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THE

LIE E

OF

OLIVER GOLDSMITH, M. B.

OLIVER GOLDSMITH, fon of the Reverend

Charles Goldfmith, was born at Elphin, in the county of Rofcommon in Ireland, in the year 1729. His father had four fons, of whom Oliver was the third. After being well inftructed in the claffics, at the fchool of Mr Hughes, he was admitted a fizer in Trinity-college, Dublin, on the 11th of June, 1744. While he refided there, he exhibited no fpecimens of that genius, which, in his maturer years, raised his character so high. On the 27th of February, 1749, O. S. (two years after the regular time) he obtained the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Soon after, he turned his thoughts to the profeffion of Phyfic; and, after attending fome courses of anatomy in Dublin, proceeded to Edinburgh, in the year 1751, where he ftudied the feveral branches of medicine under the different professors in that univerfity. His beneficent

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* In thefe Memoirs, which were published in London, foon after the death of Dr. Goldsmith, were feveral mistakes, with respect to our author's age, the time of his admiflion into the college of Dublin, &c. which are here corrected from accurate information.

difpofition foon involved him in unexpected difficulties; and he was obliged precipitately to leave Scotland, in confequence of having engaged himself to pay a confiderable fum of money for a fellow-ftudent,

A FEW days after, about the beginning of the year 1754, he arrived at Sunderland, near Newcastle, where he was arrested at the fuit of one Barclay, a taylor in Edinburgh, to whom he had given fecurity for his friend. By the friendship of Mr. Laughlin Maclane and Dr. Sleigh, who were then in the college, he was foon delivered out of the hands of the bailiff, and took his paffage on board a Dutch fhip to Rotterdam, where, after a fhort ftay, he proceeded to Bruffels. He then vifited great part of Flanders; and after paffing fome time at Strafburgh and Louvain, where he obtained a degree of Bachelor in phyfic, he accompanied an English gentleman to Geneva.

It is undoubtedly fact, that this ingenious unfortunate man made moft part of his tour on foot.* He had left England with very little money; and, being of a philofophical turn, and at that time poffeffing a body capable of fuftaining every fatigue, and a heart not eafily terrified by danger, he became an enthusiast to the design he had formed of feeing the manners of different countries. He had fome knowledge of the French language, and of

"Countries wear different appearances to travellers of different circumstances. A man who is whirled through Europe in a post-chaife, and the pilgrim who walks the grand tour on foot, will form very different conclufions. Haud inexpertus liquor."

Goldsmith's Prefent State of Learning in Europe, 1759.

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mufic; he played tolerably well on the German flute; which, from an amufement, became at fome times the means of fubfiftence. His learning produced him an hofpitable reception at moft of the religious houfes that he vifited; and his mufic made him welcome to the peafants of Flanders and Germany. Whenever I approached a peasant's house towards night-fall,' he used to fay, I played one of my moft merry tunes, and that generally procured me not only a lodging, but fubfiftence for the next day : but in truth' (his conftant expreffion) I must own, whenever I attempted to entertain perfons of a higher rank, they always thought my performance odious, and never made me any return for endeavours to please them.'

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On his arrival at Geneva, he was recommended as a proper perfon for a travelling tutor to a young man, who had been unexpectedly left a confiderable fum of money by his uncle Mr. S** **. This youth, who was articled to an attorney, on receipt of his fortune, determined to see the world; and, on his engaging with his preceptor, made a provifo, that he should be permitted to govern himself; and our traveller foon found his pupil underflood the art of directing in money concerns extremely well, as avarice was his prevailing paffion.

DURING Goldsmith's continuance in Switzerland, he affiduously cultivated his poetical talent, of which he had given fome striking proofs at the college of Edinburgh. It was from hence he fent the firft sketch of his delightful epiftle, called the Traveller, to his brother Henry, a clergyman in Ireland.

FROM Geneva Mr. Goldsmith and his pupil proceeded to the south of France, where the young man, upon fome difagreement with his preceptor, paid him the fmall part of his falary which was due, and embarked at Marseilles for England. Our wanderer was left once more upon the world at large, and passed through a number of difficulties in traverfing the greatest part of France. At length his curiofity being gratified, he bent his course towards England, and arrived at Dover, the beginning of the winter, in the year 1758.

His finances were fo low on his return to England, that he with difficulty got to the metropolis, his whole stock of cash amounting to no more than a few halfpence! An entire ftranger in London, his mind was filled with the moft gloomy reflections in confequence of his embarraffed fituation. He applied to feveral apothecaries in hopes of being received in the capacity of a journeyman, but his broad Irish accent, and the uncouthnefs of his appearance, occafioned him to meet with infult from moft of the medicinal tribe. The next day, however, a chymift near Fish-ftreet, ftruck with his forlorn condition, and the fimplicity of his manner, took him into his laboratory, where he continued till he discovered that his old friend Dr. Sleigh was in London. That gentleman received him with the warmest affection, and liberally invited him to fhare his purfe till fome establishment could be procured for him. Goldsmith, unwilling to be a burden to his friend, a fhort time after eagerly embraced an offer which was made him to affift the late Rev. Dr. Milner, in inftructing the young gentlemen at the Academy at Peckham; and acquitted himself greatly

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