"called on me &c. so that you familiar intercourse with Gold"will not want claimants." smith, that the greater number Nevertheless, the supposed of his family, who had inherited "good issue" proves no issue no richer possession than his at all; another unaccountable name, were almost literally starvdelay intervenes; and January ing. A letter of Esther Gold1796 arrives with everything still smith's addressed to Mr. Cooper unsettled. For the "trade," Walker of Dublin (Prior, II. 577) being now banded together to leaves it not doubtful that Dr. work the profitable and already Barnard and Lord Charlemont richly-yielding farm of Gold- must have known this on ausmith's works to their own bene- thority not to be disputed. fit, could not agree with the "From your goodness on former bishop on what would be a "occasions," she writes, "and reasonable percentage from one "kind attention to me, I take the edition for the benefit of Gold-"liberty of requesting the honour smith's family; and, as it was "of a line from you, to inform now too late to resort to a sub-"me what your opinion is in rescription, the bishop was in their "gard to the Academy house, power. The dispute appears to "whether I may have hopes of have raged for more than a year "being housekeeper to it. and a half: Percy, for the family, "blush to give this trouble to a insisting on a payment of money, "gentleman who is almost a together with a small number of "stranger to me in every respect copies to be given them for "except my misfortunes; but I sale; and Cadell and Davies, for "trust I have an advocate in the booksellers, refusing to con- "your humane heart. I have insent to anything more than a "formed you, sir, of the Bishop payment altogether in books out "of Killaloe's goodness in handof the impression printed. That "ing in my memorial, and also the bishop had himself always "the kind reception it met with contemplated the latter in partial "from the members present. satisfaction of his project, ap- "May I presume to beg that you pears from an allusion in one of "will be so kind as to recomCampbell's letters (Nichols, VII. "mend me to Lord Charlemont, 777); but, for the present relief "which would serve the busiof Maurice Goldsmith's widow ". ness much, and infinitely serve and Henry Goldsmith's daughter, "me?" This well-expressed he held the accompanying moneypayment also to be absolutely essential.

earnest letter was written in 1793; yet years passed, and the poor modest petitioner was as Meanwhile it could not be far as ever from that miserable other than notorious to a ma- object of her ambition, to be aljority of those who had been in lowed to keep the rooms and

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sweep out the dust of the new held Percy from openly avowing Irish Academy. It seems to have his responsibility for the facts been generally understood that and statements put forth in the the entire question of Goldsmith Memoir.

and his family was in the hands "I wish," writes the Bishop to of Percy and the booksellers, Steevens, dating his communicaand that everything must depend tion from "near Northampton," on the settlement of that dis- 6th September, 1797, "to conpute. "sult you about an answer I am Great anger and excitement "about to send to a captious now began to mark its con- "letter from Messrs. Cadell and tinuance, and in September 1797 "Davies, who have been in treaty Percy put the case before George "for what Reliques I have of Steevens. This curious letter, "Goldsmith; which I want to which reveals more of the details "make advantageous to two poor of this not very creditable trans-"women nearly related to him. action than any other that ap- "When I was last in England I pears to have been preserved "had reason to expect they out of all the correspondence, "would give me 200 guineas for was printed a few years ago in "them in money, and fifty copies the Athenæum (29th April, 1848). "of a proposed edition in four It shows us, not simply that the "vols; as also repay me twenty booksellers adhered to their re- "or thirty guineas for a Life, fusal to advance a shilling of "which I was to have written by money, but that they would give "some man of character, into only 250 copies of the books in "which would be inserted a good satisfaction of all claims; and "number of curious letters by this, too, on condition that all "or concerning him, that would the copies were to be sold in "give considerable light and imIreland, and that Percy was to " 'portance to his biographic hispay the of their carriage expense "tory. (I have particular reasons to that country, as well as the "for not being myself his ostencost of binding them as they "sible biographer.) I accordingly might be required for sale; or, "got such a life written by Mr. supposing he insisted on liberty "Boyd, the ingenious translator to sell in England, then they "of Dante, for which I have would restrict their munificence "paid him thirty guineas out of to 200 copies "stitched in blue "my own pocket. Since my re66 'paper." The reader will ob- "turn to England Messrs. Cadell serve also the not unimportant

avowal, in this letter, that it was Mr. Boyd was Percy's chaplain, and, only an objection to appearing as I have stated in a previous passage, before the public as his had completed Campbell's draft of the Memoir by engrafting into it Percy's own "sible biographer" which with- remarks and suggestions.

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"and Davies, who take upon "think they wish me to be af"them to manage for all the "fronted, and so break off all "proprietors, utterly refused to "further treaty; which I should pay any money for the poor "really prefer, with the loss of "women (though they did not "my thirty guineas, but for the "refuse to repay me my thirty "sake of the poor women: and "guineas); but proposed, as soon "out of compassion for their "as the four vols. of this col- "poverty, I have submitted to "lected edition of Dr. Gold- "the rudest treatment in the "smith's works is completed, to "whole of the correspondence, ""supply to the order of the "as you will acknowledge when "Bishop of Dromore 250 per-"I come to show you their let""fect sets, in sheets, of the said "ters. Before I answer their last "edition, free of all charge, for "letter containing this proposal, "the purpose of the said sets "I wish to consult you. What "being sent to Ireland, and dis-"would you advise? If I take "posed of in that kingdom, for "200 copies here, I shall have "the benefit of two surviving 'some difficulty in selling them ""relations of Dr. Goldsmith." "to booksellers of character; "Knowing that the poor women "for, to discourage me from "would not be able to dispose "printing an edition for the "of them unless I went about "charity, they have informed me 'soliciting subscriptions through "that all the principal book"that kingdom, which I cannot "sellers in London are con66 now submit to, and that our "nected with them; and I must "Irish booksellers would some "after all send some of the books

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"of them get their books and "to Ireland. I suppose the "never pay them, I desired they "binders will require a shilling "would leave out the condition "a volume for sewing the 250 "of the books being all to be disposed "copies in blue paper, &c. This "of in Ireland; and allow them in "would be 407 (i.e. the 200 "part to be sold here. They "copies), which, with the pri"now will admit of no other "vilege of selling in England, "alternative but either my send-" may perhaps be more than "ing the 250 copies in sheets to "equivalent in value to the fifty "Ireland, with the carriage at "copies in sheets, and the whole "my own expense, there to be "to be confined to Ireland. But "stitched or bound, and sold, &c "you can probably inform me -or else they will give me "what the binders would de"here only 200 copies for them, "mand; and of the Irish market "stitched in blue paper, with "I can judge myself. Pray fa"liberty to dispose of them in "vour me with your opinion: England. This proposal is "and if you please, as early as "made in terms so uncivil, that I "possible. Give my compli

...

"ments to Mr. Reed, and thanks "the poor women." Wherefore "for assisting in the research he concludes his letter by re"about Goldsmith's Epilogue, commending the bishop to make "for which I must desire you to the best of his bargain; since he "accept yourself my kindest ac- must submit, if he cannot in"knowledgments." timidate; and quits the subject

To this communication, and with this pithy remark. "The all its sorry and shameful details, "works of Goldsmith will always most characteristic was the reply "be sought after, but you will of George Steevens. He did "discover little zeal to promote not spare the booksellers, "the "the welfare of his needy rela"priests of Mammon," as he "tions." (Nichols, VII. 31.) calls them; who might be brought On this advice Percy relucto their senses, he thought, by tantly acted; and in a few weeks the threat of a new subscription- afterwards the agreement was edition "prefaced by an account signed, and the memoir placed "of their behaviour;" for "the in Cadell and Davies's hands. "works of Goldsmith are among But a doom seemed to hang "their staple commodities, and over the project, and no sooner "they will hardly choose they was one obstruction cleared than "should fall into any other hands new difficulties started in its "than those of their leading pub- way. The trade could not now "lishers; nor can I believe they settle among themselves what "will think it prudent either to the edition was to contain; the "lose, or provoke, a pen so bishop, resenting very angrily "pointed and so popular as what had passed, would give no "yours. It should seem, how- further help which he had the "ever, continues Steevens, power to withhold; on a new "from your own representation editor being selected in the per"of this affair, that you only ex- son of Mr. Rose (Cowper's "pected they would give you &c, friend), Malone appears to have "not that any specific terms were joined Percy in a protest against "formally settled between the any tampering with the memoir; "knights of the rubrick post and and, probably from this protest "your lordship." And he goes not meeting with proper attenon to state that he had learnt tion, the name of the Bishop of that morning, from the records Dromore was formally and finally of the Chapter coffee-house, that withdrawn from the scheme. the proposal made by the book- This period in its luckless hissellers as long ago as November tory brings me to 1800, when (I 1795, had been "exactly the now quote from a letter of the "terms they now offer; at least bishop to Dr. Anderson, written "no mention is there made of in 1808) "Doctor Goldsmith's “the 200% for the endowment of "niece, daughter of his eldest

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"brother the clergyman, being the bishop, writing six years "reduced to indigence, on her after it, makes pretty clear to us "account the bishop applied, in by the remark, that "part of "1800, to Messrs. Cadell and "these 125 copies transmitted to "Davies to afford some present "Mr. Archer are still unsold, and "relief, to alleviate the distress "as two more elegant editions have "occasioned by the delay of the "been printed in London, which "publication; which being re- "it is feared will impede the "fused by them, the bishop sup- "sale of these, it is intended “plied the same himself, and "to get them into the country "continued to do so till her "and dispose of them by pri"death, which took place before "vate subscription." (Nichols, "Mr. Árcher had come to a VII. 191.) "settlement for the 125 copies So much for the Irish branch "transmitted to him." (Nichols, of this trade-munificence to poor VII. 191.) Goldsmith's memory. From the The last allusion explains the same letter I can also indicate character of the agreement with its equally generous flow in Engthe trade to which Dr. Percy had land, where a new claimant had finally and so reluctantly con- suddenly appeared. "Of the sented. The booksellers had "two hundred and fifty copies," consented to the magnificent writes Percy, "one half were alcompromise of allowing one half "lowed to be sold in England, the copies in sheets to be sold "and these were delivered to in England! In consideration of “Mr. White, bookseller in Fleetthe memoir with which he had "street London, with an injuncsupplied them, they were to "tion that he was to account for transmit to him, on publication, "all the profits arising from the two hundred and fifty unbound "same to Doctor Goldsmith's copies of the Miscellaneous Works "brother, Charles Goldsmith, to which it was prefixed; one "who had returned from the hundred and twenty-five to be "West Indies with his family, and sold in Dublin, and one hundred "resided in the neighbourhood and twenty-five in London, for "of Tottenham-court [-road]. the benefit of the Goldsmiths. "From this brother of Doctor Mr. Archer was the Dublin book-"Goldsmith the bishop frequentseller to whom the Irish copies "ly heard, informing him that were at last consigned on the "the payments were duly made, appearance of the book in 1801; "and whatever copies he desired and that Cadell and Davies had "were delivered to him to distaken a sound business view of "pose of among his friends for the matter in refusing to advance "his own benefit. He believes money on those copies even a "Mr. Charles Goldsmith is now few months before publication, "dead, but the account is still