THE LIFE OF DR. OLIVER GOLDSMITH. † OLIVER GOLDSMITH, fon of the Reverend Charles Goldsmith, 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 fo high. On the 27th of February, 1746, O. S. (two years after the regular time) he obtained the degree In these 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 admiffion into the college of Dublin, &c. which are here corrected from accurate information. degree of Bachelor of Arts. Soon after he turned his thoughts to the profeffion of Phyfic; and after at tending fome courfes of anatomy in Dublin, proceeded to Edinburgh, in the year 1751, where he ftudied the feveral branches of medicine under the different profeffors in that univerfity. His beneficent difpofition foon involved him in unexpected difficul ties; and he was obliged precipitately to leave Scotland, in confequence of having engaged himfelf 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 stay, he proceeded to Bruffels. He then vifited great part of Flanders; and after paffing fome time at Strafbourg and Louvain, where he obtained a degree of Bachelor in Phyfic, he accompanied an English gentleman to Geneva. It is undoubtedly a fact, that this ingenius, unfor tunate man made moft part of his tour on foot. * He left Countries wear different appearances to travellers of different circumstances. A man who is whirled through Europe in a poft chaife, and the pilgrim who walks the grand tour |