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THE LIFE

OF

OLIVER GOLDSMITH, M. B.

OUR Author was the third fon of the Rev. Charles Goldfmith, and was born at Elphin, in the county of Roscommon, in Ireland, in the year 1729. After being well inftructed in the claffics, 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 profeffors in that university. His beneficent disposition 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 ship to Rotterdam, whence, after a fhort flay, he

proceeded to Bruffels. He then vifited great part of Flanders; and, after paffing fome time at Strasbourg 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 ingenious, unfortunate man, made most 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 sustaining every fatigue, and a heart not easily 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 mufic: he played tolerably well on the German flute; which, from an amusement, became at fome times the means of fubfiftence. His learning produced him an hofpitable reception at most of the religious houfes that he vifited; and his music made him welcome to the peafants of Flanders and Germany. "Whenever I approached .. a peasant's hc towards night-fall," he used to say, "I played one of my moft merry tunes, and that gene

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rally procured me not only a lodging, but fubfiftence "for the next day: but, IN TRUTH" (his constant 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 my endeavours to please them."

On his arrival at Geneva, he was recommended as a proper person 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 fee the world; and, on his engaging with his preceptor, made a provifo, that he fhould be permitted to govern himself and our traveller foon found his pupil understood

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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 some striking proofs at the college of Edinburgh; and it was from hence he sent the first 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 fouth of France, where the young man, upon some 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 paffed through a number of difficulties in traverfing the greateft 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 most gloomy reflections in consequence of his embarrassed fituation. He applied to feveral apothecaries, in hopes of being received in the capacity of a journeyman; but his broad Irish accent, and the uncouthness of his appearance, occafioned him to meet with infult from most of the medicinal tribe. The next day, however, a chymist near Fish-street-hill, ftruck with his forlorn condition, and the fimplicity of his manner, took him into his laboratory, where he continued till he difcovered 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 eftablishment

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