to the conclusion of my book," "him.' So you see, sir, even let me take the opportunity of "Burke would suffer, not from saying, that, with an admiration "any fault of his own, but from That for Boswell's biography "your folly."* This last remark 1773. confirmed and extended is surely the real clue to a great At. 45. by my late repeated study deal that offends against good of it, I am more than ever con- taste in Boswell's extraordinary vinced that not a few of those book. Men and things, and poor opinions of Johnson's put forth Goldsmith and his affairs very in it which appear most repulsive prominently among both, over or extravagant, would for the and over again "suffer not from most part lose that character if "any fault of their own," but Boswell had accompanied them from a teasing, pertinacious, always with the provocation or harassing, and foolish way of incitement under which they dragging them forward. were delivered. Certainly he excellent saying of Mrs. Thrale's does not always do this, any formerly quoted, in which she more than he is careful at all tells us that to praise anything, times to distinguish when things even what he liked, extravagantare said in irony or jest. To il-ly, was generally displeasing to lustrate my meaning, a short Johnson, was never sufficiently passage may be quoted from a considered by Boswell. This inconversation in which Boswell deed was the mistake he most appears to have fretted and often made; and hence his frevexed Johnson by trying to prove quent confession that it was not that the highest sort of praise improbable that if one had taken might yet, in particular circum- the other side Johnson "might stances, be resorted to without "have reasoned differently." the suspicion of exaggeration. The honest truth was that, so "Thus," he continued, "one long as, by any sort or kind of "might say of Mr. Edmund pestering, or of excitement, he "Burke, he is a very wonderful elicited one of Johnson's pecu"man;" to which Johnson re- liarities, the more harsh or decitorted, "No, sir, you would not sive the better, he did not care "be safe, if another man had a what or who might be sacrificed "mind perversely to contradict. in the process. If he could ever "He might answer, 'Where is all discover a tender place, on that "the wonder? Burke is, to be he was sure to fix himself; and ""sure, a man of uncommon any hesitation or misgiving about "abilities; with a great quantity a particular subject was pretty ""of matter in his mind, and a sure to be turned the wrong way, "great fluency of language in if he proceeded to meddle with ""his mouth. But we are not to *Boswell, VIII. 57-8. "be stunned and astonished by ** Ib. III. 112. Æt. 45. it. In regard to Goldsmith, too, labour of the pen, the mere inthe mere prevalence of a suspi- fluence of his name and repute cion that he would be biographer might suffice to bring a liberal to his hero, was of course dis- return.* It is pleasant to 1773. comforting; and there is doubt- find Garrick helping him less some truth in Sir Walter in this. "Dear sir," writes Scott's suggestion that "rivalry Goldsmith to him on the 10th of "for Johnson's good graces" in June, "To be thought of by you, regard to this possible point of "obliges me; to be served by contention, might account for "you, still more. It makes me many of the impressions which "very happy to find that Doctor Boswell, who was by nature "Burney thinks my scheme of a neither an ill-tempered nor an "Dictionary useful; still more that unjust man, received from such "he will be so kind as to adorn intercourse as he had with John-"it with anything of his own. I son's earlier and older friend. CHAPTER XVIII. Drudgery and Depression. "beg you, also, will accept my "gratitude for procuring me so "valuable an acquisition. I am, "dear sir, Your most affection"ate servant, OLIVER GOLD"SMITH."** Garrick had in THE first volume of the Grecian *This project, and the general condiHistory appears to have been tion and habits of Goldsmith at the time, finished by Goldsmith soon after are thus described in the Percy Memoir, Boswell left London, and Griffin, P. 112-3. "He had engaged all his literary "friends, and the members of the club to on behalf of the "trade," was "contribute articles, each on the subject then induced to make further "in which he excelled; so that it could "not but have contained a great assemadvances. An agreement dated "blage of excellent disquisitions. He acon the 22nd of June, states 250l. "cordingly had prepared a Prospectus, as the sum agreed and paid for "in which, as usual, he gave a luminous "view of his design; but his death unthe two volumes; but from this "fortunately prevented the execution of payment had doubtless been de-"the work. He was subject to severe ducted some part of the heavy debt for which the author was already in arrear. The rest of that debt it seemed hopeless to satisfy by mere drudgery of his own, never more than doubtfully rewarded at best; and the idea "don, and wrote without cessation till now first occurred to poor Gold-"ried his copy to the bookseller, received "he had finished his task. He then carsmith of a work that he might "his compensation, and gave himself up, edit, for which he might procure "perhaps for months without interrupcontributions from his friends, "tion, to the gaieties, amusements, and and in which, without any great] ** Madame D'Arblay's Memoirs of Dr. 66 "fits of the strangury, owing probably to "confined himself to the desk, when he 'the intemperate manner in which he "was employed in his compilations, often "indeed for several weeks successively 66 without taking exercise. On such oc66 casions he usually hired lodgings in some farm-house a few miles from Lon 66 "societies of London." 1773. Æt. 45. 66 Sciences. duced Dr. Burney to promise a ture, which lay upon his desk.* paper on Music for the scheme, His once trim chamber had then which was that of a Popular fallen into grievous disorder. Dictionary of Arts and Expensive volumes, which, as he says in his preface to the book In exertions with a view just named, had sorely taxed his to this project, and in other scanty resources, lay scattered persevering labours of the desk, about the tables, and tossing on the autumn came on. "Here," the floor. ** But of books he he said exultingly to Cradock, had never been careful. Hawkins on the latter entering his cham- relates that when engaged in his bers one morning, "are some historical researches about music, "of my best prose writings. I Goldsmith told him some curious "have been hard at work ever things one night at the club, "since midnight, and I desire which, having asked him to re"you to examine them. They duce to writing, he promised "are intended for an introduc- that he would, and desired Haw"tion to a body of arts and kins to call at his chambers for "sciences." Cradock thought them; when, on the latter doing them excellent indeed, but for so, he stepped into a closet and other admiration they have un- tore out of a printed book six luckily not survived. With these leaves, containing the facts he proofs of application, anecdotes had mentioned. The carelessalso of carelessness, of the dis-ness, however, was not of books position which makes so much only. Such money as he had of the shadow as well as sun- might be seen lying exposed in shine of the Irish character, as drawers, to which his " occausual alternate; and Cradock "sional man-servant" would rerelates that, on one occasion, he sort as a mere matter of course, and Percy met by appointment for means to pay any small bill in the Temple, at Goldsmith's that happened to be applied for; special request, and found him and on a visitor once pointing gone away to Windsor after leav- out the danger of this, "What, ing an earnest entreaty (with "my dear friend," exclaimed which they complied) that they Goldsmith, "do you take Dennis would complete for him a half- "for a thief?" One John Eyles finished proof of his Animated Na- had lately replaced Dennis, and was become inheritor of the too Burney, 1. 272-3. "My dear Doctor," 66 *Cradock's Memoirs, 1. 235, Cradock's Memoirs, Iv. 285. ** I refer the reader to the auctioneer's catalogue of Goldsmith's furniture and books, which I print, by Mr. Murray's permission, from the very scarce original now in his possession. See Appendix B to this volume, So 1773. tempting confidences reposed in usually depressed and uncertain, his predecessor, at the time of and that his health had become Percy's visit to the Temple. visibly impaired. Even his temThe incident of that visit, I per failed him with his may add, shows us how fleeting servants; and bursts of pas- Æt. in 45the Rowley dispute had been; and sion, altogether strange it was followed by a mark of re- him, showed the disorder of his newed confidence from Gold- mind. These again he would smith, which may also show the repent and atone for on the infitful despondency under which stant; that his laundress, he was labouring at this time. Mary Ginger, used to contend He asked Percy to be his bio- with John Eyles which of them grapher; told him he should on such occasions should first leave him his papers; dictated fall in his way, knowing well the several incidents of his life to profitable kindness that would him; and gave him a number of follow the intemperate reproval. letters and manuscript materials, From such as now visited him, which were not afterwards so even men he had formerly most carefully preserved as they might distrusted, he made little conhave been.* There is no doubt cealment of his affairs. "I rethat his spirits were now un- "member him when, in his *See Appendix A to this volume. Either Edmund Malone was a sinner in the same way (though, as he would have 66 66 "chambers in the Temple," says Cumberland who had called upon him there, "he showed me the beginning of his Animated us believe, through too much care), or the Bishop lost also some papers intrusted to Nature; it was with a sigh, such him by Malone. "I have a strong recol- "as genius draws, when hard "lection," he writes to Percy (5th June,‹‹. "necessity diverts it from its 1802) "of having got, I know not how, some verses addressed by Goldsmith to "bent, to drudge for bread, and "a lady going to Ranelagh, or going to a "talk of birds and beasts and "masquerade, and of having given them<< creeping things, which Pid"to you for insertion; but I do not find 66 "them anywhere." (He is referring to cock's showman would have the edition of the Miscellaneous Works "done as well. Poor fellow, he just then published with the Percy Memoir "hardly knew an ass from a prefixed.) The Bishop appears in his answer to have convinced him that the "mule; nor a turkey from a missing verses had never reached him "goose, but when he saw it on and in a second letter (July 20, 1802) the table." ""* Cumberland had Malone adds, "I cannot recollect what I "have done with the unpublished verses none of the necessities of the "of Goldsmith, nor from whom I got drudge, and his was not the life "them. They remained for a long while of the author militant. That he "folded in the Irish edition of his works, "and are there no longer; so I suppose I could eat his daily bread without "have deposited them somewhere so "safely that I shall never find them. "One often loses things in this way, by "too much care." 66 *Memoirs, I. pp. 352-3. The reader has had the opportunity of appreciating the value of such remarks. He had heard an un performing some daily task to game. procure it, was a fact he made fortunate woman attempting to always very obvious, and was sing in the street; and so did especially likely to im- her half-singing, half-sobbing, 1773. press on any drudge he pierce his heart, that he could Æt. 45. was visiting. "You and I not rest till he had relieved her, "have very different motives for and sent her away. The other "resorting to the stage. I write card-players had been conscious "for money, and care little about of the woman's voice, but not of "fame," said Goldsmith sor- the wretchedness in its tone rowfully. His own distress, too, which had so affected Goldhad made even more acute, at smith.* this time, his sensibility to the It occurred to some friends to distress of others. He was play- agitate the question of a pening whist one evening at Sir Wil- sion for him. 'Wedderburne had liam Chambers's, when, at a talked somewhat largely, in his critical point of the game, he recent defence of Johnson's penflung down his cards, ran hastily sion, of the resolve of the from the room into the street, ministry no longer to restrict the as hastily returned, resumed his bounty of the crown by political cards, and went on with the considerations, provided there *Memoirs, 1. p. 366. Many passages in the Animated Nature show this melancholy * I quote the version of this touching tone; and one fancies it might be with anecdote exactly as it appeared in the something of a lingering personal allu- periodicals of the time: "This truly ecsion he stopped amid the fables recorded "centric, yet amiable, character, was one by Aldrovandus (IV. 403), to apostrophise "evening at a card party in the house of "that great and good man as one who "the late Sir William Chambers, Berners"was frequently imposed upon by the "street. The game, at the table to which "designing and the needy;" whose un- "he sat down, was whist: the set was, bounded curiosity drew round him people" Lady Chambers, Baretti, Sir William, and of every kind, and whose generosity "the Doctor. In a very important period was as ready to reward falsehood as "of this contemplative game, when the 66 'truth. . . Poor Aldrovandus! he fate of the rubber depended upon a "little thought of being reduced at last to "single point, Goldsmith, to the astonish"want bread, to feel the ingratitude of "ment of every one, gave a sudden start, "his country, and to die a beggar in a "threw down his hand of cards, flew out "public hospital!" For another some- "of the room, and into the street. He what similar and very striking passage "was back again almost in an instant. on Reaumur, see v. 213-4. "It was in "Sir William, fearful that he had been ill, "vain," exclaims Goldsmith, "that this "said, 'Where the deuce have you been 'poor man's father dissuaded him from" in such a hurry, Goldsmith?' 'I'll tell what the world considered as a barren" "you,' he replied; 'as I was deeply en"pursuit; it was in vain that an habitual "gaged, and pondering over my cards, "disorder, brought on by his application," "my attention was attracted from them "interrupted his efforts; it was in vain"by the voice of a female in the street, "that mankind treated him with ridicule "who was singing and sobbing at the "while living, as they suffered his works "same time: so I flew down to relieve "to remain long unprinted and neglected" "her distress; for I could not be quiet "when dead: still the Dutch philosopher "myself until I had quieted her.'" "went on," &c. Europ. Mag. LV. 443. 66 |