ings in Wine-Office-Court for a fet of chambers in the Inner Temple; and at the fame time, in conjunction with Mr. Bott, a literary friend, took a country house on the Edgware Road, for the benefit of the air, and the convenience of retirement. He gave this little manfion the jocular appellation of the Shoemaker's Paradife, being built in a fantastic style by its original poffeffor, who was one of the craft.

In this rural retirement he wrote his History of England, in a Series of Letters from a Nobleman to his Son ; and, as an inconteftible proof of the merit of this production, it was generally fuppofed to have come from the pen of Lord Lyttleton, one of the most elegant writers of his time; and it may be further observed, to enhance the reputation of the work, that it was never disavowed by that Noble Lord to any of his most intimate friends. It had a very extenfive fale, and was introduced into many feminaries of learning as a most ufeful guide to the study of English hiftory.

It was a true obfervation with the Doctor, that "of all his compilations, his Selection of English Poetry fhowed moft the art of the profeffion." To furnish copy for this work, it required no invention, and but little thought he had only to mark with a pencil the particular paffages for the printer, fo that he easily acquired two hundred pounds; but then he obferved, left the premium fhould be deemed more than a compenfation for the labour, "that a man fhews his judgment in these selections; and he may be often twenty years of his life cultivating that judgment.'

"

His comedy of the Good-natured Man was produced at Covent Garden Theatre in 1768, which, though it exhibited ftrong marks of genius, and keen observations on men and manners, did not at first meet with that applause which was due to its merit, The bailiff fcene was generally reprobated, though the characters were well drawn ; but, to comply, however, with the tafte of the town, the fcene was afterwards greatly abridged. Many parts were highly applauded, as poffeffing great comic genius, and particularly that of

Croaker

Croaker; a character truly original, excellently con ceived by the Author, and highly fupported by Shuter, the most popular comedian of his day. The manner of his reading the incendiary letter in the fourth act, and the expreffion of the different paffions by which he was agitated, produced fhouts of applaufe. Goldfmith himfelf was fo tranfported with the acting of Shuter, that he expreffed his gratitude to him before the whole Company, affuring him," he had exceeded his own idea of the character, and that the fine comic richness of his colouring made it almoft appear as new to him as to any other perfon in the house." Dr. Johnson, as a token of his friendship for the author, wrote the prologue.

The production of this comedy added confiderably to his purfe, as, from the profits of his three nights, and the fale of the copy, he acquired the fum of five hundred pounds, by which, with an additional fum he had referved out of the product of a Roman Hiftory, in 2 vols. 8vo. and an Hiftory of England, 4 vols. 8vo. he was enabled to defcend from the attic ftory, he occupied in the Inner Temple, and take poffeffion of a ipacious fuit of chambers in Brook-Court, Middle Temple, which he purchased at no lefs a fum than four hundred pounds, and was at the further charge of furnifhing those chambers in an elegant manner.

But this improvement in his circumftances, and manner of living, by no means compenfated for the mortification he underwent from the very fevere ftrictures of fome rigid critics on his comedy. Sentimental writing was the prevailing tafte of the town, with which a comedy, called Falfe Delicacy, written by Kelly, abounded; and being got up at the Theatre in Drury Lane, under the fuperintendance of Mr. Garrick, it met with fuch general approbation, that it was performed for several fucceffive nights with unbounded applaufe, and bore away the palm from Goldfmith's comedy, which came out much at the fame time at the other theatre. Falle Delicacy became fo popular a piece, that ten thousand copies were fold in the courfe of only one fea

fon; and the book fellers concerned in the property, as a token of their acknowledgment of the merit of the comedy, apparent from its extraordinary fale, prefented Kelly with a piece of plate of confiderable value, and gave an elegant entertainment to him and his friends. Thefe circumftances irritated the feelings of Goldsmith to fo violent a degree, as to diffolve the bands of friendfhip between Kelly and him; for though, in every other inftance, he bore a near refemblance to his own character of the good-natured Man, yet, in literary fame, he "could bear no rival near his throne." Had not his countryman and fellow bard afpired at rivalfhip, had he been modeftly content to move in an humbler sphere, he might not only have retained his friendship, but commanded his purfe; but, as emphatically expreffed by the fame author from whom we cited the last quotation; "To contend for the bow of Ulyffes; this was a fault; that way envy lay."

But Goldfmith, foon disgusted with fuch trivial purfuits, applied himself to nobler fubjects, and produced a highly finished Poem, called The Deferted Village. The bookfeller gave him a note of an hundred guineas for the copy, which Goldsmith returned, faying to a friend, "It is too much; it is more than the honeft Bookfeller can afford, or the piece is worth." He eftimated the value according to the following computation; "That it was near five fhillings a couplet, which was more than any bookfeller could afford, or, indeed, any modern poetry was worth:" but the fale was fo rapid, that the bookfeller, with the greatest pleasure, foon paid him the hundred guineas, with acknowledgment for the generofity he had evinced upon the occafion.

The Author addreffes this Poem to his friend Sir Joshua Reynolds. He writes in the character of a native of a country village, to which he gives the name of Auburn, and which he pathetically addreffes. He then proceeds to contrast the innocence and happiness of a fimple and a natural state with the miferies and vices that have been introduced by polished life, and gives the following beautiful apoftrophe to retirement :

10, bluft

O bleft retirement' friend to life's decline,
Retreats from care, that never must be mine;
How bleft is he who crowns, in fhades like thefe,
A youth of labour with an age of eafe;

Who quits a world where trong temptations try,
And, fince 'tis hard to combat, learns to fly!
For him no wretches, born to work and weep,
Explore the mine, or tempt the dangerous deep;
No furly porter fands in guilty ftate,

To fpurn imploring famine from the gate;
But on he moves to meet his latter end,
Angels around befriending virtue's friend;
Sinks to the grave with unperceiv'd decay,
While refignation gently flopes the way;
And all his profpects brightening to the laft,
His Heaven commences ere the world be paf!

The defcription of the parish priest (probably intended for a character of his brother Henry) would have done honour to any poet of any age. In this defcrip

tion the fimile of the bird teaching her young to fly, and of the mountain that rifes above the ftorm, are not eafily to be paralleted. The rest of the poem confifts of the character of the village school-mafter, and a defcription of the village ale-houfe; both drawn with admirable propriety and force; a defcant on the mifchiefs of Juxury and wealth; the variety of artificial pleasures; the miferies of thofe who, for want of employment at home, are driven to fettle new colonies abroad; and concludes with the following beautiful apoftrophe to poetry:*

And thou, fweet poetry! thou lovelief maid,
Still first to fly where fenfual joys invade;
Unfit in thefe degenerate times of thame,
To catch the heart, or ftrike for honeft fame;
Dear charming nymph, neglected and decry'd,
My fhame in crowds, my folitary pride;
Thou fource of all my blifs, and all my wo
That found me poor at firft, and keep'ft me fo;
Thou guide by which the nobler arts excel,,
Thou nurfe of every virtue, fare thee well.'

This finished Poem was by no means a hafty production; it occupied two years in compofing; and was the effect of the most minute obfervation, during an excurfion of between four and five years. Soon after the appearance of this work, he paid a tribute to the merit of

The Doctor did not reap a profit from his poetical labours equal to thofe of his profe. The Earl of Lisburne, whofe claffical tafte is well known, one day at a dinner of the Royal Academicians, lamented to the Doctor his neglecting the Mufes, and enquired of him why he forfook poetry, in which he was fure of charming his readers, to compile hiftories and write novels? The Doctor replied, My Lord, by courting the Mufes I fall ftarve; but by my other labours, I eat, drink, have good cloaths, and enjoy the luxuries of life.

B

Dr.

Dr. Parnell, in a Life prefixed to a new Edition of that elegant writer's "Poems on feveral Occafions ;" a work that does honour to the head and heart of the author.

The next Comedy the Doctor produced was in the year 1772: it was called, She Stoops to Conquer, and proved more fuccessful than the Good-natured Man. Colman, who was then manager of Covent Garden Theatre, and had given inconteftible proofs of dramatic genius, in the production of various excellent pieces, was greatly mistaken in his judgment of this comedy, which he thought too farcical, and had configned to condemnation at the time of its laft rehearsal. Indeed, the performers, in general, coincided with the manager in opinion. The piece, however, notwithstanding the fentence pronounced by that acknowledged critic, was received with great applause, to his mortification, and the exultation of the author, who was not a little piqued at the critic from the following circumftance.

The first night of the performance of his comedy, Goldsmith did not come to the houfe till it approached the clofe, having been ruminating in St. James's Park, on the very important decifion of the fate of his piece then pending; and fuch were his anxiety, and apprehenfion of its failure, that he was with great difficulty prevailed on to repair to the theatre, on the fuggeftion of a friend, who pointed out the neceffity of his prefence, in order to take cognizance of any paffages that might appear objectionable, for the purpofe of omiffion or alteration in the repetition of the performance. Our Author, with an expectation suspended between hope and fear, had fcarcely entered the paffage that leads to the ftage, than his ears were fhocked at a hifs, which proceeded from the audience, as a token of their difapprobation of the farcical fuppofition of Mrs. Hardcastle's being fo palpably deluded, as to conceive herfelf at the diftance of fifty miles from her houfe, when he was not at the distance of fifty yards. Such were the tremor and agitation of the Doctor on this unwelcome falute, that, running up to the inanager, he exclaimed, "What's

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