terary adventurer of the same nation, were over estimated by their literary acquaintance; that with some talents and learning, and a great deal of pretension, a degree of consideration had been awarded them, denied to many of our countrymen of equal or superior attainments; that goodnature towards foreigners had, as is sometimes the case in England, assigned them the places due only to distinguished merit. He disliked Baretti also from an impression that he contemned religion; and on this subject talking once to Mr. Ridge, whose name occurs in Retaliation, is said to have observed, "I never feel confidence in such men; I am far from being what I ought to be, or what I wish to be; but whatever be my follies my mind has never been tainted by unbelief."*

Among his acquaintance, occasioned by the publication of the Aminta of Tasso, in April 1770, appears to have been its translator, the Rev. Percival Stockdale, who having been an officer in the army, relinquished it for the church; accepted a curacy in London, where he figured variously, and with some success as poet, reviewer, and miscel

* Baretti was acquitted of the charge. It is rarely that names of equal celebrity with the following are to be found as guarantees for the personal appearance of a prisoner arraigned on such a charge." On Friday Sir Joshua Reynolds, William Fitzherbert, Esq., Edmund Burke, Esq., and David Garrick, Esq., gave bail before Lord Mansfield for Mr. Joseph Baretti's appearance at the ensuing sessions." (Public Advertiser, Oct. 16th, 1769.) Dr. Johnson's interest was exerted to procure this array of names.

laneous writer; became then a chaplain in the navy; and after a life of many changes of scene, finally settled on the living of Lesbury in Northumberland, on the presentation of Lord Thurlow, where his attachment to literature continued to be displayed. His productions were of various merit; the best perhaps is "The Poet," a poem published in 1773. The last, his "Memoirs" in 1809, exhibit a querulous and discontented spirit. His character seems to have been ardent, vain, and versatile; and thinking more highly of his own genius for poetry than he could persuade the world to believe, was disappointed and soured by not acquiring that distinction to which he thought his talents were entitled. During his career in London he enjoyed the friendship of Dr. Johnson, who in allusion to his obvious vanity and anxieties on the subject of his writings, is believed to have applied to him the observation recorded by Boswell, "Sir, there is not a young sapling upon Parnassus, more severely blown about by every wind of criticism than that poor fellow."*

His autobiography, said to be incorrect in several of its statements, particularly that where he represents himself as being originally engaged to write the lives of the poets instead of Dr. Johnson, furnishes scarcely an allusion to Goldsmith. His papers however supply an anecdote communicated by a lady eminent for her writings in fiction, his

* Mr. Croker's edition, vol. v. p. 215.

friend, and whom the writer has likewise the honour to number among his acquaintance, Miss Jane Porter, who having spent some time at the vicarage of Lesbury preserves a warm regard for the memory of her then venerable host. The story is not very complimentary to the personal appearance of the poet, though possibly heightened by Mr. Stockdale in the telling; and may have been suggested by an anecdote something similar, of a stranger mistaking him for an inferior kind of person, mentioned by Miss Reynolds.

"About this period," writes Miss Porter, in her communication, "a circumstance rather ludicrous occurred relative to Goldsmith, which I shall copy from Mr. Stockdale's own account of the matter; I having occupied much of my time, while visiting the Vicar of Lesbury, in transcribing from his biographical note-book.

"Oliver Goldsmith was a feeling and an elegant writer both in poetry and prose, but especially in the former species of composition. My first acquaintance with him commenced at Davies the bookseller's, where I dined in his company, and was much struck by the opposition between the beauty of his mind and the mean appearance of his person and manner. A few days after this, and soon after my friend Davies had published my translation of Tasso's Aminta, I called on him one afternoon, and was with him in his parlour when Dr. Goldsmith entered; and remaining with us conversed most agreeably for about an hour. Just

before he had joined us, Davies asked me what I thought of some of his party at the dinner he had given me, and amongst these he mentioned the poet of the Deserted Village.' I replied that I held his genius in due estimation, but that I had never seen a man look more like a tailor. This was fresh in our heads when Goldsmith entered, and before he left us he desired our friend the bookseller to let him have my translation of the Aminta. As he put it into his pocket he turned to me and said, 'Mr. Stockdale, I shall soon take measure of you.'-I observed with a smile I could not repress, that I hoped he would not pinch me.' From what had passed before he came in and afterwards, Davies and I, as soon as he quitted the house, gave a full indulgence to our risible faculties; the odd coincidence of Goldsmith's metaphor and my comparison having been quite irresistible.'"*

* Miss Porter adds some anecdotes of this gentleman, whom she knew in the decline of life and saw reason to esteem, which do honour to her friendship, although the object of it has not acquired from critical judgments the honours he is disposed to assume on account of his literary merits.

"The Reverend Percival Stockdale was a literary worthy of the days of Dr. Johnson, and not only enjoyed his intimacy, but that of several others of the distinguished men of the time, Lord Lyttleton, Burke, Garrick, and many more who kept up with him an occasional correspondence. I remember his showing some of their letters to me during a visit to Lesbury in his latter years, and he then said with much emphatic feeling (for his character was all energy to his latest page and hour) 'I am proud, and ever will be proud of such honours from such men. I will preserve them as a miser would his gold till

Towards the end of May 1770*, the Deserted Village, announced so long before as being in pre

I die, and then will resign them to some elegant and distinguished soul who may be worthy of them.' These letters he afterwards did me the honour of saying should be mine on his decease; and by the tenor of his will which named me residuary legatee, the possession of such cherished memorials was anticipated. But on the amount of the legacies to other persons falling short, the residuary legatee lost even these few relics of her venerable friend; they being sold, with every thing else of his personals, to complete the sum for the legacies. Who purchased them I never heard.

"He was in London during the spring and vigour of life, and some of his works were supposed to possess great merit; the tragedy of Ximenes he told me was thought to approach in merit Addison's Cato. It was in the library of Garrick at his beautiful villa on the banks of the Thames that Mr. Stockdale conceived the idea of writing another of his most esteemed works, his Vindication of the Genius of Pope. It was excited by his chancing to peruse in that library Warton's Essay on the Writings and Genius of Pope,' which by derogating from the powers of the bard of Twickenham, so provoked the young poet of the Tweed, that as he said he threw out this volunteer of his heart, with all the force of indignant justice.' A day or two after its publication he happened to meet Mr. Burke, who instantly took him by the arm and entered on the subject of the vindication with great spirit and commendation. 'Stockdale,' said he, 'you write with great fire and with a poet's light into your subject which falls to the lot of very few

"This day, at twelve, will be published, price two shillings -The Deserted Village, a Poem. By Dr. Goldsmith. Printed for W. Griffin, at Garrick's Head in Catherine Street, Strand."Public Advertiser, May 26. 1770.

In the memoir prefixed to the Miscellaneous Works, the date of the poem is said to be 1769; an error that escaped Bishop Percy, the Rev. Mr. Boyd, and Mr. Rose.