelli, another li